Afternoon

Gentle music plays, a wee girl sleeps after story time on Grammies soft sofa, surrounded by flannel quilt and feather pillows.  Cooper reflections of flame dance on the floor by the stove, while birds outside the window entertain me.  I attempted to read for a while, starting my annual winter reading of "The Long Winter", but the birds kept my eyes turned on them rather than the pages of my book.  An old edition, lovingly given to me by my eldest, she knows of my love of this story and how it transports me back in time every winter.  She knew an old edition would suit this yearly event perfectly, and it does.  I wonder about the previous hands that held this volume of strength and fortitude.  I wonder if they could relate to the seemingly unending cold of that winter so long ago.  My coffee has grown cold, I forgot about it.  Caught up in the perfect moment of this day.  
A stack of Kim Lewis books lay on the table, nest to a sleeping child, loved now for a second generation of children in our family.  We love the sheep and border collie stories best.  We can relate to them.  The illustrations, glorious in their ability to transform paper and pencil into life. Stories perfect for this winter day.   "Warm as Wool", another favorite story book, the last book in the stack for this afternoon,  lulled the dear one into dream land.