September 25, 2013

What is it about chilly mornings? The covers feel so cozy you can't help but turn over and snuggle down, burying your face in that warm pillow spot for just a few more minutes. Then you wake up with a turtle-headache! Argh.

Little Bic has a headache this morning too. Mama gave him a dose of white willow bark and tucked him back into bed with a cold pack, shushing his siblings from bouncing on the bunks as they got ready for school.

So there he lies, covers-to-chin, only a pink nose and whiskers showing under that big ice bag. Where'd she get the ice, you ask? Hmmm. Have ya stepped outside this morning? Yup. You guessed it. His papa was out early, gathering frost off the roof, stuffing it into the ice bag before hurrying back to his ailing boy-mouse, and the warmth of Walnut Woodstove.

Poor Bic. Somewhere in his adventures at Pine Acres, he caught himself a cold, so he's been under-the-weather for the past few hours, sneezling and snortling--well, as loud as a wee mouse can, that is--and now his head is aching. Mama shakes her head knowingly, but never once says I-told-you-so. She is wise. All must learn for themselves--there are consequences for not taking good care of ourselves.

Oh but he had a marvelous time! Racing through the forest with all his newfound friends, hiding from the mongo-spiders--and let me tell you, there were some big ones in that piney woods--and playing hide and seek with his new best buddy, Yipsak, a deer-mouse just about his age. They spent most nights, cavorting from roof to timber, giggling themselves silly until all hours, then finding hideaway places to sleep all day. Why they were even out in that terrible rain storm on Saturday night, pretending they weren't scared of the thunder at all. Not! It was then that Bic really wished he was home, safe in his bunk under the eaves, but he had to be brave for Yipsak.

Yesterday he'd worked hard with Papa, collecting and gnawing sticks for Walnut Woodstove. Guess he plum wore himself to a frazzle, and now the frazzle was tucked in bed when everyone else got to go off to school and work. Poor Bic.

He wiggled down under the covers, grinned to himself and drifted off to sleep.