Backwoods Journal Part two

Photograph: Sharron R. McMillan

Our first night in our tiny sleeping loft was not exactly what we’d dreamed it would be.  We were deep in the woods, alone. Our closest neighbours about a mile away.  No telephone and no power.  We lay listening to some giant monster crashing against the plastic sheeting on the roof most of the night.  Owls, we hear them all the time now, but then we had no idea what it was and it was terrifying.

We had snow that February, which is unusual for the Sunshine Coast, and our Ashley wood stove did not live up to its glowing reputation.  Our firewood wasn’t dry enough so we spent a lot of time practically sitting on top of the stove to keep warm.  That’s when we started to learn how to slow down and wait. Wait for a kettle of water to boil or a pot of soup to warm.  We discovered that the time went more enjoyably if we held a good book in our mittened hands and read to each other while waiting to thaw out enough to remove our coats before eating breakfast.  I learned how to boil potatoes in the bottom of the double boiler while heating green beans or peas in the top.  Our life took on a different rhythm and we found ourselves enjoying guilt-free sitting time.

©Sharron R. McMillan