On the table: honey, pancakes, and eggs

By Nellie Curtiss …

One week not too long ago, a little sheep herder found it hard to get out of bed to tend to her flock. It had been a hard few days with a norther that blew into the high desert valley and whooshed sand, loose grass, and pine needles around. Hay tents were also strewn and ripped; so, the tribe was rummaging through the debris to reorder life on the small acreage.

Calhoun, her Great Pyrenees, nudged her hand. It was the hour when the animals start stirring, but not quite sunup. The constellation Orion and the full moon still marked the sky.  As she continued to dress, her vegan leather belt felt ice cold—a sign the winter solstice had arrived.

Little Marie slipped on her jeans and scooted her feet snug in zippered faux-fur boots. The first watch started before dawn, so she marched with Calhoun and moved the sheep out just a bit from where they bedded down.

As she walked and the sheep followed with Calhoun herding the stragglers, she saw the milky way shining like a midnight road in the sky. She wondered about the peoples who lived here in ancient times and if the researchers on the International Space Station saw her sheep as they moved across the fields.

She caught a whiff of the eggs, sausage, and pancakes that her mother and aunt were stirring over the ranch stove. Now, she realized that she was really hungry and said out loud, “Calhoun stay here.” Then, she turned toward the family dwelling for breakfast.

As she walked, she thought of Nana. “This business of Covid,” she thought to herself, “is so sad.” She remembered how grandpa and grandma died six months ago because of covid and pneumonia.

Her mother had since made sure Marie got the shot when the governor delivered vaccines to all the outlying communities like hers. Now, all the relatives are protected and when they go into town, they carry a mask on their wrist or on a string around their neck. Her mother told her to wear it when school opens back up in January. As she climbed the steps, she thought, “I hope no one else gets Covid.”

Just then, the solar light overwhelmed the east-facing windows. Mama embraced Marie as she climbed into a chair at the family table and opened up for a big scoop of love and peace and joy.

“Mmmm. Honey, pancakes, and eggs! My favorite.”