Rain with thunder in the distance pauses my sleep. I look at my phone; it’s 3:30 a.m. Moe is curled against my lap. He also hears the thunder and presses closer with opened eyes staring out the window. He begins trembling with every clap.
The sky now quiet relaxes Moe; he is soon back into a deep sleep. I am getting there at a slower pace.
Eight o’clock and all are awake. The rain is gone; the mud and squishy grass stay behind. I dress and take Moe outside and set up the stove on the picnic table. The screen tent and table are on higher ground. I cook and eat with Moe looking up hopefully waiting to lick the plate. He loves egg yolk, a dog with good taste.
I make coffee and eat an oatmeal raisin cookie. These are not the fresh-baked cookies I get from home at the Cummington Creamery. These are regular store-bought cookies. The sad reality: the ingredients list is plain and simple, just what you’d put in making them at home. None of the added chemicals and additives in every factory-produced food in the United States.
Coming back to our site from a nice visit with our neighbors, I discovered in the site across from us a group of four twenty-something guys setting up a large tent. Thunder is in the near distance, and the wind is picking up. This did not deter them from having a shoe fight, throwing a shoe at each other. I foresee an interesting night ahead.
I stake the guy ropes out on the screen tent just in case. I am getting weather alerts for strong winds and severe lightning.
The strong wind is here, and the thunder in the distance is vibrating the ground. We move inside at 7 p.m. Moe is wrapped in his comfort blanket in Nancy’s arms. I’m sitting with them, sampling another Canadian local brewery, Sons of Kent. Lone Wolf Coffee Blonde is a blonde ale infused with whole coffee beans. It tastes of a nice, flavored smooth ale followed by a burst of strong coffee. What a great way for the last night in Canada. Pleasing the palate while listening to the rumble of thunder. Memories of sitting with my kids decades ago on the front porch floor during thunderstorms are with me tonight.
