Category: Family Stories

Driving to our “Happy Place,” my doxies yapped in excitement. Max kept “talking,” and shrieked with excitement, just like when he was a pup, and excited to go for a drive or a walk along the horse trails. Mitzi scooted to the back of the HHR, so she could find a better view and stared from her perch at the rolling countryside. Maybe the pair were feeding off my own energy, for I couldn’t wait to arrive at the cabin. It had been over a year since our last visit, and I needed some mountain time. I knew the fall colors would begin to peak this weekend, and I couldn’t wait to view the autumn colors in all their glory.

It’s a short drive from my home on the Colorado prairie to my favorite mountain hamlet in southeastern Colorado. As we left our home and headed east into town, the traffic crunch slowed us down just a tad as people made their way home from work. I had taken the day off from my teaching position, but I hadn’t planned on it when I booked the mountain cabin. The original plan was to leave work, pick up the pups, and our gear and make a run for it. But sometimes the best-laid plans do not always work out as expected. The weekend before our getaway, I caught a nasty bug. It was finals week too, so I knew it would be a busy week. I plowed through the week and worked some late hours, so I would be able to have my grades ready and posted before leaving for a long weekend. Still, my sore throat and cough continued, and by Wednesday evening I knew that it had turned into a sinus infection. I had a fever, and I was supposed to run away for the weekend.

It was too late to cancel since my reservation began the next evening. Instead, I called the virtual doc that my health care covered. She sent antibiotics and an inhaler to my local pharmacy, but I couldn’t pick them up until the next day. Picking up my cell, I dialed the school’s sub-finder and sent a silent prayer that one would be found. After sending a message to the principal, I crawled into bed and the pups acted as tiny bed warmers. Soon, I was fast asleep.

The next morning I was up before the alarm, and I quickly tweaked my lessons to make them sub-teacher-friendly. After brushing my teeth and running a brush through my hair, I tugged on a faded pair of jeans and a soft lavender T-shirt. As I walked out of my bedroom, Mitzi waited in her usual spot on top of the overstuffed armchair. She always wanted one more cuddle before I headed out the door.

Hurrying into the kitchen, I grabbed my keys and headed to the school. I needed to make last-minute preparations before the sub arrived. Running into coworkers they scolded me for being at school and told me to go home and rest. Afterward, I wondered how my trip would be now that I felt so awful.

Driving home, I thought about my plans. I had planned on visiting one of the mountain parks, and although hiking was out, I had planned on a picnic and a short walk to enjoy some fresh air. But I would still be able to lounge on the front porch, drink my caramel pumpkin spice coffee, and watch my Muttley crew run around the pine forest in the front yard. Once I arrived home, I loaded up the car and waited for the pharmacy text, to alert that my antibiotics and sinus meds were ready. While I waited, I took a nap and rested.

Later that afternoon after picking up my prescriptions from the pharm, the pups and I loaded up and headed to the mountains. Although I felt extra tired, I couldn’t wait to arrive. It turned out to be the perfect remedy. During the frosty mornings, I sat by the fire while listening to audiobooks or writing, and sipped on vanilla chai tea. And of course, I always had a pup or two snuggled with me. The fire chased away the chill and I felt warm and cozy propped up in the recliner with a quilt over my lap. glancing out the windows, the sun peeked through the large ponderosa pines and aspen trees glowed in shades of yellow and gold. I sighed with contentment.

In the afternoons when the temps climbed, the pups and I headed to the backyard. In the warmth of the sun, I enjoyed the quiet and the sounds of birds that flitted about. Max explored the area and spent hours watching a spot by the cabin. His hunting instincts were in overdrive, and I was sure some little critter had made a nest under the crawlspace. Mitzi slowly roamed checking out the sites and smells, but always made her way back. She was a mama’s girl who stayed close by my side.

Enjoying the outdoors, I lapped up the sunshine. While sitting in the sun, I listened to my audiobook. I found a new author over a month ago. Last year during the Halloween season, I enjoyed listening to Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic Series. This year, I wanted to find another book about magical realism and stumbled across Heather Blakes’s series Witchcraft Mysteries. I’m hooked. Yesterday I finished A Witch Before Dying and started the third book, The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy. It’s safe to say that I have loved my mountain time even though I have been lazy, and even though I have sniffled my way through this long weekend.

Every evening about an hour before the sun set, my crew and I headed to the front porch. The pups scurried about the yard, and I quietly enjoyed watching the last light of the day as it beamed through the ponderosas. Across the road in a grassy field, aspens shimmered. Above the field, the sun reflected a soft light on the Wet Mountains. Pines shadowed the mountain peak, and hazy lines of ridges and spires and trees made a breathtaking silhouette against the cloudless blue skies.

Each evening, I deeply breathed in the clean mountain air and wished my time did not have to end. This time before the sun shifted behind the peaks was magical. The soft light danced in the yard between the large pines. It was breathtaking. Every evening at this time, the wild turkeys gathered in the field to the south and dined, pecking at bugs, seeds, and grass. Afterward, their caravan marched up the driveway into the yard and slowly walked along finding a few more savory morsels before moving behind the cabin. They clucked as they moved along, and I suspected that they roosted somewhere up the ridge before the light faded and darkness fell across the mountains.

Often, I had to remind the pups to leave the birds alone. Max, my earnest hunter, sadly whined. He wanted nothing more than to create havoc and chase the birds along to the ridgeline. Mitzi, my tiny protectress, stayed close and barked warnings. The evening rituals had quickly become a favorite pastime during our stay.

These lazy days in the mountains have been refreshing. Just what this gal and her furbabies needed. But, it’s time to make another cup of Chai tea, recline close the fire, and listen to the rest of my book. As the day begins to warm, I need to write just a little more before the pups and I make our backyard escape. After all, the mountains are calling.