there was talk tonight…whispers, really…that the Macaroni Piggies might be changing their name. for rizzle.

after driving the chainless truck out to the chained-and-plowed one, and pounding all the ice of the windshield, and taking two chains off and putting them back on (just for practice since the sun was shining and the wind was not up and about), and tidying up all the edges with the plow on the way back home, and clearing out all the pull-offs, and widening the driveway, and clearing the parking lot, and making three quarts of bone broth, and making a chicken noodle soup, and cornbread, and reading books, and doing puzzles, and digging forts…Crit told me i was, indeed, the hero of horse creek.

i know she was lobbying for hut tubbing after dinner. so i take her compliment with a chunk of Himalayan sea salt. her lobbying efforts were a win-win-win-win-win.

for the second night in a row, the three of us watched the moon rise from zero to full. both nights we just happened to catch it. last night, it was after dinner, and we looked out the window at the exact right time to check. the three of us huddled at the window and watched it rise over the ridge with the silhouette of sturdy trees in its transition. we were all silent. it was one of those magical moments. once the moon was high in the sky, we opened the door to listen for the wolves. nothing.

tonight, we went out for a soak. as soon as Crit shut the porch light and scuttled into the hot tub, the wolf-moon just began to rise. we sat in silence again. this time we listened for the wolves. they both tried to start a howl of their own…its been going on all day.

our afternoon craft today was cutting out the images of the sky, the moon, a howling wolf, and a mountain. we all hung out in my “studio”.  we did not finish the projects. we’ll have to get-right-to-work tomorrow like in Mrs. Sayers class. they are each their own thing and i look forward to working on them again tomorrow.

we took a break to go for a final recess. and we walked down the driveway without snow pants, without our standard winter jackets, without appropriate footwear, just to be free of the routine. and that’s when it came up. someone mentioned that maybe we’d be Howling Wolves for these 2 weeks instead of Macaroni Piggies. You know, just while Daddo’s gone.

and the Hero of Horse Creek just sat back and smiled. I sure know what it feels like to shed the title that is no longer serving you, and finding the one that fits.

The Howling Wolves of Moose Willow Academy.

this is the best of all possible worlds.