Deep In Drear December

 

❅❆❄🤍❄❅❆

            Now, as we know, humans of all types and persuasions are known to have a gifting day late in the year. It brightens things up before the year turns and is also often a celebration done in honor of the One.
            Therefore, as she sat in her warm stone and timber kitchen one evening, Thaga was deep in thought. Though a virtuous Neanderthal matron she was no stranger to this winter custom. Gifting was on her mind. But also some regret lingered there.
            She was thinking of the time Ramona came to her house to ask for a dress made in her rather heroic size and she had convinced Ramona to let the idea go because of practicalities such as laundry.
            Dinner was over. Ooog was snoring in his chair on the other side of the big wooden table. She had time to reconsider the past. She thought that perhaps she had been too full of her own opinion. She thought perhaps she could do better, prioritizing the person more than the article.
            Thaga began to plan and design. In her mind she could see something that she was pretty sure would thrill Ramona. Designers of all human species are like that. They see pictures in their minds. Adjustments are made to the initial idea until it is right, and then this image is kept in storage in the mind, to refer to frequently.
            What she had in mind was a sort of wrap around pinafore, to be worn on special occasions, or just for fun. Not quite a dress, but more than an apron, made of some nice heavy cotton printed with a riotous flower print of several warm colors. Red, yellows, some lavender and blue, and some leaves.
            There were ten days until the traditional gifting day. She had plenty of time, so she thought she might also finish the quilts for Twigg and Cherry that she and Ramona had sewn the tops for earlier.
            Thaga and Ooog’s house, though lovely as a picture, did not have electrical power. So Thaga had an old fashioned treadle sewing machine. Not having electric lights meant that she must do her sewing during daylight hours. If it had been summer she could have rolled it outdoors for the best light, but it was deep in December, so she would have to sew by a big bright window.
            So, on day one she got out the fabric from the stash in her sewing closet, and a big ruler and some tailor’s chalk, and her big fabric shears. When it came to measurements, Thaga was a past master at kind of guessing the size of a person. Plus pinafores are not closely fitting.
            That same day, she laid out her design in chalk lines directly on the fabric. Brimming with confidence, she then cut it out with her shears. After folding it all up for the next day, she made a dinner of mushroom soup and home made crackers with butter for Ooog.
            On day two, she threaded her machine with bright red thread where it sat in front of the biggest window in the house. She sewed all the long seams that day, then did the gathering and hems and such.
            When she looked up Maeve was standing on the window ledge outside looking extremely inquisitive. She asked her in, and she and Maeve had a nice discussion about the nature of surprises and keeping her big beak shut on the matter. They came to a good understanding.
            On the third day, she sewed eight buttons down the back of the bodice part of the pinafore. Then she drew lines on the other side to mark the buttonholes. These lines she drew in ink because she didn’t want them to rub off.  One by one, she hand embroidered around each buttonhole after she had cut it in with some small scissors. She did a nice neat job of it too.
            Evening came, she roasted potatoes, and a chicken, one of their own from the backyard chicken house.
            After dinner Thaga suggested that Ooog make something for Ralph. What they finally came up with was a sort of very large leather backpack, such that he could gather firewood and other useful items in.
            On day four they were both busy. He made a good start on the leather pack, and she finished and tied Cherry’s new quilt.
            On day five, he finished a rather grand version of a backpack, and she put the top and batting and back on Twigg’s quilt and tied it with yarn knots, to look very festive.
            On day six Thaga made a lot of ginger cookies, the crispy kind, not the soft ones because they keep better. Not that they would need to keep very long anyhow, cookie eaters being what they are.
            On day seven, they decided they didn’t want to wait until the real gifting day. They were ready. So while it was still midmorning, they bundled up with their warmest clothing and woolly hats and mittens and homemade boots with felt linings.
            Thaga folded up the quilts and the pinafore and tucked them into the leather back pack. She carried the cookies in a paper sack to keep them from crumbling. Then they started out walking through quite heavy snow across the meadow and down into the forest where the snow was not so deep. 
            They could smell smoke from Ramona’s perpetual fire as they got close to the Home Clearing. It was nice to enter the clearing because snow doesn’t really fall there much, just a little to look pretty. Also, by the time they got there they were glad to be seated near the fire.
            It was a perfectly beautiful winter day. Silent and stark, in sharp white and dark tree trunks with just a bit of bright blue sky overhead. A few birds muttered in the trees quietly.
            “Man, it’s good to see you two again so soon,” said Ralph. “Last time was just about too much! You guys all really snuck up on me!
            “What brings you out here today, so far from your nice warm house?” he asked.
            “Well,” said Ooog, “as you know a lot of us Hairless types have a gifting holiday around this part of the winter. Thaga and I decided to bring you some things we made for you and yours, to celebrate the birth of the One sent from the Maker.”
            Ramona sat down beside Thaga, and Twigg and Cherry came close also so see what it was all about.
            Ooog took the big pack off of his own back and opened it. 
            Thaga first took little Cherry’s quilt out. “Remember when we made the top, Ramona? Here it is all finished!” Then she wrapped it around Cherry, who held it close and looked at it very carefully.
            Then she took out Twigg’s quilt, smiling at the boy, and wrapped it around him.
                        “Oh, thank you Thaga!” he said. “You and mommy made a beautiful thing. I love it.”
            Finally, Thaga withdrew the beautiful pinafore and showed Ramona how to put it on. She said, “I’m sorry I was so cut and dried about what you wanted last summer. If it gets grubby, bring it to me and we will scrub it in my kitchen sink. There, you look wonderful. It’s just for fun or if you want to dress up for weddings or something.”
            Ramona wept a little, some happy tears, and hugged her good friend.
            At last, Ooog presented Ralph with the big leather backpack. Ralph could see the practicality of it immediately. He put it on and strode back and forth a few times so everyone could see how he looked wearing it.
            “This makes me want to go gather fire wood right now, Ooog! What a fine thing you made. It will last forever. Thank you! Thank you! It is the best thing anyone ever gave me, even better than that box of very fine cigars!”
            Ramona helped Twigg and Cherry put their quilts in their beds, and she hung her pinafore inside the cave to keep it nice until a good time to wear it. She was still quite awestruck by its glamour.

            Then, after presenting the ginger cookies, which were happily received, it was time to head home and get warm.
            Thaga wondered if Ramona would ever actually wear it, or just love it and keep the pinafore perfect and unspoiled.
            On the way back home through the snow Thaga smiled and took Ooog’s arm so he could help her through the snow. She kissed him and said, “thanks Sweetie, that was really fun. I’m very happy.”