At the very teeny tiny crack of dawn
one day, Thaga dressed warmly in the dark bedroom, so as not to wake Ooog,
putting on a heavy long dress, her prettiest striped apron, and on top a nice
green woolly sweater. She was off to meet one of her contacts. This time she
was trading some wild plum leather for a 5lb roll of butter. She had to walk to
the lady’s house who had the two cows, so she wanted to get an early start. A two
mile hike was nothing to Thaga. She’s of sturdy Neanderthal stock.
Before she left the house she called out to Ooog, “I’m off to go see Janet and her cows to get some butter, Dear.” He didn’t even grunt, but she was sure he had heard her. Her voice was a good carrying sort of a voice.
She shut the door after stepping out to the porch, but for some reason known only to the Lord of all, she didn’t quite get it latched. This lapse on Thaga’s part is the catalyst of our wee tale.
As it happens, Minnie, a young lady black bear was making her way along the river near Thaga and Ooog’s stone cottage. She was hungry of course, because though demure and quite pretty for a bear, she was after all, a bear. Nearing the cottage, she began to receive a message on the breeze. It went straight to the business part of her brain. Thaga had left two loaves of whole wheat bread and a nut pie, which is outrageously sweet, on the big wooden table in her kitchen.
Minnie followed her twitching nostrils to the aforementioned front door. It looked closed, but what the heck, she gave it a shove with her right front paw. Glory! It opened smooth and quiet as could be wished for.
Bears have little beady eyes, but they work and soon she found her way to Thaga’s nice warm clean kitchen full of good stuff. Minnie, being just a slender young thing, for a bear, pulled a nice homemade wooden chair right up to the table and helped herself. First she lapped up the pie, quite neatly. Then for good measure she ate both of those large rather sturdy loaves of bread. Next she noticed the butter dish and dealt with that in the selfsame manner as the rest of it.
Oh, but Minnie was sleepy then! Her eyes wanted to shut ever so badly but she was sitting in a chair and would roll out for sure if she allowed herself to sleep right then. So, she roused her self and went looking for a comfy place to take a nap.
She looked in the living room, no. Not just right. Then she found the hall leading to the bedroom and spied Ooog and Thaga’s very large bed, made by Ooog himself. It was at least King size, maybe even Emperor size. Minnie didn’t see Ooog sleeping there with his sock hat pulled down over his eyes. Since he didn’t have to leave home to go to work, he often slept quite late into the morning, before doing all the things he did around the house and garden.
Minnie, the sleepy little bear lady, climbed into Thaga place in the bed, put her head on Thaga’s pillow, and pulled a nice quilt up from the foot of the bed, covered herself up and slept the sleep of the blessed.
Two hours went by. The sun came up. Thaga was still having coffee and Nanaimo bars with Janet two miles down the road. Ooog began to wake up a bit, but not all the way, just a little.
Meanwhile, Harold the cat had gotten hungry and was thinking about his breakfast. He began to yowl piteously.
Ooog reached over and shoved Minnie gently and said, “Will you go feed Harold, to stop that racket?”
Minnie was surprised. She hadn’t noticed the old man in the bed, but to be agreeable, she dutifully removed herself from Thaga’s side of the bed and went into the kitchen where Harold the cat was calling from. She was looking around the kitchen for something to feed Harold, but she had eaten everything that she knew about.
Harold took one look at Minnie coming out of the hall and split out of the still open front door, with out a backward thought for his breakfast.
Since Harold was quiet now, Minnie took herself back to bed. She was still sleepy after all.
Soon Thaga came walking home full of Nanaimo bars, black coffee and a lot of chat and a five lb. roll of very fine Jersey cow butter. As she approached her front door, she could see that it was wide open.
Thaga approached cautiously. What in the world was going on here, anyhow? It wasn’t like Ooog to leave the front door hanging open!
Her heart gave a lurch when she got to her kitchen and saw the pie and the bread both gone and very few crumbs left to tell the tale. She knew Ooog had a good appetite, but not that good. She began to fear for the old guy. Something awful might have happened!
Putting the roll of wax paper wrapped butter on the table she ran into the bedroom all aflutter!
Ah! There was Ooog still snoring peacefully with his woolly hat pulled down over his eyes against the morning light. Quite alive!
But what was this? Someone was in her side of the bed. Someone quite large, who had a long black snout laid on her very own pillow! There was a bear sleeping in her place!
“Ooog, wake up!” Thaga said in her very carrying sort of a voice. “There’s a bear in bed with you! In my place!”
Ooog sat up suddenly. To say that it was a rude awakening is to minimize his shock.
Minnie woke about then also. Seeing which way the wind was blowing, she exited the bed, dodged Thaga and ran as fast as a stuffed bear can go out of the open front door.
“Thaga,” said Ooog, “How did a bear get in here?”
“Why, Ooog, I just don’t know,” said Thaga. Then she ran out into the kitchen to make sure Minnie hadn’t gotten the roll of butter on her way out. Thankfully, Minnie had been in too much of a hurry to deal with the butter.
Thaga began to clean up her table and sweep the crumbs up from the floor and to plan some more baking for later in the day.
Harold was still hungry, and he made that clear as he followed Thaga around the kitchen.
Finally, Harold got his late breakfast, Ooog got out of bed and had his rather plain breakfast, since there was no pie. Thaga couldn’t help it, but she had to change the sheets on the bed, even though Minnie was pretty clean for a bear.
As Thaga worked through her day, she wondered if it were possible that she had not gotten the door shut right that morning.
Before she left the house she called out to Ooog, “I’m off to go see Janet and her cows to get some butter, Dear.” He didn’t even grunt, but she was sure he had heard her. Her voice was a good carrying sort of a voice.
She shut the door after stepping out to the porch, but for some reason known only to the Lord of all, she didn’t quite get it latched. This lapse on Thaga’s part is the catalyst of our wee tale.
As it happens, Minnie, a young lady black bear was making her way along the river near Thaga and Ooog’s stone cottage. She was hungry of course, because though demure and quite pretty for a bear, she was after all, a bear. Nearing the cottage, she began to receive a message on the breeze. It went straight to the business part of her brain. Thaga had left two loaves of whole wheat bread and a nut pie, which is outrageously sweet, on the big wooden table in her kitchen.
Minnie followed her twitching nostrils to the aforementioned front door. It looked closed, but what the heck, she gave it a shove with her right front paw. Glory! It opened smooth and quiet as could be wished for.
Bears have little beady eyes, but they work and soon she found her way to Thaga’s nice warm clean kitchen full of good stuff. Minnie, being just a slender young thing, for a bear, pulled a nice homemade wooden chair right up to the table and helped herself. First she lapped up the pie, quite neatly. Then for good measure she ate both of those large rather sturdy loaves of bread. Next she noticed the butter dish and dealt with that in the selfsame manner as the rest of it.
Oh, but Minnie was sleepy then! Her eyes wanted to shut ever so badly but she was sitting in a chair and would roll out for sure if she allowed herself to sleep right then. So, she roused her self and went looking for a comfy place to take a nap.
She looked in the living room, no. Not just right. Then she found the hall leading to the bedroom and spied Ooog and Thaga’s very large bed, made by Ooog himself. It was at least King size, maybe even Emperor size. Minnie didn’t see Ooog sleeping there with his sock hat pulled down over his eyes. Since he didn’t have to leave home to go to work, he often slept quite late into the morning, before doing all the things he did around the house and garden.
Minnie, the sleepy little bear lady, climbed into Thaga place in the bed, put her head on Thaga’s pillow, and pulled a nice quilt up from the foot of the bed, covered herself up and slept the sleep of the blessed.
Two hours went by. The sun came up. Thaga was still having coffee and Nanaimo bars with Janet two miles down the road. Ooog began to wake up a bit, but not all the way, just a little.
Meanwhile, Harold the cat had gotten hungry and was thinking about his breakfast. He began to yowl piteously.
Ooog reached over and shoved Minnie gently and said, “Will you go feed Harold, to stop that racket?”
Minnie was surprised. She hadn’t noticed the old man in the bed, but to be agreeable, she dutifully removed herself from Thaga’s side of the bed and went into the kitchen where Harold the cat was calling from. She was looking around the kitchen for something to feed Harold, but she had eaten everything that she knew about.
Harold took one look at Minnie coming out of the hall and split out of the still open front door, with out a backward thought for his breakfast.
Since Harold was quiet now, Minnie took herself back to bed. She was still sleepy after all.
Soon Thaga came walking home full of Nanaimo bars, black coffee and a lot of chat and a five lb. roll of very fine Jersey cow butter. As she approached her front door, she could see that it was wide open.
Thaga approached cautiously. What in the world was going on here, anyhow? It wasn’t like Ooog to leave the front door hanging open!
Her heart gave a lurch when she got to her kitchen and saw the pie and the bread both gone and very few crumbs left to tell the tale. She knew Ooog had a good appetite, but not that good. She began to fear for the old guy. Something awful might have happened!
Putting the roll of wax paper wrapped butter on the table she ran into the bedroom all aflutter!
Ah! There was Ooog still snoring peacefully with his woolly hat pulled down over his eyes against the morning light. Quite alive!
But what was this? Someone was in her side of the bed. Someone quite large, who had a long black snout laid on her very own pillow! There was a bear sleeping in her place!
“Ooog, wake up!” Thaga said in her very carrying sort of a voice. “There’s a bear in bed with you! In my place!”
Ooog sat up suddenly. To say that it was a rude awakening is to minimize his shock.
Minnie woke about then also. Seeing which way the wind was blowing, she exited the bed, dodged Thaga and ran as fast as a stuffed bear can go out of the open front door.
“Thaga,” said Ooog, “How did a bear get in here?”
“Why, Ooog, I just don’t know,” said Thaga. Then she ran out into the kitchen to make sure Minnie hadn’t gotten the roll of butter on her way out. Thankfully, Minnie had been in too much of a hurry to deal with the butter.
Thaga began to clean up her table and sweep the crumbs up from the floor and to plan some more baking for later in the day.
Harold was still hungry, and he made that clear as he followed Thaga around the kitchen.
Finally, Harold got his late breakfast, Ooog got out of bed and had his rather plain breakfast, since there was no pie. Thaga couldn’t help it, but she had to change the sheets on the bed, even though Minnie was pretty clean for a bear.
As Thaga worked through her day, she wondered if it were possible that she had not gotten the door shut right that morning.
🐻


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