Ralph And Ooog Take A Morning Meeting

 

            One day, when the crows were discussing things loudly amongst themselves and the snow was nearly gone, Ralph thought it was time to get busy building Twigg and Leely’s house. Ralph had been thinking all during the cold times. He knew this house would be a new thing in the Great Forest. “But, heck,” he thought. “A new thing is a good thing if it’s done with love and it’s right.”
            He decided that it was time to go see Ooog, who had promised to help build the house. There were lots of decisions to be made, to do this new thing. “Well,” he thought, “Partly new, partly old.”
            “Mona,” Ralph said suddenly, “It’s time to get started. Bending trees takes time, and I need to talk to Ooog. I think I’ll go on up and talk to him.”
            He had been sitting, staring into the fire for a while. It was a good place to think during the cold months. His log was covered in melting snow, after all.
            “Yes, it’s time to start,” she agreed. “You’re right, Baby.”
            “I’ll see you later, Mona,” he said and wandered off to the Neanderthal’s cabin. There was still a lot of frozen snow on top of the grass out in the open, but it didn’t slow him down any. It was still morning, but of course, Thaga and Ooog were up doing their winter morning thing. There was lantern light in the window, and smoke rising from the chimney. Ralph could smell something rather delightful on the breeze. Thaga was a great baker, and he knew he was probably in for a treat.
            Ralph knocked and waited on the stone steps for a moment. Ooog came to the door and let him in. It was very warm inside the kitchen, and the sweet smell of cinnamon met him on the doorstep before he even stepped inside.
            “Well, Ralph,” said Ooog, “I believe I know what’s on your mind today. Spring is nearly here and we need to get moving on this project”
            “That’s it,” said Ralph. “I’ve been thinking about bending trees into a dome shape. Twigg’s first idea was to make a living house out of saplings. But I’ve gotten a better idea. Those saplings would have a lot of growing left in them, and whatever we built using them would be destroyed in time.”
            “You’re right about that,” agreed Ooog. “Let’s go sit at the table. Thaga’s baking cinnamon rolls. Smell good, don’t they?” Ooog winked because he knew that Ralph was born hungry and had stayed that way.
            “It sure does smell good! I’ve never had a cinnamon rolls before! Ranger Rick often has doughnuts, but nothing that smells this great!” grinned Ralph. It was that yeasty sweetness. He found it exotic and compelling.
            So, Ooog sat at the head of the big wooden table, and Ralph took the big chair Ooog had made for him, and they got down to their design meeting while Thaga pulled the rolls out of her wood fired oven and set about icing them. She made coffee too, since coffee goes with cinnamon rolls.
            “What I’m thinking,” said Ralph, “is that we find a group of alders of their full height and use those, so they won’t get taller. They will get thicker, but not a lot, and as time goes by, we can make adjustments if we need to.”
            “OK, said Ooog. We just have to find the right trees. Probably closer in to the firs where they’ve been growing longer.
            “I’ve been thinking about how to finish out on the inside for Leely and Twigg. Of course it would be strange to  him, except that he has probably been living in human rooms in Mak’s palace way out there in space, wherever it is!
            “Once we get the trees to meet at the top and secure them there, I’m thinking of filling in the outside walls with mortared river rocks. And if the trees eventually crack that stone wall, it’s fixable. I think it would take years. Also, I’d like to make a plank floor inside, up off the ground on blocks. Another idea I have is to install a small wood stove, of course, cause Leely won’t know how to cook on an open fire like Ramona does so well. The pipe could go through the stone wall! I could build some cupboards and even make beds! What do you think?”
            “What I think,” said Ralph, “Is that I knew you would have it all figured out, except for the trees! It sounds perfect! I think we should let berry vines and ferns and wild roses root in the roof. Maybe we could weave the trees branches to make a tight roof too!”
            “I could make a water tight ceiling inside too, and then it would all grow together and it would be a Living House. A new thing in the Great Forest, Ralph!” crowed Ooog, with his hands kind of itching to get on with the job, because that’s the kind of guy Ooog was.
            “When it’s all done it will be a part of the land, like it grew there, but better,” said Ralph.
            Then the cinnamon rolls were cool enough to eat. Thaga brought a platter of them to the table, and they were a sight to behold. They were fully 8 inches across and full of raisins and nuts, and iced with cream cheese icing. Thaga has her sources!
            She brought her big coffee pot and three stoneware mugs made by Ooog to the table, with three plates, and took a seat herself.
            Things got quiet for a while except for happy munching noises.
            “So good, Thaga,” said Ralph happily.
            “Thanks, Ralph. I’ve done this a few times,” and she laughed. “I’ll send you home with some for Ramona and Cherry and the cats and the wolf!” She looked quite pleased at the compliment though.
            “Tomorrow, Ooog, can we go out and find the right trees? We can look at them and kind of dream this thing into existence. I think it’s going to take a lot of powerful dreaming, and a lot of hard work too!” said Ralph.
            “Let’s do it,” said Ooog. “Right now I’m too full to do anything but take a morning nap, but tomorrow morning for sure, Ralph.”
            Thaga found a clean little box in the back of the kitchen, which she had saved from something. She lined it with an old kitchen towel and stacked in some of the big rolls for the Home Clearing. “Be careful, Ralph! They’re soft,” she said.
            Both Ralph and Ooog realized that building supplies would be needed, but since both of them were total optimists, they figured they would get to that when they got there. Something like that!
            “Thanks, Thaga! Ramona will love these rolls!” said Ralph, as he set out for home.

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