39 Degrees of Truth

First off, my apologies.  I didn't realize it's been almost a month since I've wandered out here to the Garage.  Time flies when...well, time flies.

This morning I needed to be up at dawn.  That's 4 in the Northwoods.  TechnoBoy needs to be at work by 5:45 however there's The Elixir of Knowledge to brew and a routine to maintain.

I exit the Reading Room, freshly showered and shaved, leaving in my wake a cacophony of fragrances.  Shampoo: mango-mandarin.  Conditioner: rosemary-mint.  Body wash: vanilla-cinnamon.  Deodorant: fresh forest.  Toothpaste:  pepsin.

Enough scent to put a bloodhound in a coma.

Breakfast is made and banked in the belly-buttoned vault.  The Elixir of Knowledge slowly drives the fog from my brain and I realize I'm somewhat...chilled.  I punch the weather button on my tagalong smart friend.  There's the problem.

39.

The middle of July and it's a lucky 7 above freezing.  And every window is open to keep the house cool.  Yep.  Doin' a heckuva job with that.

I wander over to the thermostat which we shut off for the months of June, July, and August.  The primary reason for the disconnect is to save money.  The secondary reason is we want a summer...even if we have to lie to ourselves to get it.  The thermometer on the thermostat assuages my fears.  Still have over 30 degrees before the pipes freeze.   Sweet.

TechnoBoy stumbles down the hall and disappears into the Reading Room.  43 minutes later we're rollin' out the front door with glacial-like swiftness, a speed due to sleep-deprivation for the youngster and joint disintegration for the AARP member.

I drop off TechnoBoy at work, (...okay, okay...next time I'll stop completely...hey, I told him to start runnin' when he jumped out, but ya know kids...they never listen...), and head over to the public boat landing to "chill", now more that just a figurative statement.

I park Phlegm the Taurus by the flag pole sporting Old Glory and a yellow Lion's Club flag.  The City crew has been by recently.  The little park is clean, green, and trim.

I lower the windows and turn off the key.  Settling in with a 3/4 cup of The Elixir, I take in this incredible morning in God's Country.  Steam is coming off the lake, slowly moving towards the sunrise.  It covers the water with fallen, thin clouds, their tendrils waving longingly at the sky.

Huh.

A snippet is jarred loose by the lukewarm Elixir.

"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

Immediately, a loon calls out from the mist, its haunting yodel almost causing goosebumps.

Yeah...I needed that this morning.  And now I hear a high screech of trilling moving through the mist.  Suddenly the bald eagle rises into clear air.  It flaps to the top of a towering white pine nearby just as yellow sunshine spills over the small wall of clouds on the horizon.

I smile smugly to myself.  I nailed it this morning.   Definitely timed this right.

A long pull finishes off the Elixir.  And then I hear it, deep inside...that still, small Voice that keeps things in wonderful perspective.

"No.  Not you.  I had the timing right.  I was waiting for you."

Yeah.

Ain't that the Truth...