It was a beautiful summer afternoon in northern central Massachusetts.
Only the steady breeze that made the leaves show their pale undersides
and suggested the appearance of thunderstorms later made the day
comfortable. Even so, it was a hard day to wear fur, and Todd and
Caff-Pow lounged in the pool of shade beneath the iron belly of the
1961 John Deere tractor out by the edge of the yard, beneath the shade
of the hemlocks. The edge of the immense bucket lay resting on the
loose soil mixed with yellowed pine needles from last year. The sun was
directly overhead, but the breeze never let up for long and the boys
were reasonably content to rest their backs against one of the enormous
black rubber tires and chew stems of grass, saying little. It was the
easy silence born of long companionship and countless nights sharing
the same hammie, soft grey back to soft grey back, tails entwined.

The breeze tossed the dazzling white and yellow daisies on the ends of
their stems. Bumblee bees, dusted with fresh yellow pollen visited each
and every dandelion in the lawn, and each little white puff rising from
an emerald green clump of three leaved clover. The day lilies burned
deep orange beneath the shade of the high bush blueberries, weighted
down with clusters of berries that were still a waxy green. Soon enough
they would turn a frosted blue, and the song birds would eat their fill
day after day.

But today was about being still and keeping cool. Of considering
something and nothing, of speaking and not speaking, of closing ones
eyes and savoring the breeze that kept the day comfortable, of being
grateful for a cool pool of shade to lounge in. Caff-Pow closed his
eyes and listened to the rustling leaves. He did not notice that his
pink nose was slowly dropping lower and lower, until the end of his
snout rested squarely against his chest. One deep breath tilted his
head to the right and his left paw, resting on the ground beside him
opened. The stalk of grass he had been holding fell across his lap,
un-noticed except by Todd who smiled to see it. Caff-Pow took another
deep breath and let it out with a gentle "wheeeeee!" that also made
Todd smile. Soon Caff-Pow ended every breath with a gentle "Wheeeee!"
and it was clear from the erratic twitching of all four of his paws
that he was falling more deeply asleep with every moment.

Todd grinned again at the thought and sat up straighter against the
tire. Time passed. Time to consider somethings and nothings, and to
savor the breeze that made the day comfortable. A sudden gust of wind
blew a single dandelion puff, parachuting its seed onto Caff-Pows
whiskers where it caught and caused his face to twitch, showing a
little fang. Caff-Pow swept at it in his sleep with a paw, but missed.
Todd tenderly reached over and plucked it away. Caff-Pow fell back
into a deep doze and Todd remembered.

Todd remembered when Caff-Pow first came home with the hoomins, an
awkard, enormormous un-neutered kit who sobbed honking kit tears the
first night he had ever spent away from his family. Todd had tried
grooming him for comfort, but the kit would not be comforted until
the hoomin exchanged the cage bedding for the bedding that Caff-Pow
had traveled with that still smelled of his family. Todd remembered
Caff-Pow falling into an exhausted sleep that first night, the enormous
kit, longer and heavier than Todd had been! Todd remembered thingking
"My God, he is *huge*! What if he is going to be mean? He could hurt
me!" But Caff-Pow did not grow to be mean, only stumblingly large.
Large enough to be an extremely challenging playmate! Todd remembered
Caff-Pow's kit-hood as endless rounds of "You Be the Horse, and I Will
Ride You!" Of having the enormous kit lie down full-length over him,
and want to be carried. Of games of chase with an opponent who quickly
grew to be twice his size!

Todd remembered coming to love this giant kit, of teaching him, caring
for him, watching over him. And Todd wiggled over a inch, back still
against the tire that Caff-Pow was resting against. Todd gently put
his head on Caff-Pow's shoulder and closed his own eyes...

The bees continued the pollen harvest, the dasies continued to sway,
the leaves showed their pale undersides...and two soft grey-furred
companions dreamed their summer dreams in the cool pool of shade
beneath the iron belly of the green and yellow John Deere tractor.

[Posted in FML 6743]