There was a small fire on the fireplace hearth and a pot of coffee suspended from the crane.”
–Ernest Haycox (Canyon Passage)
Mmmm, mmmm, let that aroma just flow. Take a whiff of that coffee ‘fore yuh go to guzzlin’ it. Enjoy sippin’ it whilst I tell yuh a story. Remember when yuh were a kid, and fairy tales were told to yuh, like “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick…” and “Mary, had a little lamb…” and “Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep…”? I don’t know why, but “Wee Willie Winkie” used to scare me.
Hold on, I need a swaller, ’cause of what I’m gonna tell yuh. I read ’bout a fairy tale bein’ told by the Pope. Yep, that’s right, that fella that sits over in the Old Country in that place they call the Vatican City. But here’s the tale, that he spoke the other day. Once upon a time, that’s me tellin’ the story ’cause all fairy tales start out that way. The old man on the throne who is the supposed, and self-proclaimed mediator before God spoke these words, “Hell is not a place.” Say hold, on Pard, that ain’t the end on his tale, he went on, “It is a state, there are people who live in Hell continuously.” Hmmm, maybe he finished with and “they lived happily ever after,” but Pard that ain’t the way it is.
Now, I agree, up to a point that some folks have a hellish time here on earth, but it ain’t a fraction of what it will be if’n they go on down the road to Perdition. I may be a dumb ol’ fence post, but I reckon the good Lord knows a bit more than the Pope and He sure ‘nough declared there is a Hell. Now, I’ve heard that talk before comin’ from folks, but it shows to go yuh that even a religious leader can be an out-and-out fool. Yuh know, if’n yuh read the prophets, Isaiah, Amos, and the like yuh’ll see that the priests were fools back then as well, leadin’ the people into false worship. If’n people believe that they’re so blind they couldn’t see through a bobwire fence.
Looks like we each got a cup a piece left in the pot. Go ‘head an’ pour yurs, then yuh can fill my cup up. Ahhh, mighty tasty this mornin’. Let me go on pontificatin’ — I used that word a purpose. Ol’ Haycox mentioned the hearth. That’s where the coffeepot goes, well, maybe not literally, but figuratively. The hearth is made by the woman of the home, she makes it comfortable, she nurtures the kids and even the husband, she keeps it warm with her love. Yep, the hearth warms the home and it comes from the heart of a wife and mother. Now, I said this, to let yuh know that my wife has made our house a home, and it was her birthday yesterday. Sure been a grand ride livin’ my days with her. She’s one reason that I check my cinch before mountin’, I gotta keep myself safe so’s I can be providin’ and protectin’ her. An’ maybe if’n I give her a wink, there could be a pie in my future.
Vaya con Dios.