The Unbelievable Power of Cocoa

Before leaving the house for a morning hunt, I will often fill my thermos with coffee, and if Charlie is coming along, I will fill his thermos with Cocoa.  After all, it was Curious George who extolled the virtues and unbelievable powers of Cocoa, who am I to argue?  

In the early days, our morning hunts started with a familiar rhythm long before the coffee and cocoa was ready.  I would wake first, making my way through a dark bedroom so as not to wake Karen.  Sometimes I would forget my glasses, thus what was a perilous journey in the dark, quickly transitioned to ludicrous as Karen awoke and wished us well on our coming adventures.  

Once dressed, I would go to Charlie’s room to rouse him from a sound sleep.  My boy has always been a heavy sleepier and no matter how softly I’ve tried waking him, the result is always the same - some form of panic and confusion.  I can’t blame him, getting up that early to sit either in a cold boat or tree could be considered by many as a form of corporal punishment.

In those early days my little boy needed help getting dressed a kin to Randy from a Christmas Story. As we learned from Randy, the key to warmth is found in layers, copious amounts of layers.  Layers of course, add an algebraic quality to dressing and the skill required to avoid folds, lumps, and otherwise general discomfort is worthy of a merit badge. After many mornings honing my skills, I wove a tapestry of obscenity that as far as I know, is still hanging in space over Crosslake Minnesota. 

So here we are, the morning of yet another hunt.  It is far to early, though not as bad as years past due to the proximity of water - our back yard.  My little boy is taller than me now, and fortunately for both of us he is very good at waking and dressing himself.  Just the same, here I am readying yet another delicious thermos full of Cocoa.