Ivy's new door

It was cold, really cold, ivy pulled the cover around her, and tried to go back to sleep, it would be light soon and then she would rekindle the fire. though she tried she couldn't seem to get warm enough to go back to sleep. Finally she tossed the blankets off and dragged on her clothes.  It felt like someone had left a window open.
the window in the kitchen door was shattered across the Kitchen floor, Ivy swept up as much glass and snow as she could and then went to the basement to get some cardboard, which she stapled in place.  IT was Sunday and she knew Skye wouldn't be coming around and getting glass in his pawpads.   After building a fire in the old woodstove, she cleaned  up the remains of the mess, and stepped outside to look at the the aluminum storm door, the self closing mechanism which had been threatening to come loose for some time and sometime during the snow and wind of last nights storm it finally did just that. 

 

Ivy decided she needed to call someone, she was never that good at fixing things, and as she turned to go indoors she heard a male voice shouting "Millie, Millie, where are you?"  and looked up to see and young man who looked like he had been rolling in the snow, Millie was hiding in the window well,  Ivy pointed the way, and the young man dove after the escaping snowball of a dog.  "Gottcha, ya !" he screamed,  he looked like a man wrestling a tiny snow covered bear.  Millie's tail was wagging and she was washing his face with her washrag tongue, he was laughing and saying " stop, it, now Millie, stop."   Ivy was laughing,  " I can fix that for you, if you like."  "No, charge for the labor, except for some coffee."   It was then she realised the young man was Mike from across the road.  "I'll be back as soon as I change, and get this little mutt dried off,"  Ivy didn't get a chance to answer, he was already across the road "Thanks!!, I'll put the coffee on." she yelled. 

The house was warmer, but still not warm enough to uncover Mr.Chips, I put on a proper pot of Swedish style coffee egg shells and all.  She always felt that  a stew on the stove and bread in the oven warmed up even a cold house, but almost before she had the soup pot on the stove, Mike was back toolbox in one hand and Millie on a leash in the other.  Millie was busily sniffing everything and generally trying to wrap the leash around Mike's ankles, something he deftly avoided,  as they crossed the yard. He knocked at the kitchen door before he  entered, " OH!  you really did make coffee., my coffee maker is broken and i have been drinking instant for days." he remarked.  Millie was nosing through Skye's blanket and toys and all of a sudden she plopped herself down and rested her head on her paws.   Ivy stifled a giggle saying "Almost ready, you move fast."  Millie was perfectly still except for her eyes which darted about taking in every detail. Mike had already measured the opening and was  talking on the phone, when ivy poured out a mug of fresh coffee and set it on the table.
Mike settled down at the table and  cupped his hands around the mug to warm them.  he looked up at Ivy who was mixing up something in a bowl.  ' I hope that I'm not interrupting Sunday dinner. I'll be done as fast as i can." Mike told Ivy.  "Well young man." Ivy stated "The least I can do for someone who gives up their Sunday is to make them some lunch."  'But i couldn't" Mike tried to protest, while  Ivy said "Not another word! Not another word, that's the way we do things around here."   The house was silent except for the ticking clock and and the sound of a growing friendship.   And for a few moments it stayed that way.

Millie jumped up her tail wagging furiously and and barking like an excited puppy, she ran to the door.  "That would be Jeff, with your new window."  Mike got up and went to the door.   Seeing the two men talking brought back  a time when there was always someone visiting on a Sunday afternoon.  over time she had become used to the silence. it had become her friend she was not the same person she had been, her world was changing and she was determined to change with it.  the door opened and Millie escaped, charging full speed at the Jeff, who scooped her up and pretended to wrestle with her, as ivy watched totally engrossed in the scene one very large man and one very small bearlike dog playing happily in the snow.  "Mrs. C?....Mrs. C." Mike said, "You caught me snooping!" Ivy replied.  "That's,understandable! They are really something when they get to be together.  Millie used to be his dog.  but what I was going to say was, turn down the furnace  so that you don't get and even bigger gas bill." "No furnace, just a woodstove, would you like some more coffee. Mike?" she queried. Mike shifted nervously "UMmmm."  "Oh it's thought that doorway and to your left, and you can help yourself to some coffee whenever." and with that Ivy disappeared down the cellar steps.

it was  warmer in the gloom of the basement, before putting more wood on the fire, Ivy hastily swept the floor, she  could hear Mike working on the door.  Millie and Jeff were still playing in the snow.   ivy was just glad to finally be warm.   The weather was changing, even the snow looked different. it wouldn't be long now before the spring rains would make the creek rise, and Daffodils would bloom where houses once stood.   She curled up in the old lawn chair and drifted into a deep sleep.

"Mrs C?. Mrs. C we're done." woke Ivy from her slumbers.  "I'll be right up!"  she announced as she gathered herself,  and putting a couple more logs on the fire she climbed the steps to see Mike holding on to a squirmimg Millie who was intent on getting away.  "Where's Jeff?"  "He went home." Mike said gripping Millie tighter " I wanted to show you your new door." "Very nice." she said as she looked it over, "Very nice indeed!" "Much better than the old one."  "Now, as i promised, some lunch for both of you. Millie first."

 

 

 

Ivy took the turkey red  towel that had belonged to her grandmother  off the bread and then sliced it, and carefully replaced the towel so the bread wouldn't dry out.  She uncovered,and ladle the stew onto plates,  while Mike poured the coffee,  Mike sat down and warmed his face with the steam.  "You don't see men who work indoors do that." Ivy blurted out.    Mike grinned.  "So young man tell me what brings you to our little town."