Cold Night in the Tipi Lodge

The tipi has been up most of the summer and it is nearly time to take it down for the winter.  I am always sad when it comes down, it means the end of campfires, drumming events, and friends sleeping inside the tipi with me.  I have always wanted to sleep in the tipi in the winter, just to see what it might have been like when the winds blow, a little snow for beauty and a fire to keep us warm and cozy inside.

I talked my good friend, Linda, to come and spend the night in the tipi.   I tried to get some others to come, but they had plans.  So Linda and I made our treak to the beautiful white tipi on the far side of the horse pasture.  We loaded up the John Deere Gator with sleeping bags, fleece, flutes, and drums.  The little wagon behind the gator holds thin air mats, more fleece, a down blanket and other important things.  We also had pine cones for fire starters, a blow torch to start the fire and a half bottle of red wine.  Note to self:  on cold nights take a thermos of hot drinks!  From reading this you might have thought we had the first half of the wine before we came to the tipi and a blow torch might not be a wise thing to give women with all the flammable items mentioned above.  We did not start on the wine until the fire was going and beds were made!

Linda and I carried into the tipi a good stack of wood so we wouldn't have to go out in the middle of the night.  We didn't think that the wine might make us go outside in the middle of the night anyway!!!!!  A little frosty outside to be mooning the moon!

I might give my wonderful husband credit for the fire, we got out to the tipi and couldn't find my blow torch.  So I called him on my cell phone and he walked out with his blow torch to light our little fire.  I have to say here and now we own our own blow torches and I seem to have misplaced mine since our last sleepover.

Linda and I happily sat around our blazing warm fire, drumming and playing flutes, talking about our warm summer sleepovers in the tipi. Those who sat before a similar fire, one who built a little wooden cross to protect himself from the three women that decided to sleep there too.  We remember playing our flutes with prayers for those who needed healing physically or spiritually.  We drummed our drums this night knowing our friend in Norway was also drumming his drum under the same sky.  We called our friend in Missouri and she too was sitting outside around a fire with her grand children, drumming.   It was a perfect night to connect with the heartbeat of Mother Earth and our far away friends. 

And then we crawled under the down blanket, wearing two pair of socks and layers of shirts and fleece.  It was then we knew it might be a little chilly around the edges.  Linda slept with her Pittsburgh Steelers hat on her head.  I just pulled the down blanket over my head and knew I'd be warm enough.  Every couple of hours Linda was putting wood on the fire.   Each time I uncovered my head my face froze.  On the night and morning of November 27-28th, 2009, we had a hard freeze.  At 8am it was a very chilly 27* F!   Burrrr 

Thanksgiving was only two days ago and I am thankful for our warm home and coffee brewing each morning.  I am grateful for a wonderful family and many great friends.  I have been so blessed.........