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Camping On The Farm

I promised to reach A's farm before sunset so we could scout for a place to pitch our tent. This was supposed to be practice for J so she could enjoy the "real" camping trip to the beach we have planned a few weeks out. Dusk was gathering by when I made it armed with comforter, pillows and a cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake detour cost me a precious half hour of sunlight and we never got to it with all the food A had cooked.

The moment I parked, the dogs leaped in and aimed for J in the car seat. The kid screamed her lungs out in fright as A struggled to get Wheezy and Meister to control their emotions upon seeing their buddy J after a while. W and M retired indoors shortly protesting copiously in their wake. J stepped out semi-paralyzed from the shock of the welcome - all her excitement about coming to the farm evaporated.

By when we were ready to sleep in the tent under the starlit sky J was singing and laughing with delight. A had warned me that the bugs would be loud - she had seriously understated. The citronella candles did not do their thing either. We were too lazy to get up and look for bug spray. J was the only one who got a good night's sleep.

Daybreak was utterly peaceful. The bugs had fallen silent at last. A and J were still asleep when I went out for a walk in the woods. After a while I could not see the farm anymore. I stood surrounded by trees, fallen leaves, wild lichen and mushroom. Sunlight was still bleak. Other than the sound of my foot steps all was quiet. For the briefest moment in many years, I felt disconnected from the sum total of everything that makes up my life. It was a wonderful feeling.

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