The night was still as I sat rocking, with daylight at least an hour away. The only sound to be heard was the crackle of the wood in the fire. Every once in a while, a loud c***k resembling a rifle shot rang out, breaking the silence. It took me some time to figure out that these thunderous claps were trees cracking from the extreme freezing conditions that had enveloped us these past few weeks. Sometimes, the ice on the stream exploded with a loud boom.
The baby, unusually active, kicked me awake each time I made myself comfortable. I finally gave up trying to sleep and rose to practice my birthing exercises. I had attended classes with a girl friend when her husband was away in the service, so the breathing exercises came easy. Two weeks previous, I started a list of things that needed
