Egg Topped Avocado Toast

Fourth of July weekend. The Beartooths this year. Patrick could not make it physically — too rough on his body. Mom and I went. We camped above the treeline. Three nights.

I cooked over the fire. Mom made breakfast. I let her. She needed to feel useful. The needing-to-feel-useful is its own kind of grief, and I will not take it from her.

The fireworks in town were a faint glow on the eastern horizon if you were looking for them. We were not looking for them. The stars overhead were enough. The Milky Way was a band across the sky. Mom stood outside the tent at one a.m. and looked up and did not speak for ten minutes. Neither did I.

Cattle on summer pasture. Easy week.

Drove the back roads Saturday. Did not think much. Came home. The truck was warm. The radio was off.

Took the truck to the shop in Billings Wednesday. New brake pads. The mechanic charged half what the dealer would. He always does. The shop is the shop.

The mail came late this week. Friday instead of Wednesday. The new carrier is figuring it out. He waved when he dropped the bills.

The wood stove ran hot for three days straight. The propane held. The bedroom was warm. The barn was cold but the cattle did not care.

Drove past the cottonwood spot by the river Tuesday afternoon. Did not stop. Some weeks I stop. Most weeks I drive past. Both are visiting.

Two days of farrier work this week. Eight horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Gary called Wednesday afternoon to check in. Nothing in particular. Just checking. We talked twelve minutes. He is the broth, even now.

Tom Whelan came over Sunday afternoon. We sat. We did not say much. The cottonwoods moved in the wind. The river ran. The week held.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. The cottonwoods moved. He watched. He nodded once when I came in. The nodding was the saying.

Repaired the latch on the gate to the corral Wednesday. Welder. Twenty minutes. Done. The gate had been bothering me for a month.

Cattle prices were down at auction. They will be up next month. Then down. Then up. The math is the math. The land is the land.

Brought hay down from the upper barn Saturday. Three loads. Forty bales. The arms remember the work even when the head is not in it.

The dog was the dog. Hank works. He sleeps. He works again. The cattle dog math is the math.

Cooked simple this week. The kitchen does not mind simple. The body does not mind simple. The work and the food and the dark sky.

Stood at the kitchen window with coffee at five-thirty AM. The yard dark. The horses in the corral. The work ahead. The standard morning.

Heard a coyote Tuesday night close to the corral. Hank went to the door. I went out with the rifle. Did not shoot. The coyote moved on. The chickens kept their feathers.

The cattle were good this week. The horses were good. The body was tired in the right way. The kind of tired that sleep fixes.

The Tuesday meeting was eight regulars. Same as always. The coffee was strong. The room was the room.

Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Quiet room this week. Two new guys. Three vets, including me, sat on the back row.

Stood under the sky after dinner. The Milky Way was a band across. The work for tomorrow was set. The work after that. The work always.

Mom made breakfast those three mornings above the treeline, and I did not say a word about how she did it — I just ate it, and I was grateful. When we got home I found myself wanting to hold onto that simplicity: something warm, something built by hand, something that did not ask much of anyone. Egg Topped Avocado Toast is what kept coming back to me — close to what she put together over the fire, the kind of food that feels like care without making a fuss about it. If you’ve got a cast iron pan and a low flame, you can make this anywhere, and that’s exactly the point.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 slices thick-cut bread (sourdough or hearty country loaf)
1 ripe avocado
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning or flaky sea salt, to finish

Instructions

Toast the bread. Toast bread slices over a campfire grate, in a cast iron skillet, or in a toaster until golden and firm. Set aside on a plate.
Mash the avocado. Halve the avocado and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Mash with a fork to your preferred consistency — leave it a little chunky for texture.
Fry the eggs. Heat olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium-low heat (or over a low campfire flame). Crack eggs into the pan. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until whites are fully set but yolks are still runny, or cook longer for a firmer yolk.
Assemble. Spread the mashed avocado generously over each slice of toasted bread. Carefully slide one fried egg on top of each slice.
Season and serve. Finish with remaining salt, red pepper flakes if using, and a pinch of everything bagel seasoning or flaky salt. Serve immediately while warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Egg Topped Avocado Toast — The Breakfast I Let Her Make