Category Archives: The Cabin

Ohio Bound

Tomorrow we start our two-day road trip to Ohio to see this little girl graduate from high school.
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Ok, these days she’s looking a little more like this –
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That is when she’s not at a track meet pole vaulting or shot putting (is that the right way to say that?), or babysitting or working at Whit’s Frozen Custard shop, or just being a great big (and little) sister in general! We’re delighted to be able to celebrate with her and her family!
We’ll stop at the rig (in Montrose) overnight tomorrow, then on to Columbus on Friday. Two days with the family, then we rewind the trip and should be back here at the cabin by Tuesday dinner. Because you know – that treehouse isn’t going to finish itself!
But we are getting close…
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(I’m leaving the computer here at The Cabin, but I’ll be taking my tablet along so I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to keep up with my “Post A Day in May” personal challenge. We’ll see!)

Quite the Change

Although I know that Gary & I have been busy beating back the wilderness in different areas here at the cabin over the years, I was really surprised when I saw this 2004 photo in a memory post I shared recently.

The cabin seems almost lost amidst all of that greenery! Along with some shrubbery that is gone, those pine trees look magnificent! I’d forgotten how truly beautiful those pine trees were!
We lost one to the weather several years ago, and sadly the remaining two were just getting spindlier and spindlier.
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Last fall the decision was made to have them taken down before more weather (and weather does happen up here!) toppled one of them and did some damage to the cabin. It was a sad day, but necessary nonetheless!
Yesterday I tried to get a picture of The Cabin from roughly the same angle. I’m a bit off, but I think you can still see the drastic change.
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I miss those pine trees, but otherwise, I’m thinking I like the new(er) look!

Real Time Update (RTU) – Siding!

Since we picked up the siding for the treehouse from our friends who have a small sawmill on Saturday,
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and we had an extra set of hands today (Lynne, my cohort in the Mother’s Day ice cream treat)
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it only seemed right that we get started on the treehouse siding!
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The tricky part of putting siding on a treehouse is that it is HIGH!! Gary was on the scaffolding (and then on the ladder on the scaffolding) and I was way higher than my comfort zone high on the ladder, making sure the board was lined up with ‘the mark’. And then holding it there while he screwed it into the wall.
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(Lynne was my most excellent ladder holder and she only walked away to take this picture. Can you see how I’m hugging that tree???)
It was quite the day to be sure. Although you might consider that tree to be in the way, but for me it was just a little bit of extra security! Yes, I was a tree-hugger today!
Thankfully we got the first side done not too long after lunch.
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Looks pretty cool, right?
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Tomorrow he’ll move the scaffolding around to do the back. There’s a window there, so that will make it a little bit more tricky. And my ladder-holder is leaving tomorrow morning, so that could be a complication too! We’ll see how it all works out!
Trust me, it may look precarious, but I’m a pretty big chicken if it doesn’t feel safe.  Gary is very careful to make sure the ladder is secure before I head up it! Since he likes me and everything!

We’ll have to see just how far we get tomorrow!

Steph

 

Remembering Mom

I believe I heard somewhere that tomorrow is Mother’s Day.   So even though I shared this post back on her birthday this past July, it seemed appropriate to share it again this evening. Once again I’m sitting at the cabin where the fingerprints of my Mom are everywhere. And once again, I am remembering how blessed I was to call her Mom! So please forgive the repetition –

July 17, 2022
Yesterday would’ve been my Mom’s 97th birthday. She’s been gone  26 years, but nowhere does does she seem closer than here at the cabin. From the ‘silver’ platter hanging on the wall – a wedding present back in 1947 –
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to the reminder on our ancient refrigerator about what settings to use when,
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to the “please remove spike shoes’ sign (from a short stint working at a country club) to the handmade Indian doll sitting on the neighboring shelf –
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my Mom’s remembrances are all around us.
Earlier this year I wrote a bit about Mom for the Storyworth project our kids gave us for Christmas. (Yes, as Gary said – a Christmas present with homework!).
“What was your Mom like when you were a child?”
My goodness, what a BIG question!
In some ways, Mom was a superhero. When I was not quite two and she was pregnant with my brother, my oldest sister was diagnosed with Polio. Elna was whisked away to spend months and months in the hospital while the rest of the household was placed in strict quarantine. I was too young to remember any of that of course, but when I became a Mom and would become overwhelmed with my life, I would think of her managing the two of us girls at home, getting ready to deliver baby #4, all the while her first precious daughter was in the hospital. Somehow that always managed to help me get my life back in perspective.
She was a Musician. One of my favorite childhood memories is falling asleep while she practiced her cello down in her music studio (aka the dining room!). She loved her cello, played in several area orchestras and ensembles, and even began taking lessons (again!) when she was in her 60’s. While cello was her first love, she was also an accomplished pianist. Most afternoons neighborhood kids would come to our house for their lessons, and while I don’t recall her actually giving me lessons, somehow I learned how to read music and play sorta-kinda. She would come and help, but never insisted that I learn. She taught piano and played her cello right up until her death in 1996.
She was a Seamstress.
UntitledI think she made most of our clothes growing up – I especially remember one Christmas when I got the softest furry bathrobe that she had secretly worked on while we were in school. There were many a photo of the three of us girls in matching outfits, and sometimes ones that even matched hers. She made wedding dresses for my sisters, along with the bridesmaid dresses too! When I wanted to learn how to sew and my home ec teacher wanted me to start with an A-line skirt, I remember saying to Mom – “Can I make a lined cape instead ?” “Sure” was her easy reply!
She was Athletic. She loved to ski (she was the Snow Queen for one of the Snow Festivals in Vermont during her college days) and play tennis. I think  she would often outplay my Dad on the courts! I know she always beat me! She had a degree in both Music and PE from Ithaca College in NY so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

She was a Great Cook. Although my dad took over the gourmet cooking in the 60’s, Mom was always ready with a good home cooked meal. Her mac and cheese was legendary and I think my favorite was the classic 1960 chuck roast in foil with onion soup and cream of mushroom. She did hold to the logic that having liver once in a while was beneficial (all that iron, I guess), but I still loved her (and her cooking) regardless!

She was Fun and Funny!
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She’d take us ice skating at a local lake ( we even had a small rink in our back yard when we lived in Willow Grove), she’d help us build snow tunnels when the drifts in the driveway were too high to even shovel, and she had a great sense of humor. We laughed a lot around the dinner table.

 

She was an Encourager. I don’t recall ever hearing her say – “Don’t try that, it’s too hard.”  When I wanted to sew my wedding gown – she helped me shop for fabric. She was always on my side.

Maybe this question was geared more to my younger childhood. And the memories I shared above are from when I was a bit older. I honestly don’t remember lots of warm and fuzzy moments with Mom when I was younger – but I certainly don’t have any cold and harsh memories either. Did she tuck me in each night when I was younger? I’m sure she did. Do I remember those moments? I do not. She was always there for us. Strong and steady, putting her family first and encouraging each of us to be the best that we could be.

And sending us off to dreamland with Pachelbel’s Canon in D.
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Miss you especially these days, Mom! So thankful for the promise of eternity in heaven with you!