LETTER FROM THE CABIN 03-11-2018

It would  be nice to think that perhaps winter is winding down at the camp. However , it’s too premature to think so. While the days are getting longer, and on occasional sunny days there is mild melting, winter is not releasing her iron grip on the woods around the camp. The snow lies deep and still, and the melting of the snow on the metal roof only happens on warmer days when the sun, like opaque wings of a moth lets slivers of light peak through the grey horizon.

The woodstove still needs it’s almost hourly tending. While those tasks might be seen as mundane by many, they are not meaningless. Without the constant attention, the glowing glass front of the stove, which allows me to appreciate the ambience of the fire, would be a steel ghost, ---lifeless. The stove is more than just ambience, it wards off chills and cold that would seep into the cabin within hours and envelope me in a very regrettable cocoon. Really not a pleasant thought.

It is interesting that the mundane often takes on great importance in the woods. A flashlight without batteries can be dangerous when the power goes out and you are stumbling around outside in the dark. You must have a clean source of drinking water, so you either need a well, or be able to get water from a potable source. An injury requires a  first aid kit which could be a real lifesaver. And, it goes almost without saying that firewood must be put up in the woodshed long before the snow comes in late fall. Cutting and stacking firewood may seem monotonous, maybe even mundane to some, but that is mostly a state of mind. The list of other mundane matters, goes on and on, a list that seems almost endless at times. Minor necessities may seem inconsequential until disasters, either small or large happen at the camp. As a closing note, don’t forget to have a bottle of brandy close by--just to ward off the chills, mind you.

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