Dear Readers,

It has been a while since I have taken the time to type a note, no excuse other than I have been very busy here at the cabin.

Garden is choking on zucchinis which, despite being prolific and healthy, bring me almost to the point of nausea—way too many. I have a food grade 5 gallon bucket in the fridge (yes, I have electricity) filled with apple cider vinegar, dill, and habanero peppers that I unceremoniously dump chunks of zucchini and cukes in. As other excess veggies come from my garden, they will also find their way into the bucket. Our forebearers used this technique for generations, and at some point, I will fill you in on the well-known character Johnny Appleseed, but later. Nothing is wasted here, and everything will end up in a pot at some time or another.

Other points of interests:  I promised Frank, one of my favorite readers, photos of my wood-fired hot tub. I am not very tech savvy but will attempt to include a couple of photos with a few comments. As you can see, the heart of this hot tub is a wood-fired boiler I purchased cheap from a miner in Negaunee for $100. This long-retired behemoth was languishing in this guy’s cellar. The only stipulation I required from the miner, who was thrilled to get a $100 for this idled hunk of scrap metal, was that he had to help get this monster up the steep and narrow stairs from his basement to my pickup truck. I enlisted my teenage son, and the three of us, grunting and groaning, finally got this damn thing in my truck.

It may be of some interest to those of you who are mechanically inclined, (which I am not) but at this point in time I had no proof that my crazy idea would work as a source of heat for my proposed hot tub. I digress, but some of you might remember from a sixth-grade history class about Fulton’s Folly, but if not, look it up.

The next issue I needed to resolve was what to use as the tub itself. A trip to the nearest Tractor Supply store was roughly 60 miles away, but worth the trip, as I scored a very durable 300-gallon, heavy-duty vinyl cow trough for around $200 bucks. When I got back to the cabin, with some help from a couple of local kids, we assembled all of the necessary parts in the backyard and fired it up. IT WORKED!!!!

Later, I had a local contractor build an insulated cedar box around this whole affair, as I hope you can see from the photo. As a sidenote, because it doesn’t require electricity to function, I do not have any noisy and obnoxious jets on the tub to contend with, just the relative silence of ice clinking in my brandy snifter and the entrancing light from the stars above.

Thanks for your continued interest—until next time,
Hilton

the 03-04-2022

​Dear Friends,
 
As the war in Europe engulfs the world, I have to remind myself how fortunate we are in this country to have a relatively stable democracy. While the Democrats and Republicans sometimes appear to behave like children, at least they rarely descend to fisticuffs, or worse yet. I enjoy the peace of nature here and try to keep a mental equilibrium after my daily dose of news, but I have found that difficult of late. I am not religious by any means, but I hope for the best first for the Ukrainian people, and secondly, for the soldiers on both sides. I believe strongly there are no winners in war, regardless of the outcome. Nuff' said.
​
The snow is piled deep around the cabin and the private road leading to the cabin is quite narrow now from the snowplow piling the white stuff alongside the road. If we get any more significant snow fall, I will have to hire a payloader to push back the banks, which could be a chunk of change.

One of the readers of a previous letter enquired about my being at the cabin for the winter as I had stated earlier that I was going to go south this winter with my sailboat and spend the winter basking in sunlight. Well, obviously that didn’t happen and all of you are due an explanation. First, the necessary repairs on the sailboat weren’t complete prior to the first big snowfall which pretty much stopped that project and left the sailboat in a pile of drifts. Second, as you all know Covid 19 was ripping through the country, and I chose not to risk getting sick in another state far from my cabin. I also had no insurance coverage other than Medicare, which was a factor too. At the cabin I only have minimal contact with humans so my chance of getting Covid were less an issue than if I was stuck in a large city. Thanks to all of you for enquiring and I hope that explanation settles that question.

You will see below a photo of my sailboat, The Silent Mistress, in her winter wardrobe for your pleasure.

Thanks,
Hilton

Greetings one and all:
 
Been a tough week. Without getting too personal I had to attend a family funeral downstate, I am still grieving. What is there about ritual, in this case a funeral service, that I feel comforted by, despite my atheism. Simplistically, grief needs healing and the ritual surrounding death seems to quiet the suffering soul. I guess, despite my atheism, I sensed that those who gathered for the service transcended what we would think of as ordinary life. Enough of that, I am being too reflective, I think.

I always cringe going south over the Big Mac Bridge, it is as if I am headed in the wrong direction on a one-way street. Generally, when I return from downstate, as most all Uppers call the down under, I feel a great sense of relieve. I know that many folks might think I am tilted a little off center, but I believe the air is purer here and the water cleaner and more refreshing. I’d call the U.P. God’s country, but you already know how I feel about that moniker.

ON DUST; Shifting to a different topic. While I heat with wood primarily, I do have a backup gas wall heater that kicks on when I stay out too late at the bar and the fire in the woodstove peters out. The woodstove, with a glass front, creates a delightful ambiance and a wonderful radiant heat, HOWEVER, the cabin gets very dusty and needs more attention than I care to give it. So, consequentially, I am seeking a lovely lady that doesn’t mind dusting. LOL.
Well, that is about it for this update.

Take care everyone,
​
Hilton

​ 
Hello Friends and Readers,
 
Sometimes winter seems like a long haul up a steep trail. Walked up the hill the other morning to meet the new guy I hired to plow the road, it was way below zero and blustery, in other words damn cold. I am plowed out now so I made a trip to the small general store a dozen miles from the cabin for necessary supplies (groceries and, of course brandy).

Had to buy a load of firewood recently as the supply I had needed replenishment. It burns but is green as they say up here. I couldn’t get to my regular supply of wood due to the snow depth, ass deep in the yard.

My sailboat lies brooding, I think, with a large canvas tarp covering her. As you might remember I had a naming contest last fall and the winner, James Dunn, from Baudette Minnesota chose the appropriate name, The Silent Mistress. Good choice Jim. Oh, for the curious, the sailboat is the only mistress at camp. Damn….

Bought a family package of chicken wings and used an antique wire grill and cooked the critters in the woodstove, some were a touch blackened, but I like ‘em that way.

Well, I will sign off, hope all is well out there. Remember to post comments if you like, and if you are bashful feel free to write, and I will be sure to reply.
​
Hilton Moore
PO Box 63
Covington, MI 49919