The title for this episode should be 'Surviving our first winter in the cabin'. Make no mistake, I was as gung-ho as Frits to 'camp', with just four walls, a roof and a wood stove and not much else. It was challenging but not overwhelming and we have no regrets, but a year later I'm glad that time is past.
The cabin when we first moved in, had an open loft with no railing and just some plywood sheets to walk on. The air bed took up about half of the covered area. Our few clothes were in bags on the floor and what cooking facilities we had took up the rest of the space. Beyond that were gaping holes straight down to the room below. Sleep walking was not an option. The two dogs soon became accustomed to walking cautiously although Lily, my Yorkie, hated the stairs. They are steep and open along one side and it took a couple of weeks before she would go up them and a couple of months before she would go down.
Bathing was creative. The sun shower was designed for outdoor camping in warm weather. The vinyl bag is filled with water and left in the sun until it is warm enough to be bearable and then it is hung from a tree branch so that the spray nozzle is at sufficient height to drench the showeree. We applied the same principle but used water heated on the wood stove and then using a clamp, secured it to a beam. This is where the creative part comes in. First we spread a sheet of plastic on the remaining 4 square feet of plywood. Then the green plastic bucket was positioned under the nozzle. The bucket was a little larger than your average pail but not much. By squatting in the bucket you could have a pretty decent shower and keep most of the water contained. Any water that escaped onto the plastic was easily funneled back into the bucket once we were done. One bag for two people. No photo necessary here!
Our 'kitchen', a table and a couple of shelves allowed room for only 2 plates, 2 bowls, 2 cups and a few paper items. If I had to choose just one cooking appliance, in the absence of a stove, the electric skillet wins, hands down. In addition to the obvious frying capabilities, you can cook pasta, roast and even bake cakes. The microwave, another essential, makes short work of most things and some vegetables, especially green beans are even better this way. The third important appliance is the crockpot. There are zillions of good recipes on-line for more than just pot roast and beef stew. I have done rice pudding, chili and mac and cheese, all delicious. We ate out very little during this time, preferring to stay home although dinner invitations from friends were much appreciated.
Work continued on the upstairs while the downstairs remained as the workshop. We moved out briefly while the floor was laid and a rail installed. Our king-sized bed could then be permanently installed and utilized as the only seating we had. By now we had a small TV with an antenna and a wireless router for our Internet connection.
The day running cold water arrived was cause for celebration. Frits had been carrying buckets of water from the barn across the ice and snow at great peril to his health and welfare. I am not sure if I mentioned that Frits is our entire work force. He is the plumber, the electrician, the carpenter and the wood splitter. If he doesn't do it, it is not happening. Once we had running water, everything became easier. We had rigged up a temporary toilet in the to-be-bathroom downstairs (beats using the portalet) that we could flush with a bucket of water but now we could have a fully functioning toilet tucked away in a closet in the loft.
An on-demand water heater came next and then a vanity with hot and cold running water! Yippee...not exactly the Ritz but getting closer.
By the time summer arrived, the makeshift kitchen had been moved out of our bedroom, the bathroom with tub and shower was functioning, the loft with walk-in closet was about finished and the focus was on the downstairs.
We installed a slate floor in the entry, added a coat closet and finished the remaining wall by using an old sliding door from the original barn. Over the past 35 years or so, Frits had saved many, many old hinges, bolts, square headed nails, boards, planks, doors, plumbing fixtures, not to mention tools, just in case. My support of this habit has not always been wholehearted, I admit, but now finally it was paying off. Whenever just the right board, hinge or hook was needed, Frits would head off to his stash and return with a twinkle in his eye and a treasure. It became very satisfying to be using age-appropriate, reclaimed materials and doing our small part to save the planet.
In the meantime our renters had purchased another house and on June 1st, 2011, vacated our Stowe house. More decisions to be made. What if it isn't sold by winter? Do we move back or do we rent again. Each time the economy seemed to be improving another dire, world event hit the news, the stock market slumped and buyers clutched tight to their wallets. The summer was to bring many more moments of guarded enthusiasm followed by disappointment.
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