My Cabin, My Dream

I have this thing about cabins. Many years ago, at an annual festival near me, I bought a canvas of a cabin in a snowy woods. The light in the window flickers. (Batteries, included.) In my young girl imagination, that is where I sit to write. It’s warm and ever so cozy in there with wood on the fire. This canvas hangs on a wall in my bedroom and the light in the window flickers at night for about six hours.

I have had the same dream for many years. I have wanted a cabin near water and in a wooded area. But I must have open areas around the cabin for sunshine. The sun is very important to me. I would have animals for my grandchildren to interact with, water for fishing, and a view of the sunset. The cabin would have an amazing front porch and an enclosed back porch. The front and back doors would include banging screen doors. You know, like in the old days. You open them and they bang shut behind you.

This cabin would be a retreat for my family and friends. A place to escape the rest of the world. A place to find peace and relaxation. A place to connect with God and to find oneself.

This is my dream.

I have collected log cabin magazines for about 10+ years now. I was searching for floor plans and new ideas.

At first I wanted a cabin large enough to have rooms for each of my kids and their families. But since I have six children and now five grands, that cabin would be huge. So, realistically, it needed to be scaled down. Because, again…realistically, my kids never all visit at the same time. With in-laws, work schedules, and the busyness of life in general, it’s kinda like herding cats to get them altogether. So I chiseled down the cabin within my mind’s floor plan and removed the beautiful open loft that supported those many rooms. Now it no longer looks like a lodge, but a simple cabin.

When I stayed with Karen and Greg in Maine at their Airbnb, I slept in the house and also in a yurt. I got hooked on the whole yurt idea and think I would have a couple on my property as well.

I’ve had this dream for so long now and it’s remained just that. A dream. I lack the money and the know-how to make it a reality. Even though this dream of mine is not realistic, it is still my cabin, my dream.

A year and a half ago, I went to the neighbor’s garage sale and found a scaled down cabin that was almost a perfect replica of the canvas I bought years before. So I bought it for about $3. Half the roof comes off so you can play around with the inside. It was pretty rustic and complete with mouse poopies. So my cabin was already lived in. Furnishings are permanently attached to the floor. So were the rugs and tablecloths. They were difficult to remove. It was very dirty so I cleaned it up. At another garage sale, I found scraps of material to replace the nasty rug and make a cushion for the rocker and a tablecloth.

For Christmas last year my cabin was decorated with snow, lights, snowmen, wreaths, holiday pictures for the walls, and a Christmas tree. My son, Ezekiel, made two mugs and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. I cut up lace to make doilies. Mattea gave me her little crystal dog to sit on the rug by the Christmas tree. You can barely see the pup.

I’ve since moved the cabin to my bedroom. On the front porch is a bear with his hands on his hips. I gave that bear to my dad decades ago. It is how he would often stand. Not in an angry way though. It usually meant he was going to say something funny. This bear means a lot to me. So once the cabin came to my room, the bear went to the front porch. Bears and cabins kinda go together, don’t cha think?

So even though this cabin is on a much smaller scale than in my dream, I own a cabin.

My cabin, my dream. ♥️

Andi