Minnesota Cabin Circa 2024

Sarah and Mika Chilling on the Dock at the Cabin

Saturday August 25

We returned from California last Thursday night. By Sunday Lee was starting to feel sick, and on Monday he tested positive for Covid. By Tuesday I was starting to feel like I might be coming down with something, but I tested negative, and still ran 8 miles that morning and felt pretty good. By Wednesday I was sick as well and also tested positive. Covid, after 4 and a half years, it finally got us. Lee felt bad on Monday and Tuesday, by Wednesday he was feeling much better. He mowed the lawn and picked Leo up from Theater Camp on Thursday (with a mask).  Then yesterday (Friday), he felt kind of sick again, had an upset tummy. He probably did too much too soon. I felt terrible on Wednesday and Thursday, but by Friday I felt much much better. I still don’t have much energy and still feel a little achy and congested.

We’re supposed to go to a cabin up north with the Herberg’s today. Sarah has had covid too (got it at a work event probably). Our bubble is truly busted. Only Erik, Suzanne and the boys (as far as we know) have still not had it (Kris had it last year). The question right now is if we go to the cabin today or wait until tomorrow. Lee wants to go by test results, but if we do that, we’re probably not going, since it’s possible to test positive for weeks after an infection. I think we should go by symptoms, and mask in shared inside places until we feel completely symptom free. Although I’m not crazy about wearing a mask I’m ok with that. I can always go into our room or outside if I need a little mask-free break.

The other question is this triathlon I’m supposed to run next Saturday. I’ve felt pretty conflicted about it anyway, and this is a perfect excuse to not do it! But seriously, unless I feel 100 percent, I’m going to skip it. I’ve done the training. I can swim so much better than I could a year ago, but I’m very very slow. I could do the super sprint option, 250 yards instead of 750, but that means I’ll just wonder how I would have done at the full sprint length. I’m better on the bike, but still comparatively slow. If I can average over 12 mph for 12 miles I will be happy with myself, but still probably one of the slowest riders. And running, well, I’ve been neglecting it, concentrating on swimming and biking instead, so who knows? But this is all moot unless I feel a whole lot better.

Well I’m going to start packing this morning and I’m pretty sure we’ll go to the cabin either this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

Way too Much Stuff!

Sunday August 26

We decided to wait until Sunday.

In the morning we finished packing, loaded up the truck and by 9:30 we were ready to go. Sarah texted that some of the bedrooms were very humid and stuffy and could we stop at their house and get their dehumidifier? Yes, and we picked up a couple of fans while we were at it. THEN we were ready to go.

I feel much better today. I’m still symptomatic, with a cough and a slight sour throat, but even that is improving. I’m still easily fatigued, and think I need to continue to take it easy. Lee did a test this morning. He feels fine. The test was still positive, but the sample line is now very faint so he’s well on his way to recovery. I’m not going to bother to take a test until my symptoms are gone.

It was only a 2 hour drive to the cabin but when we stopped to get gas we switched drivers since we both still get tired so easily. We stopped at a Love’s truck stop and there was a Hardees, so against our better judgement we both got burgers. Mine was pretty disgusting, way too salty, with that fake grilled taste that Hardees specializes in. I ate half because I was hungry but ugh.

The cabin is on a pretty lake. It’s kind of a hoot, filled with doodads, stuffed bears, pillows and all kinds of crap. As usual we have a LOT of food, possibly not quite as much as last year but it’s hard to say. There is a tiny sandy beach and a dock and so many water toys! The boys have been playing in the water all day long. They’re going to be tired tonight. I hear there is a half court basketball court downstairs but I haven’t gone to see it yet.

The floor is gritty, and it’s not the cleanest place I've ever been but it’s ok. There’s a stuffed deer head on the wall above me though; that’s kind of creepy.

Creepy Deer Above the Fireplace

Monday August 26

Yesterday afternoon we spent several hours down at the beach watching the boys play in the water. There are so many water toys, and they made good use of them. They played with the turtle tube, the loon tube, the various other tubes. Sarah and Erik took them canoeing. I sat in a chair by the beach and watched. I feel better, just easily fatigued.

Eventually I went up to the house and hung out in the great room, reading, writing, crocheting. Sarah cooked dinner, grilled steak and veggies, hummus and pita bread. We ate out on the deck. Then we played a funny game called Happy Little Accidents, a take off on Bob Ross the TV painting instructor. You draw a doodle on a piece of paper, put the papers in the middle of the table folded  in half. Everyone picks one, then someone chooses a word from a stack of cards and you have to draw the word, incorporating the doodle. Then you describe your drawing and everyone picks the one they like the best. Sounds stupid but it actually was really fun, and the boys could play too.

I was pretty tired and went to bed a little early, even for me. There isn’t air conditioning in our bedroom, but we used one of the fans. The bed has flannel sheets, which might be nice in the winter but not now! We slept on top of the sheets and used the dog sheet as a top sheet. It was still warm. A double bed, two people and 3 dogs in a small bedroom but we survived.

This morning I slept until 6. Took the dogs out, came in and had breakfast. Eventually I took a quick bath/shower. There was a moth tangled in my hair when I washed it! Good grief. Suzanne asked me how it got there. I’d rather not think about it, ok?!

Nice Lake

Tuesday August 27

Yesterday was cloudy, hot and humid. We mostly did indoor things. The boys played in the downstairs gym and discovered a foosball table. Kirby got quite obsessed with foosball. He kept going downstairs to “practice”. 

The adults relaxed. We played another game called Outburst, where you had to try to guess as many items in a category as possible in a short amount of time. The game was from the 80’s so we had to temper our answers to adjust for that.  Some people also played Pictionary but I didn’t.

I actually went for a short walk, 25 minutes. I’ll go for another one today. I still tire easily and have a slight cough, but that’s about it. I stopped wearing a mask yesterday afternoon. I haven’t retested, not yet anyway.

Later in the afternoon Sarah and Erik took the boys out in the paddleboat. At least they’re making use of the water toys! If I felt better I’d try the SUP but I’m not up to it.

Lee needed to go to the store so I went along, just to get out and do something. As the afternoon wore on  the wind picked up and it started to cool off. A short rainstorm blew through. By evening it was pretty nice, but windy. Lee made dumplings for dinner. They were yummy!

After dinner we watched School of Rock. I haven’t watched it in years. It’s a cute movie, but Jack Black really got on my nerves. Just overacting extreme. Talk about chewing up the curtains! I remembered the movie as being a lot better than it was. Leo enjoyed it but it was too grownup for Kirby. Also he was tired.

I slept better last night but that bed is ridiculous. We kept the door open and that helped a lot because it made it much cooler. Heather fell out of bed at 4:30 AM. I was afraid she had to go potty but I threw her back in bed and she was fine until after 6.

I slept until 6:18. Took the dogs outside, gave them a treat. I didn’t feed them breakfast until almost 8. Everything is running late today!

Wednesday August 28

Yesterday was a fun day. In the morning I went for a walk again, this time for 30 minutes. I took Sophie with me so she got two walks. She had a fine time just trotting along, although at first she kept looking behind us, wondering why Harper didn’t come too. We saw 2 deer at a crossroads, leaping about, staying away from us. She was quite excited by their smells.

It was a pretty day, sunny finally, lower humidity, cool but not too bad. The lake was muddy and it was too cold for the boys to swim, so instead they fished. And fished. And fished. They didn’t catch anything, but that didn’t deter them. They tried different lures and practiced their casting, with Lee in close attendance. Leo is actually getting pretty good, and Kirby is doing well for a 4 yo. You had to stay away from him because he didn’t always remember to look behind before his cast!

When they took a break from fishing they wanted to take the canoe out but of course that wasn’t allowed without grownups and no grownups were in the mood. So Lee rigged up the canoe with one of the dog’s long lines, clipping it by one end to the dock. The boys put on their life jackets and grabbed a couple paddles and away they went. It was really funny and they were delighted. They could only go a couple yards in any direction but that didn’t stop them. They played with the canoe for a good hour like that, and then went back to fishing.

The Boys Go on a Tethered Canoe Ride

Sarah and I took out the paddleboat and pedaled around for awhile. It was nice, not too hard, kind of fun. We made a loop around a part of the lake. In one direction the wind was in our faces which made it cooler, but slower. On the way back the sun was in our faces so it felt warmer but the wind was behind us so we actually went quite fast without realizing it. I steered with the rudder and it was sort of like a houseboat, with a delayed reaction. I kept oversteering but we survived.

We went out to dinner last night at a place called Pint and Pike in the nearby town of Anderson. It was very popular but we got a table out on the patio so Otis could come with. Anymore poor Otis gets very nervous when Kris is out of his sight. I retested for Covid and my line is still there but very very faint. I may test again on Friday so I can tell our houseguests if I’m still positive.

The restaurant was decent for a small town in the middle of nowhere. We got a poutine appetizer just because why not? Several people got the walleye sandwich, Erik got a cajun burger, I got the salmon. It was all pretty good. Leo and Kirby were very well behaved, it was just a pleasant evening. At one point Kirby was sitting in Lee’s lap and Lee was massaging his back. He stopped talking and got a very distant look on his face. It was so funny; we were all laughing at him and he certainly didn’t care!

We are all happy to be going home this morning. We want to take showers and baths and sleep in our own beds. The thing is, in spite of the house we all had a really good time. The boys are at the point where they mostly go off and play by themselves. They can join in family games, enjoy a movie, take part in conversations. It’s one of my favorite kid times, ages 4 to 11 or so, before hormones start kicking in and things get complicated.

We might try to plan ahead more for next year, to get a better house, or even stay in a resort. It's hard for this group to plan that for ahead though, so we’ll see!

Winter in Waconia

Waconia is Piling Snow in the Middle of the Street

When we moved to Minnesota last spring, at first we thought we would still go to Florida this winter. But as the house building project grew and developed, Lee realized that we just couldn't take that much time away. It was sad to have to tell our landlord in Safety Harbor that we wouldn't be coming this year and we both miss it. But it was the right decision. House building has been pretty all consuming for Lee and I can't imagine if we had tried to take a couple months away. It would have turned into a two year project easily, instead the one year project we have now.

Lots of !@#$@!#$@! Snow

Before we moved I kept saying "Oh it gets colder in Minnesota than it does in New Hampshire, but they don't get as much snow." I should have kept my big mouth shut. Not only have we experienced the Polar Vortex and gotten to see what minus 50 wind chill feels like, we also had a record-breaking February for snow amounts, and its not done yet. We have mountains of snow everywhere, and I'm sorry but Minnesota just has no idea what good snow removal is like. If I say something about it locals look at me blankly, like, "what?" so obviously they've never experienced the kind of snow removal that New Englanders take for granted. In New Hampshire you might have a half day of poor road conditions while the plows catch up but then the roads are CLEAR and its back to business as usual. Here they plow, but not very well, and the roads can be very, very bad off and on. Its better than Missouri, but still. This is the NORTH! I thought they'd be more on top of it. Oh well!

When we moved to New Hampshire we were SO excited about experiencing winter again. We bought skis, both cross country and downhill. We bought snowshoes. I bought yaktraks and ran outside in all kinds of weather. But it was strange. Whenever I'd talk to a real yankee about the weather they almost always declared how much they hated winter, and especially snow.  It took several years but gradually we got it.  It may be pretty but we hate it now too, just like a native.

The trouble with snow when you get a bunch is that its a lot of work, and its a job that's never done. Shovel a path for the dogs, snowblow the driveway, take twice as long to get anywhere, run on the treadmill, over and over again. Its not a once or twice a year (or less) occurrence like in Missouri, its day after day. It gets old, quickly.

Ice Fishing Lake Waconia

Minnesotans do get outside, however. There is a regular village of ice fisherman on Lake Waconia. People drive their trucks and RV's out on the lake and hang out, fishing and doing whatever else fishermen do. And boy are there a lot of snow mobiles!

Snow Mobile on Lake Waconia

They are everywhere, zooming along on trails, along the roads, through our subdivision, over the lake. There were snow mobiles in New Hampshire for sure but the trails were permanent constructions through the woods, and the snow mobiles stuck to those and the lakes. Here a couple of months ago before there was any snow on the ground they put out signs for snow mobiles here and there, warning of obstacles (caution!), telling them to stop, telling them where to go. Until the snow got deep enough I was a little puzzled because there weren't really trails where the signs were. But once the snow fell the snow mobiles made their own trails and that's how it works. Its a lot easier here where the trees aren't quite so thick.

Although the trees in New England are beautiful they wreak havoc on their aging utilities. At least here we don't need a generator even when the winds come howling across the prairie. There aren't that many trees so they're not hitting power lines all the time. You just have to deal with the crazy wind chill those winds generate! Its always something!

The poor dogs aren't getting very many walks this winter. Either there's not a plowable place for them to walk or its just too cold. When we hit those extreme temps they were very efficient at dashing out, doing their business, and dashing back in. They knew that staying outside for very long was not a good idea.

Cosmo

Harper

I've been on the treadmill more this winter than I have in the previous 10 years that I've owned it, probably. I can always put on more clothes, and a face mask, with vaseline underneath fights frostbite just fine. But the footing has just been awful. My yaktraxs are not sufficient protection against patches of ice hidden under snow. I've fallen twice, and fortunately didn't hurt myself, but I'm getting more cautious about what I'm willing try running in, or on. Next year I'm going to try something else,  ice screws, or something. Wait, what am I saying! Next year I'll be in Florida!

Guess Who!

Moving to Minny

After the marathon, after goodbye bbqs and dinners, after tears and hugs and an achy heart, the day is finally here. Last Monday I ran the Boston Marathon in torrential rain and howling winds. My friends were at mile 19, then drove down to the finish line, met me at tbones after. These are really good friends. Only really good friends, nice relatives (Mark!), and husbands will do this sort of thing.

We are a bit of an odd group of friends. We range in age from early thirties to early seventies, and we met because we all have Diane, and because we have Diane, we all have Westies, and because we have Westies we have each other. 

But these aren’t the only people I will miss in New Hampshire. There are the ladies that belong to the Windham Newcomers Club, that I met when we first moved here from Texas and I was looking for friends and things to do. The club gave me people to explore with. We went to the city, we went to the shore, we went to the mountains. We went hiking, we went skiing, we went into the city and saw shows. We explored restaurants, and sometimes we just got together to chat, drink coffee, eat lunch, talk.

I will miss the people at the Food for the Hungry Food Pantry at Pleasant Street United Methodist Church. The dedicated volunteers that spend almost every Wednesday morning at the church, serving the clients, some of whom have come there for years, and come early so they can visit with their friend’s before the pantry opens. The pastor and congregation that have opened their church, their wallets and their hearts to the clients, even building a dedicated building for the Food Pantry several years ago.

Then there’s the Democrats that meet every Friday at a coffee shop in Salem, to try to elect progressive candidates to local positions. And there’s the people that meet to do yoga at Inge’s house around the corner a couple days a week. And there’s the ladies that have helped keep me pretty and also became my friends - Emily, Joanna, Janice.

We’ve really been packing for months, even before we went to Florida. Lee packed up the dining room. I went on a tear in the boxes of artifacts in the basement, throwing out all kinds of things, and organizing the last set of family pictures to be electronically scanned. When we returned from Florida is when things got real. Before the marathon I packed almost all the books, one set of dishes, all the nice glasses. Lee made crates and frames and packed all the mirrors and artwork. 

After the marathon we packed almost everything else. Only the food was left to pack right before the movers arrived.

One more run with Paula and Stephanie at Massebasic, my first since the marathon, and afterwards breakfast at Tucker’s. I got an enormous waffle with strawberries and whipped cream and an egg and bacon. I’m still eating like I’m carb loading for a marathon!

One more get together at Diane’s. It was a beautiful sunny day, the first real spring day in New Hampshire. The dogs had a wonderful time playing and rolling around. I was fine until I hugged Diane goodbye and then I lost it. You changed my life I whispered in her ear. I feel terrible about taking my dogs away from her, but at least she will get to see them in Florida.

On Monday Lee looked at the forecast and decided to see if the movers could come on Tuesday instead of Wednesday because there was rain in the forecast for Wednesday. They could, and as it turned out it was a good thing, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

The movers had said they would come between 7:30 and 8:00 Tuesday morning. It takes two trucks to move us, one standard large moving van and a smaller truck that can make it up and down our driveway. The large van was late; his gps took him a way that was not passable for a truck that large. When he finally arrived it was just him and another girl. They started inventorying everything and before too long he realized that the salesman’s estimate was way off. When the smaller truck arrived and they started loading things they just did not have enough people. We had plans to meet friends for dinner. They were still loading things when we went to dinner, and they were still loading when we returned. They didn’t finish until almost 11 pm!

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday night in the RV in the driveway. The dogs love the RV but they found it pretty confusing to stay in the RV right next to the house. It wasn’t that bad on Tuesday, because we would still let them in the house, but on Wednesday when we start to clean they couldn’t come inside the house anymore, we would let them outside into the back yard and they would go to the back door to to be let in. Harper figured out quickly that the RV was the place to be. Heather was confused, but got the hang of it more or less. But poor Cosmo! He was completely befuddled and actually a little scared. I had to make him come to me and then pick him up and carry him to the RV. It’s not that he doesn’t like the RV, he was just overwhelmed by this change in his routine. I knew that as soon as we got on the road he would be fine.

Wednesday night we met Paula and Rich for dinner at the Common Man. It was relaxing and pleasant, with a few more tears shed when we said goodbye. This ending has been hard, and a little confusing. I’m so excited to be moving closer to family, to be building a house again, to be exploring a new place. But I’m so sad to leave New Hampshire too. If only I could somehow combine the two..

Thursday morning I went on a short run even though it was raining. I have a dread now of the rain, but of course it wasn’t that bad. Nothing will ever compare to Boston, at least in running in the rain territory!

Then it was time for the walkthrough, prior to the closing at 10:30 AM. I was a little nervous about this. We hadn’t met the buyers before this, and they had been so picky during the inspection.....but it was fine. At the end of the walk-through the man got his wife on the phone and we walked through the yard together, me showing them all the flowers and plants, telling them when they would bloom and some basic care information. I love my yard but I’m not sorry to let it go. It was getting to be an awful lot of work. I’m going to replicate some of it, but on a much much smaller scale. 

As we walked around the yard suddenly I saw something that filled me with dismay. “Lee, the movers didn’t take my teak bench!” Well there was nothing to be done. The new owners now own a teak bench with a lot of history behind it. This bench first made its appearance at our first home on Laurel Drive in Columbia. From there it moved to place with a wonderful view overlooking the land we bought on High Point Lane, even before we built our house there. Then it went to Texas, and stayed there when we lived in Hong Kong. And for the last 8 1/2 years it’s resided in New Hampshire. “I’ll buy you a new one,” promised Lee, but I still feel bad.

The closing went without incident. Afterwards we went for lunch at Maddie’s. Then back to the house and on the road. 

That first afternoon we only drove as far as CT. We weren’t driving more than 400 miles in a day since we had to drive both vehicles, Lee pulling the RV with the truck, me pulling the dinghy with the car. As it turned out driving the car by myself was fine. It was more stressful for Lee pulling the RV by himself.

The next day we stayed somewhere back into the wilds of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a surprisingly rural state. Once again we were in a remote area with little cellphone service and except for the rain a pretty place. It has been a little difficult to find campgrounds open this early in the season in the north. 

I go for a morning run, 3 times on a zig-zag route through the campground, for four miles total. When we take the dogs for a walk we try not to get them muddy. This day we drive 360 miles to a KOA in Elkhart Indiana, somewhere in Amish country. We can hear horses and buggys clip clopping as they go by on the road. I take the dogs on a long walk around the campground down to a fishing pond, on a little nature trail. Its cold this night so we have to turn off the water and bring the hose inside in the morning to thaw. 

On Sunday we drive through Indiana into Illinois and right through the middle of Chicago on I 90. There is Godawful traffic on a Sunday, I can’t imagine what this is like on a weekday! For the most part the roads are very good, wide and not too bumpy. Bumps throw things inside the RV into disarray, in spite of our best efforts to keep things stored safely. And for whatever reason some things are getting stress cracks and starting to leak, our Brita water jug and a bottle of gin (!).

Then we’re in Wisconsin, past Madison and up into the Dells. Indian casinos, indoor water parks, outlet malls, go kart tracks. But the KOA is very nice. Things are very quiet, with only a few other campers.

The next day is a short day but it feels long. We cross Wisconsin and enter Minnesota and soon we are skirting the Twin Cities and making our way to the southwest corner of the metro area, Jordan, MN where our KOA is located. While we’re getting settled the mover calls. They are showing up tomorrow morning! Wow, we didn’t really think they would get here so quickly.

We have business to attend to. First stop a store where we can buy dry ice, so the meat from the freezer with continue to stay frozen. Next to the lot; Lee wants to do some measuring of the location of the existing well. Next, the rental house. Lee has never seen it, and I’ve only seen it once. The house doesn’t seem as nice as before but it’s still pretty good. The back deck does I have steps to the backyard, but the back yard is pretty squishy from the melting snow, and because it’s downhill from a bunch of other backyards. The kitchen is adequate but cheap looking. There’s no good place to rinse off the dogs, and the carpet will make me nervous until I’m confident the dogs know it is INSIDE! Oh well. A year from now we’ll have a beautiful house that we built and life will start to become the new normal.