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Little Cabin In The Woods

| Cindy Anderson

We all have dreams. I don’t mean the kind we experience while sleeping. No, I’m referring to the lists we make whether in our minds or recorded on paper. One of the dreams my husband and I have shared for the past thirty plus years is the opportunity to own a small getaway. The vision I’ve always had is a tiny cabin in the woods surrounded by acres of wild flowers. On the large wrap-around porch are oodles of comfortable chairs. Some of them are stationary while others can rock. Also on that porch is a swing suspended from the ceiling. This swing is home to piles of soft, cushie pillows just waiting to be snuggled.

Recently we were able to acquire a modified version of my dream. The cabin is not permanent since it sits on wheels. But it is in the woods. It doesn’t have a porch but it does have a wooden deck. There are chairs on my deck but no rocking chairs or pillows. Sparsely scattered about are a few wild flowers. My cabin, if you haven’t guessed is a trailer parked on a seasonal campsite. Even though it’s a trailer I still prefer to refer to it as my cottage or cabin. It’s as close as I will ever come to the real thing.

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This new cottage is my chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life as well as a quiet place to sew, knit, read or whatever else suits my fancy. My only companion is my sweet Sadie. Just me and Sadie chill-in in the woods.

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“Chillin With My Gnomies”

| Cindy Anderson

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Time Flies When You’re Having Fun, or Should I Say Time Flies?

It’s been some time since I last entered a post. So many activities have been taking place I barely had time to think. So sorry that this was one of the past times I had to let rest. All that matters is that I’m back and ready to resume my ramblings.

Being a city girl living the fast paced life it’s often hard to slow down. The daily grind of multitasking doesn’t stop immediately. It takes a bit of time before one finds themselves exhaling. The slow but gentle glide to total relaxation begins the all too important sense of relief; that pause that refreshes. It’s that moment of inactivity when you realize how busy you have been; how tired you have gotten. It’s when those furrows in your brow begin to soften and the smile you once had begins to return. Oh how often we forget to take time to smell the roses; to enjoy life for what it should be.

I recently took just such a pause. It was on one of our annual excursions to northern Wisconsin that I once again found my sense of peace. We shared the respite with one of our daughters and her husband. Oh and of course our traveling companion Sadie. Now mind you it wasn’t a trip void of adventures. We did our share of sight-seeing and our part to keep the economy running. The pace, however, was much slower, more relaxed.

During the process of decompressing I enjoyed listening to and observing the natural beauty of the world around me. I am grateful for the time I had to relax and unwind. I left that quiet sanctuary feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever life had waiting for me. Before we part company let me share a few photos of my excursion.

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Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to unwind and recharge. Now let’s get back to work.

Its Quiet Here

| Cindy Anderson

My sewing room has been very quiet this week. Why, you might ask? Well I’ll tell you. My hubby is on vacation. Now no grandiose destinations were planned. A simple stay-at-home vacation was on our agenda. We’ve been spending most of our time in a state of leisure. A few short trips were planned to run errands and a bit of shopping but not much else exciting has taken place. The highlight of our day today was a visit to Starbucks. Our plan was to pack up our iPads and a word search game along with two markers and head to the local Starbucks to relax, sip an endless cup of coffee and entertain ourselves with the items we had packed.

With anticipation we did as planned. My hubby, as is typically the case, drove us to the coffee shop. When we arrived is was darn near 1:00 p.m. One would think the lunch crowd would have dissipated leaving ample room for our planned adventure. Walking up to the door we could see inside a sea of patrons busily occupying the limited seating space. A decision had to be made. Do we order up our beverage with the hopes that somehow someone would pack up their belongings and vacate a suitable table, or do we turn around and reformulate our plans.

Option # 1 was the choice we made. After placing our order we lingered at the coffee bar awaiting our beverage as well as the ultimate answer to our question. Whom would leave? This was the one time we hoped our order would take too long. You know, just long enough for a table to open up. As the line ahead thinned out and it was at last our turn to receive our steaming hot cups of coffee, we turned one last time with that hopeful stare directed toward anyone that might happen to turn in our direction. Perhaps if they saw the longing in our eyes they would instantly pack up their belongings and graciously direct us to their table. Well all the wishful thinking in the world was not going to make that happen. Not one person received our subliminal sound waves. Nobody moved. There were a few spots where a table meant for four were occupied by just two souls. I suggested we occupy the two empty chairs but my hubby was not at all interested so we left.

The weather outside was not at all conducive to an outdoor excursion. It has been cold and rainy all week. If it had been warm and sunny we could have found one of the local parks and continued our little adventure there. The only option left was to carry our coffee to our car and head home.

When we arrived home my hubby announced he was going to set up our own coffee shop right here in our own home. While I tended to a few items he rearranged our living room furniture. When I returned he had moved the couch and coffee table in front of our gas fireplace. On the table he had placed our steaming hot cups of coffee as well as our iPads and the other items we had taken to Starbucks. I thought it cute that he had taken the effort to arrange a cozy and inviting area to relax and carry-on with our experience.

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To those that are new to my blog I must tell you we share our home with two cats and a dog. Anytime we slow down and relax all three of them find it necessary to join us. This little coffee sipping extravaganza was just as inviting to them as it was to us. On the couch to my left rested Mayor Tom, our Maine Coon cat, on the floor in front of us was our tabby cat Jerry and resting comfortably on a love-seat throw pillow was our little princess Sadie. Just as with Starbucks all of the available seats were taken.

Although our relaxing afternoon of coffee had not gone as originally planned, we had a quiet little coffee shop right here in our very own home. What more could we ask for?