And now, the installation of interior doors as our DIY progresses to create the Cabin at Many Moons...another milestone in the process of turning a house into a home. We've had reliable heat for months. We have a flush toilet and shower, and a washer and dryer. And now, a door on the bathroom. Yes … Continue reading In-Doors & Outdoors
Sometimes the moon jumps into your eyeballs -- especially when it's full -- and reminds you to Just Stop. Look. Breathe. Notice. Make sure you're living and not just existing. When you're doing DIY construction, it can become a long grind from one task to the next. Each morning, the same questions: What's the top … Continue reading Full Moon, Full Schedule
The things we take for granted in "civilized" life! Winter has finally returned to Michigan's far-north. Snow is falling steadily as I write this, now measuring five inches with more to come and temps falling to 10 degrees. But the real headline here is something indoors at Camp Many Moons...something most of you take for … Continue reading Winter & Washing
Now he's a lumberjack. And a sawyer. Jeff had the idea of creating the steps to the loft from a local maple. He's been looking for the right tree for days. Yesterday, the chosen maple came down...all 60 feet of it... along with a hemlock just as tall which was intertwined alongside. Tha-whump! I caught … Continue reading Tha-whump! Two Trees Down.
It's February, and winter still hasn't "arrived" here on the 47th parallel. I'm back at Camp Many Moons in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where wild turkeys waddle out of my path and deer bolt across it. I hear coyotes at night and see evidence of a wild kill underfoot. And where is my attention? On toilets … Continue reading Picking Paints, Flushing Toilets
What kind of wood (lumber) to put on the vaulted ceiling of the Cabin at Many Moons? And where is the snow, anyway? Those questions distracted me (in Virginia) and Jeff (in Michigan) for weeks. Finally, both questions are answered as we continue our long-distance DIY home-building collaboration. Winter officially arrives Dec 21 in the … Continue reading Wood & Winter
That's what a niece said after Mom died and left a gaping hole in our family fabric. "Now what?" So, it's 2024. Now what? So we didn't enter a recession in 2023 as many predicted. Now what? So we are entering another presidential election year. Now what? So I've lost people close to me, feel … Continue reading Now What?
It worked. The water flowed. Hot. In the floor. The Cabin at Many Moons has heat! Six months ago today, we laid orange tubing into sand that would become a foundation and, eventually, a house. (The report of that day is posted here.) Today, those same tubes began to carry the hot water that will … Continue reading Heat Underfoot!
I live half the year in northern Michigan and the other half in northern Virginia. Jeff lives in Michigan. So, this time of year, we live 1,000 miles apart. Still, we continue to work together on the Cabin at Many Moons. After all, "remote working" is the thing these days! We're on the phone daily. … Continue reading 1,000 Miles Away…
In my 60s, I'm more and more attracted to browns. I wonder why, since I once preferred reds and blues? I think one reason is my increasing immersion in nature. I find the earthy colors calming. That's why the Cabin at Many Moons is planned around them. This is a fortunate trend in late-autumn since … Continue reading Beautiful Browns
For Many Moons 