I have always wanted to spend my weekends in a small cabin in the woods. Ever since I was a girl scout, I loved the smell of pine trees, the sound of running water, and the atmosphere of wood burning stoves. However, as an adult, I haven’t had many opportunities for cabins. Lately, when we are outdoors, we’re either day-hiking or tent camping in a National Park, but I still love to imagine having a cabin. Hide-aways have always appealed to me, and a cabin would be just another place to cozy up and write.
So recently, when I came across this book called Your Cabin in the Woods, I was back in dreamland, thinking about listening to the music of a bubbling brook. Meinecke’s 70-year-old ode to a simpler life is all about how to build a cabin for your needs. And boy, do I have needs. To me, nature is synonymous with peace. As is solitude. Combine those with a building project that utilizes my brain and hands, and I’m all about it!
The book explains how to chose land, how to build indoor or outdoor fireplaces (hello dream life!), and the essential features that make a cabin feel like home. With thoughtfully drawn schematics, illustrations and descriptions, you’ll want to get right out and build a log lodge, or two for the ten children you don’t yet have.
Here’s a taste of what delights this book has to offer: ”Take full enjoyment in the building. Take time out to rest. Most city folks seem always to rush things through. Why? Lay off until tomorrow. Take an afternoon nap. Stop the clock for the weekend. Get off to an early start in the cool of tomorrow morning. You may be crowded in your work in town, but this should be your rest cure, your recreating.”
I’m calmer just reading it, cabin or not. And I cannot think of a better way to spend my weekends, even if they only consist of paging through this book and daydreaming!
To read reviews and to find out more about Your Cabin in the Woods, check out the book here on Amazon! What are some of the things you daydream about doing, seeing, or building? Share with me in the comments below!
All images courtesy of Schoolhouse Electric Co.
