For my 40th birthday, a few weeks back, Rob and I went to a cabin at Woolman Hill with a woodstove and an outhouse.
It was a cold evening when we arrived and we were exhausted. I was filled with horror when we walked in the door, because the cabin was FREEZING! It was dark and cold and I could see my breath as I stood there wondering if we would die in our beds.
At warm home all the beds were full of family watching our kids so I knew we couldn't escape there.
It seemed really lame to bail and stay at the Hampton Inn at the rotary.
Rob stayed calm and started the fire that was ready to be lit in the the tiny stove.
Then he brought in wood.
We crossed our fingers and went out to eat at Magpie Pizza.
Delicious, but the whole time I wondered if we would soon be trying to sleep in the cold.
We got back from dinner and walked through the woodsy dark.
I opened the door and yelled loudly to Rob at the outhouse. "HOT! It's Hot!" I was delighted.
It was hot for the rest of our stay. Luscious dry cozy hang-out-in-your-underwear hot.
We went for a hike.
Took a nap.
Read books.
(Rob's phone was broken. He would have been tweeting, but he had to sit down and open a book. "What do I do with this thing again? He asked of the unopened book in his hands.)
Rob went out early to get coffee and I got to sleep in!
Then I read the paper without anyone talking to me.
Heavenly.
But then we missed the girls.
So we decided to have them come stay the second night, which changed the mood of our small cabin. (I have asked to be reminded to never do that again. No offense, but we had childcare! I could have had another nap!)
I bought a tiny
Death by Chocolate cake from Greenfield's Market and blew out the candle.
Not wise to give children a sliver of chocolate cake before going to bed in a new exciting setting.
I was up for a while trying to get Georgia to settle down.
Finally she did and I got some alone time in the warm quiet cabin while everyone slept peacefully.
I finally got to finish Harry Potter.
I would read a few chapters and then go out to the starry night to pee and admire the crystal bright stars and get really chilly and then tiptoe back into the squeaky cabin and read some more. Then I would have to tend to the stove. The whole environment meant that I was able to draw out that final book in a deeply satisfying way. I finally went to bed in the wee hours.
Forty years old!
Still not sure what to think of it, but so far it's been pretty nice.
Frost on the car window. So cold outside. All of us so overheated from the tiny hot cabin, the chill was welcome. Never again will I underestimate a small
jotul brand cast iron stove.
The Siren Cafe for breakfast.
Getting rowdy.
No more reading the paper.
Wresting at the Deerfield Gym. This is still what happens when I lay down to stretch.
Pounced on by little people.
I'll take it, though.
We went swimming and got to jump of the diving boards and use the hot tub.
Got home tired, but it was a good way to celebrate.
Also, I have informed Rob that decade-birthdays get a year-long celebration with solo mediation retreats and other perks so we'll see where that goes.
