All Quiet in the Woods

Last weekend, My mom and I went up to camp. Her goal was to clean our old place. This old cabin has been our home away from home all of my life. It's the place where so many memories have been made. However, as our families have grown, we found it to be quite cramped. There are two tiny bedrooms, a miniscule bathroom, a living room and a kitchen. The walls are all made of knotty pine. When my great aunt owned it, she put up some strange things on the walls. There's a circular picture of a West Highland Terrier on one wall. She never owned a West Highland Terrier. There's the typical 'quitcherbellyakin' wooden sign along with usual plaques with blessings and some with smart a** remarks In the living room above the window, there is a red pig walking along with her three small red baby piglets. The strangest thing, however, is the stuffed owl on a corner shelf in the room. That thing has been staring at me all my life. As a child I would get the creeps from it, but we've made peace through the years.

As a result of the small quarters, we have built a new place next door on our vacant lot. It's on the water and will have a lot more room. It's still not finished but my goal last weekend was to finish painting the bedrooms.

I left the children and hubby home since my daughter had to cheerlead for a game and my son had a football game. On Friday night when I left I was so homesick for all of them. I have rarely left them and believed that I would get a lot done without having to worry about playing with them or taking them somewhere. I got what I wanted.

I did not like it.

I have to admit, however, that it was nice to work without interruptions. Having my mom make dinner didn't hurt either. After a few hours on Saturday I was able to enjoy the peace a little more.

There were many reminders of our times together with the kids this summer. In the sand under the deck of the new place there were rocks and plastic still laying there. It is all that remained of the moat and castle they had built. Looking into the lean-to I saw the badminton rackets and birdies that they had left there, remembering the times we got frustrated when the wind would carry the birdies away.

Inside the camp were some of their board games they had played and laughed over on those summer days and evenings. And let's not forgot the small sock my mother found under my bed that belonged to my daughter showing that she's not very neat at camp either.

On Saturday evening I decided to take a break from my painting since I was getting tired and hot. I didn't feel like swimming, so I took off my socks and sneakers and dunked my feet in the lake. Only a week earlier we were jumping off the dock to rinse our hair that was covered in shampoo suds. I remembered the kids playing in the water in the evening as my husband made a fire for s'mores on the shore. The horn on the large dinner cruise boat would honk as it went on it's way.

I think what made me smile the most was when I looked at my bare feet. There was still a little bit of glittery gold nail polish on some of my toes reminding me of the time my daughter and I painted each other's toes in the crowded kitchen.

Even though my husband and kids were not there, I was content just looking around at the evidence of their presence. I know that, soon, we'll all be there together again to make new memories.