Cabin life offers numerous activities in good weather . . . the hard thing is enjoying your retreat in the rain.

As a giddy optimist, Your Scribe is not going to complain about the steady sheets of precipitation we've had in recent days.

But rain has a big effect on cabin life, and you've got to make the best of it.

I have my own range of activities in bad weather, and my list is limited because I don't have electricity.

Thus no TV, videos, Internet use etc.

One thing I do in bad weather is tend the wood stove.

Unless it's mid-July, any spell of foul weather means chilly days and cold raw nights.

Since the wood is under the house, I have a steady supply.

But I do have to tromp out frequently to keep the "pipeline" full.

Another indoor activity is studying maps.

I have lived in Kennbunk, Biddeford, Portland and Rockland, so I know coastal geography pretty well.

But I don't know the lakes and streams of upcountry Maine, so I am always gazing at the DeLorme Atlas to plan future trips, be they to The Forks or Fryeburg.

And I read.

I have picked up several local histories of New Sharon, the town in Franklin County where the cabin is located.

Stories about "the old days" are found in a book I bought at a used bookstore in Farmington.

The local history was published in conjunction with the town's 200th birthday in 1993.

I like reading about doctors who used to make horse-drawn house calls in their winter sleds, and families that once hosted reunions that lasted a full week.

Local histories also inform us about the hard times.

One of the most destructive forces of life in the 18th and 19th centures was fire.

Schools burned, town halls burned, and many houses and barns were taken by flames.

Fires are still fearful in modern times.

One of the greatest calamities in the state's history was the great forest fire of 1947, which started in the Western Mountains and spread to the York County coast.

I also read "ancient" Maine history.

Some of the best books are by Neil Rolde, a fine historian and onetime politician from York.

Rolde writes about the early days of Maine, and much of his unique research focuses on the Indian nations that inhabited this state, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

It is remarkable how many different eras the state has been party to - and how little we know about those who went before us.

Another activity I pursue in the rain is hoping it will stop.

I love to walk down to the river after a storm, and see how much it has risen.

But the storms have to stop to before one can leisurely stroll to the tree-lined bank.

Yes, rain forces us to new modes of activity - and reminds us of how much fun it is to be outdoors on a day when it's sunny, and warm, and full of promise.

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