Your Scribe received several gifts for the cabin over the holidays, as family members know this is one of my central interests.

I received a writing log with a photo of the cabin on the cover. This is to enable me to record random and/or illusory thoughts that might make their way into the blog. I am wondering whether I should make a scrapbook out of it as well.

Kevin the Well Digger was considerate enough to take photos of his excavation work when he was putting in the well last fall. Also, I saved photos of when Burt the Builder was constructing the cabin about five years ago, and I think those would be appropriate. Many other photos have been taken, so there should be plenty of material.

I also received salt and pepper shakers in the form of hens and roosters. Though there are no animals at the cabin, I believe these kitchen trinkets were for me. And I got stationery with artwork of a cabin on the writing paper.

I gave myself a book on fishing in Maine, which has many old-time photos of anglers at Rangeley, Moosehead, the Belgrade Lakes and other spots. It's remarkable that those guys fished wearing ties and jackets. The Sandy River in New Sharon, where I have drowned many a worm, got three paragraphs. But the text did say it was well-stocked each spring, and many trout reach maturity.

The photos reflect that fishermen then caught a lot of fish! Strings of 15 to 20 trout and bass are depicted. Either there were no catch limits or the guys were really capable. Maybe both.

I haven't been to the cabin recently, as I am in Catch-22 mode regarding access to my driveway. The town doesn't plow the (public) dirt road to the end where I am, because "no one goes there in winter."

I don't go there because it is not plowed! I can't get there from here.

This nettling impasse beset me last year and wasn't resolved over the summer. Several lingerers at the farm store say I shouldn't encourage better driving conditions, or else a developer might buy the land below me and start building houses.

Actually, the cabin is a tough place when it is really cold because the floors and ceiling aren't insulated. The heat generated by the Jotul is not contained. Once I winterize the place, I will make a serious request to the Road Department.

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