Your Scribe has come up with a new plan to enhance the cabin: using resources found on Craig's List.

This is the Internet site at which folks buy, sell or trade goods and services (www.craigslist.com). Maine has its own section, and hundreds of people use it each week.

Initially I looked at "Furniture to Buy," as I am seeking a couch that turns into a bed. There were a few offerings but the photos the owners had uploaded were not appealing.

Better idea: Free.

There is a classification for Free goods on the site: no charge if you will pick it up and haul it away. I found a free couch that converted into a bed. It appeared to be in good shape and it was adorned with slip covers complementary to the colors in my "great room."

The owner was in South Portland, but warned that the couch was heavy and several strong backs were needed to move it.

I don't have instant access to a truck, nor can I find "several" strong backs in a hurry. Also, I went to the cabin over the weekend, and there was three feet of snow on my modest, unplowed dirt road in Franklin County. I couldn't have moved a can opener into the cabin.

Clearly I must wait for good weather. But I was pleased to find so many options at Craig's List, and at the "right price." I will be back.

Curiously, the item that was most prevalent on the Free section was the piano. There were close to a half-dozen, ranging from small uprights to baby grands. Several owners indicated they were moving and didn't have room at the next address.

It's an intriguing idea to have a piano at the cabin. But I've got to figure out how to get my new bedding into the building before I worry about making music in the woods. Plus, there's the small but significant detail that I can't play a note.

Perhaps that's why there are so many free pianos being listed. The romantic notion of possessing a piano supercedes the practicality of acquiring one, fitting it into the residence, and actually using it.

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