Cabin fever overtook me again the other night. It might have been the conversation with a friend, which nevers fails to lead us to a place deep in the woods of northern Maine. It might have been that escapist gene inside of me that every now-and-again makes me want to chuck everything and disappear for awhile, a la Thoreau's Walden. Hell, maybe it was just the beer...

I'm not talking about the kind of cabin fever that makes you want to get outside, but rather inside--a cabin, that is. You see, I've always wanted to own a cabin the woods, but have never quite gotten there--yet. I dream of a special place to go to for a day, a weekend, a week. To relax, to reflect, to be alone (not all the time, of course), to live more simply-- no lights, no phone, no running water.

My friend Dick has such a cabin in the Maine woods. And although I've never managed to make a trip up there with him, I feel as though I've been there many times through his captivating stories. It sounds ideal. Yes, in my mind's eye I've seen the grand wilderness views from the doorstep, swam in the crystal clear lake, cut firewood in the spruce and fir woods out back, enjoyed a simple meal under the setting sun, sat close to blazing fire in the little wood stove with book in hand, and fallen asleep to the wailing of the loons...

Zzzzz, zzzzz... Uh, um, I'm sorry. Where was I? Oh yes, the cabin! Well, all this cabin talk prompted me to dig out one of my favorite books of all time: The Woods by Charles Seib. It's the true story of a man who buys a rural piece of property and builds his own cabin, from A to Z. I must have read it a hundred times over the years. And when I finally found it again, I read it once more, all 108 inspiring pages!

Here in the cabin the Franklin stove is blazing cheerily. I have shed the heavy wool shirt I needed before I lit the fire. The supper dishes are washed and soon it will be time for bed. I have spent this day as I spend many here now that the cabin is completed--reading, roaming over the land, dozing...

OK, time to start checking the real estate pages again!