Cabin Neighbors

Well, it isn't Coronation Street like my city apartment was, but I have definitely met some interesting neighbors here. First there are Ken and Leo - older gentlemen that live in two of the big-house apartments. Ken is recently separated from his wife and broke while waiting for the divorce to go through, so is renting a tiny cabin apt until then. Leo is a currently unemployed Vietnam veteran from Newfoundland. When I met Ken, and happened to mention the bed dilemma, (getting it up on the loft) he offered right away to get Leo and the two of them would help me lift the mattress up, and they sure did, in short order. Thanks fellas! While chatting with Ken initially, he talked about a friend who was supposed to give him some VHS videos over Christmas so he could have something to watch, and the friend didn't. I asked him if he had a DVD player, and he said he didn't, nor the money to buy one. So I told him he could have mine, as I have only used it a couple of times and have my laptop to play them on anyhow. I also told him I'd burn some movies off for him. He was so excited, he could hardly contain himself. When they came to help with the bed, I gave Ken the DVD player, and he said it was like Christmas all over again. Awww...so I told him about pay it forward and karma. If I have the chance to help someone or make their life better, I would do it, and that this philosophy has returned good karma to me all year.

I've had several long chats with Leo so far. He was a paratrooper with the Canadian Armed Forces for 10 years and has traveled the world. He's shared story after story about his time in the army, and showed me his battle wounds - shrapnel to the hand. He also told me how when that happened, a bullet glanced off his helmet, missing his face by mere fractions of an inch. I haven't ever met or chatted with a Vietnam war veteran, so was fascinated. I had no idea the Canadian were involved, but they were. He said the last person he killed was in Guatemala...we chatted at length about the war, the military, air force bases, missiles, fighter jets, cargo planes, parachuting, and cultural customs in the many countries he has visited.

I also met another guy, but can't recall his name. He lives in the cabin just down the path from me, and plays the piano. I can hear him at night if I open the door, and it sounds amazing. Leo said the fellow is a very gifted pianist...who knew? Leo also said he has every hepatitis going, a result of former IV drug use...that was easier to believe as the fellow was dressed in blue jeans, long scraggly hair, and drove a beat-up pick-up that was just about out of gas when I met him. He said he couldn't stay and chat as he drove by, because he didn't have enough gas, and barely had enough to make it back to the gas station in town.

Then I met Josh. the son of the landlords. Also another fascinating individual. He just returned from 6 weeks in Europe, and he is very interested in archery, and was fascinated by the heavy bows he saw in Spain. Josh, Leo and I were chatting at one point, and Leo shared a fascinating fact about archers back in castle times - the circular stairwells were generally built to wind down to the left, counter clock wise so the right-handed archers could use the bow and arrows at intruders. He has been in dozens of castles world wide through his travels.

I'm not sure how many others live here on the property, but I reckon I'll meet them at some point.

I was asked by the landlords to park my van out of sight in another parking lot, not the space that is actually provided for me across from my cabin. Why? They have 3 high priced houses for sale on the property and feel my hippy van would discourage buyers as they drove by to get to the houses. They apologized for the narrow mindedness of buyers, and wish they had a van like mine, but need to sell the houses, and the real estate agent could show the houses at any time. I'm less than impressed with this, given how much it rains here, but I don't expect to be using the van much in the coming months, other than a few trips to town for groceries, so have resolved myself not to get too bent out of shape over it. I still mind the profiling, just like at the border, but whatever - can't change the minds of everyone.

I had the most amazing blue-sky weather for moving, but the usual winter rains have returned and it's pouring outside today. The cabin has a tin roof, so the rain sounds very soothing. There is also so much natural light, even on a rainy overcast day like today, that my mood is so much brighter than it was in my dark and depressing town apartment.

Stormy has not yet figured out how to get up into the loft, although I have heard him trying. I've brought him up, but he seems so restless up there, pacing and trying to figure out a way to get down, that I take him back down. He did jump from up there once, but I don't want him to hurt himself or break something in the dark, so will wait until he figures it out for himself. The loft has a nearly upright ladder, which apparently is a challenge for cats.

I scored a box of wood yesterday and finally got the fire going, a little bit too much and had to open up the door to cool off. I tried sleeping upstairs but it was like an oven, so will have to avoid big fires like that in the future. I spent some of the night on the sofa and then went back up at some point when it had cooled off. The cabin has just one small electric baseboard heater, which is totally inadequate for heating the whole cabin. The size of heater is what I would install in a bathroom...so need the wood stove going when I can, just to take the chill off. I have an electric heater that I used in the van, one of those tiny cube things, and it works well to warm me while I sit here and write.

 Well, it's nearly time to head into town and see about a mailbox so I can have my mail forwarded and start calling folks who need my new address. There is also a pawn shop I would like to visit with a few things I am looking to unload. Then I'll have to come back and get down to business - writing.