Civilization at Last!

The screen "at rest' and out of the way

After fifteen years of "summer cabin" mode, we have joined civilization at last! They hooked up the satellite dish (now we have two: one for internet; one for TV). But here is the latest invention:

Space is severely limited in the 25 x 25 cabin (plus loft), as you may know. Lucky for us, the spaces between the supporting beams is just right to slip a 42" flat screen snuggly into it. But, who wants that thing to dangle down and have us walking into it? No problem! Roger created a "stand" that screws into the wall and moves in and out to keep the screen protected when not in use.

The screen swung down into viewing mode

When we want to watch TV, we just unsnap a sturdy hook behind the screen and swing the screen so it hangs straight. Of course, there will be a stand under this, but I wanted to take a picture before I forgot! 

I Love My Dresser! I Love My Dresser!

When one has only a 25 x25 A-frame cabin (plus loft), one must get creative about the furniture. The perfect place for a dresser is in this “useless” space under the ladder. But of course you can’t buy something like this. It must be custom-made. So Roger worked long and hard and came up with this beautiful set of dresser drawers for the cabin!

It holds a lot more clothes than our old dresser back home. I love it!

Laundry on the Homestead

Doing laundry is a little different on the homestead. We have a very small washing machine, tucked away under the eaves of the A-frame in the bathroom, and it uses cold water only.

On sunny days, I now can go back to what used to be an enjoyment of mine: hanging clothes out on the line (I loved hanging cloth diapers in the sun and wind!). We have a corner clothesline, right on the deck. As long as I'm not burning an outside fire, it's safe to hang clothes up.

And rain or shine, this inside clothesline works great (or, like today, when I had a lot of laundry to do and needed both lines). The inside one is an invention Roger came up with. It raises and lowers with a pulley and a rope. It holds two loads from the little machine, and if the clothes are hung in the late afternoon or evening, they are dry the next morning--even in the middle of winter. The heat rising up to the A-frame cabin makes this an excellent alternative to depending on electricity, even though electricity is pretty cheap over here.