Toddy Pond Summer - Settling In

( Map)

(Earlier Post)

The first few weeks in the cabin were getting settled in - assigning chores, arranging sleeping spots, and adjusting to being cramped in such a tight space. Most of our belongings were stored in Canaan. We only brought what we thought we needed for the summer.

Debbie and I had the privilege of sleeping up in the loft. We shared a mattress on the hard floor and claimed the corners for our clothes and stuff. It really wasn't too bad of a place to be.

My parents' bedroom was a tiny curtained off alcove, nearest the lake. Bob slept on a cot below the loft. My brothers bunked on the two couches in the main room. I don't know how we all fit. My mother has always been great at organizing and arranging small spaces, and she put her skills to work.

There was an tall old-fashioned phonograph player at the cabin. My father brought some of our records along. He was always the first one to wake. He'd start breakfast and wake us by playing a Marcy record.

(CLICK HERE)

Marcy's voice never matured; she sang children's songs with a child's voice.  I grew up with her songs and loved them. But to Bob and Debbie, they were as irritating as hearing the Chipmunks singing.

(In searching for these links, I just found out that she died last May. It saddens me. She had a big part of my growing up years. Here is a sample of her songs - "O Be Careful" )

 There was a stack of 78's that my brothers played. "I've Got a Heart Filled with Love for You, Dear"  "Gravy Without Any Bread" and "I Dont Want Her, She's Too Fat for Me."  

My mother worked night shifts at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth and slept during the day. I don't think she got a lot of sleep. It hard to keep completely quiet in that cabin. She could hear us even when we were outside, especially when we were splashing and swimming to the float. We tried to be quiet, playing games and reading, but it was hard, especially for my brothers. (ages 10 and 12) So my mother decided we needed something to keep us busy.

Bob was away working at a camp most of the time. My brothers set up a wood-working shop in a back shed - making elf door-stops and selling them near the Shop N' Save in Bucksport. Daddy was working on the church building, and so Debbie and I rode into town with him and found summer jobs. (I'll tell more about that later.)

Our days became busy, between exploring the lake and picking up jobs, our summer filled up quickly. As I said in my last post, so much that happened in those few short weeks, it will take quite a few posts to tell it all.