Home Early

Carol, Max and I took off early Saturday morning for an extended weekend at Bell's Dell. What a terrific time we had! Jim and Janet and the kids had gotten up there Friday evening and when we arrived after noon, they had begun mowing and cleaning up the area.

We had a terrific time with them and we spent a lot of time dreaming and planning to bring Bell's Dell back to it's former glory so that future generations could enjoy the place as much as we did as children. Watching Matthew, Emma and Jacob enjoy being on the land was pure pleasure for me. The dogs had a blast! Leica doesn't get a chance to run free very often and I just let her go up there. She finally figured out the homemade doggie door into the cabin and I didn't have to do anything to help her have fun. There were enough scents to keep any dog happy for a lifetime. This morning ... she's not moving very fast. She's exhausted.

Jim had yanked out the shower and water heater late last year because ... well ... things were falling apart. It was ok. Max and I got a hotel room in Webster City so everyone got a chance for a shower. We boiled cold water (very cold water) for washing dishes and hey, the toilet still worked.

...Until last night. Carol turned on the water at the kitchen sink and ... nothing! No water anywhere. What? We were running short of daylight to figure this out, so Jim started moving quickly. He went to the electricity pole and, hmmm ... no idea. But, it didn't look good. All sorts of messing around brought no water back to the house. Now what? We tried thinking as quickly as three Greenwood kids + family can think and well ... by 9:15 we were all on the road coming home. We packed that place up faster than I remember packing anything. Ever.

There are a lot of things we can live without, but living without a toilet is simply unacceptable. All Jim could see was a miserable wife and daughter and two miserable sisters. The decision was made.

It was good to get back to our own beds, even though it was 1:15 am by the time we puolled in. Now the decision to do some renovation takes on a sense of urgency and immediacy. The good news is that it will only make Bell's Dell better and it will be fun to have a great place to take friends and family for years to come!