Another Day in Paradise

This is the view from the top of our hill. It was another chilly, snowy day and it is hard to imagine we are almost a month into Spring. Every camp I open this year is full of frozen pipes...seems it is that way everywhere with the cold winter we had. There is nothing like turning water on and creating an indoor shower.

Well, trout season will be opening this weekend and I expect a lot of people will be coming up. The forecast isn't looking particularly warm, but no blizzards are in the forecast. Ha. For those of you wanting a warm vacation go somewhere else or plan on sitting close to the fireplace. Even my dogs have been huddling near the fire. Of course if it weren't for the weather and the roads there would be nothing to complain about living in Leetonia is my kind of life.

I will take a picture from top the hill on a nice day so you all can see the difference. If you look close you can tell there isn't any leaves on the trees yet. Until later, keep warm.

Easter in Leetonia

Easter Day in Leetonia, I searched for the Easter Bunny everywhere: out by the camp sign where the crocuses closed up huddled against the cold; down by the creek where the branches formed icy finger tips dipping into the spring; and lastly by the Grandmother Tree, we affectionately call, "Oni",meaning born on holy ground, and no Easter Bunny. Not a furry little fluff anywhere to be found this morning.


I can't say I blame the Easter Bunny, working on such a cold day is certainly above and beyond the call of duty and yet part of me hoped I would catch a glimpse of the elusive creature. I spoke to my friend, "Oni", our 200 year-old white pine and asked if she had seen the Easter Bunny.

"No, my granddaughter," she replied, I have only seen the loud Blue Jays perched upon my branches this morning. Perhaps their cawing chased the Bunny away."

"What do you think of this cold, grandmother?"

"The cold does not bother me, young one. The sap that flows through my bark adjusts to the temperature. The animals are complaining more. Have no fear the warm weather always comes."

"Well, I am off to look for the Easter Bunny, grandmother, have a good day."

"You too my walking seedling."

I kept looking after leaving Grandmother Oni, and then I understood. The Easter Bunny is white and its snowing. The Easter Bunny is probably right in front of my face and I didn't see it. Maybe even in one of these pictures. Well if you see the Easter Bunny in one of these pictures or I see the Easter Bunny later I will get a picture. Have a chilly, Leetonia Easter!

Say it isn't so!

I refused to use the four letter word that starts with an s... after April. But when I woke up it was 25 degrees and the s word was covering the ground. It is always a shock to the system after it gets above 70 to come back down so quick.

Thank God, for firewood and a warm stove to sit in front of this morning. Not much new to talk about today. I've been trying to catch a porcupine on the camera and so far when I see them I don't have the camera. But I have a good porcupine story I want to share with you all when I get a picture. For now stay warm and just think its only 53 more days until Memorial Day...the official start to the camping out season. For you fisherman it is only 9 days til the start of trout season. If this weather holds you better bring some warm clothes.

Leetonia Mountain Girl signing out.

Out and about

Today we went to town out towards Gaines and east on Hwy 6. We stopped at Northwoods Gift Shop (formally called Manhattan Station) and had a nice talk with Tom and Kathy Livesey. They were full of catch up stories from the winter months and the most exciting one for them was their daughter won a million dollar (well closer to 700k after taxes) in a scratch off game. Happy news for her and them.

The carved bear in front of their place is one of my favorites, he
seems to be waiting for the caboose parked along the gift store to move. Sadly, it hasn't moved for a long time and is not expected to move anytime soon.
The Northwoods shop has a variety of tourist gifts and some great fun for kids in their mini putt putt and gem mining. "Gem mining?", you say, "What's that?" Well I have to admit I didn't think too much of taking a bag of sand and running it through some water to sort out precious stones and prizes, until I did it with my grandkids.
There were little rocks that looked like gold and all sorts of polished stones and if you were lucky and found a special coin..well that was worth a nice prize in the store. Tom and Kathy are very generous with the stones and prizes found in the bags of sand and it is almost as fun as easter egg hunting without all the calories.

The last picture is the owners Tom and Kathy Livesey all rested up from winter...looking forward to a great season. Oh one last note Tom said there is a magnificent eagle who makes his home in
Ansonia, near the Darling Run bike and boat launch area. He said this bird defies everything eagles are supposed to do. It kills ducks, weasels, and dives for fish under the water (maybe it learned that from chasing those ducks. So keep a look out for him if you are biking or boating.

This last picture few of you will recognize who haven't been up here since last year. Last year in May the Antlers Restaurant burnt down. Well, according to some workers there today it is going to be open for business again sometime the end of this month or the first of May. They are particularly hoping to have it open for all you people looking to take your mom somewhere nice for mother's day. If it is anything like most new openings you better get reservations in early.

The Joys of restoring

Oh the joys of restoring the old place. I saved the best for last. My grandfather and probably a few before him decided the best way to keep water off the back of the cabin wall was to build a foot high concrete curb against the house.

Concrete next to untreated wood has the nasty effect of rotting it. So now I am digging about a foot deep along the house to get it out so I can replace the below the ground stuff with treated lumber. I think it is going to take a jack hammer to get some of it out.

But as you can see from the first picture having the new hemlock up will make it all worthwhile. It was a great day temperature wise yesterday up into the 70's. Today it is rainy and 40's, which has always been my least favorite combo. It chills you to the bone.

Roads are still muddy and ruddy, but much of the frost is getting out so they should start to shape up soon. Of course they are calling for more snow toward the end of the week and I am trying to ignore that word. Mountain Girl reporter, Paula, saying have a good Leetonia day.

April MOON

Last night was a beautiful full moon, which my digital camera doesn't begin to capture. It was a warm 50 degrees when I took this picture and it was the kind of night you could walk around without a flashlight.

Without moonlight it is so dark here that there are times you can't see your hand in front of your face. I remember once walking down to the Hooke's place from ours with my son, Hal. We had borrowed their four-wheelers and were returning them. It was light when we left and didn't think about taking a flashlight. Well we talked too long and the trip back was in one of those dark nights. It is about a quarter of a mile back to our place down the road and we shuffled along feeling the road with our feet and putting our hands out in front of us feeling for any obstacles. We joked about not wanting to feel anything furry in front of us...like a bear. I did a small recital of "lions and tiger and bears, oh my!" and we laughed nervously. It wasn't til we got close enough to our camp the lights gave us enough light to see anything. It was a small lesson on being prepared.

Lee and I have these headlamps which are great when you have to walk around at night because they allow your hands to be free. Which comes in handy to change a tire, put chains on, pull your groceries home on a sled or use ski poles to balance on the slippery road. All of which we have had to do living up here.

When there is a full moon on a clear day it is like mother nature's street light you can see the woods almost in a dream state. It was a night of a million stars like you see no where else. If you've never sat outside here on a moonlite night with your flashlight off, you have missed one of the great joys and wonders of life and its FREE! A million dollar view you can see anytime in Leetonia.

Mountain Girl Road Report: Muddy, ruddy, but clear to drive on.

Log Cabin by the creek

This little log cabin is half-way between our camp in Leetonia and Cedar Run. We use it as a marker in the winter to know which way to walk for help. Before it...Cedar Run after it home.

It has to be the quintessential log cabin when you think of a little camp in the woods. Nestled among the trees with the waters of Cedar Run running past the porch and water trickling down the side of a cliff opposite the camp. It is tiny only about 16' x 24 and one room. The privy is outside and the only running water goes past it in the creek. It is truly the kind of place a pioneer would have built small efficient shelter, close to water and easily heated with wood. A man that built this out of red pine logs cut in the area, not a log kit milled into straight lincoln logs from a factory, rough irregular logs, fresh from the woods.

So many of the log cabins today are pretentious, large 3000+ sq ft mansions that have long since departed from the wisdom of the early pioneers. Make it large enough to keep you dry and warm and not a foot bigger.

Well, today brought rain and gloomy weather. Just in time to perk up the mud on the roads. So Mud warnings are still in effect. Mountain Girl, Paula, typing out.