Throw out a plant? Never! In our family, we do everything in our power to save them: repot, fertilize, move it to another window, take it outdoors or bring it in. We take a cutting and put it in water hoping it will grow roots. Then we can start a new plant all over again! My brother has it bad. He collected a jungle of plants over the years, some of which grew up to be taller than most in my family. He fusses over his plants more than I fuss over my writing. He farmed his babies out to …
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The Cabin Mama, Laura Lollar
Humorous Stories and Woodsy Wisdom
Cabin Mama Articles
What Went Thump in the Night at Camp
One of the best parts of going to Camp was sleeping in the big bunkbeds Grandpa built into the walls of the cabin. But one night we had more excitement than we bargained for! There were two big beds downstairs and two upstairs, along with a couple of twin sized. Those beds were so big you could have one heckuva slumber party in them. They also made great trampolines! One night we girls decided to sleep in the upstairs bunkbed. As the sun started to set, we climbed the stairs into the dusky …
Camping with Hubby at Flaming Gorge
We visited Flaming Gorge. There’s nothing like a camping trip to strengthen the bonds between husband and wife. Thankfully Doug did all the preliminary research, made reservations, and got us safely to the campground after we visited Dinosaur National Monument. He’s great with logistics. All I had to do was sit in the truck and let him do all the driving. He also packed the truck, unloaded the truck, set up the tent and the canopy too. Then he carried both kayaks 98.367 yards down to the …
The Bigger the Fur Balls the Better
Animals are funny. Never thought I’d say this, but they seem like they’re almost human. We are step-parents to my daughter’s dog, Penny, a lovely chocolate lab. She’s won our hearts, but that doesn’t mean she’s got us wrapped around her finger (or paw). Take feeding time for example. We have a routine where we let her out for her morning relief before filling her food dish. She’s barely finished her business outside when she makes a mad dash up onto the deck, through the door and over …
Colorado Dinosaur Bones
We got the heck outta town a few weeks ago and drove up to see the Dinosaur National Monument. We spent a few hours (and $25.00 entrance fee) cozying up to a collection of dinosaur bones embedded in the side of a rock face. The National Monument and the Dinosaur Quarry is located near Vernal, Utah at the border of Colorado and Utah. Both me and my Mom have always been fascinated by geology and what can be found within the rocks that cover our earth. Mom jokes that she’s almost as old as the …
Cooking With Pearls
My siblings and I have a talented Mom who turns tuna, noodles and mushroom soup into a feast fit for a king. Our memories are filled with bubbling pots of savory stews, creamy casseroles and mouth-watering desserts. Mom made liver look good. She dedicated her time and creativity to keep six stomachs full while my Dad worked non-stop to feed his happy horde. My brothers watch the Food Network. For fun. They glory in barbecue, brisket, spices and sauce. If you want their attention, just …
Are you a Cabin Mama too?
Whether you grew up in a cabin, adopted one as you got older or relish the lifestyle that comes with cabin living, you can be a Cabin Mama too! You'll know you're a Cabin Mama too if you... relish living in the woods, enjoy wood smoke and campfire smells on your clothes, have a love/hate relationship with squirrels, love the looks of knotty pine, use pine cone fire starters, jealously guard your stacks of firewood, can cook over an open fire, love the smell of …
Lollypop Farm
In Rochester NY where I grew up, the local branch of the Humane Society was affectionately known as Lollypop Farm. We kids loved to visit there because it had a barnyard with goats and sheep we could feed and pet. It was where you went to adopt an animal. It was also where you took the pets you could not keep. We always wondered about Lollypop Farm. Did all the pets there get adopted? Mom and Dad said they did. There were six of us kids. At one point, Mom and Dad had five under five. We …
The Engineer’s Wife
I married an engineer. You’re talking to a woman who doesn’t balance her checkbook, goes by the rule “good enough IS enough” and cooks by the seat of her pants. As my former boss knows all too well, the term “planning” is anathema to me. Risk assessment is a phrase I’ve never much dwelled on. Project management scares me silly and “measure twice, cut once” is a lesson I still haven’t learned. Enter my wonderful husband, Doug. He balances his checkbook to the penny, glories in the magic of …
Horse Crazy Girl Finally Gets a Pony
How many of us will admit to being a little horse crazy as a kid? When I was a young ‘un, I lined the shelves in my bedroom with lots of little plastic horse statues, hoping one day I’d get to own a real one. When my parents took us six kids to a winter festival, we sat on a sled with hay bales pulled by a team of huge draft horses. I remember telling my mom, “I love the smell of horses!” My sisters and I would pretend to be Palominos, Appaloosas, Arabians and Mustangs. We’d run through the …