Thursday, December 4, 2008

Back to Limberlost Cabin








I was called back to the Limberlost home of Gene Stratton-Porter yesterday. Ever so often they call on me to repair worn areas on a large rug in her living room. It has been over a year since we last visited. If you are not familiar with the author, you may know her books like "A Girl of the Limberlost," and "Freckles," etc..... Stories about life in the "good old days." This home was built in 1895. It is the first home her and her husband built. The builders were paid a quarter a day, can you imagine??? She has another wonderful home north of us on Sylvan Lake, and I have some nice photos of it as well.

This is the first time I have visited in the Winter, so they happened to have it decorated for the holidays which was nice. It worked out well with my homeschooling too. I have Natalie writing a report about the home, Gene, and her life. They suspect she used the masculine spelling of Jean/Gene because at the time they thought her books would sell better if it looked like they were written by a man. Nice huh?? lol?

I always like to pick up a keepsake in the gift shop, usually a book. A couple of years back they had a birthday celebration tea at the cabin, so I bought the little cookbook from the tea. Wonderful and unique little savories were served with tea like: Cheddar Cheese Scones w/ Ginger Sauce, Stuffed Cucumbers & Apricots, etc... Wish I had been there for that..lol.

They have a funny cat they call him Cabin Cat, what a character, he runs the show as most cats like to do. He is the greeter. He actually likes to ride home with the site manager every night, especially when it is cold or hot outside. They say he goes over to the manager's truck and waits for him to leave each each day. Then he comes back each morning with him to spend the day. Too funny!! They think he is about 10 years old. We always bring him cat treats when we visit. This photo was taken during one of our Summer visits to the cabin.

3 comments:

Alice ~ Folk Art Primitives said...

Hi Cathy ~ Limberlost looks like a place I'd like to visit, too. And a great teaching tool for your daughter!! And I love the previous post regarding dying ~ I need to get the dye pots out soon!! Thanks for the tips!
Alice

summersundays-jw said...

One of my favorite books as a young girl was "A Girl of the Limberlost". I've reread it several times thru the years. Was fun to see the house where she had actually lived. Would love to visit it. thanks for the pics.

Hooked on Primitives said...

She was quite a Victorian Lady. The home is wonderful and yet humble all the same. Glad you enjoyed. They say her book "Laddie" is about her when she was young growing up on the farm.