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the cottage
May. 7th, 2021 01:07 pmGreat Aunt Bonnie (my Gramma Weigle's sister) and Uncle Freddy owned a cottage on the Cedar River behind the Cattle Congress grounds. This is where we would spend most weekends during the warm months.
The cottage was on a 5-acre island and when Eileen, Kelly, and I were older, we were allowed to have the run of the island. There were two other cottages along with Aunt Bonnie's but we seldom ever saw the people who owned.
The island was a marvelous place. Uncle Freddy had to put up fencing around the raised cottage to keep the cows out. On rainy days, we kids could play under there. Uncle Freddy had a cement foundation under the cottage, which he had probably laid by hand because there was no way to get a car or truck on the island.
There were mulberry trees all over the place and on chore Eileen, Kelly, and I had each Saturday that we spent the night there was to go pick mulberries for the pancakes on Sunday morning. Thank goodness there were all those trees because we would come back to the cottage with mulberry stained lips and finger tips, and sometime backs and shoulders from the hard work of picking them, eating them, and throwing them at each other. Kelly is the baby so he came back worse for the wear.
Uncle Freddy would use a power mower to keep the yard on his part of the island neat and tidy, but he wouldn't mow until after the bluebells were done blooming. We kids would pick the flowers to take to church for the Feast of St. Joseph. We would pick them on Sunday before we left and then drop them off at the church went home. I know that in my mind those were the most beautiful bouquets in the church.
Uncle Freddy had two small boats. One was an aluminum boat, the big boat and the other was a flat-bottomed boat with a flat bow that was the fishing boat. The only thing that differentiated the boats between little and big was the aluminum boat had a huge 25 hp motor and the small boat had a 10hp motor. When I would go fishing with Uncle Freddy, I would lie on the flat bow and sunbathe. Uncle Freddy and I would have some amazing quiet discussions during that time. Then, when he had caught enough blue gills an crappies we would head back to the cottage where Aunt Bonnie would clean them and fry them up for dinner.
Uncle Freddy would plant a garden by the cottage. It would also have to be fenced to keep the cows and deer out it. It was a kitchen garden, filled with tomatoes, onions, peppers, a few marigolds to keep the rabbits away, watermelon and pumpkins. All my Halloween pumpkins came from that garden.
There was a huge oak tree near the cottage with a limb that swung down and then up again. It made that side of the tree look like a huge number 4. We would use the lower part of the branch as a bucking bronco and bounce up and down on it. We could swim in the river between the two boat docks. The upriver dock was for the boats, the downriver one was the swimming dock.
I have always loved the water. I am still a true water rat. Legend has it that Dad threw me overboard as we crossed the river to the island. I was about 7 months at the time. I, miraculous baby that I was, swam the whole way across, wet, soggy diaper and all. Seventy plus years ago the river was so clean we could swim with our eyes open under water.
The cottage itself was primitive. There was an outhouse about 40 feet from the cottage. If we had to go at night, we used the 'thunder jug' and then carefully slid it under the bed until morning. Mostly we kept clean by swimming in the river but for those few times when we had to be really clean we would be bathed in a huge oak barrel that was full with rain water.
I have one memory of Eileen and I standing on the landing at the top of the stairs to get into the cottage watching Mother bathing Kelly in the barrel. She was standing on a low stool so she had a better angle. He was all soaped up. Mother was just going to dip him in the water to rinse him when something distracted her and Kelly's soapy body started slipping through her hands into the water. He stared up at Eileen and I with the most frightened look on his face that screamed 'Help me!’ Fortunately that was about the same moment Mother realized he was slipping out of her hands and she saved him. I laugh to myself when I remember that. Kelly, not so much.
Up the stairs and through the door and you were in the kitchen. It had all the modern marvels of the day. The stove and refrigerator were powered by propane gas. Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Freddy would bring the tanks to the cottage when needed. There was a farmer's sink and a hand pump provided water. There were cupboards and shelves for food and dishes and a table for three for breakfast and to use as counter space. There was a kerosene lantern for light at night.
The only other room in the cottage was the living, dining, and bedroom all in one. There were at least five nice big screen windows in that room along with five double beds and two singles. There were many wooden and wicker rockers and chairs to sit in. There were kerosene lamps around the room and one hanging directly over the dining table for light to eat or play cards with at night. Aunt Bonnie taught me how to play pinochle and canasta so I could round out the fourth at the table when needed.
Along one wall of that great room was a bank of old iceboxes. Aunt Bonnie used them for clothing storage. There was one box with a door especially for swimsuits. Sometimes we would leave home thinking there would be no swimming that weekend and then the weather would take a turn for the better and we would pester Mother and Dad to let us swim. If we three worked on them together generally, they would give in and let us go. Kelly would use his underwear and Eileen and I would get to go to the icebox to rummage through the suits to find ones to fit. I used to wear Aunt Jean’s black wool suit with a white diagonal stripe across the front. Eileen would wear Mother's old lime green wool suit. Yes, the suits were that old.
Since the cottage was in reality only a few miles away from our house, we could leave late in the evening. However, as we were piling into the car after Uncle Freddy took us in the small boat to the 'mainland' it always seemed to me that I was leaving another world entirely.
The cottage was on a 5-acre island and when Eileen, Kelly, and I were older, we were allowed to have the run of the island. There were two other cottages along with Aunt Bonnie's but we seldom ever saw the people who owned.
The island was a marvelous place. Uncle Freddy had to put up fencing around the raised cottage to keep the cows out. On rainy days, we kids could play under there. Uncle Freddy had a cement foundation under the cottage, which he had probably laid by hand because there was no way to get a car or truck on the island.
There were mulberry trees all over the place and on chore Eileen, Kelly, and I had each Saturday that we spent the night there was to go pick mulberries for the pancakes on Sunday morning. Thank goodness there were all those trees because we would come back to the cottage with mulberry stained lips and finger tips, and sometime backs and shoulders from the hard work of picking them, eating them, and throwing them at each other. Kelly is the baby so he came back worse for the wear.
Uncle Freddy would use a power mower to keep the yard on his part of the island neat and tidy, but he wouldn't mow until after the bluebells were done blooming. We kids would pick the flowers to take to church for the Feast of St. Joseph. We would pick them on Sunday before we left and then drop them off at the church went home. I know that in my mind those were the most beautiful bouquets in the church.
Uncle Freddy had two small boats. One was an aluminum boat, the big boat and the other was a flat-bottomed boat with a flat bow that was the fishing boat. The only thing that differentiated the boats between little and big was the aluminum boat had a huge 25 hp motor and the small boat had a 10hp motor. When I would go fishing with Uncle Freddy, I would lie on the flat bow and sunbathe. Uncle Freddy and I would have some amazing quiet discussions during that time. Then, when he had caught enough blue gills an crappies we would head back to the cottage where Aunt Bonnie would clean them and fry them up for dinner.
Uncle Freddy would plant a garden by the cottage. It would also have to be fenced to keep the cows and deer out it. It was a kitchen garden, filled with tomatoes, onions, peppers, a few marigolds to keep the rabbits away, watermelon and pumpkins. All my Halloween pumpkins came from that garden.
There was a huge oak tree near the cottage with a limb that swung down and then up again. It made that side of the tree look like a huge number 4. We would use the lower part of the branch as a bucking bronco and bounce up and down on it. We could swim in the river between the two boat docks. The upriver dock was for the boats, the downriver one was the swimming dock.
I have always loved the water. I am still a true water rat. Legend has it that Dad threw me overboard as we crossed the river to the island. I was about 7 months at the time. I, miraculous baby that I was, swam the whole way across, wet, soggy diaper and all. Seventy plus years ago the river was so clean we could swim with our eyes open under water.
The cottage itself was primitive. There was an outhouse about 40 feet from the cottage. If we had to go at night, we used the 'thunder jug' and then carefully slid it under the bed until morning. Mostly we kept clean by swimming in the river but for those few times when we had to be really clean we would be bathed in a huge oak barrel that was full with rain water.
I have one memory of Eileen and I standing on the landing at the top of the stairs to get into the cottage watching Mother bathing Kelly in the barrel. She was standing on a low stool so she had a better angle. He was all soaped up. Mother was just going to dip him in the water to rinse him when something distracted her and Kelly's soapy body started slipping through her hands into the water. He stared up at Eileen and I with the most frightened look on his face that screamed 'Help me!’ Fortunately that was about the same moment Mother realized he was slipping out of her hands and she saved him. I laugh to myself when I remember that. Kelly, not so much.
Up the stairs and through the door and you were in the kitchen. It had all the modern marvels of the day. The stove and refrigerator were powered by propane gas. Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Freddy would bring the tanks to the cottage when needed. There was a farmer's sink and a hand pump provided water. There were cupboards and shelves for food and dishes and a table for three for breakfast and to use as counter space. There was a kerosene lantern for light at night.
The only other room in the cottage was the living, dining, and bedroom all in one. There were at least five nice big screen windows in that room along with five double beds and two singles. There were many wooden and wicker rockers and chairs to sit in. There were kerosene lamps around the room and one hanging directly over the dining table for light to eat or play cards with at night. Aunt Bonnie taught me how to play pinochle and canasta so I could round out the fourth at the table when needed.
Along one wall of that great room was a bank of old iceboxes. Aunt Bonnie used them for clothing storage. There was one box with a door especially for swimsuits. Sometimes we would leave home thinking there would be no swimming that weekend and then the weather would take a turn for the better and we would pester Mother and Dad to let us swim. If we three worked on them together generally, they would give in and let us go. Kelly would use his underwear and Eileen and I would get to go to the icebox to rummage through the suits to find ones to fit. I used to wear Aunt Jean’s black wool suit with a white diagonal stripe across the front. Eileen would wear Mother's old lime green wool suit. Yes, the suits were that old.
Since the cottage was in reality only a few miles away from our house, we could leave late in the evening. However, as we were piling into the car after Uncle Freddy took us in the small boat to the 'mainland' it always seemed to me that I was leaving another world entirely.
