Mom! And JIm! And Ralph!

Can you see the resemblance, beyond the white hair, that is? This is my mom's first selfie!
Clearly I need some of her bright lipstick, but Mason won't come near me if I put it on.

Flat Top was in full visitors' mode during the past few weeks. After Mason's ex and her friends, it was my Mom, who braved the hardships of life in the forest to check out the improvements we’ve made since she last visited in 2011. After a few days, marveling at all of the greenery, she remarked, “It’s like you guys live in a National Park.”

We kept her busy for several days, tasking her with helping plan the upcoming guest cabin. She’s got a real knack for design, so I’d be foolish not to tap into her skills. The only problem is she kept designing the cabin bigger and bigger. When keeping my budget in mind, I kept telling her, “smaller, smaller.”  

We finally got a couple of good designs, and roped off the area where the cabin will go. Eventually. But first, we’re installing wood floors in the main cabin, finishing painting the ceiling and putting in a new door and window upstairs. No shortage of projects on Flat Top.

That's Ralph, left, and Jim, otherwise known as Foti.
We're always so flattered by how many Minneapolis friends
 have ventured to our little cabin in the woods!

While Mom was here, Minneapolis friends Jim and Ralph braved our dirt road in their low-slung Volvo wagon while on a cross-country road trip. A frequent Northern Minnesota camper, Ralph is completely versed in living off the grid, which was cool, and Jim didn’t seem too freaked out. They even took time to take video of their urban-mobile cresting the rocky terrain. City folk!

I’ve cut down my hours at the garden nursery for the rest of the summer, hoping to maximize my fun -- if you call painting fun. And sadly, I do, which is why life on Flat Top is so great!

But for now, I must go outside and pull weeds. It just finished raining nearly 2 inches in less than 2 hours. No better time to pluck.

What’s Mason up to? Putting the finishing touches on his deluxe bat house. It’s more like a bat condo. More on that next time!