Chickadee Primitives... If you are a dreamer, come in...

 "The house that built me belonged to my grandmother, Deedee. Well, it didn’t really belong to her. She rented it, after she and my grandfather lost the house they built due to illness. But Deedee made it a home.

This is the home that built me. The house was no more than 500 square feet. It was nestled inside the mountain she grew up on, surrounded by flat acreage for gardening, and deep woods for exploring. It was here that I learned how to chop wood, use a chainsaw, and stack it properly. Deedee taught me how to run a tractor, plant potatoes in mounds, and corn in rows, using our fingers to make little spots for the seeds. As a child, I dreamed of the weekends with my chickadee, in her old, beat-up truck, learning how to grow watermelon from dirty seeds we pulled from our overall pockets, and catch fireflies to put into jars; always catch and release. These are the lessons that built me. We’d go out, into the forest behind the little house, on her jalopy of a snowmobile, with a rusty, metal sleigh attached for gathering wood. I loved riding on the back of that snowmobile, or better yet, driving, Deedee on the back, with her arms wrapped around me. This is the way to live, I think. These were the days the built me. At Christmas, the whole family would gather at this tiny abode. My grandfather and I would sit at the piano together and play chopsticks for hours it seemed. He also played the accordion, which was always a treat, and was sure to get my grandmother out of the kitchen to join in on her harmonica, while stomping her foot in tune. This was the music that built me. When it came time to build my own house, I tried to reflect on Deedee’s little place in the woods. I made a conscious effort to create a place to retreat to: not a “house” but a home. I wanted Star Flowers, Lady Slippers, and Princess Pine in the woods all around me. I wanted to wake up to singing birds, and fall sleep to the chirping chorus of the Katydids. I wanted to find peace and solace in my home, and to feel loved when I’m there, as I always did in the house that built me. "