At the Lake

Episode 1

It’s a frigid 15 degrees today and the wind is slightly blowing. No sounds from the birds or squirrels, quiet wintertime. The trees are all covered with frost, some ice and there is a little bit of snow left from the last snowfall. The lake has a thin layer of ice from the banks about 20-30 feet out with sheets of ice that float by, some getting stuck at the end of the dock. I have my boat up on the lift but run my aerator so I can fish on nice days. I am salting my stairs down to the dock, if I don’t, I will never make it up and down the steep hill that leads from the cabin to the water. Even in winter we still have some nice days that I can go down and sit and enjoy the scenery.

My windows in the living room face the lake and I have a beautiful view. Winter is pretty but I can’t wait for it to be over. We go through a few months of cold and snow with ice here in Missouri. I spend most of my time outside or in my boat usually. My fishing boat is set up with my captain’s chair and a couple benches for me to sit and put my feet up. Usually I go find a nice quiet cove to sit in and write.

The gazebo is half snow and ice right now, but my lights still look great at night. The next thing I need to do this spring is have some new windows put it, the new windows I had put on the back of the cabin this year really helped with the cold. My cabin is small, 1 bedroom, 1 bath a kitchen and living room, just enough for me. After my divorce I bought this place and it has been the best decision I have made. My ex-husband who was running around on me lives in another state and I found this cabin from a friend of my mothers. I was married at 20 and divorced at 27. A writer and bartender in my spare time. My new book is halfway finished.

Today I am going to town. to get my hair done. It is longer and my blonde highlights have faded over the last few months. I think I will go shoulder length and add highlights back. My mom always said she liked my hair shorter since I am about average height and 120 pounds it looked good on me, but I never liked it short. Then off to the bar for my shift. I work at the local bar 4 nights a week; it is great tips in the summer but this time a year it is usually just a few locals.

The bar is big for the area, a dance floor, tables and booths for people to sit at. The bar has stools that accompany about eight people. The outside is sort of a run-down look but seems to be popular for boaters and some drive back here to it from town. Most show up in golf carts, as do I. It is just up the hill from me and can walk if I want to.

Occasionally I will date, it is hard to find someone living down here, but we do have people from the city visit and make some friends that we see during the summer. There is Gene from the local hardware store that has asked me to dinner a couple of times, and he is a nice man about 5 years older than me. The hardware store in town is about 20 miles, I usually only go to town when I need something and make it a point to stop and say Hi. Gene will come down to the bar and hang out, we will play pool and sit and talk. His grandmother lives in the house next to his, he bought the house to be here to take care of her, which is nice.

Finished salting the stairs and my sidewalks that go from the stairs to the driveway and around to the front and side doors. Roast is in the crockpot and need to get the potatoes in. I often make crockpot meals and then I can enjoy them for lunch or dinner another day. Easy to take to the bar as well.

Eating lunch at the little table I have in the living room in front of my windows. I may have a few hours to work on my book a little before I leave. My new book is a mystery, I love writing mysteries and have been successful so far in sales. It’s about time to go but I hear something coming up the road, it sounds like a golf cart. It’s Steve, he owns the bar. Steve Gates is about 40 and is married to Abigale. She lives in the city, is a nurse and comes down on her days off when she can. Steve bought the bar about 10 years ago and has been here ever since. He is a good man but runs around on his wife which is a soar spot for me, and he knows it. I always try to mind my own business; I had enough drama with my ex to last a lifetime.

“Hi Anne. I wanted to let you know we aren’t going to open tonight. I don’t think it would be worth it as cold as it is and only Tuesday.”

“Ok Steve, that sounds good, you may be right. I’ll check back with you tomorrow.”

Steve drove off and I heard him go back up the hill. That is fine with me, I don’t mind spending a nice quiet night in working on my book.

Episode 2

This morning is a little warmer, supposed to be 45 degrees today, I think I will go for a ride and get out of the house. I keep my gold cart under the carport by my car, there is enough room for both and keeps it out of the weather. We have quite a few people that live here in this little community, we are referred to as locals.

Across the street is Angie Patterson’s place, 25 and going to college, she only comes down on the weekends or breaks from school. Cute and short, long brown hair and always wears glasses. Her parents used to live here full time but decided to move to a retirement community in the Kansas City. She works part time at the bar as a waitress to earn some extra money. I keep an eye on her place when she is gone and usually go turn on the heat for her the night before she comes. In the summer I do the same thing with the air conditioner for her. Going to college and still wanting to be at the lake is wonderful, she has her whole life ahead of her and spends her time working hard.

Next to Angie is Tom Sampson, a handyman. He does a lot of work for all of us when we need it. Jack of all trades is what I call him, I believe he could do it all. He is about 45 or maybe a year off and has lived here is entire life. His parents owned it before he moved in, he was a labourer for a construction company and once he started doing work around her, he retired from that and decided this was what he wanted to do. Most of the homes and cabins here are old and always needing something upgraded or fixed. He put in my new windows and will finish this spring. Tom is tall and slender with brown hair. He has always been single for as long as I have known him. He likes Patricia but she constantly turns him down, they got together a few times that I know of.

Patricia Jackson, 35 and a widow. Her husband died of a heart attack at an early age right after they were married. She has always lived here and a big flirt. She comes on to every man that enters the bar, even locals. No real relationships just take them home to her cabin and gone the next day. Medium build and long blonde hair, she prides herself on always looking good. I don’t think I have ever seen her out of her cabin without her hair done, make-up on and nails shiny. Her place is nice and older Victorian looking. The porch is inviting to go sit and have a drink, I often stop and visit if she is home. She is always saying.

“Anne, you need to go have your nails done, it would be a good look for you.”

Just about every time I see her; she has something to say about improving my looks. She means well and will do anything for anyone. She has brought me clothes, scarfs, things she has found or buys and thinks it would look great on me. Half the time it is something I would never where, but I do it to appease her.

Next door to me is Jan Winters, we have a couple lots between us that is vacant land. Tom bought the lots in case he wants to build a shop for tools and what not but hasn’t done anything with them. Jan is single and owns two other cabins that she rents out for summer and weekends. Everyone is not too happy about that as she gets some loud obnoxious renters occasionally. Her cabin she rents are down the road a little way, right before you go up the hill to the bar. There is a dock that she put in so that people can bring their boats with them and has 5 slips, electricity and a fish cleaning station. She has them set up real nice with outside solar lights on each deck and light up paths to the dock from each cabin. They are smaller cabins, a room with a bed, bathroom, small eat in kitchen and a sitting area. There used to be a large marina and restaurant here with rental cabins and it closed years ago, and she bought them, they went for a pretty low price, but I have no intention of being a landlord or host for rental property. She spends a lot of time cleaning them and getting them ready for her next customers. She has lived here a long time and used to work at the marina before it closed.

Down the street from Tom on his side is Dean and Debbie Shell, they moved here a few years ago from the city. Dean used to visit the marina with his parents when he was young. They had a place on the lake around the bend as weekenders. They don’t have any children and in their 30’s. She works for an accounting firm but works remotely and Dean spends most of his time fishing and working on their place. He has added on a beautiful covered, screened in deck overlooking the lake on the back side and another room for her to use as an office that is separated from the house with a walkway to the main house. I would like something like that to go from my side door in the driveway to my gazebo. Debbie is nice, she doesn’t come out much like Dean does. He is more of a talker than Debbie, she goes to the city often for work meetings.

Claudia, I don’t even think I know her last name. She is an elderly woman that talks to nobody. She never waves or talks to any of us when we ride or walk by. I have only heard rumours about her and her husband. He was a railroad worker and gone a lot and when he was home people say he used to be very demanding and strict with her. Not that he abused her, but she had to do everything for him and wasn’t aloud to go anywhere. This has been many years ago and maybe she is just set in her ways and has never changed. She has an older home on the side of the hill that overlooks the lake. From my boat I can see an old dock there but the stairs that go down to it are all broken up and deteriorated. It looks like it has been decades since anyone has cleaned the hillside or used those stairs. Occasionally I will see her leaving or coming home from the store with bags of groceries, she has a carport she parks under that has seen its better days too. Tom said he has tried to offer services to help fix things for her, but she turns him away and doesn’t want anything done. She may be in her 70’s, not sure if anyone even knows. Jan said she has lived the same way for as long as she can remember.

Across from Claudia is Darlene and Bob Jones, they have two teenage boys Trevor and Wyatt and in their 40’s. Bob used to work at a law firm and still practices just here in this county now. His parents owned the cabin and used to be weekenders. When they passed on the cabin was left to Bob and Darlene. Darlene has said moving here from the city was the best thing they ever did; she loves that her son’s go to a smaller school. She takes care of the home and boys; she has a beautiful yard in the spring and summer where she spends a lot of time. I should have her help me with planting this spring. Her flowers and plants are always gorgeous. They both frequent the bar and like to play cards, the jukebox and dance.

On the other side of Darlene and Bob is Roger and Patty Johnston. In their 60’s, very nice couple. They retired here a few years ago from the city. Roger was a Dentist and Patty was his dental assistant, they had a practice in St Louis. Patty will talk your ear off, but she is always great to have around. Funny and very nice. They both come up to the bar a couple times a week to get out of the house. Patty is always trying to speak to Claudia, but it never works. She said she is determined to have a conversation with her. The rest of us give up but we do keep an eye on her and if we don’t see any activity for a few days at a time Tom or Patty will go knock on the door just to check on her. Sometimes she answers and sometimes she doesn’t. Tom said he can see her through the curtain though, so he walks away. Good enough for us to know she is alright.