Time to plan cabin projects

Even though the temperatures haven’t risen above the freezing mark, and the wind still chills the body through to the bones, I’m ready to begin making plans for the cabin.
Each year, we look at potential projects to make the cabin more enjoyable. One year it was all new insulated double windows. Another year was new knotty pine paneling and bead board ceilings. Another was hardwood flooring and then there was a new unattached bathroom with all the comforts of home.
There was a wide wooden walkway connecting all the buildings.
Each project makes life a little bit better at the lake, though some of our older projects are beginning to show their age.
For instance, some boards will have to be replaced on a deck built 30 years ago. The question now comes to how much needs replacing?
A tree was taken down last fall that had a large lean over the cabin for safety purposes. The white pine boughs provided early-morning through mid-afternoon shade on the deck.
So what should we do to create the same sun protection? Would a pergola incorporated into a new deck be enjoyed?
Even though our sons knew the boundaries of the deck, now that we are grandparents, would a glass see-through barrier around the edge be a good idea for the grandchild.
Even though we have a three-season area on the cabin, sitting on the deck enjoying the evening sunsets and stars is far more enjoyable. The downside is that the moment the sun drops below the horizon, mosquitoes erupt from the juniper bushes that surround the deck seemingly to also enjoy those lazy night times and feast on the star-gazers.
Should we incorporate a gazebo along one of the pathways so we can enjoy the sunsets and watch the North Star and Big Dipper appear, or the moon rise over the lake? Protected by screens, we could enjoy the ping of the mosquitoes bounding off them.
One might think that going to the cabin was to relax, read books, listen to the radio, sleep in, and do nothing. For me, that program seems to wear after a few days. Even with days spent fishing, one needs a project to do some physical work, such as swinging a hammer, pounding some nails, building up sweat, and then jumping into the refreshing waters of Rainy Lake.
Just as around the home, there always are projects to be completed at the cabin. They don’t all have to be completed in a summer, but you can scratch them off one at a time.
The next eight weeks are the planning season.