A Squeak

I recently finished installing circular-sawn flooring in my cabin.  In the time since completion of that project, I have overnighted there twice.  I did so this past Saturday.

The thing about my cabin floor is this: I made every precaution to guarantee squeaks did not develop in the floor.  To keep things quiet, I applied an expensive underlayment material before installing the tongue-and-groove fir boards.  I smacked, and sometimes pried, every board into place to assure a tight fit at all joints.  I nailed the boards every eight inches.

The other morning, after waking in the bedroom at the cabin, I walked out to start coffee in the open kitchen and living area.  Near the middle of that space, one of the boards squeaked when I stepped on it.

I stopped.

I placed a foot on the board and rocked back and forth.  

Skwee, skwee, skwee.

I smiled.

Had that been at my house I would have been furious.

But at the cabin?

Cabins need character.

Squeaks are character and I have one.

—Mitchell Hegman