BE GRATEFUL FOR EACH DAY!

I smile and imagine that, as a guest, this cheery but direct reminder would immediately clear my mind of life’s clutter, just like arriving at the cottage did every summer.

I open the door, and the room’s cheery colors—pale blue walls, white trim and crown molding—greet me like a warm hug. The ceiling in every room has been covered in wood slats, painted bright white, and a wooden beadboard bed—crisp white and covered with an expensive blue duvet and loads of pillows with nautical symbols—floats like a cloud in the room. A pair of vintage oars are crisscrossed over the bed, and the walls are adorned with simply framed watercolors that my mother and I painted together over the years. Every painting—the lake glowing at sunrise and sunset, a sandcastle being built by a child’s hand, marshmallows on sticks roasting over a bonfire, my dad napping on a hammock strung between two sugar maples, pink roses climbing a trellis and lavender-blue hydrangeas in full bloom—sum up the room’s rule.

I look out the new, larger window that not only enhances the view of Lake Michigan but also keeps the cold air from penetrating the cottage. The ice is gone, the water is deep blue and lapping waves lull me into a relaxed state. I walk into the new adjoining bathroom, which is small but welcoming and well-laid-out. I splurged on the bath products and towels—thanks to Trish’s advice—and the bathroom is a nice mix of luxury hotel and homey cottage.

I roam from room to room, each one surprising me with its own personality. Soak Up the Sun is happy and yellow, while Boat Rides Are a Shore Thing is filled with photos of the Adie Lou and vintage boat finds given to me by Scooter. Shiplap walls line the Wake Up Smiling room, while an adorable wallpaper dotted with, appropriately enough, tiny ice cream cones greets guests to the Ice Cream Is Required room.

But perhaps my favorite of the cottage’s guest rooms is Go Rock Hunting. I took a risk—and spent some cash—to have Frank create a wall behind the bed built out of the rocks and lake stones that I have collected over the decades. The result is a large-scale art piece that resembles the stone walls and fireplaces in the historic cottages of northern Michigan.

“Not bad, Adie Lou,” I say to myself. “Not bad at all.”