The Van Natta family home on Parmenter Road was the second house built in Bernardston, and walking through their 1747 residence imparts a feeling of time travel, given centuries-old aspects as well as evidence of dozens of changes over many decades. Most recent updates were done by the Van Nattas themselves; they took care to preserve materials, as with the slate roof. According to an architectural overview provided by the Van Nattas, the unusual slate was found only around Guilford, Vermont.

Jason Parmenter — after whom their road was named — served in the Revolutionary War, and later took part in the famed Shay’s Rebellion. Considerable changes were made to the home throughout the 19th century, and in the early 20th century, some of the planks used in remodeling were salvaged from a Swift River home demolished in order to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. It’s tempting to take a deep dive into archives, but let’s turn our attention to the current occupants.

Margot Fleming and Erik Van Natta met through friends and were married in 2010. Margot was an assistant basketball coach at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. Subsequently, she applied for other physical education jobs, “but my heart wasn’t in it,” she said. “I wanted to do something different … I just didn’t know what.” Margot learned of another career path after engaging a dog-walking service to exercise her pup at times when she wasn’t available to do so herself. Margot Van Natta is comfortable with all kinds of animals, and is no stranger to the satisfaction of hard work, having grown up on a dairy farm in Delhi, New York.

Erik Van Natta grew up in Northfield and learned construction and remodeling skills by working alongside his father. After college, Erik went into business with his dad for several years, followed by a stint as an Americorps volunteer at a Spanish-English bilingual school in California. “Later, I lived in Vermont, working as a contractor,” he said, “while being a ski bum and doing rock climbing.”

Margot and Erik are fit and active, traits also evident in their children, Jacob, 10, and Harper, who celebrates her 5th birthday tomorrow. Life on Parmenter Road hums with multiple endeavors. “Between us, we have four LLCs,” said Erik, referring to Margot’s enterprise, Hiking Paws, and his three: Erik runs Van Natta Construction, focusing on remodeling and occasionally building new houses; he operates a small lumber business, Falltown Lumber Werks — yes, Werks with an “e” — and manages the family’s rental properties.

The centerpiece of the Van Natta dining room is a table Erik made from white oak. Sitting atop the table are a gorgeous cherry and walnut cutting board and a butternut serving board, also made by Erik. Gesturing toward his son, Erik said, “Jacob made a beautiful cutting board, too.” A request to see Jacob’s handiwork was met by a sweet smile from the lad, who said: “I gave it to my cousins as a housewarming present.”

Jacob loves being outdoors, especially while hunting and fishing, but he enjoys indoor activities, too. He plays the violin and is learning a mix of folk, contemporary, and traditional Celtic tunes. He whittles and carves, and does woodworking alongside his dad. Jacob brought out a knife and said, “I carved the handle on this drop-point skinning knife.” He crafted the handle from Ambrosia Maple and explained in a matter-of-fact tone: “Ambrosia Maple happens because of Ambrosia Beetle poop.” Family members chuckled and Erik added: “Beetles burrow and create holes in softwoods like red or silver maple, allowing fungus and other materials into the wood.” Beautiful markings result.

When asked how he avoided injury while working on a sharp knife, Jacob said: “I put tape on the blade while using the coping saw. I used a sander, too, a few files, and a drill press.” Erik chimed in: “It was about a weekend’s worth of work.”

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Jacob has chiseled canoe-shaped boats and carved the main hull of a sizable little sailboat. He’s made other, more delicate looking boats: “I made birch bark canoes with my Grandma,” said Jacob, referring to his Northfield grandmother. “We had to soak the birch first.” He has an impressive jackknife collection, as well as a lovely fishing creel inherited from a great-grandfather.

Jacob described many projects while his sister played with some of the family’s menagerie in an adjoining room. Harper sang ceaselessly and was in nearly constant motion while entertaining the dogs (Galilee, the puppy, and Flynn, the older pooch) and cats (Guy, the senior, and Trinity, the tiny kitten recently acquired from Margot’s parents’ farm).

Harper paints, draws, and does beadwork and many other art forms. “I love the play structure behind our house, too,” she said brightly, “and I collect eggs!” The family has eight chickens, and both children have collection duties, as well as other chores. Harper waters the plants and refills toilet paper supplies, while Jacob is responsible for filling the firewood box. While sharing her artwork, Harper expounded on precisely what type of cake she envisions for her birthday: “A unicorn cake with chocolate chips, but the cake will be vanilla.” Mom and Dad smiled, raised their eyebrows, and took notes.

The Van Nattas appreciate space and privacy, and make good use of their five-plus acres. They’ve cut firewood on their land and have blueberries, raspberries, and an apple tree. In addition to chickens for eggs, they’ve raised pigs, meat birds, and beef cows, enabling them to fill their freezer, which supplements food they’ve acquired from hunting expeditions and fishing trips. They’ve raised goats for brush control, and have a garden with vegetables and flowers; both kids have their own sections in the garden.

An impressive element of their property is the newish workshop, which went up even as they had to take down a mid-1800s post-and-beam barn that was beyond repair. The workshop houses an encyclopedic array of tools, as well as an enormous kiln for drying lumber. Erik and Jacob led the way from the workshop’s ground floor to a lower level, where the kiln — about the size of a shipping container — dominates one part of the room. On the way down, Jacob said, “I helped Dad build these stairs.”

The lumber concern is one of Erik’s favorite parts of his work life. “Using the kiln to dry lumber is a change of pace from remodeling work,” he said. “I get to meet great people … sawyers, arborists, furniture makers.” The specialized vacuum kiln can dry any kind of lumber, but Erik uses it mostly for higher-value hardwoods, slabs, and thicker material. “It does the job quickly and well, drying the lumber from the center to the outside,” said Erik, who added that the atmosphere inside the kiln is similar to that at the top of Mount Everest.

“Lumber dried this way is less likely to twist and crack,” said Erik, who primarily custom dries for customers, but also has dried lumber to sell. He provides lumber to artisans for special projects, a fact described with pride by his son. “Dad mailed wood to Florida, to a guy making a guitar,” said Jacob. Erik nodded and said, “I sent some butternut to a luthier.”

While the guys are busy with their ventures, Mom is occupied with many other things, including running Hiking Paws, which employs three others. “During COVID, more people got dogs,” said Margot. “But now we see social problems: dogs not knowing how to behave. And the fact that lots of people suddenly got puppies led to challenges.” When she puts a pack together, Margot considers diversity. “A good pack has a blend of breeds, ages, and genders. I don’t want to take six or eight puppies for a walk — too much chaos.”

Considering all the Van Nattas do, produce, and keep track of, one might think that chaos is the name of the game, yet they’re seemingly unruffled. “We come from do-it-yourself people,” explained Margot. “In addition to Erik’s dad having been in the trades, both parents are crafty. His mom knits and quilts. His aunt is a painter.” As for her folks, Margot’s mom designs signs, something she’s done for 40 years, including painting and lettering vehicles, as evidenced by the Hiking Paws logo on the company’s two vans. “And my dad is still actively farming, now in beef cows instead of dairy. He also hauls cattle as a trucker.”

As the interview wrapped up, dinner preparations were underway — not surprisingly paying homage to DIY. “Venison tacos,” said Margot. Jacob replied: “Yum!” Erik mused about possibly getting a second kiln. “It would expand my capacity to sell lumber that’s been milled and processed.” And through it all, Harper danced around the family’s historical home, a supernova of delight.

Margot Van Natta’s website: www.hiking-paws.com

Erik Van Natta’s website for lumber and kiln services: falltownlumberwerks.com, and for remodeling: Vannattabuilds.com.

Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope,” and a musician, artist and mom. eveline@amandlachorus.org.