Busy, Busy, Busy......

It's been a bit since I've posted. From the middle of September to about the second week in November is always a busy time. Between work and personal interests/events I'm on the go most of that time, and this year is no exception. Lots happening, and I'll have plenty of thoughts to sort out via the blog once November rolls around. In the meantime, I'm posting this wonderful work by artist Larry MacDougall, entitled "Moving Day." It seemed to fit the spirit of this blog perfectly, and I thank Shane Odom for sharing it.

Have a good October, and I'll post again in the Celtic New Year!

Krista

Only One Wish

I've had a bad week. Health problems, car problems, my son in a bad place, frustration in the workplace. I've been feeling angry and bitter.

So this morning it's time to stop and take stock of where the good bits have been over the past few days. The weather yesterday and today has been absolutely gorgeous. The time I've missed at work because of the transportation issue has enabled me to make some progress on the sort out at home. And yesterday the universe once again handed me a gift in the form of a lead on a local architect who specializes in inexpensive sustainable homes.

It's also time to remember why I'm going down this "daring to be happy" road. I made a friend this summer who's from Serbia. He's been here for the summer on a work visa, leaving his wife and family back home. He goes back in a few days, and while we exchanged contact information so that his family and mine can stay in touch, we got talking about things. I told him all I want is a quiet simple life. He said it's the same for him, and how the civil war in his country has made him appreciate the importance - the good luck really - of being whole and healthy. He said that "If you are healthy you have lots of wishes. If you are sick, you have only one wish." Clearly adversity has made him wise.

That's the whole point of all this for me too. I want to be healthy - physically, mentally and emotionally, financially, environmentally.

When times are rough I need to remember to have only one wish.

Krista

A Really BIG Thing to Know About

It seems to me that Goodwill Industries has gotten a mite picky lately. I'd heard it from others, but experienced it myself for the first time this weekend when I took a couple of boxes to our local 'superstore.' The boxes contained, among other things, some books - some good books. The first box was thrust back at me with the rather surly comment, "We don't take these, we only take novels." Then a second later, "Oh, these are cookbooks. Okay, yeah, we'll take cookbooks." Second pile..."No, we don't take reference books. No reference books." ...Really? Where's the goodwill?

Since it goes completely against the grain for me to toss out a book, no matter how much I don't need it, I turned next to the local public library. The librarian cheerfully took my donation, but also told me about a wonderful local initiative - Books for International Goodwill, or BIG.

Started 15 years ago by the Parole Rotary Club of Annapolis, BIG has shipped almost 4 million books to poor communities overseas and in this country to Indian Reservations and communities recovering from natural disasters. They have sent books to Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, and to US Service Personnel, Peace Corps volunteers and other mission-sponsored schools. BIG "believe(s) that the route to world peace and prosperity is through giving people the tools to learn how to feed their minds....."

BIG is an all volunteer organization, they have two drop-off points in the Annapolis area, and they will take anything - even reference books.

Now there's goodwill. It makes me happy.

BIG is having a book sale at their new warehouse on Saturday, September 18th. For more information go to http://www.big-books.org

Finding Home - On the Trail of the Tiny House

Sometimes the universe hands you something so right, so timely - and so unexpectedly - you just know beyond a doubt that it's more than mere coincidence. That was how I felt when I discovered a yahoo.com feature about people who are in fact building the condo sized single family homes I'd imagined while trying to figure out my own lifestyle conundrum. And so my search for the perfect tiny house begins. Unfortunately, the Tumbleweed Tiny Houses book I ordered sold out immediately after that yahoo.com feature and delivery of the next printing has been delayed another two weeks, so I'm going to have to be patient and wait for my copy to arrive. In the meantime, I've been poring over information on other tiny house companies and plans as well. Here's a summary (in alphabetical order) :

BC Mountain Homes
http://gowerdesigngroup.com/catalog/
Most of these are two story models; something I'm not interested in. The porches and decks are nice, but for the most part I don't find the exteriors attractive and there aren't enough windows.

Country Plans
http://www.countryplans.com/
The Builder's Cottage model is cute, but the sleeping area would have to be in a second story loft in order to have enough space. I'm too old to climb a ladder to go to bed, no matter how cozy that loft might be - not to mention those middle of the night trips to the bathroom! The Grandfather Cottage looked interesting, but there were no floor plans on the web page.

Goodfit, Ross Chapin Architects
http://www.rosschapin.com/Plans/Cottage/
I didn't like the boxy style of these houses, and it didn't feel like the interior space flowed well.

Stone Mountain Cabins
http://stonemountaincabins.com/the_collection.htm
These are really lovely. I'm afraid the cost of some materials (stone) might be prohibitive, but perhaps there are other exterior finish options. The Cub Creek model is very appealing, the right size, nice big windows, and a good floor plan. The entry is through a covered side porch and into the kitchen - I like that.

Timberframe Houseplans Ltd.
http://www.timberframe-houseplans.com/
The Gaspereau Cottage is cute and its floor plan is nice and open, but again, it's a two story house.

TinyHomes.com
http://tinyhomes.com/HousePlans.html
Very nice models, and very professionally rendered on the web page. The exteriors are a little 'much' for my taste though, and while the floor plans are interesting, they probably don't work well for my needs.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
The Whidbey seems to be the Tumbleweed model I like the best. All on one floor, about the right size (though maybe a bit too tiny), a good layout and I love the exterior and all the windows. It has a cute little front porch, a transition area inside the front door, and extra storage space in the loft.


So it would appear that from my initial investigation of companies and house plans, I've narrowed it down to two models - Stone Mountain Cabins' Cub Creek plan, and Tumbleweed Tiny House Co's Whidbey plan. In future posts I'll look at these two sets of house plans side by side and in more detail. I also welcome information from readers on other builders and homes I've not already stumbled upon.

Finding Home - The Dream Sheet

When I was younger my ideal home was a rambling old farmhouse, Victorian era preferably, with lots of wood and architectural interest, a wrap around porch, and plenty of land for growing things and catering to wildlife. Of course, that vision included a husband and children to help with it all. Once I was a single working mother, I learned to appreciate the feeling of safety and convenience living closer to 'civilization' afforded. Now my son is grown and about to launch, and I find myself at yet another turning point in life.

So what do I want now, really? To some extent it depends on when you ask me. If you ask while I'm doing laundry, I'll tell you I want a laundry room that isn't two floors away from my bedroom. If you ask me in the spring, I'll tell you I need way more room to garden - in mid-August I'll tell you a small garden is really more practical. If I've just stubbed my toe or whacked my elbow on something, I'll tell you I need more room. But when I'm cleaning or doing exterior maintenance, I'll tell you I need a much smaller place. You get the picture. Obviously I need to organize my thoughts about how much and what kinds of space I need.

The basics are fairly easy:

• Kitchen/Dining - I like to cook when the conditions are right and the kitchen is organized and well stocked, but I'm not a gourmet chef and have no inclination in that direction. Moderate amount of space here.
• Bathroom - bigger than I have now, that's for sure, but again fairly basic. As much as I love a good relaxing soak in a garden tub, I don't want to have to clean it - I can do without.
• Laundry room (or closet) - I'm flexible here but I'm also a woman; gotta have room to hang up those delicates.

Now it starts to get a bit more difficult. The spaces that, theoretically, I should be using on a regular basis are the living room, my large bedroom, and my workroom. The reality is that I spend most of my time in my bedroom. I rarely use the living room, and the workroom almost never except to store materials. Clearly, I can be happy with less space, especially if it's well organized.

The problem of course, is my hobbies. I read a lot, I engage in a variety of fiber arts, I draw and photograph, and I garden. Translation: books, paper, yarn, thread, canvas, beads, fabric, markers, brushes, assorted tools, and photographic equipment. How do I create storage and workspace - a studio in effect - without having to live amidst clutter? This will be the biggest challenge.

Finally, I want everything on one floor, with lots and lots of windows. A transition space at the front entry, and a covered porch somewhere would be lovely. Extra storage is always a plus. And yes, more room to garden - even in August.

Now that I have a clearer picture, it will be easier to evaluate those tiny house plans.......next time.

"Eat, Pray, Love" .... Me

I went to see “Eat, Pray, Love” last night. Not because of the incredible hype surrounding the release of the film, but because I wanted to see if I would relate to the heroine. At first it was hard. It’s tough to feel sorry for a woman who’s feeling sad while taking an entire year to travel the globe in search of herself, starting with four months in Italy eating pasta, shopping and sight-seeing with new-found friends. Still not with her as she whines her way to India. (I didn’t have to go scrub floors at an ashram in India to build my character, sweetie - plenty of opportunity for that here on the home front, ya know?) But about halfway through India, Liz’s story and mine began to seem not all that different, really.

Without spoiling it for anyone who might want to see it, the film is about a lot of things. It’s about having lost yourself. It’s about understanding your past and its context in the present. It’s about finding your place and your peace with your God. And it’s about how - having reclaimed your balance - to be unafraid to lose it again in the interest of life and love. It’s about understanding the process. For Liz and for me, it’s about daring to be happy.

Next time, back to "Finding Home."

Progress Isn't Linear

Today I'm having a hard time imagining where the energy for all this 'daring-do' is going to come from. I'm feeling draggy, a big gaping hole where my motivation should be. It will pass. Just thought it important to point out that I'm not Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and sometimes this initiative is going to feel all uphill. Ah well. Another cup of coffee please . . . .