For a long time I have been wanting to make a path through the ten acres of woods at Tiny House Ontario.  Nothing drastic, just a two foot wide clearing around the high land so that we can walk through without being mauled by the prickly ash we have on this land.  After all these years my cousin Kenny (who often helps me with the land here) came up with a brilliant solution.  Now, I am not suggesting that you do this.  Kenny is an expert woodsman with thirty years of experience in handling tools and therefore, knows what he can and cannot do to be safe, and was cautious with this tool of his.  He attached a circular saw blade to his large, long, gas powered edger and in 45 minutes he made a path all around the place.  He did not cut anything that was bigger than a finger width around, just prickly ash and a few random seedings.  Now you can walk the upper five acres without a bit of pause!

I tied markers along the path so that we can find the way and keep it up.

I thought you all might like to see what this looks like in the forest now.  We can wander the entire round of the land pretty quickly now, but who would want to.  Wandering is best done slow and mindfully so you can see the woodpeckers, owls and salamanders.

Don’t you agree?

The cloth porch was looking really super rough!  The cheap fabric that I put on there a few years ago speed installed without any thought of how it would look because we thought it would only last a year and that it would just be a job we had to do over and over again.  BUT… it lasted seven years!

The one wall that was not torn was seriously stained and grotty looking… and lets be frank here… because it was not ever installed right it simply looked like crap.

The other problem was that I had my 3 x great grandparents MASSIVE 12 person oak table in the porch so it was tough to move around.  Thankfully my cousin Albert took it and will refinish it, so I was able to free up some space in there!

So H and I started building panels and stretching outdoor fabric on them, in much the same way that I stretch canvases for painting on.  Build a square and start, stretching and stapling.  All the old fabric had to be removed and many staples had to be pulled out.  Then, one after another up each of these stretched sections went in.  I went with a mix of plain and floral fabric because I used remnants that were on half price (of course) and I thought it would look interesting to have it divided anyway.

So from the outside you can see through it a little bit more but it also looks nicer and matches THO better, I think.

From the front, you can hardly see the porch now because it really blends into the background.

The new tiny table that I bought for $40 in a second hand store is certainly more size appropriate!  The bench we build last year and the tiny chairs I took out of the dumpster.    Anyway, it feels so much nicer in the porch for sure!  The project has not yet been finished.   When it is done I will post more about it, including the cost of the project.

What is not done yet:

The back wall.  This will be done in the same fashion but have opaque fabric (because this side faces the out-house).

The roof. This leaks (not surprising since it is made of fabric and a tarp).  I hope to finally cover it.

The cushions.  For the corner bench.  I hope to get these sewn up this week.

The door.  The one I have has finished its life cycle and I have found all of the wooden doors are equally crappy in construction.   I am wondering if anyone has one of the composite doors?  I am thinking of replacing mine with one of these… but if I am going to use that much plastic stuff I want it to last.  Looking for opinions here.

I have been at THO pretty much constantly for the last few months because I am working here in Kingston right now.  It has been interesting in a good way because I had only stayed there rarely in the winter before and so I got to experience the place in a different way.

A couple of mornings ago I woke up to rain falling on the snow.  There were big slow drops which on closer investigation were actually snow melt coming down and making holes in the small layer of snow that had fallen during the night.  The effect on the snow was really beautiful.  This photo won’t do it justice since it was just dawn on a dark day but I knew I would not get a photo if I waited for more light.  So here it is.

I think this was not just beautiful, but it signalled the change in season. It is likely the last snow that will fall this season… or at least if we do get a little more… it will be short lived like this speckled batch.

It was a grey and wet day but I took a couple of photos before morning coffee and heading to town to teach.  It is so pretty and peaceful here and I like it very much here in the winter now too, thanks to the new stove.

The pileated woodpecker still does not show himself to me… he teases me by hammering just close enough for me to hear him but never in full view.  Still hoping!

Tiny house, big woods

I was surprised when my new Dickinson stove arrived.  I am not sure why, but I simply did not have a handle on what size they are.

I chose the smaller of the two but I think I should have chosen the larger one… the stone work that I have on my house is not exactly easy to heat…

Still, if the temperature is not below minus ten it works well.  For colder weather I need more blankets or to vacate to a warmer home.  But it is nice to have heat that feels safe and comfortable.

I decided to put in an additional CO2 and smoke detector when I put this in.  Just to have back up.  It is a nice cheap safety step which I think one might as well do… just incase of battery failure.  So far, either of them have made even the slightest peep.

The heat itself is super comfortable.  Which surprised me.  There is no dampness and the fan keeps the air moving enough that the temperature in the house is consistent up and downstairs.

I feel like this was money well spent.

Here it is before hookup.

See the water jugs near to the heater… They are about a foot and a half away since the stonework is deep.  This is handy to keep the water a little warm so that one does not have to use so much fuel to make tea or coffee.

I wish I would have gone with one of these first time!  Somehow the propane scared me… but I could have saved a lot of money and avoided the whole stone addition if I would just have followed what most do.  Oh well… life is filled with regrets and at least this is now right.

Have you ever priced one of these things???  UGH!  If you ever thought about buying a rack for this purpose, you will know they cost between $250 and $700 largely variable for size and quality.  On a scale of 1-10 on how hard this was to make, this one is a ONE.  All you need is a saw (or someone to cut four 6 inch long pieces), and a drill.

This drying rack has 8 three foot long bars so I can dry anywhere between 8 and 24 paintings at a time, depending on the size of them.  Cost for this was $0 and the time it took me to make it was 20 minutes.

I got the side rails for the crib from someone who turned the rest of theirs into a bed when their child outgrew the crib.  One man’s garbage is this girl’s happiness!  These two sides, and the  four pieces of 2×2 cut to SIX inches in length were all it took.  I drilled holes through the sides into the 2×2 (to keep the 2×2 from splitting, screwed them together, and that was it.

The only drawback to my free one is that it can’t be folded up and tucked away… but you could hang a blanket on it and leave it in your bedroom or use it for a magazine rack.  it is only 7 inches wide so, it does not take a lot of space and so it could even go in the hallway.

Mine will always be in use!  I am glad to have one and happier still because it was FREE!

FREE, FREE, FREE, FREE, FREE!