Just an image from the storm that never materialized. A good rain. It was welcome and needed! The black part on the right is the roof line of Tiny House Ontario.
Forest
The Ant Tree & The Pending Storm
Categories: Forest, Nature, Off Grid, Open your eyes
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The Neighbouring Pacifist
Near Tiny House Ontario lives a survivor. She witnessed, and survived unspeakable things during WWII in what is now the Czech Republic. The experiences have left her with haunting stories that she often shares… her stories make me shudder.
These experiences have left her with what I believe is PTSD. She is both a pacifist and vegetarian, and very unusual. She walks around in rags for clothes, rarely bathes, and keeps as many animals as can fit in her home.
She is somewhat famous in the community for keeping her animals in her home with her. Close to 30 cats, goats, chickens, dogs and she also feeds the wild life. Last year she lost some trees near her house and the racoon family who lived there had to relocate. She asked everyone to keep their eyes open for the lost racoons who we would know, because of the mask they wear. I found this totally hilarious. She is always looking for missing cats too. Even those that have been “missing” for years.
At first, I have to admit, I could not get away from her quick enough. She smells a lot like cat urine and makes my allergies go crazy, plus she is always looking for missing critters. The truth is that you cannot get away from her when she starts to talk, no matter how busy you are or whatever, she comes across as quite a weirdo. She is known in the neighbourhood and avoided.
This year, my thoughts on her have shifted greatly. I am busy at Tiny House Ontario, but not insanely so. I have a little time to stop and say hello and to listen to her and this shift in myself also forced me to change my opinion about her. I learned that she saw Louis Armstrong play live in Belgium, that she has traveled the world, that she is smart and interesting and passive and beautiful. I think she is lonely and isolated. I think she just wants to live and love and laugh. I think she is working to forget, but finds this very hard to do.
A few days ago, she was upset. Very, very distraught really, because one of her hens got out and was in the forest, and she was so concerned that a mink or a fisher would catch her. I helped her look and tried to shoo the chicken to her own land and I brought my camera because I hoped that I would catch a photo for this blog.
The pacifist walked the woods for two days clapping gently and singing soft words in a language that I do not know. She spent day and night trying to urge the chicken to come home. Finally, last evening, the chicken found its way into her gentle hands.
Beautiful isn’t she?
Categories: Erazim Kohák, Forest, Friendship, Nature, Off Grid, Ontario, Simple living, Sustainable living, Tiny House Ontario
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Sunday Morning
At 6:45 am, the sun filters into the bedroom window at Tiny House Ontario. Many birds are singing and the grouse thumps, the temperature is warm but not yet uncomfortable. The breeze rustles the canopy around us.
“I had a crazy dream last night”, I tell my husband. I won’t bore you with the detail of it, but the long dream involves rescuing a miniature ape from a helicopter and finding out that it is a very important animal whose hospital wings around the world, are ready for him should anything happen. Oddly, the ape belongs to my brother and sister in laws who live in Germany, but I don’t know that this animal exists until now. There is a long snake who tries to bite me but misses and the crash is on my home farm, which is a place which I choose not to be a part of. It is convoluted. Still it fills the peace of the forest with a detail of life, no matter how off the mark of reality it is.
We climb down the ladder stairs and I start the propane element on the BBQ for bodum coffee and pat the dogs with my husband while we wait for the kettle to boil. We settle on yogurt and granola for breakfast, feed the dogs and listen to rustling in the forest.
It is a typical morning at Tiny House Ontario. There are no electronic interruptions. There is no news from the outside world. We know nothing of the last 12 hours as we quietly sit and eat breakfast, chatting. We pat the dogs some more, laugh at the silly Bad Little Wolf who is harassing his sister and jumping around. I break the pattern to record this Sunday morning at Tiny House Ontario for you.
I took a clip on this morning from the top of the BBQ with my computer, but I do not know how to upload videos. Sorry!
Here is a photo of our cloth porch breakfast.
Could you get used to this?
Categories: Cloth Porch, Forest, Off Grid, Ontario, Open your eyes, Tiny house, Tiny House Ontario
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Mullein
I have a bumper crop of Mullein growing at Tiny House Ontario. Check to be sure that you are not allergic to it first like with any plant, but this is a GREAT toilet paper replacement if you get caught in a pinch. I am going to dry some of it this year too.
I have not tried any of these things and thus do not suggest that you be my guinea pig. I understand that Mullein Leaf has served many purposes over the past few centuries, from making candlewicks to casting out evil spirits. However, as an herbal treatment, Verbascum thapsus was primarily used as a cure for diarrhea, respiratory diseases and hemorrhoids. The leaves and flowers of the Mullein Leaf are classified in traditional herbal literature as expectorants and demulcents.
Mullein Leaf or scientifically referred to as Verbascum Thapsus is a wildflower native to much of Europe and Asia which can grow almost anywhere. Because of its thick, soft leaves, it is also called Grandmother’s Flannel and Our Lady’s Flannel. The word Mullein is said to be derived from the Middle English word for “soft” which is moleyne.
Traditionally, Mullein Leaf has been used by medicinal herbalists to aid with problems of the respiratory tract, such as cases of irritating coughs with bronchial congestion. Some herbal treatments extend the therapeutic use to pneumonia and asthma.
As far as natural herbs go, the Mullein Leaf is purported to reduce inflammation of the trachea along with soothes irritated tissues. Due to its high mucilage content, Organic Mullein Leaf is also recommended for topical applications by herbalists as a soothing emollient for inflammatory skin conditions and burns. Externally, an extract of these herbs made in olive oil is used for soothing and easing ear problems.
Mullein Leaf is also thought by some herbalists to provide constipation relief, help with sleeplessness, care for the kidneys and help with nervous tension.
The Mullein has very markedly demulcent, emollient and astringent properties, which render it useful in pectoral complaints and bleeding of the lungs and bowels. Slightly sedative and narcotic properties.
Demulcent, emollient, astringent and sedative.
Categories: Environmentalism, Forest, Magical, Nature, Off Grid, Simple living, Sustainable living
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Cloth Porch Damage
After hanging there for a year through the winter and everything mother nature could throw at it, the cloth porch has an eight inch long tear in it at floor level. I had some red thread on hand and have fixed it up.
I did not see it happen… and I hate to point fingers… but I check it every morning to make sure nothing wild got in and at 10:00 am I caught this one on the other side.
“Do you think the grass looked greener over there Minnie?” I asked. She claims that she was framed by a one armed man… but she looks mighty guilty doesn’t she?
I took this the day before. I did not know that she was contemplating her escape… silly me!
Categories: Cloth Porch, Dogs, Forest, Friendship
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Tiny House Ontario 