Magical

Music of the Heart

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Laura

We arrived safely at THO at about 1:00 and shortly after, I had a visit from someone who played a more than significant role in my life.  Kiki is the sort of person that we need in our life, who believe in you when you not exactly the greatest human inspiration.   Who know how to inspire you to be better, even if it is a little kick in the ass that is required.  She opened doors for me in a time of my life when it seemed that I only faced closed ones.   It was just awesome to see her!

As a way of paying forward the kindnesses that I experienced all those years ago I made a fast stop  to do a small pay forward.  Getting through is not always easy for brilliant and creative people.  It is sad – at least it is for me – our talented artists should be able to make a living from their talent!  Do you agree?

After Kiki’s visit, I had to skip to Kingston after to pick up a few things and also stop to see Leo who is coming this morning to put up the eves trough.

We had a bite to eat and after dinner Tiny House Ontario was just starting to warm up so Hj and I took turns playing the McNally Strumstick (G).  This is such a great little instrument!  We are both not musicians and yet just like McNally promises you can’t hit a wrong note and right away you feel like you might be able to do it.  The guitar I have only wishes I could play it as well!

What can I say, today at THO there was music of the heart.

Categories: Friendship, Magical, Music, Off Grid, Ontario, Simple living, Tiny House Ontario, Trade, View | 7 Comments

Cloth Porch Adaptive

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Laura

I am facing the awful Toronto traffic again this evening to head back to Tiny House Ontario.  I started a project last weekend and I am going to finish it up this weekend.

Project is: I decided to cover the cloth porch roof, 2×8 boards, 17 of them butting each other in order to keep the snow out in winter and rain out in summer.  I have a huge green tarp which I will use to cover the porch. I think it will be large enough to cover the top and two of the sides.  The other side I will close up with another small white tarp because this will allow some light in.

I think the cloth porch will be a good makeshift shed to bring in items for winter such as the bike, the BBQ and wheelbarrow.   It should also serve as a good spot to put a small wood stove and some wood too.  If I find a Tiny wood stove (cheap) and figure out how to hook it up safely.  My cousin Sandy, who is an outdoorsman says that there are Tiny stoves designed to heat a tent and this should work to heat up the porch and house too.  I was thinking that a few bales of straw would probably help to shelter it a little more as well, but of course then I would have the problem about what to do with these afterward, so I think I will just tarp it up and hope for the best.

A stove will mean poking a hole in the cloth.  I am okay with this because the front cloth is on its last legs now.  It has many small holes in it and some big ones too that I sewed up.  I already got replacement cloth for the porch when it when the $2.metre sale was on in the spring, so when the tarp comes off the new cloth can go up.

I understand that by covering the roof on the South side of the house that I will be giving up a lot of light in the house; however, if this goes well, it will mean that THO will be used a lot more this winter.  Keeping warm is more essential than light, particularly now that I have the 12v system.

I have to add, that the hilarity of how this will look is not lost on me… tarp room with a wood stove, BBQ, motorbike, makeshift kitchen, garden tools, and woodpile attached to the house, sounds like the epiphany of red-neck additions.  Seems like a great place to stop by with the sleds and drink out of a wineskin.  It is making my rural heart sing!

Categories: Cloth Porch, Family, Friendship, Magical, Off Grid, Ontario, Tiny House Ontario | 1 Comment

A Beautiful & Practical Addition

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Laura

I have  been thinking a lot about space at Tiny House Ontario and thought, if I could get rid of the table and two chairs I would have a lot more space to move around.  I looked all over for a table that is the right height for eating and playing cards at the sofa as well as for writing and painting.  I could not find any small tables with drop leaves that are sturdy enough to take daily use.

As you all know, I have a very talented cousin, Vernie, who can build anything.  So I drew up some plans, and he gave it some thought (since I had no idea how it had to be built) and he just finished building a perfectly sublime, sturdy, functional, little drop leaf butternut table for me.

I picked it up today.  I can’t tell you how gorgeous it is, so I took photos.  I makes me really happy to have the opportunity to have Vernie and his family close by, but it is wonderful to have the opportunity to have him build me these custom pieces for my Tiny House.  Having his art around me, makes me feel so totally at home.

 

 

Categories: Art, Family, Friendship, Kingston, Magical, Ontario, Stuff, Tiny House Ontario | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Pleasure

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Laura

A famous quote attributed to Katherine Hepburn is: “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.  I think that this is a very accurate statement.

Myself, personally, I have always been an outsider. I know full well what it is like to be the only person in the room who thinks about things in the way that I do.  I suppose that living my life as a veg*an is a perfect example of this, so too is living in a Tiny House, being a feminist, being a writer, (having been) a single mom, being a person who for two years does not “work”.  It is not unusual for people to lack the ability to put me into a neat little box and this has always been the case with me.  Even when I was the kid I was visibly (in)different.  It is not my goal to be like this, I think it would be far more comfortable to fit in sometimes.  But it is rare enough that when people find themselves in me, that I find it exciting to think… perhaps this year might be the year that I get to blend in a bit.  It just seems so much easier to blend.

Different from the norm or not, there are things that are important to me: loyalty, gratitude, friendship, family, being creative, living in a democracy and also being able to just take a moment out of my day, no matter how full it is, to take in something beautiful.  Right now, Ontario is extra gorgeous.  Today, I was North of the city on Montreal Street.  I had a full day of driving my cousin around, discussing politics with one of the Prison Farms protesters, doing some volunteer work for a person with limited literacy, researching the Hinton train disaster, writing, missing a meeting to discuss fund raising for an agency in Kingston (rescheduled for tonight) and also spending an hour visiting with my sister and Tiny Niece Violet, it was not exactly a slow day.  Still, these refresher moments are so important.  Not just for artists, but for everyone.

The point is, I stopped just for just a few moments to witness the peace and beauty that was offered up to the multitudes who just drove by.  Even though I don’t “work” I think that I needed this.  I hope you took a moment today too and if you did not, I hope that my moment has enough breath left in it to be shared with all of you.

Categories: Kingston, Magical, Nature, Ontario, Open your eyes, Simple living, Tiny House Ontario, View | 2 Comments

Autumn

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Laura

Beautiful isn’t it?

Categories: Forest, Magical, Nature, Ontario, Open your eyes, Tiny House Ontario, View | 2 Comments