Ontario

Again with the Dusting

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Laura

Since Hj was down on the weekend to help with a couple of things that I could not do on my own we decided to fill in the area which will next year become the stone patio with some of the stone dust that I had delivered a few weeks ago.

We put in quite a few wheel barrels full, raked it down and then stomped on it to press it down  It will further compress in the rain too as soon as a good one comes.  We did not put a board to it and level it down this time, because this job is dusty, dirty, rotten and frankly either of us felt like getting that filthy on a sticky day.  Levelling is a job that takes two hands (at least for non-professionals like me) and will take a couple of hours.  I want to do it one day when I know that I can easily jump into someone’s shower afterward, or at least when I expect a long warm rain that I can stand out in and wash up.

I also decided to place a few stones across the dust from the driveway to the front door.  Frankly the stone dust is a bit of a nightmare because it sticks to the shoes and comes into the Tiny House, particularly if it is raining.  The big issue with this is not so much that you have to sweep the Tiny Floor over and over; seriously, this is a one minute job.  Rather the problem is that Rudigrrr Wolf seems to suffer with Pica.  He eats all kids of stuff that he should not, including rocks and I worry that this might block his little tummy up and get very costly, very fast.  Plus, he chews them… chewing rocks is not a nice sound.  I hope the little stone path helps.

Categories: Off Grid, Ontario, Simple living, Tiny house, Tiny House Ontario | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Newish Utility Cupboard

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Laura

A few days ago I took out the shelves that I had been using in the kitchen of THO.  I built them last summer out of left over lumber from the house construction but did not find them deep enough to be good practical storage for dishes and so forth. When I took them down I thought that they would make a really great utility cupboard for tiny building supplies such as nails and screws, extra hinges and thingamajiggers.  I decided to put it up on the South facing wall inside of the cloth porch.  Truthfully, I had this stuff in one of those big exterior use plastic storage bins with all the stuff like the big tarps, string, rope, chain, oil and so on, and this was a nuisance because the containers were constantly popping open and dumping.  Can you just about hear me cursing?

Only problem with the idea of repurposing this, is that I wanted to put it up high and and I was both too short and not quite strong enough to get them up there on my one and screw the things in.  So, it turned out good that my husband decided to come down to help me with this task on the weekend.  I held it up and he drilled it to the wall.  Bammo-presto, in a few seconds the job was well on it’s way!

After this, he put on some 1×3 to trim it up while I attached hinges to some left over 12 inch wide boards from the kitchen construction, for doors.  Oddly, I also had two hook and eye catches in the odds and ends that would eventually go in here, so I put one inside to hold door one closed and then I put the other one on to hook the two together.  I also coated them with lemon oil although I am not sure that this is strong enough for exterior use, but if they start to look ratty I will simply finish them later.

In future, I will have to stand on a step ladder to reach any of the small thingies in the newly reused cupboard – but even so, I think that this is markedly more practical, than having to root around and find them in the abyss outside!

The bonus is that the abyss itself, does not seem all that awful now either!  Funny how simple stuff makes life so much easier sometimes!

Categories: Off Grid, Ontario, Re-Use, Simple living, Sustainable living, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment

Sunny Honey Bunny

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Laura

Waking up at Tiny House Ontario is really nice, particularly when the dogs are there and not in a hurry to get out of bed but rather prefer a little cuddle and a tummy rub.  This morning was one such beginning.   Honey Bunny (the red chihuahua) loves to sit in the sun, I often find her chasing sunny spots around as they move throughout the day.  She was so sweet and cuddly this morning.

My husband made a surprise visit down because there are a couple of jobs that require two people’s hands.  I had mentioned this problem, so he drove down with the four dogs just to help me.  Thanks Hj!  We have been doing some work today, but stopped now for a baked potato and to use the internet because we needed to take a quick trip to Rona for some wood and lemon oil.

This photo is the sun coming in from the West – where in the morning it comes through the East.  Still this is, essentially, what I wake up to at THO.

The wonderful painting on the dresser is by Kingston artist Geoff Smith.  I purchased this from him a few months ago and have not yet decided how to frame it.  I loved the bridge, life seems to always be a series of going through things.  The painting seemed to me to be a material visual of this.  How would you frame this one, if it were in your Tiny House?

Categories: Dogs, Family, Friendship, Ontario, Simple living, Tiny House Ontario, View | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Big Bonny and Tree Hugger

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Laura

Bonny is a huge oak tree.  She lives near the end of my driveway, since long before my driveway, and since long before I existed.

When my girlfriend Colleen Murphy came to visit, she took a number of photos of her.  We also noticed a coon up in her branches and today when I walked the dogs, I found that the coon was scurrying around up there, so Bonny must be her home.  I took a couple of photos of Colleen with Bonny and wanted to share the joy!

FYI: At about five foot up Bonny’s circumference is about five metres; I guess at her base she is more like 8 -9 metres.  She is a real living giant.

Categories: Environmentalism, Forest, Friendship, Ontario, Open your eyes, Simple living, Sustainable living, View | 1 Comment

Junk in the trunk

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Laura

This is a boring utility post which has to do with living at THO.  This is my garbage and recycling.  I had a lot of it because of the steel application on the outside.

Since my computer went for a swim, I have not felt much like writing/painting/visiting/being creative, so I thought I would concentrate on the errands/and small jobs that I have been putting off, so I needed to rent a car for a couple of days.  Getting rid of this, one one such errand.

I do not have garbage or recycling pick up and besides, I had a lot of steel bits that had to be dropped off at Kimco metal recyclers in Kingston.  Everything else went to the recycling depot.

Looks a whole lot tidier, but I still have a pile of small wood bits which would be excellent kindling for someone who burns wood.  If you do this, please bring an empty box and I will load it up for you to bring home.

Categories: Kingston, Off Grid, Ontario, Simple living, Stuff, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment