At the tiny house last week there was another cold snap but this gave me a good opportunity to do some measurements to see how the solar furnace is working.
I also took a nostalgia trip over to the house where my grandma spent the bulk of her youth.
Read more about this here.
We are in the throws of a weather phenomenon here in Ontario (and elsewhere) called the polar vortex. It was -22 C (-7.6 F) when I got up this morning, but it felt like -35 C (-31 F) this morning and now the temperature is at a nice balmy -19 C (-2.2 F). I am not at THO and I have to admit this is one of the rare occasions where I am happy that I am not.
For those of you who do not live in a cold climate let me tell you that with this kind of cold it goes right into your bones, it is painful. For the dogs it is torture every time they have to go outside because the cold is so deep that it burns their little feet. Our newest rescue lived his entire 5 years locked up in a cage at a puppy mill and is just being house trained now, but for him this cold is new and dreadful. His little feet are not tough so within 10 -15 seconds his body collapses on the ground because the pain in his feet is so deep. We go out with them and carry their tiny collapsed bodies in and treat their feet again with Blistex.
Thankfully there is a warming trend coming, but not before it reaches -40 C (-40 F) tonight, which is ironically where our thermometers meet.
If I already had my wood stove installed I might have actually driven down to THO to stay for a few days. I would go without the dogs though because I don’t know how easy it will be to make the house warm. Knowing it is coming makes me look forward to next winter already. Finding out how it will work has a lot of fills me with anticipation. That I know my Greyworks Stove is on its way makes me very happy indeed! But… I will not install it until the end of the spring rains because I have some unique plans in mind.
Before I close, I want to introduce you all to Dieter, who has been through a lot.
I am thinking of heading down to Tiny House Ontario for a few days to spend new years there. I plan to leave after our house guest Oliver is picked up. Oliver is a King Charles Cavalier spaniel whose family have gone on a trip this year for the holidays. He is an easy guy to have around because most of his time is spent snoring on the dog bed.
The truth is that I am not looking forward to the drive, but I want to see my niece, sister and brother in law over the holidays. Violet will only be little for a while, and right now, she changes so much week to week. It is hard to keep up from 350 km away and I don’t want to miss knowing her.
It will be pig cold at THO but I will set the propane and then go hang out with Violet. After a couple of hours it will be warm (but propane damp) in the house. Depending on the delivery of my wood stove it may be the last time I am there before we actually have a proper heating connected. What I mean is that it is the last time that I will ever really be roughing it in terms of heat. I can’t say that I am unhappy to leave behind winter glamping. Honestly, for me, there is nothing, and I mean nothing glamourous about being cold!
I really wish I had the wood stove already – I can’t believe it took me so long to settle on the right one. I think if it was there I would have spent the whole of Christmas there. I am even looking forward to getting my chainsaw going and ripping up the firewood for next year.
What do you think? Does a weekend here look appealing, or just shockingly cold?
I will leave for Tiny House Ontario tomorrow morning after rush hour. I am going for a few reasons this time. Firstly, I am picking up Joe the three legged street cat in downtown Toronto and driving him to his Foster Home in Kingston Ontario. Poor old Joe was one of the disposable pets out on the street, due to his injury it was extra hard for him to survive. He was rescued in cooperation with Annex Cat Rescue, Project Pet Rescue, and Kingston Animal Rescue. He has been vetted, neutered and will be up for adoption once he is rehabilitated. You can read more about Joe here, or if you are interested in making a donation to help with Joe’s vet bills or his care please do so with one or all of the agencies listed and linked above. Perhaps you would like to adopt him or another homeless animal?
I am also heading to Kingston because I have a show in Battersea Ontario at the United Church. They have invited local talent to come to show and sell their items. The show will be on November 30 from 9-5. I am excited to do this show because there is a lot of free and close parking so I expect a lot of my friends and family to be there. For a lot of people getting into the downtown for market days is just too difficult and stressful, so it will give me an opportunity to show my work to members of my family, and friends who have not yet seen it live! Art work is so much better in person!
Please do come to the show to see the local talent if you are anywhere nearby. Admission is just $5 and I bet you will be able to find wonderful unique gifts for a reasonable cost there.
My most recent work Grandma’s Gift will be shown for the first time.
I am also of course visiting my house and I am very excited about this! We have snow in Kingston now so I will bring along my snowshoes! My cousin Tracey took this photo this morning and allowed me to share it. I look forward to getting out into the magical forest and seeing the changes that Mother Earth has undergone!
I had an MPAC person stop by my project, Tiny House Ontario a few days ago. If you don’t know, these are the tax assessors that ensure that the people of Ontario pay their fair share of taxes.
I am not opposed to paying my fair share of tax, what I oppose is the way that building codes do not allow people to build as they wish. I absolutely understand and agree that they need to be put in place so that people don’t just build unsafe, cardboard dwellings in which they, their family and guests could easily burn to death. What I don’t get is the part where we all have to build 2400 square foot McMansions which are totally disconnected from the planet around them.
I don’t get why I should have to worry about my tiny house being somehow unlawful. It seems every new house I pass is not facing in the right direction to benefit from the sun and wind. There is no effort for these homes to be environmental except of course, the compulsory level of insulation. The codes need to be revisited, deconstructed and rewritten in order to reflect a more modern age in building technology and realistic resource consumption. At the very least, in a country were the seasons change passive solar should be considered in every single new structure that is built. Too size limits need to drastically decrease, both in terms of lot size and the footprint of these homes. I took all this into my mind and more, and believe me THO has as tiny a carbon footprint as she does a physical one!
The woman, who came was very pleasant and I think she liked the tiny house which she referred to as a cabin. I disclosed everything to her about the house. No point in omission or in lying. We wait now to see if all will remain okay with respect to the house in the township where it is located. So far, while they knew what I was planning because I called them multiple times, I am unsure if they really know about me being there.
For those of you who are just joining me here, you should know that as with most houses, Tiny House Ontario (or any tiny house) is in constant flux. I am not sure how it happens here. I very rarely buy new stuff, but I guess, I add more blankets as the weather gets cold and move the mats. This year, the big addition to the house was the stone patio and I also bought some horizontal blinds for some of the windows, when there was a sale on. It was not that I was trying to gain privacy from peeping chipmunks. Rather I thought it would be good to block out the sun in those windows that allow too much heat in during the summer months. Both of these improvements were felt and I am happy with them.
The house is not finished, there is still no kitchen, no running water, no furnace and no modern bathroom facilities. There is much to be done in order to make it livable beyond the summer months. As it is, when I am here, I live in a sort of constant state of “glamping” – a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t mind this. I actually love THO with all its little unrefined bits too. Even so, I do envision a few more comforts in my tiny house.
What I mean to say is now MPAC has been here, so we will find out if the powers that be will allow this little sugar shack to stand and her vision be fulfilled.
A reclaimed antique dresser to put away clothes in. I am sure a high dresser would offer more practical storage, but it would not be nearly as cute as this.
I have a king sized bed in the loft. Actually it is two twins put together in the German style. This makes for a more comfortable sleep even on nights when one of us fidgets.
This is the East side of the house. Do you see? There is rain barrel out there. This window gives me easy access to the spout. The curtained area is the closet, should you just now be looking at my the house for the first time.
The doors to the cloth porch are here in this corner. I bought these doors second hand on kijiji for $100. They work fine but are not very air tight. If I was building again, I would buy the doors new. Or at the very least I would be sure they were better made. I read the Lord of the Rinds trilogy this summer. I have had the quote on a board for many years and have long been a wanderer, so I thought it was time. “Not all those who wander are lost”
Dishes are drying inside. Due to the rain outside, they won’t dry on the porch. I did not get the kitchen put in this summer. I hoped I would earn a little more than I did with my art at the market, but this is the way that the cookie crumbles. When you are trying to support yourself and build a home using only creative earned budget, you can only do a little at a time. No debt gained, and I do have a wonderful now patio too!
This green chair is where Hj likes to sit. I don’t want to air our dirty laundry… BUT in the spirit of sharing what works and what does not… I would like to pitch this chair because he consitantly tilts back in it. This blocks the way to the upstairs, the entry, and the bathroom. A tilting chair (recovered from the road side) is not the best solution for a tiny house, in my opinion. At least NOT in the “route” corner… Still, I like the chair, it has a funkiness about it and it is dead comfy.
Tiny House Ontario 