All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one... characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers.
~~Henry David Thoreau
We have now lived here for half a year. Six months and the house is not finished. In our fast food world of instant gratification, living the life of a modern day Walden is teaching me patience.
We have the long drive.
We wait for a fire to warm the house.
The rooms are finished slowly when they are finished.
We wait for sunny times to use electrical appliances.
We shovel the long drive by hand. Our exercise use to be biking to work.
The water heater froze due to a downdraft caused by a house built too tight; the house consumed more air than was available creating the downdraft. Nature finds equilibrium one way or another. Greg makes a fresh air intake vent which provides the needed fresh air, but also lets cold air in. We buy an industrial grade tank hot water heater. We will consume more propane, but this constant burning will also add a little heat to our utility room.
I love this hot water heater. One less thing to wait for as the hot water it right there, and the water is actually hot. The tankless hotwater heater did not heat to the piping hotness I love for dishes and baths.
Like nature, I hope my children will find equilibrium learning patience and perseverance. These qualities are the keys to success and happiness; the tools of finishers. Our daughter is bothered by the unfinished home and rallies her father with her intense helpfulness.... she has persistance mastered. Our son doesn't even notice when a major project is completed. It doesn't matter to him.... but he is innately patient.
Sometimes we are tired, sometimes things don't go as planned, sometimes this lifestyle is more difficult than we want at that particular moment. And this is the perseverance.
The darkness of this time of year hides many of my pleasures of living in the country. I leave to work in the dark and return home in the dark. Patience will bring the sunsets and sunrises back. For now I dazzle at the stars and the milky way that dominate our sky, and honestly and truly I do not miss living in the city.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Winter
In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends.... We enjoy now, not an Oriental, but a Boreal leisure, around warm stoves and fireplaces,and watch the shadow of motes in the sunbeams.
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862),“A Winter Walk”
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The forecast calls for a blizzard. Schools close early. I wait for our students to board the bus and find their parents' cars, all ready for an early Thanksgiving break. We drive home, the last few miles in tango whirls of snow.
Home is warm. The blizzard is mild, a few hours of blowing snow. With temperatures dipping down to zero we are maintaining our 55 degrees unheated. With the fire or propane heater we can warm up to 70. Only once, even with cloud filled snow falling days, have we needed to turn on the generator for power and that was to watch a movie. My anxiety level is dropping. My worries are easing. We are passing these tests I feared we were unprepared for.
Let your guard down and the unexpected sneaks in. Our water heater freezes. The room is plenty warm... I am constantly monitoring. We have insulated everything; the pipes in triplicate in my worry. It is a back draft from the venting pipe. We never imagined that one,and between the two of us we are pretty good at imagining all the possibilities. Water heater broken. Warranty doesn't cover freezing no matter the cause. Thought we did this one right but it has just been difficult, this Bosch on demand water heater. Ordered the special venting pipe for higher elevations like the instructions demand, had a plumper hook it up and adjust it, Greg spent hours with the technical help when it only heated to a lukewarm temperature. Then the waiting, the wasting of water, while it heats. This make rinsing dishes a challenging feat. Do you waste the water or the propane? That is the question. The painful payment of a new one. There are so many other things I would rather do with this thousand dollars. Greg has not had work the past few weeks. So early in the winter and I am on the edge of annoyed anger and financial panic. Thoreau didn't have this hostility in a wife, I wonder if he ever got it from his mother. So much easier to live your dream when it is only your dream, not a shared one with the best interest of many individuals. Yet, it is Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for.
Our Thanksgiving dinner was perfect. How glad I am to have a daughter who likes to cook. She could prepare this feast on her own and gives everything a festive touch that I do not. She add so much wit and insight to daily observations and conversations. How thankful I am to have a healthy happy thriving son, the ideal teen. How thankful I am to have food and shelter, health and nature, love and family, education and a job that I enjoy, and peace. We live in a peaceful time and for this I am most thankful.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Warmth
“Every man looks at his wood-pile with a kind of affection. I loved to have mine before my window … they warmed me twice, once while I was splitting them, and again when they were on the fire, so that no fuel could give out more heat. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Staying warm is one of my major concerns. As the nights grow colder we stack and split firewood we have collected from dead trees and Greg's landscaping jobs. Watching Greg split fire wood is amazing... a display of grace and strength. With one drop of the ax the log splits in two (lets just say it takes many more swings for me to split a log). I have no idea how much wood is required to heat a house through a winter, and I suppose it depends on the severity of the winter. We have 6 cords of wood and a cast iron stove recycled from my parents rental house. A remnant of the 70's when many heated their homes with wood.
The plan is to use a wall mounted propane heater to warm things up before we leave to school in the mornings and use the wood burning stove in the evenings. Right now the coldest the house has been in the morning is 58 degrees (the coldest outside has been 32 degrees). I have yet to finish making insulated curtains for all the windows, so we will see if that helps hold in heat as the nights and days grow colder. The propane heater can heat the house up to my comfort level of 68 degrees in a half hour, the wood burning stove takes a few hours. I am disappointed at this. I thought it would really heat things up. It does seems to heat efficiently, burning slowly and leaving few ashes.
I am pleased that we have used less propane than anticipated. In four months we have used 100 gallons for heating water, cooking, and the fridge. This is a constant usage. Add the propane heater and we will see how much we go through, but we should be able to make the goal of only filling our 1000 gallon tank once a year. Also, as of yet we have not needed to use the generator for electricity. The solar panels and batteries have been providing all we need, even through a rainy weekend when we were all home. It is all an experiment and an adventure.
Staying warm is one of my major concerns. As the nights grow colder we stack and split firewood we have collected from dead trees and Greg's landscaping jobs. Watching Greg split fire wood is amazing... a display of grace and strength. With one drop of the ax the log splits in two (lets just say it takes many more swings for me to split a log). I have no idea how much wood is required to heat a house through a winter, and I suppose it depends on the severity of the winter. We have 6 cords of wood and a cast iron stove recycled from my parents rental house. A remnant of the 70's when many heated their homes with wood.
The plan is to use a wall mounted propane heater to warm things up before we leave to school in the mornings and use the wood burning stove in the evenings. Right now the coldest the house has been in the morning is 58 degrees (the coldest outside has been 32 degrees). I have yet to finish making insulated curtains for all the windows, so we will see if that helps hold in heat as the nights and days grow colder. The propane heater can heat the house up to my comfort level of 68 degrees in a half hour, the wood burning stove takes a few hours. I am disappointed at this. I thought it would really heat things up. It does seems to heat efficiently, burning slowly and leaving few ashes.
I am pleased that we have used less propane than anticipated. In four months we have used 100 gallons for heating water, cooking, and the fridge. This is a constant usage. Add the propane heater and we will see how much we go through, but we should be able to make the goal of only filling our 1000 gallon tank once a year. Also, as of yet we have not needed to use the generator for electricity. The solar panels and batteries have been providing all we need, even through a rainy weekend when we were all home. It is all an experiment and an adventure.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Green Roof
This October has been glorious. We are lucky, the greenroof has been more labor intensive and expensive than anticipated.
-Waterproof membrane $1000 and 700 pounds needed help to move it (thanks to those who helped)
-PearlLite from Mallad Idaho (in the giant white bags) $500 a light weight soil mixture to help with drainage
-Top soil $200
-Peat Moss $300
-Plants $500 got a great deal from Willard Bay Nursery on succulents and other small rooted, draught tolerant, evergreenish plants
-Crates $500 keeps all the planting medium from sliding off and provides drainage
Give it a few years to grow in and it will be beautiful.
Digging in the dirt is such a joy to me. It is something that gives me pure happiness. That magical chemistry of life and death and renewal. Now we not only have plants underneath our feet but also over our heads.
I couldn't find a Thoreau quote on roofs, this surprises me because they are the ultimate symbol of our disconnect with nature. We build this structure to keep out the cold, the wind, the rain. This structure protects us from the dangers of the unknown, of a world that can be violent and unpredictable. This structure becomes the line between the natural and the man made. Humans can spend their entire life never leaving a place with a roof over their head. You get into your car in the garage, drive to a parking terrace, never have to feel the heat of the sun or the biting cold. Never feel the wind in your hair or the rain on your face. Without these constant discomforts and unpredictable possible dangers we lose our ability to adapt-- to problem-solve-- to enjoy the few brief moments of perfection. The natural world teaches us how to cope with the discomforts of being human. To be patient and hope and know that all that is beautiful will return again.
Monday, September 20, 2010
One Season
Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.
~~Henry David Thoreau
We have lived the life of Walden with Wife and Kids for a quarter of a year, the season of summer. I am not sure where the time has gone. We are not finished with the house; I didn't expect to be. We have spent the last couple of weeks sealing things up for winter. Insulating the pipes and attic. Enjoying the warm days and cooling evenings. Preparing in many ways physically and psychologically for winter. I look forward to finishing the green roof and library this fall, then enjoying the wintery days of rest, sitting in front of the word burning stove reading many wonderful books.
~~Henry David Thoreau
We have lived the life of Walden with Wife and Kids for a quarter of a year, the season of summer. I am not sure where the time has gone. We are not finished with the house; I didn't expect to be. We have spent the last couple of weeks sealing things up for winter. Insulating the pipes and attic. Enjoying the warm days and cooling evenings. Preparing in many ways physically and psychologically for winter. I look forward to finishing the green roof and library this fall, then enjoying the wintery days of rest, sitting in front of the word burning stove reading many wonderful books.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Peaches
Our appetites have commonly confined our views of ripeness and its phenomena, color, mellowness, and perfectness, to the fruits which we eat, and we are wont to forget that an immense harvest which we do not eat, hardly use at all, is annually ripened by Nature~ Henry David Thoreau
The only thing I miss about our house in Logan is the peach tree. We have planted 3 peach trees in our orchard, but for some reason they haven't grown large enough to produce fruit. Rabbits, voles, and grasshoppers love them as much as I do. Now that we live there hopefully our dogs will keep the tree devouring pests away.
In the past I have bottled enough peaches (from our one little tree) to have one jar per week for 10 months. Eating a peach in winter is like opening a momentary doorway to summer. All the sunshine and warmth is captured in the sweet juicy taste and color of a peach. Greg went back and picked the peaches, but with no water all summer they are small . My son called them "two bite peaches". I froze them instead of bottling, but at least we have a little of summer put away.
The only thing I miss about our house in Logan is the peach tree. We have planted 3 peach trees in our orchard, but for some reason they haven't grown large enough to produce fruit. Rabbits, voles, and grasshoppers love them as much as I do. Now that we live there hopefully our dogs will keep the tree devouring pests away.
In the past I have bottled enough peaches (from our one little tree) to have one jar per week for 10 months. Eating a peach in winter is like opening a momentary doorway to summer. All the sunshine and warmth is captured in the sweet juicy taste and color of a peach. Greg went back and picked the peaches, but with no water all summer they are small . My son called them "two bite peaches". I froze them instead of bottling, but at least we have a little of summer put away.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Laundry
So that all the pecuniary outgoes, excepting for washing and mending, which for the most part were done out of the house, and their bills have not yet been received . . . were
House, $28 12 1/2
Farm one year, 14 72 1/2
Food eight months, 8 74
Clothing &c., eight months, 8 40 3/4
Oil, &c., eight months, 2 00
In all, $61 99 3/4
~~ From Walden by Henry David Thoreau
I realize that things will be different in the deep dark depths of December, but right now we are creating more energy than we use. A laptop surprisingly takes little energy, our kids are happy about this one. With LED and the compact florescent bulbs (and daylight hours), the power consumed by lighting is insignificant. Greg even uses power tools almost daily. The only quirk to our 1000 watt system is laundry. Last fall, Greg could no longer patch together our washer of 15 years. We ended up with an energy efficient model, which is still our highest wattage appliance. To do laundry we need a sunny day with everything else turned off and we do not generate enough electricity to run an electric drier. As of right now we are hanging clothes to dry. We are a family of four with different cleanliness standards than the days of Thoreau and he paid someone else to do his laundry. How would it be to have the means to pay someone to do all your drudgery so that you could spend time doing what you love? One of my weaknesses is getting too caught up in getting work done and not taking time to enjoy the moment. Living in the country is helping to teach me to take those moments. There are birds to watch, the little ones that chase the hawks away are my favorite... now I need to take time to learn all their names. The sky is so amazingly big with clouds that just hang there slowly forming pictures, a constant kaleidoscope. The sunsets are my moment. As a child I loved to watch the sun set. Our house in Logan didn't have a Western view, so having missed this daily routine for many years, it is the one moment I always make time for. Sunrise too is amazing as the world gradually blooms in color like the hand painting of a black and white photo. It is good to be living a type of Walden with Wife and Kids.
House, $28 12 1/2
Farm one year, 14 72 1/2
Food eight months, 8 74
Clothing &c., eight months, 8 40 3/4
Oil, &c., eight months, 2 00
In all, $61 99 3/4
~~ From Walden by Henry David Thoreau
I realize that things will be different in the deep dark depths of December, but right now we are creating more energy than we use. A laptop surprisingly takes little energy, our kids are happy about this one. With LED and the compact florescent bulbs (and daylight hours), the power consumed by lighting is insignificant. Greg even uses power tools almost daily. The only quirk to our 1000 watt system is laundry. Last fall, Greg could no longer patch together our washer of 15 years. We ended up with an energy efficient model, which is still our highest wattage appliance. To do laundry we need a sunny day with everything else turned off and we do not generate enough electricity to run an electric drier. As of right now we are hanging clothes to dry. We are a family of four with different cleanliness standards than the days of Thoreau and he paid someone else to do his laundry. How would it be to have the means to pay someone to do all your drudgery so that you could spend time doing what you love? One of my weaknesses is getting too caught up in getting work done and not taking time to enjoy the moment. Living in the country is helping to teach me to take those moments. There are birds to watch, the little ones that chase the hawks away are my favorite... now I need to take time to learn all their names. The sky is so amazingly big with clouds that just hang there slowly forming pictures, a constant kaleidoscope. The sunsets are my moment. As a child I loved to watch the sun set. Our house in Logan didn't have a Western view, so having missed this daily routine for many years, it is the one moment I always make time for. Sunrise too is amazing as the world gradually blooms in color like the hand painting of a black and white photo. It is good to be living a type of Walden with Wife and Kids.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Solar Panels
Every man casts a shadow; not his body only, but his imperfectly mingled spirit. This is his grief. Let him turn which way he will, it falls opposite to the sun; short at noon, long at eve. Did you never see it? ~~Henry David Thoreau
We finally got our solar panels! Now we have a lot to learn by experience. Living without electricity for a month has actually been a good thing... instead of changing to limited power, a little power now is a miracle. When you do not have a utility company that will give you what you pay for... when you live with a limited amount of power... it changes the way you view things you need. Solar is an amazing thing. More efficient and less expensive than years past. I see the day when every house has a grid-tied solar system. Grid-tied for a few reasons: power companies will not want to lose their power, most people do not want to carefully monitor their power consumption, and the expense of batteries. Batteries cost more than the solar panels, the person who can invent a new way to store energy will vitalize alternative power sources. Now I look at the power consumption of everything, it is facinating to me.
We finally got our solar panels! Now we have a lot to learn by experience. Living without electricity for a month has actually been a good thing... instead of changing to limited power, a little power now is a miracle. When you do not have a utility company that will give you what you pay for... when you live with a limited amount of power... it changes the way you view things you need. Solar is an amazing thing. More efficient and less expensive than years past. I see the day when every house has a grid-tied solar system. Grid-tied for a few reasons: power companies will not want to lose their power, most people do not want to carefully monitor their power consumption, and the expense of batteries. Batteries cost more than the solar panels, the person who can invent a new way to store energy will vitalize alternative power sources. Now I look at the power consumption of everything, it is facinating to me.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Baths and Kitchen.... water
I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man.~Henry David Thoreau
In this quote, Thoreau is referring to the Transcendentalist belief of not consuming alcohol. I will refer to this quote as the preciousness of water. Water becomes more precious when it does not automatically come out of the tap. Maybe in solar contractor language the date they give you really means two weeks later, still waiting for power. No power, no pressure pump, no pressure pump, no water to our facets.
We have never had a dish washer. When this task is rotated between four people, it is not bad. When you have to haul and heat your water, it becomes more difficult. It takes me 3 gallons of water to do the dishes.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Moved
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." ~Henry David Thoreau
We begin to work frantically. My first priority for completion is the basement and bathrooms. We are uprooting our children and taking them into the wilds. In attempt to make this less painful we get their rooms done first. Spend a surprising $400 on joint compound and $600 on paint. Sanding and painting will it ever end? Once painted, what I thought perfectly sanded walls are eye-poppingly flawed. Got to let it go, I sanded until my hand cramped and I couldn't feel; we worked from sunup til sunset for multiple weekends. Not much more we could do. We got the rooms done on a Monday (had to be to work on Tuesday), carpet on Friday $1400, and moved (thanks to all who helped) our heavy furniture on Saturday. Greg tiled the bathrooms and installed the fixtures... Greg is great at finding clearance items, we spent about $2000 for both bathrooms and they are beautiful fully tiled bathrooms.
I have never really moved. I lived in the same house as a kid. When we moved to the house in Logan we had just been married a year and didn't have many possessions. I can't believe the amount of stuff we acquired. I can't believe how much work it is to move. We yardsale, donate, throw out alot of things. Why did we have it? Where did it come from? We still have another weekend of moving things.
We spend the week in barebones Logan House for showers and electricity, and finish the master bedroom (with carpet recycled from the house in Logan). Get our payment... pay off the mortgage and start spending our equity. Life without a mortgage how will it be? Got to invest in retirement. I quickly learn that when subcontractors give you a date, in their language it really means a week later. I quickly learn that every thing costs more than you think (all those small parts not included really add up). Saturday, we move the rest of our belongings to a house without running water, appliances, finished floors (but the basement) or electricity. My nice plan is put off by my lack of fluency in subcontractor language.
Ordered a solar pump $2500 and generator $1500. The solar pump is amazing. I love it. It is quiet, and even works on partially cloudy days. We should have built our storage tank higher for gravity pressure, unfortunately we need a pressure pump to get the water up to the sinks and shower, this is an additional $1000 plus all the fitting and shut off valves add up to a surprising $500. $4000 for running water ($5000 if you count the tank we bought last year) and we aren't even there yet because the pressure pump needs electricity. By the time we get there I will really appreciate running water. The propane tankless hot water heater cost $750, the venting pipes surprisingly $250. So if you are thinking about hot water it is $6000. But a hot shower is one thing in life I am not willing to live without. It is worth every penny.
We wait for the gaslines to be pressure tested. Wait, wait, wait one week. Then Greg tiles the kitchen floor (tiles Greg got a year ago, traded for labor on a tile job) and we have the propane tank and line installed $4000 with the tank filled.
I usually do not splurge, do not buy what I want only what I need. But when it came to the fridge and stove that I will have for the next 20+ years I wanted what I wanted. Propane is more expensive and I wanted stainless so we pay a painful $3500 for both. They had to be shipped from the midwest and when we unpackage they have dents (we only later read the instructions to not sign the delivery forms until you have inspected them and now have to live with it) but we are living the theme of not expecting perfection. How I love refrigeration. Spend a hot end of June week without it and you will appreciate a cold drink like never before. We have also spent more money on convenient foods than normal with no easy way to keep things cold or to cook them. You can do alot with a campstove, but I only have so much energy.
I don't think the solar guy took us seriously. He didn't order our panels and wouldn't until he cashed half the payment (why is he just telling us now when I thought he would be here to install the panels). We pay the half of the $10,800 for the solar system and wait. Fourth of July he is gone on vacation. We still wait.
We go to my parents house every few days to do the laundry, shower, and charge batteries. So far it has been light from 5:30 am til 10 pm which is sleeping time, but each day we lose a few minutes of light. We have solar flashlights and haul buckets of water to make the toilets flush, wash dishes, or to take lukewarm baths in. The water all drains perfectly to the septic tank, it just doesn't make it to the taps.
Three weeks of living in the wilds. Done a lot of driving. The dogs love living in the country and the kids have been amazingly adaptive and tell me that I haven't damaged them for life. The mornings and evenings are the best. In Logan I never went outside after dinner... too many weird neighbors. It is beautiful here, quiet, and we play frisbee every evening watching the sun set and the stars begin to dance. We are now really living at Walden with Wife and Kids.
We begin to work frantically. My first priority for completion is the basement and bathrooms. We are uprooting our children and taking them into the wilds. In attempt to make this less painful we get their rooms done first. Spend a surprising $400 on joint compound and $600 on paint. Sanding and painting will it ever end? Once painted, what I thought perfectly sanded walls are eye-poppingly flawed. Got to let it go, I sanded until my hand cramped and I couldn't feel; we worked from sunup til sunset for multiple weekends. Not much more we could do. We got the rooms done on a Monday (had to be to work on Tuesday), carpet on Friday $1400, and moved (thanks to all who helped) our heavy furniture on Saturday. Greg tiled the bathrooms and installed the fixtures... Greg is great at finding clearance items, we spent about $2000 for both bathrooms and they are beautiful fully tiled bathrooms.
I have never really moved. I lived in the same house as a kid. When we moved to the house in Logan we had just been married a year and didn't have many possessions. I can't believe the amount of stuff we acquired. I can't believe how much work it is to move. We yardsale, donate, throw out alot of things. Why did we have it? Where did it come from? We still have another weekend of moving things.
We spend the week in barebones Logan House for showers and electricity, and finish the master bedroom (with carpet recycled from the house in Logan). Get our payment... pay off the mortgage and start spending our equity. Life without a mortgage how will it be? Got to invest in retirement. I quickly learn that when subcontractors give you a date, in their language it really means a week later. I quickly learn that every thing costs more than you think (all those small parts not included really add up). Saturday, we move the rest of our belongings to a house without running water, appliances, finished floors (but the basement) or electricity. My nice plan is put off by my lack of fluency in subcontractor language.
Ordered a solar pump $2500 and generator $1500. The solar pump is amazing. I love it. It is quiet, and even works on partially cloudy days. We should have built our storage tank higher for gravity pressure, unfortunately we need a pressure pump to get the water up to the sinks and shower, this is an additional $1000 plus all the fitting and shut off valves add up to a surprising $500. $4000 for running water ($5000 if you count the tank we bought last year) and we aren't even there yet because the pressure pump needs electricity. By the time we get there I will really appreciate running water. The propane tankless hot water heater cost $750, the venting pipes surprisingly $250. So if you are thinking about hot water it is $6000. But a hot shower is one thing in life I am not willing to live without. It is worth every penny.
We wait for the gaslines to be pressure tested. Wait, wait, wait one week. Then Greg tiles the kitchen floor (tiles Greg got a year ago, traded for labor on a tile job) and we have the propane tank and line installed $4000 with the tank filled.
I usually do not splurge, do not buy what I want only what I need. But when it came to the fridge and stove that I will have for the next 20+ years I wanted what I wanted. Propane is more expensive and I wanted stainless so we pay a painful $3500 for both. They had to be shipped from the midwest and when we unpackage they have dents (we only later read the instructions to not sign the delivery forms until you have inspected them and now have to live with it) but we are living the theme of not expecting perfection. How I love refrigeration. Spend a hot end of June week without it and you will appreciate a cold drink like never before. We have also spent more money on convenient foods than normal with no easy way to keep things cold or to cook them. You can do alot with a campstove, but I only have so much energy.
I don't think the solar guy took us seriously. He didn't order our panels and wouldn't until he cashed half the payment (why is he just telling us now when I thought he would be here to install the panels). We pay the half of the $10,800 for the solar system and wait. Fourth of July he is gone on vacation. We still wait.
We go to my parents house every few days to do the laundry, shower, and charge batteries. So far it has been light from 5:30 am til 10 pm which is sleeping time, but each day we lose a few minutes of light. We have solar flashlights and haul buckets of water to make the toilets flush, wash dishes, or to take lukewarm baths in. The water all drains perfectly to the septic tank, it just doesn't make it to the taps.
Three weeks of living in the wilds. Done a lot of driving. The dogs love living in the country and the kids have been amazingly adaptive and tell me that I haven't damaged them for life. The mornings and evenings are the best. In Logan I never went outside after dinner... too many weird neighbors. It is beautiful here, quiet, and we play frisbee every evening watching the sun set and the stars begin to dance. We are now really living at Walden with Wife and Kids.
Risk
“A man sits as many risks as he runs.” ~Henry David Thoreau
We spend March and April insulating and sheetrocking, plastering and sanding. Hard dirty relentless work.
Our neighborhood is falling to pieces and I feel unsafe, do not want to leave my children (who are at an age when they need independence) alone.
We are frugile, but there is no way we can save enought to pay for the expensive items needed to live comfortably such as solar panels, water pumps, and propane tanks and appliances.
Our Logan house was planned to be rented out for retirement income. Would that be possible in our neighborhood? My sister has a rental house and has lost money more months than she has made money.
When the city offered more money to buy our house we decided to take their offer. We were given six weeks. I would lose the security of our house. We would have our equity (in six weeks) to finish the house. We would finally finally move. We would live in the country on a dirt road 3/4 mile from a paved road for all the good and difficult this would mean. Some think we are crazy for this choice... and I must admit there have been nights when I have been unable to sleep thinking the same thing, but for the most part this decision has felt good. You can not live life without risk and those who have gotten the most out of life or given the most back have taken the greatest risks.
We spend March and April insulating and sheetrocking, plastering and sanding. Hard dirty relentless work.
Our neighborhood is falling to pieces and I feel unsafe, do not want to leave my children (who are at an age when they need independence) alone.
We are frugile, but there is no way we can save enought to pay for the expensive items needed to live comfortably such as solar panels, water pumps, and propane tanks and appliances.
Our Logan house was planned to be rented out for retirement income. Would that be possible in our neighborhood? My sister has a rental house and has lost money more months than she has made money.
When the city offered more money to buy our house we decided to take their offer. We were given six weeks. I would lose the security of our house. We would have our equity (in six weeks) to finish the house. We would finally finally move. We would live in the country on a dirt road 3/4 mile from a paved road for all the good and difficult this would mean. Some think we are crazy for this choice... and I must admit there have been nights when I have been unable to sleep thinking the same thing, but for the most part this decision has felt good. You can not live life without risk and those who have gotten the most out of life or given the most back have taken the greatest risks.
Cupboards
“I sometimes dream of a larger and more populous house, standing in a golden age, of enduring materials, and without ginger-bread work, which shall still consist of only one room, a vast, rude, substantial, primitive hall, without ceiling or plastering, with bare rafters and purlins supporting a sort of lower heaven over one’s head…
“…a house which you have got into when you have opened the outside door, and the ceremony is over; where the weary traveler may wash, and eat, and converse, and sleep, without further journey; such a shelter as you would be glad to reach in a tempestuous night, containing all the essentials of a house, and nothing for house-keeping;
“where you can see all the treasures of the house at one view, and every thing hangs upon its peg that a man should use; at once kitchen, pantry, parlor, chamber, store-house, and garret; where you can see so necessary a thing as a barrel or a ladder, so convenient a thing as a cupboard, and hear the pot boil, and pay your respects to the fire that cooks your dinner and the oven that bakes your bread, and the necessary furniture and utensils are the chief ornaments; where the washing is not put out, nor the fire, nor the mistress, and perhaps you are sometimes requested to move from off the trap-door, when the cook would descend into the cellar, and so learn whether the ground is solid or hollow beneath you without stamp. A house whose inside is as open and manifest as a bird’s nest, and you cannot go in at the front door and out at the back without seeing some of its inhabitants; where to be a guest is to be presented with the freedom of the house, and not to be carefully excluded from seven eighths of it, shut up in a particular cell, and told to make yourself at home there, — in solitary confinement.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Our house in Logan is so tight and compact. As the kids have grown and we have acquired more stuff, I feel like we barely have room to move. Our new house is open. The design in for transfer of heat and light, but it makes the space seem larger and more inviting. With all the windows it is a lovely transition from outdoor to indoor.
Last summer, there was a canal break in our neighborhood that killed a family and destroyed two additional houses. The neighborhood has been empty and blighted. Just before Christmas, a local millionaire offered to buy all the property on our street (ours included) for taxable value. We declined this offer, but were allowed to salvage materials from the other houses marked for destruction. Greg took out some maple cupboards and put in the kitchen... just had to buy new pulls and corner molding. In the efforts of piecing things together we needed a sink. Once again it came down to the conservative me versus the artistic him. The beautiful farmhouse sinks that would create the right look cost thousands of dollars... some goes for granite countertops. With his gift for lucky finds and improvisation, Greg found a gorgeous granite sink that had once been a display, now sitting collecting dust in a back storeroom, he bought this for a couple hundred, and bought stone scraps to make the countertops with. And our kitchen will be built with beautiful natural enduring materials for under $1000.
“…a house which you have got into when you have opened the outside door, and the ceremony is over; where the weary traveler may wash, and eat, and converse, and sleep, without further journey; such a shelter as you would be glad to reach in a tempestuous night, containing all the essentials of a house, and nothing for house-keeping;
“where you can see all the treasures of the house at one view, and every thing hangs upon its peg that a man should use; at once kitchen, pantry, parlor, chamber, store-house, and garret; where you can see so necessary a thing as a barrel or a ladder, so convenient a thing as a cupboard, and hear the pot boil, and pay your respects to the fire that cooks your dinner and the oven that bakes your bread, and the necessary furniture and utensils are the chief ornaments; where the washing is not put out, nor the fire, nor the mistress, and perhaps you are sometimes requested to move from off the trap-door, when the cook would descend into the cellar, and so learn whether the ground is solid or hollow beneath you without stamp. A house whose inside is as open and manifest as a bird’s nest, and you cannot go in at the front door and out at the back without seeing some of its inhabitants; where to be a guest is to be presented with the freedom of the house, and not to be carefully excluded from seven eighths of it, shut up in a particular cell, and told to make yourself at home there, — in solitary confinement.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Our house in Logan is so tight and compact. As the kids have grown and we have acquired more stuff, I feel like we barely have room to move. Our new house is open. The design in for transfer of heat and light, but it makes the space seem larger and more inviting. With all the windows it is a lovely transition from outdoor to indoor.
Last summer, there was a canal break in our neighborhood that killed a family and destroyed two additional houses. The neighborhood has been empty and blighted. Just before Christmas, a local millionaire offered to buy all the property on our street (ours included) for taxable value. We declined this offer, but were allowed to salvage materials from the other houses marked for destruction. Greg took out some maple cupboards and put in the kitchen... just had to buy new pulls and corner molding. In the efforts of piecing things together we needed a sink. Once again it came down to the conservative me versus the artistic him. The beautiful farmhouse sinks that would create the right look cost thousands of dollars... some goes for granite countertops. With his gift for lucky finds and improvisation, Greg found a gorgeous granite sink that had once been a display, now sitting collecting dust in a back storeroom, he bought this for a couple hundred, and bought stone scraps to make the countertops with. And our kitchen will be built with beautiful natural enduring materials for under $1000.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Work
"Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it."
--Henry David Thoreau
In the all too common struggles of stretching our pennies I often have to remind myself of this.
When I fist met Greg I was amazed at his ability to take something old and broken even discarded and turn it into something beautiful. He enjoys his job of remodels and landscaping, fixing up things that are old and worn out and turning them into something beautiful. Work is inconsistent and sometimes when he doesn't have anything lined up he will work for almost nothing. The love of work not the love of money.
There are days when I wonder why I have the job I have. Then there are beautiful days. Days of teaching when the students ask all the right questions and I know all the right answers. Days when the class laughs at the parts of the lesson I intended to be funny. Days when they productively and engagingly work on their assignment completing excellent work not only for the class but as something they can take with them into their future lives.
--Henry David Thoreau
In the all too common struggles of stretching our pennies I often have to remind myself of this.
When I fist met Greg I was amazed at his ability to take something old and broken even discarded and turn it into something beautiful. He enjoys his job of remodels and landscaping, fixing up things that are old and worn out and turning them into something beautiful. Work is inconsistent and sometimes when he doesn't have anything lined up he will work for almost nothing. The love of work not the love of money.
There are days when I wonder why I have the job I have. Then there are beautiful days. Days of teaching when the students ask all the right questions and I know all the right answers. Days when the class laughs at the parts of the lesson I intended to be funny. Days when they productively and engagingly work on their assignment completing excellent work not only for the class but as something they can take with them into their future lives.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
2009
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.
--Henry David Thoreau
The first half of 2009 is hard and hopeless. I am like a tower of blocks built too high, swaying, ready to tumble down unless someone reaches out to balance it and to start removing blocks until stable.
If something needs to be done, I do it. Egocentric as all humans, I expect others to do the same. When they don't I harbor resentment.
At this point, my life is anything but simple. I am a mother of two, masters degree student who works full time. At both home and work I have taken on too much.
At work, we lose the person who takes care of lunch. So I step in. Pick up lunch from another high school 10 miles away, set everything up, serve, clean everything up, and return the dirty dishes. Not only does this take time away from my regular duties it is dirty and physically hard to lift heavy bags of foods, and becoming a "lunch lady" physiologically damages me. Teachers help as much as they can, but we are so short staffed.
The janitors think a school only needs to be cleaned once per week. I do not like dirty places, and we are trying to recruit new students. So each morning I get to work early to vacuum, to clean tables, and to get away from home.
The economy is slow. Funding for education is cut and schools have a hiring freeze right when I am ready to apply for jobs. I apply for dozens of jobs all over the country. The one interview I land, the library director explains that he has 40 highly qualified applicants. The library field was overflowing with qualified applicants before the budget cuts, now jobs are few and far inbetween. I will graduate with a master's degree and I spend my time cleaning up after people.
Greg has no work. Time to work on the house, but no money. Time to work on other projects but no desire. The dark cold winter always brings him down. I am the stabilizer & motivator, but have no energy to play this role. I need his help, but when I return from my night class at 9:30 pm the kids still need help with their homework, the dishes are piled in the sink, and the house is a mess. I try to convince him that there are other ways to contribute to a family besides financially. We fight more in a few months than we have all the previous years of our marriage combined. We are hopelessly lost in the fog of discouragement.
Just at the point of scrounging coins to buy milk... we get a call from someone wanting to purchase artwork. Amazingly so in this slow economy when we haven't done any of the money required ways of promoting art that we have done in the past.
Just at the point of finding every excuse not to go home, Greg and the kids step up and start doing their share of the cooking and housework.
Just at the point of complete blindness in the dark of despair, the sun breaks free for an early spring. The bulbs, crocuses first, pop up their colors with the promise of warmth of renewed hope, and of perseverance. Spring flowers are a reminder to me of the forgotten beauty.
Slowly, Greg starts to line up jobs. When not working he finishes the utility/workroom and starts laying the stone veneer on the house. This is a labor intensive job that only requires the purchase of mortar. The mortar is mixed in a large tub with a hoe to the consistency of cake batter. It is good work to rid the body of despair. Outside in the fresh crispness of spring you create your own heat working every muscle: the arms, back, stomach, and legs in the mixing and lifting and the mind in the puzzle of fitting rocks together like a pattern. We start landscaping. Greg acquires cuttings from friends and jobs he does for others. To work in the dirt, to plant that seed or cutting which turns into a living thing of beauty is my healing pastime.
I do not find a librarian job, but work improves. A new janitor is hired. Someone else is assigned to pick up, set up, and clean up lunch. I teach one computer technology class in addition to my admin assist duties. I love teaching, even though I am spending many weekend hours in preparation creating lessons and grading. I enjoy seeing students progress and what they teach me. I enjoy the challenge of behavior management and the reflection of "what could I do better". I feel that I am playing a more valuable role than that of lunch lady and this improve my physiological outlook.
Money is still tight, but we have enough. We insulate the house with R-19 insulation in the walls and R-30 insulation in the ceiling. Then we start to sheet rock. Amazing how covering the walls makes progress seem vast and the end finally seem possible.
--Henry David Thoreau
The first half of 2009 is hard and hopeless. I am like a tower of blocks built too high, swaying, ready to tumble down unless someone reaches out to balance it and to start removing blocks until stable.
If something needs to be done, I do it. Egocentric as all humans, I expect others to do the same. When they don't I harbor resentment.
At this point, my life is anything but simple. I am a mother of two, masters degree student who works full time. At both home and work I have taken on too much.
At work, we lose the person who takes care of lunch. So I step in. Pick up lunch from another high school 10 miles away, set everything up, serve, clean everything up, and return the dirty dishes. Not only does this take time away from my regular duties it is dirty and physically hard to lift heavy bags of foods, and becoming a "lunch lady" physiologically damages me. Teachers help as much as they can, but we are so short staffed.
The janitors think a school only needs to be cleaned once per week. I do not like dirty places, and we are trying to recruit new students. So each morning I get to work early to vacuum, to clean tables, and to get away from home.
The economy is slow. Funding for education is cut and schools have a hiring freeze right when I am ready to apply for jobs. I apply for dozens of jobs all over the country. The one interview I land, the library director explains that he has 40 highly qualified applicants. The library field was overflowing with qualified applicants before the budget cuts, now jobs are few and far inbetween. I will graduate with a master's degree and I spend my time cleaning up after people.
Greg has no work. Time to work on the house, but no money. Time to work on other projects but no desire. The dark cold winter always brings him down. I am the stabilizer & motivator, but have no energy to play this role. I need his help, but when I return from my night class at 9:30 pm the kids still need help with their homework, the dishes are piled in the sink, and the house is a mess. I try to convince him that there are other ways to contribute to a family besides financially. We fight more in a few months than we have all the previous years of our marriage combined. We are hopelessly lost in the fog of discouragement.
Just at the point of scrounging coins to buy milk... we get a call from someone wanting to purchase artwork. Amazingly so in this slow economy when we haven't done any of the money required ways of promoting art that we have done in the past.
Just at the point of finding every excuse not to go home, Greg and the kids step up and start doing their share of the cooking and housework.
Just at the point of complete blindness in the dark of despair, the sun breaks free for an early spring. The bulbs, crocuses first, pop up their colors with the promise of warmth of renewed hope, and of perseverance. Spring flowers are a reminder to me of the forgotten beauty.
Slowly, Greg starts to line up jobs. When not working he finishes the utility/workroom and starts laying the stone veneer on the house. This is a labor intensive job that only requires the purchase of mortar. The mortar is mixed in a large tub with a hoe to the consistency of cake batter. It is good work to rid the body of despair. Outside in the fresh crispness of spring you create your own heat working every muscle: the arms, back, stomach, and legs in the mixing and lifting and the mind in the puzzle of fitting rocks together like a pattern. We start landscaping. Greg acquires cuttings from friends and jobs he does for others. To work in the dirt, to plant that seed or cutting which turns into a living thing of beauty is my healing pastime.
I do not find a librarian job, but work improves. A new janitor is hired. Someone else is assigned to pick up, set up, and clean up lunch. I teach one computer technology class in addition to my admin assist duties. I love teaching, even though I am spending many weekend hours in preparation creating lessons and grading. I enjoy seeing students progress and what they teach me. I enjoy the challenge of behavior management and the reflection of "what could I do better". I feel that I am playing a more valuable role than that of lunch lady and this improve my physiological outlook.
Money is still tight, but we have enough. We insulate the house with R-19 insulation in the walls and R-30 insulation in the ceiling. Then we start to sheet rock. Amazing how covering the walls makes progress seem vast and the end finally seem possible.
Compromise
His singleness of purpose and resolution, and
his elevated piety, endowed him, without his knowledge, with perennial youth.
As he made no compromise with Time, Time kept out of his way, and only sighed
at a distance because he could not overcome him.
--Henry David Thoreau Walden
Thoreau writes this beautiful story about living purely, no compromises. But once again, Thoreau was not married.
Compromise is the basis of marriage.
If you look at the root words, compromise can be seen as beautiful.
Com:
a prefix meaning “with,” “together,” “in association,” and (with intensive force) “completely,” occurring in loanwords from Latin (commit)
Promise:
1. a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc.
2. an express assurance on which expectation is to be based
3. something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected
4. indication of future excellence or achievement
Compromise=together excellence
Almost always, when someone learns we are building our own house... something that takes all our spare time and money, has taken years and is still not close to being complete, they say "I don't know how you do it. My spouse and I can't even pick a color of paint without getting into a huge fight."
I see the doubt in their eye, the questioning of their own marriage and that is the last thing I would ever want to raise thought of.
We live in a society that has a focus on finding your soul mate, your true love.
Greg is my soul mate & true love, but that doesn't mean marriage is easy. That doesn't mean that we always agree, in fact I think it would be terrible to always agree with someone.
Greg and I have similar tastes and expectations and we are both fairly easygoing personalities... except for when we really want something or strongly believe we are correct. Time has taught me that when we disagree it is usually because we don't understand and that when we come to a compromise it is better than either of our individual ideas. Greg is visionary, I can't always picture what he has in mind. I am practical. I want what is easiest and best for the long term. Together, we can create something that is beautiful and functional. It has taken experience to learn this. At the beginning of our building project, Greg would listen to my ideas, then do whatever he wanted. Sometimes I had a "Oh that was what you were talking about" moment, but I still felt unimportant, unheard. Other times, like when he put a window in the kitchen right where I wanted the fridge, I made him redo it for the practical necessity.
We have learned to agree before any big project. It once took months before we came to an agreement on the roofing. Greg wanted slate, to conform to his vision of blending in with the natural setting. Slate is way out of our budget. I wanted green metal roofing. Practical and affordable, also looking at green metal roofs makes me think of the hillsides in spring. Of the first warm day when you take off on your bike in the liliac sented air, the sun soaking into your skin melting away the winter. That is a moment of pure joy. Greg wanted the roof to blend in, and that green state is so brief. We compromised on stone colored metal roofing. I will look to the neighbors green roof and one day when the roof needs replacing, maybe we can afford slate. We both ended up happy with the result, even if it took months to get there.
For any of you that have been to our land and seen a strangely unfinished project, it is probably because it is something that we have yet to agree on.
True compromise takes the best of two people to create the best result. It is not always possible, and sometimes someone must give in. To have someone give up something they really want for you is the ultimate act of love and commitment and that is what true love is all about.
his elevated piety, endowed him, without his knowledge, with perennial youth.
As he made no compromise with Time, Time kept out of his way, and only sighed
at a distance because he could not overcome him.
--Henry David Thoreau Walden
Thoreau writes this beautiful story about living purely, no compromises. But once again, Thoreau was not married.
Compromise is the basis of marriage.
If you look at the root words, compromise can be seen as beautiful.
Com:
a prefix meaning “with,” “together,” “in association,” and (with intensive force) “completely,” occurring in loanwords from Latin (commit)
Promise:
1. a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc.
2. an express assurance on which expectation is to be based
3. something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected
4. indication of future excellence or achievement
Compromise=together excellence
Almost always, when someone learns we are building our own house... something that takes all our spare time and money, has taken years and is still not close to being complete, they say "I don't know how you do it. My spouse and I can't even pick a color of paint without getting into a huge fight."
I see the doubt in their eye, the questioning of their own marriage and that is the last thing I would ever want to raise thought of.
We live in a society that has a focus on finding your soul mate, your true love.
Greg is my soul mate & true love, but that doesn't mean marriage is easy. That doesn't mean that we always agree, in fact I think it would be terrible to always agree with someone.
Greg and I have similar tastes and expectations and we are both fairly easygoing personalities... except for when we really want something or strongly believe we are correct. Time has taught me that when we disagree it is usually because we don't understand and that when we come to a compromise it is better than either of our individual ideas. Greg is visionary, I can't always picture what he has in mind. I am practical. I want what is easiest and best for the long term. Together, we can create something that is beautiful and functional. It has taken experience to learn this. At the beginning of our building project, Greg would listen to my ideas, then do whatever he wanted. Sometimes I had a "Oh that was what you were talking about" moment, but I still felt unimportant, unheard. Other times, like when he put a window in the kitchen right where I wanted the fridge, I made him redo it for the practical necessity.
We have learned to agree before any big project. It once took months before we came to an agreement on the roofing. Greg wanted slate, to conform to his vision of blending in with the natural setting. Slate is way out of our budget. I wanted green metal roofing. Practical and affordable, also looking at green metal roofs makes me think of the hillsides in spring. Of the first warm day when you take off on your bike in the liliac sented air, the sun soaking into your skin melting away the winter. That is a moment of pure joy. Greg wanted the roof to blend in, and that green state is so brief. We compromised on stone colored metal roofing. I will look to the neighbors green roof and one day when the roof needs replacing, maybe we can afford slate. We both ended up happy with the result, even if it took months to get there.
For any of you that have been to our land and seen a strangely unfinished project, it is probably because it is something that we have yet to agree on.
True compromise takes the best of two people to create the best result. It is not always possible, and sometimes someone must give in. To have someone give up something they really want for you is the ultimate act of love and commitment and that is what true love is all about.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2008
"I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society."
--Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau lived two years and two months in a 150 square foot cabin.
We had now spent more time building than Thoreau even lived at Walden Pond and 150 square feet would just not work. We had more needs and different aims.
First of all, we plan to live in this house for more than an experiment and the space needed for a lone man just doesn't work for a family of four.
Also, Greg is an artist. This house is not just a shelter, it is a piece of art, a sculpture. It is not a box, but a form of curves, angles, and slopes that blend with, show case, or imitate nature.
The house covers 1200 square feet of ground in a "L" shape with a 400 square foot basement and a 200 square foot attic, and one and a half baths.
The house has been designed for winter solar gain with only one window in the workshop/utility room on the North side, French doors that open onto a porch on the West side, small windows that will catch the breeze and the morning light and a door that will open onto a patio on the East side, and large windows and a recycled sunroom on the South side.
All our windows and doors were salvaged, recycled, purchased on clearance or as misorders; the beauty of building yourself. We used salvaged triple pane sliding glass doors, turned on their side for the South facing windows in the basement bedrooms, then created tiered window wells. The rooms are full of natural light. I love having a basement that is not dark and gloomy... electric lights will not be needed as long as the sun shines.
The kitchen and dinning room both have large South facing windows, the living room has the South facing sunroom glass with a 12 foot ceiling. The North walls will be bookcases, a library that leads to the basement.
The attic has one East and one West window and will hold a bedroom and a sewing/studio room. We got a great deal on the trusses because they were a misorder. The room has a low ceiling and required a change in the house plan, but it worked out perfectly for what we needed.
The basement is storage, a media room, and two 10x12 ft bedrooms. My daughter thinks this space is too small. I ask her, "Too small compared to what?" Thoreau's entire cabin wasn't much bigger than the space assigned to her room. She is comparing to her best friend's room. A friend that lives in a mini mansion in a gated community. Every time I pick her up or drop her off, I feel trapped as I wait for that gate to open to release me. Give me large spaces outside and small spaces with large windows inside. The dining room window is a 6x6 foot square that looks out on rolling pasture and the distant Wellsville Mountains. It is like a landscape painting the changes with the seasons. It will be interesting to see how many years pass before this view is gone by the progress of man.
This year we built stairs, put in the windows and doors, and got the plumbing and most of the wiring done.
Greg has friends who are fellow artisans working for themselves, they share their muscles and knowledge when needed, but most of the work (except for the roof raising)is completed solely by Greg with my weekend assistance.
2008 was for the most part a year of health and happiness.
I acquired a new boss, who brought many changes to our school. Charter schools are generally founded by a visionary, out-of-the-box thinking individual, who wants to create a dynamically different approach to education. Many times, these type of individuals have no clue about finances. A principal of a charter school is a CEO of a business as well as a director of education. It is a huge job, and our founding principal, like many other charter school principals, wasn't good with numbers. When the Board of Governors realized our school was quickly approaching bankruptcy, our founding principal "retired", and a teacher stepped up to act as principal until a qualified replacement could be found.
We lucked out and hired a guy who had a MBA and three years experience as a charter high school principal in Salt Lake City. He studied the finances and made major changes, the only way to save the school. We had a big beautiful expensive building. With same changes, we could function in half the space, sublease the other half, and save thousands of dollars in rent each month. One things that had to go was the school library, the Ameri VISTA positions, and all support staff but the special ed aides and one secretary who would need to take over the assignments of the four positions that were not being replaced. The school secretary had just had her first child, and decided to quit working and stay home. I then became the full time secretary, and even though the job I was going to school to become qualified for was gone, decided to continue with the program that I completely enjoyed and was half finished with. I managed to save the library in a greatly reduced state by moving it into a large corridor like hallway, which quickly became known as "Library Hall". Students would bring books to the office where I would check them out and use USU's library for research. This honor system library was better than nothing, it was used frequently, and we lost fewer books than I anticipated.
--Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau lived two years and two months in a 150 square foot cabin.
We had now spent more time building than Thoreau even lived at Walden Pond and 150 square feet would just not work. We had more needs and different aims.
First of all, we plan to live in this house for more than an experiment and the space needed for a lone man just doesn't work for a family of four.
Also, Greg is an artist. This house is not just a shelter, it is a piece of art, a sculpture. It is not a box, but a form of curves, angles, and slopes that blend with, show case, or imitate nature.
The house covers 1200 square feet of ground in a "L" shape with a 400 square foot basement and a 200 square foot attic, and one and a half baths.
The house has been designed for winter solar gain with only one window in the workshop/utility room on the North side, French doors that open onto a porch on the West side, small windows that will catch the breeze and the morning light and a door that will open onto a patio on the East side, and large windows and a recycled sunroom on the South side.
All our windows and doors were salvaged, recycled, purchased on clearance or as misorders; the beauty of building yourself. We used salvaged triple pane sliding glass doors, turned on their side for the South facing windows in the basement bedrooms, then created tiered window wells. The rooms are full of natural light. I love having a basement that is not dark and gloomy... electric lights will not be needed as long as the sun shines.
The kitchen and dinning room both have large South facing windows, the living room has the South facing sunroom glass with a 12 foot ceiling. The North walls will be bookcases, a library that leads to the basement.
The attic has one East and one West window and will hold a bedroom and a sewing/studio room. We got a great deal on the trusses because they were a misorder. The room has a low ceiling and required a change in the house plan, but it worked out perfectly for what we needed.
The basement is storage, a media room, and two 10x12 ft bedrooms. My daughter thinks this space is too small. I ask her, "Too small compared to what?" Thoreau's entire cabin wasn't much bigger than the space assigned to her room. She is comparing to her best friend's room. A friend that lives in a mini mansion in a gated community. Every time I pick her up or drop her off, I feel trapped as I wait for that gate to open to release me. Give me large spaces outside and small spaces with large windows inside. The dining room window is a 6x6 foot square that looks out on rolling pasture and the distant Wellsville Mountains. It is like a landscape painting the changes with the seasons. It will be interesting to see how many years pass before this view is gone by the progress of man.
This year we built stairs, put in the windows and doors, and got the plumbing and most of the wiring done.
Greg has friends who are fellow artisans working for themselves, they share their muscles and knowledge when needed, but most of the work (except for the roof raising)is completed solely by Greg with my weekend assistance.
2008 was for the most part a year of health and happiness.
I acquired a new boss, who brought many changes to our school. Charter schools are generally founded by a visionary, out-of-the-box thinking individual, who wants to create a dynamically different approach to education. Many times, these type of individuals have no clue about finances. A principal of a charter school is a CEO of a business as well as a director of education. It is a huge job, and our founding principal, like many other charter school principals, wasn't good with numbers. When the Board of Governors realized our school was quickly approaching bankruptcy, our founding principal "retired", and a teacher stepped up to act as principal until a qualified replacement could be found.
We lucked out and hired a guy who had a MBA and three years experience as a charter high school principal in Salt Lake City. He studied the finances and made major changes, the only way to save the school. We had a big beautiful expensive building. With same changes, we could function in half the space, sublease the other half, and save thousands of dollars in rent each month. One things that had to go was the school library, the Ameri VISTA positions, and all support staff but the special ed aides and one secretary who would need to take over the assignments of the four positions that were not being replaced. The school secretary had just had her first child, and decided to quit working and stay home. I then became the full time secretary, and even though the job I was going to school to become qualified for was gone, decided to continue with the program that I completely enjoyed and was half finished with. I managed to save the library in a greatly reduced state by moving it into a large corridor like hallway, which quickly became known as "Library Hall". Students would bring books to the office where I would check them out and use USU's library for research. This honor system library was better than nothing, it was used frequently, and we lost fewer books than I anticipated.
2006 Roof Raising
Thanks everyone who came to our Roof Raising Party and helped get the trusses up. We couldn't have done it without you.
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