Monday, October 26, 2015

Deep thoughts...not by Jack Handy... et cetera.

What if I break it?  What if I can't do it? What if I look foolish? What will other people think of me if I fail?  What will that tell me about myself if I fail?

I think we all ask ourselves these questions sometimes, and some people more than others (you know who you are).  Throughout the process of building TicklebellyBungalow people have asked me how I knew how to do all this stuff. My answer has been "YouTube" and occasionally I'll admit to trial and error.  Well this morning I discovered another answer; fearlessly following directions. My little heater, which is fabulous, wouldn't stay lit after the requisite warming period of holding in the knob. So this morning I got out the instruction booklet and turned to the troubleshooting section. The instructions were not perfectly clear to me because of my inexperience with the heater, so I also did a little research to make sure I understood exactly what the instructions were telling me to do. Then I simply dove in head first fearlessly following the instructions.  Once I overcame my fear of the unknown by beginning, I realized that my fear was easily overcome by focusing on learning something new.  Today the new thing I learned was how to clean a thermocouple. Sounds intimidating, right?  A thermocouple is a device that senses temperature and acts as a shut-off. If it has gunk on it or is not seated correctly it won't work properly.  In my little heater it is a small nut that I loosened, cleaned with some fine sandpaper (according to the instructions) and tightened back in place. The most intimidating part was getting to the thermocouple because I basically took the heater apart to get to it. But guess what?  My heater works perfectly, and I learned something new. On to the next!!!

And it has been a busy week!  I had my first BACON day on Saturday, and my first buckwheat pancakes with canned nectaries and coconut whip cream... 
PS. Yes, the smoke alarm works (still), and yes I have a new solution to the cooking smoke alarm issue.  Double hung windows in the kitchen mean I can open the top pane of the window...a small fan next to the stove blowing toward the window should help immensely. 

I put the shelves in the bathroom...the hidden ones that is.
With the door open...

And hiding behind is...


I got some bins for under the kitchen cabinets...frees a little drawer space and utilizes the space under the cabinets.


I also put the house on cinder blocks.  Feels more steady when you walk in and the pull chains on the ceiling fan don't begin to dance like they used to.  With our impending wind storm I think the house will feel more sturdy. Pics to come. Dark early now. 

Along with the cinderblocks I put a few pavers in front of the stairs in hopes that it would cut down on the dirt Nellie and I drag in the house.  Still trying to get used to being Mr. Rogers.  I come in and out so much, though, that it is difficult to change shoes every single time.  That is the goal though.  

Today I went and got the rest of the materials I need for the drawers in the table.  I'm hoping to be able to work on that while this storm passes.  We're in for our first winter storm in the next couple of days.  Need to make sure I have a propane back-up ready.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Milestones Galore!

Milestones every day.  Here are some favorites...

Thursday October 22
Made my first hot chocolate on my very own stove this morning!  Yay!


Friday October 23
We have running water!


Ran the heater for the first time today.  I'm actually pretty impressed.  Now I just need to get the ceiling fan going and it will be pushing that heat around perfectly.

Saturday October 24
Made my first cooked meal today...had soft tacos.  YUM!  The stove is working perfectly.

Well, the smoke alarm works perfectly too! Yes, I made my first popcorn so I could watch a movie in style, and lo and behold the smoke alarm works...and i didn't even burn the popcorn.  JiffyPop all the way!
Making bacon will be an interesting experience.  Guess I'll just have to remember to open a window or two.  I think putting those double hung windows in the kitchen will come in handy!

Sunday October 25
Made some quesadillas tonight and guess what?  Yep, the smoke alarm still works.  I may need to make some adjustments to the location of that alarm.  Poor Nelie kept looking at me wondering if she should run or not. Then I began doing the towel wave thing and I'm sure she thought I was nuts.

Other than the smoke alarm, I've learned a few other things.  First, dishes can't be left in the sink.  When you only have one sink, it is difficult to wash hands, brush teeth etc, when it is full of dishes.  Second, it is important to remember Mr Rogers.  Changing shoes when coming in and out of the house will make floor cleaning so much easier.  This is a new habit for me, so I'm not doing too well so far.  

I thought about including a pic of the organizational progress so far, but I just couldn't do it.  The pics make the house look VERY cluttered.  While it is still quite cluttered, the pics make it look ten times worse than it is.  I'll post some of those pics next time as before and afters. :)  I've been busy with the grey water greenhouse.  After a bazillion trips to the store, it is finally in the testing stages.  Updates on that will also be forthcoming.  I bought a couple of wall shelves to put up over the closet/trunk.  I still have too much stuff.  Grrrr.  Downsizing is a process, downsizing is a process, downsizing is a process.  Just reminding myself.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Moving Update

You know that saying that goes something like "You can tell a true friend when you haven't seen each other in ages, but when you get together it is like no time has passed at all."  That is Robyn!

Friday October 9
Spent the whole day (well, most of it anyway) looking at heaters online...again.  I was determined to buy one today.  After finding one that I LOVED, I called the company to find out when they would be in stock again and was informed that regs have changed so they are having to redesign the guts of the heater.  In other words, it will be at least a year if not more before they begin selling them again.  SO BUMMED!  I was looking for a direct vent heater because they pull O2 in from outside instead of using air from the inside of the house.  Although I found quite a few, they mostly look like one of two things, an ugly metal box (no character whatsoever), or a hotel heater.  In other words I went back to the Dickinson P12000 boat heater, because at least it has a little character.  It should be here on Tuesday.  Wow! Getting closer! 

Photo was actually taken on Tuesday October 20, but oh well.  So now you're wondering what's up with the blue and green things below and above, right?  Well, the studs are 16" on center and the mounting plate is only 9 inches wide.  Nice.  The blue and green pieces are attached to the studs and the mounting plate is attached to the blue and green pieces.  I'll report back how well the heater does! 


Monday October 12
Today was a good day!  Nellie and I went to Grantsville, got in Robyn's truck with her and drove to Ogden where we emptied my storage unit into the back of the truck, hooked up the tiny house and drove away!  I cried...for joy of course.  My road trip was fantastic, and my cousins, Jason, Wendy, and Cole (and their pups) have been so kind to let me and Nellie stay with them for a few weeks.  Now it is time to make Ticklebelly Bungalow my home and I'm so excited to do just that.  I still have quite a bit of work ahead of me.  We didn't unpack anything because I needed to head off to my niece's choir concert (which was very well done and enjoyable).  So tomorrow the unpacking begins.  I'm so ready to be finished moving.  This is the longest drawn-out move I've ever attempted.  I think Nellie is ready to be settled too.  Tentative move-in...this coming weekend. :D

I got one of the biggest compliments I have ever received today.  My 17-year old cousin Cole said he would be sad for me to leave because he liked having me around...well, maybe it was that he liked having Nellie around, well only half Nellie.  He's a great young man!

Wednesday October 21
Ok, my brain fog is back, but that is a story for another day.  I must apologize for ditching the blog for a few weeks.  I've been very busy getting the Bungalow ready to move into and TODAY IS MOVE-IN DAY!  In fact, it is 9pm and we are moved in.  Still have a list of things to do, but the heater is in, the greenhouse where the grey water will go is coming along, we have electricity, and the stuff is finding places to live.  Nellie is adjusting.  She loves being here, but I think she is a little confused tonight about why we didn't go back to the super comfy bed at Jason and Wendy's.  AND she is currently snoring on her pillow.  So here are a few pics, and I promise to post again at least on my regular Sunday schedule again.

In process...

Still...

Must have a shed

Robyn's husband Keith leveling my spot (with Nellie supervising of course)

Ticklebelly Bungalow's permanent parking spot.

And the view...

And the stove works!

And the view to the east...at sunset

And got the sides of the table finished (still need the drawers)

And another one, on our way back to SLC.

Promise I'll post on Sunday with a pic of the progress on the inside, and the greenhouse, etc.









Friday, October 2, 2015

Peripeteia

My Dictionary.com word of the day is perfect for today.  Peripeteia means a turn of events or an unusual reversal.  So my peripeteia has to do with parking for the tiny house.  After making you all envious in the extreme of my future view, it turns out that my view will be somewhat different.  The HOA at the RV park confabulated in too lengthy a manner, and in that time I realized that I had no more desire to reside there (reason: HOA).  So in reality, it worked out just right, they chatted just long enough. :)  

With that said, I will be moving the Bungalow to Grantsville, UT (which is near Tooele for those who are somewhat familiar with UT geography).  My college roommate Robyn and her family have a house and property there with kids, lots of horses, dogs, goats, cats, a space just right for the Bungalow and Nellie, and an equally beautiful view.  That doesn't even take into account how much I love Robyn and her family.  

Pictures of the view TBP (to be posted).

So that means that I'll need to get a heater.  More of the Bungalow, and move-in experience to come!  This is getting exciting!