A Woman Built her own Tiny House

 September 27, 2021

I didn't write my blog yesterday so I'll catch up at the end and that's ok.  I started to force myself to blog yesterday and started to feel guilty. Then I laughed and told myself it's all good.  And it is! 

I'm fascinated by Tiny Houses and watch them on TV and on You Tube.  The one I'm posting about today would not be my style but the fact that this woman built it herself with help, of course, is intriguing.  She knew she had no retirement saved and she needed a place to live economically when she retired. Her journey is fascinating to me.  

I think I could live in a Tiny House if I was alone.  But renting the lot to put it on might deter the savings.  The other deterrent would be bad storms.  A house on a trailer with wheels is not going to be safe in a bad wind storm or a tornado.  But what is safe in tornados? I think that would be my biggest worry, especially with the weather changes we're all experiencing now.

If this video speaks to you I hope you enjoy it.  If not, that's good too.

http://effywild.com

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OOPS

 September 24, 2021

Friday night 9:30 pm.  

 I really messed up today making soup.  I put my Instant Pot on sauté while chopping vegetables.  Added some butter and olive oil, then dumped the veggies in.  I opened a new bag of baby spinach and dumped half of it in the pot.  Something told me to taste the spinach so I did.  Yuck.  It had a musty taste and luckily I'd only put it on top. So I scooped it out and put it back in the bag.  I poured the chicken broth in and added my spices.  But I forgot to push the steam valve toward the back. I pushed pressure for 9 minutes and left the room. 

Next thing I heard all this hissing.  Being in the middle of something on my iPad I decided to wait a bit. Bernie came in and said, "Is the Instant Pot supposed to be hissing like this?"  I hurried into the kitchen and steam and liquid was coming out like it was natural releasing. The silver button was up but the pot wasn't counting down.  Hmm, I thought, what do I do next?  I turned it off, pushed the hissing valve back and turned on the pot again.  But it still didn't count down.  So I carefully pushed the valve forward again and let it release all the steam.  Liquid was still coming out making a mess on the lid. Finally I was able to open the pot and the soup looked ok.  I'd sautéed the stuff a while before and the pressure did build.  Nothing was raw and one can drink the broth right out of the carton. 

 So I decided I'd serve the soup anyhow.  Some of the vegetables were a tad more crunchy than usual but on the whole the soup was good.  This was the first time in 3 years that I forgot to push the steam valve back so I didn't beat myself up.

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Sleepless in my house

 September 21, 2021

Yes that's what happened to me Sunday night.  After falling asleep around 11:45pm I woke up somewhere around 1:30am and "that's all she wrote." 

My mind was spinning and even with some rounds of EFT tapping, trying to meditate, telling myself that this moment was the only one to think about, getting up and walking around, a few swear words, I was still awake. I was also thinking how how spacey I would feel the next day.  At least I didn't have any appointments, just an early afternoon food delivery.

I'm so glad I don't have insomnia like this often.  I remember back in the 90s when I could only sleep a couple hours a night for three months.  It was brutal and was caused from PTSD after a surgery outcome that was different from what I'd expected.  All this triggered childhood surgeries that hadn't been healed.

What do people do when they can't sleep? Some get up and read, but I was just too tired to concentrate. I need to get a blue tooth headset so I can listen to some guided meditations or an app for sleep on my phone. I love my iPhone but don't like that they eliminated the headphone jack. I don't like earbuds or anything sticking in my ear.

I've read about people cleaning houses or baking when they couldn't sleep.

Who has insomnia and what do you do when you can't sleep? 

I fell asleep after breakfast on Monday for about an hour and surprisingly felt better than I thought I would.  I also got some answers about something that was worrying me, so I breathed a sigh of relief.  Another nap after lunch helped too but around 7pm I felt myself starting to fade.  It was too early to go to sleep for the night and too late for a nap. 

I'm happy to report that I slept 7 house last night and feel thankful and refreshed.

http://effywild.com

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Image by Piyapong Saydaung from Pixabay

Have you ever felt free enough to dance and shine?

September 20, 2021

I saw this somewhere and it spoke to me.  As a child I might have wanted to dance like this but, my mother would have said, "don't make a spectacle of yourself." of course as I got older I wouldn't let myself feel this vulnerable and free.  Why do we lose our sense of spontaneity as we age?  It's all about should's and don'ts and what will people think? 

This is a brave child

She feels it

http://effywild.com

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Sunday

 September 19, 2021 - Nineteenth day of Blogging for 30 days in September with http://effywild.com

Fall is almost here - in three days, September 22.  I hope we have a vibrant, colorful display this year. 

A colorful tree I drew

 http://effywild.com

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She Sang While Scared!

September 18, 2021

I'm recycling an older blog today.

Anna Clendening, who has been suffering from panic disorder had the courage to walk on stage on America's Got Talent, admit how afraid she was, tell the world about her anxiety disorder and sing. Howie Mandel also talked about his anxiety and OCD problems. Howie encouraged Anna and said sing as if you are home in your room and no one was listening. Anna sang and moved me to tears. Afterwards Howie stood, walked over to her and gave her a hug. Even Howard Stern told her how she moved him.

The reason this moved me so much is because I also have suffered from anxiety and panic and like Anna, I spent a lot of time at home afraid to go places.  I am  better and I hope Anna is able to work through her fears and live a happier life.  

I got curious about how Anna is doing today and found a link to this interview. 

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Silence

September 17, 2021,

A friend posted this on Facebook this morning and it spoke to me.   Jean Arp was on to something and we don't even know when He wrote this. (I googled Arp and he died in 1966.   He was a German and French sculptor, artist and poet)  

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation. Tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster his ego. -Jean Arp, artist and poet ( Sep 1887-1948)

I wonder what Jean Arp would think about the noise in today's world.  People didn't watch TV back then with the screaming commercials.  Computers and Social Media was unheard of.  You Tube and streaming videos were in the future.   

Have you noticed that almost every documentary has to have some kind of background sound running? Sometimes the background noise covers up what the message is about or what they are trying to teach us.  Why? It's one of my hubby and my pet peeves and when we can't hear the dialogue we'll leave the channel.

We need silence in our life. 

 Here is an article on the 7 benefits of silence with a Ted talk included.

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Jean Arp's paintings  (Sorry for the ad noise in the beginning)

Thank you for reading.

Images by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

Angels Surrounding Our World

 September 16, 2021,

I don't have much to say tonight. It's been a strange day with notice of a water leak somewhere in the house.  A plumber suspects it's in either our sinks or toilets and will be fixing it tomorrow.  Hopefully it's not a big deal.    

Here is a picture I like to focus on in my mind when things get too stressful.  Instead of getting all caught up in the negative I pause, focus on this picture and imagine angels surrounding our world and everyone in it. That's including YOU 💖

http://effywild.com

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Sunrises make me smile

September 13, 2021

This is what I get to see out my bathroom window when the weather's clear.  Some mornings the sun will fill up the whole room.  Other times just the sky turns pink or orange, then the clouds roll in and I don't get to see the actual sunrise.

Other mornings we're fogged in and don't get to see the sun until the fog burns off.  

These pictures were taken this morning and it reminds me of Cat Stevens song, Morning has Broken.  

 

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Angel Hugs

September 12, 2021


This is my blog post today.  

 

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Wanna Laugh or Two?

 September 10, 2021,

We all know laughter is good for us.  Here's the link to an article from the Mayo Clinic about what benefits we can get from laughing.   It helps our immune system and we know we need this more than ever right now.  Laughing also helps our oxygen levels, is good for our muscles and much much more. 

So let's laugh!

You did want your screen cleaned didn't you?

Are you laughing yet?  Or maybe a giggle or at least a smile?  If you want more I created a Fun page on Facebook where I post silly, stupid, lots of LOL's, dumb like this one...

Where do they keep the dumb ones?

http://effywild.com

Thanks for reading

Blog Ideas - lots of them!

 September 6, 2021

Do you ever get stuck on what to blog about?  I sure do and have.  So I was messing around on Google and found this really interesting book: Blog ideas: 131 Ideas to Kill Writer's Block, Super Charge Your Blog and Stand out by Steve Alvest.  So I bought it for my kindle on Amazon and I don't earn money from the link.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY ONE IDEAS???   Really?  Well some of them are about where to host your blog, how to monetize it, getting guest bloggers to write a blog and you post it on your blog.  I did that a couple of times and it was fun.  There are free places to get graphics and photos to post, finding a domain name and much more.  Basically it's about how to start a blog make it work for you.  He even says that you can write a book from a blog. 

 

I have filled notebooks from over 50 years of journaling.  I started writing them right before John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.  Many of the early pages are dated and numbered.  I've been debating about shredding them so no one will have to read them. Yes I said have to read them. Of course if it was my mother's or grandmother's I would want to read every page. But I don't think my son or Granddaughter would want to.  I remember after my mother died my step father started tossing all of her stuff out.  I don't want that to happen to my journals.  But yes I sense there is some gold in them and possibly a book. But do I want to? I don't know.  It just feels heavy like do I want to read through them for a gem or three and re-live them?  Back when I was in an astrology class, my teacher suggested I get rid of them to release the energy that's in them. This was years ago.  As a fixed Taurus sun and Scorpio moon person, releasing is not my greatest talent.  

I also have all the letters that my husband and I wrote to each other after we met and married.  I'm not sure I want to re read them either but I do sense a book possibility.

Alvest suggests refresh your old content.  Go back over your old blogs and update them. I did a little bit of that and some of the videos I posted are gone.  Yes it's time consuming and we certainly don't need to do it.

Chapter 5 starts the good part - Ideas For Blog Posts.

Tell people what you think.

Recap a mistake you made.

Write how to blogs.

Provoke Controversy.

Hold a Contest.

There are so many more ideas in this book.  

What ideas can you come up with for writing blogs?  Most of you who are blogging this September with Effy have really good ideas and it's such fun reading your blogs.  

Happy Blogging and thank you for reading mine.

http://effywild.com

Thank you for reading.

Hummingbirds

 September 3rd 2021

We love sitting on our porch watching the hummingbirds on the feeder.  They are so territorial though and won't sit together and drink.   Instead they fly at each other and swoop around almost as if they are dancing.  But it isn't a friendly dance.  I've seen videos where the hummingbirds were all sitting together peacefully but it sure isn't in our area.    I don't know how exactly how long they will be around until they fly south for the winter but we will enjoy them until they are back in the middle of April.  

http://effywild.com

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Dr. K Boogie Woogie

September 2, 2021,

I love to surf You Tube.  I can get lost watching stuff.  I love watching everything Tiny Houses but that's another blog.  As I was going from one video to another I spotted people playing the piano.  I love keyboards and of course real pianos.  When I quit smoking over 30+ years ago I decided to buy myself a piano to keep my fingers and mind off cigarettes and use the money I would have paid for them on paying off the piano.  It was fun and yes it kept me busy.  I took piano lessons as a child but hated practicing. I guess that's common.   I had one piano teacher who liked to give recitals! They wanted us to show off what we learned.  I don't know about other kids but I was terrified.  Maybe I performed in one but I think that was all.   I got to hate piano lessons.  Then I met another woman who sang in church and I loved listening to her.  Somehow I found out she taught piano too.  I used to ride my bicycle to her house every week for my lessons and we had an agreement.  If I practiced and played well she would sing for me.  That was motivation.  I don't remember how long the lessons lasted but the memories are sweet.

When we bought this house it came with a piano.  No one wants pianos anymore - we can't give it away.   Whoever played it spilled something on the keys and they are sticky.  And it's out of tune.  I might have a piano tuner come and give an estimate.  But I have a portable keyboard.   I even signed up for some lessons on Udemy that are fun.  I've messed with them off and on.  

So back to You Tube and keyboards.   I found Dr. K Boogie Woogie.  I asked my son the last time we talked on Facetime if he ever heard of Boogie Woogie.  He had no idea what it was and he's only 23 years younger.  I chuckled. Then I pulled up Dr. K's video on my iPhone and played it for him.   He thought it was cool.  

An empty piano stands in a London train station and invites people to sit down and play.  Then Dr. K shows up and boogies on the keyboard with them.   Or sometimes there are no players and he boogies alone.  Here is a fun one.

Here's another one where he shows a Japanese girl Boogie Woogie for the first time. He even has video lessons where he shows us what fingers to use and how to practice.

http://effywild.com

Thank you for reading.

So I Begin Another 30 Days of Blogging

 September 1, 2021 

Blogging with Effy Wilde begins another month of blogging on her Artfully Wild Blog Along group on Facebook.   

I am excited to encourage myself to blog again for 30 days.  Effy Wilde opens her blogging page up at least once a year, sometimes more.  The last time was the month of April 2021 and I so enjoyed posting, reading other blogs and replying.  

Most of the other bloggers are showing their artwork and I enjoy seeing them.  My blog is random.  I enjoy taking pictures and posting them.  I kept thinking I wanted to sketch and practice learning how to use Procreate on my iPad but so far I haven't done a thing with the program.  I'm not going to try and figure out why or beat myself up.   It is what it is for now.   

I've been trying to work out a lot of sadness, not fear about the Delta virus and it has been so hard.  I got fully vaccinated last April and was feeling a little safer and more hopeful that my husband and I could go out more safely but then  - - - so much has not happened since then --- do I really want to get into this on my blog?  Not right now.  Maybe not at all.  I don't know right now.  

So here I am again blogging again and hopefully it will be fun.  I know it will be challenging.

Until my next post happy reading, happy blogging.

Thank you for reading.