Life is good in the Appalachian Mountains - 2 yr update

Time seems to fly by SO fast. It's hard to believe that it's already been over TWO years since I said goodbye to my home, land and business of 15 yrs in Washington State I have zero regrets!!!! Looking back, it was a huge leap of faith to change my lifestyle and purchase a home far away in NC, online, sight unseen, in an area I had never been to nor heard of. Trusting God was a huge part of this transition. Neither do I miss living in the San Francisco Bay area where I am originally from and where I have lived most of my life. I can't imagine living on the West coast or Pacific North West ever again. Quality of life is so much better for me here in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Life is good here in the country.
                                                                 

Wild Iris grow right outside my door.  I don't have a green thumb, but they thrive in spite of it

Living in a 570' farmhouse after owning a large home comes with challenges as I continue to sort, sift and downsize my treasure chest as well as my lifestyle.  But, it's all good. My goal was to change my life in a radical way, simplify and find sunshine again, which is very important for my health and well being. What an amazing place to live a sunny, simple life. It's an outdoor playground here & that makes my heart sing. Life is good in the country.

The original outhouse still standing in the woods just across the way from my back door

I especially love the warmer summer months. I live in a rural area that is tucked away from the traffic and tourists that are drawn to nearby small mountain towns. Many of them have second homes here in the mountains, others just come to play in Gods country or escape the hot and humid weather in Atlanta, Florida and surrounding areas.

I am a VERY low tech gal, but I can tell you this makes me really appreciate my toilet.

One of my favorite pastimes is sitting outside on my covered porch, late night surrounded by several dogs, gazing at stars, listening to crickets, watching fireflies and enjoying the sounds as the creek  sings a new song every night. What a perfect place to dance. What a wonderful place for a sunny, simple life plan.

 Life is just way to short to not notice, appreciate and experience the simply joys and blessings that surround us. Mother nature with open open arms, inviting us to partake in her beauty. Some folks get so busy making a living that they forget to make a life. I certainly know all about the blessing of hard work, to the tune of working seven days a week for years at a time and being super busy. At that time I didn't pay attention to the fact that even God rested on the seventh day. I have since created a simpler life for myself and now I'm enjoying learning the art of slowing down my dance. Life is good in the country.

 Blogging takes a seat (way back) there on my list of things 'to do'. I like to play at the river, rafting, tubing, swimming my dogs as well as a long list of other hobbies that capture my time and attention. The time I spend on-line these days is mostly reading political blogs, as the fake news shown on TV is enough to dull the mind in no time and so I do my own news research online. This  little blog of mine remains neglected for months on end. It is what it is. As you may know, I am the only blogger not trying to grow her blog. I do pop in now and again to post and let others know I am vertical. Thanks for stopping by to visit here today.  Life is good in the country.
                                                                           

What does this picture make you think of?

                                                                            
While lots of people spend their time on Space book, (FB) Flitter,(Twitter) Insta-Ham,(Instagram) Zoogle,(Google) Take-A-Rest-(Pinterest) and surfing blogs writing posts, reviewing blog statistics, tallying 'friends' and 'likes', - well it's just Chinese to me. OMG, I just don't understand the draw or addiction of the high tech social media way of life. Documenting every movement, or writing about a new roll of toilet paper, has become a lifestyle that I just don't get?. Not saying anyone is bad or wrong - just keeping it real here from my point of view. I find it purely amazing that people walk around with little phone/ computers and document every minute of life and live to see what is going to pop up next on that device. Whoa- I don't get it????????? I just have no interest in that lifestyle.

  After my friends call my home phone (they know I don't use a cell phone) and haggle me to send pictures I manage to get out my big old camera and snap a picture, upload it and post it here. I just hate that people snap pictures all the time from their phones. ugggg. Keep your face clean as you are sure to be on YouTube at 5:00pm. Did I mention that I have never sent a text in my life? Life is good in the country. Yep, sunny, simple life - Loving it!!!!!


                                                                 

Original farm house bathroom in the woods next to my farmhouse

 I am somewhat out of touch with those who can't make time for a good old fashioned "meet you on the front porch" & share a cold drink. Or, a phone call were my phone rings at my home only, and when I pick it up I am most likely am on my old fashioned plugged into the wall phone (safer for your health) line, as opposed to a cordless phone. Ahhh - Life is SO good in the country. 

                                                                       

The lady who lived in my farmhouse in 1966 told me she hated using this outhouse in winter months while being almost 9 months pregnant. Do you think were just a little bit spoiled these days?

 

When I purchased my old (over a hundred years old) farmhouse it came with a bathroom, thank goodness. But, it was plain nasty and while I tried to remind myself that I sounded like a spoiled kid, I still would freak out each time I went in there. I am a bubble bath kind of girl and taking a shower in a nasty old crusty, funky bathroom with no bathroom sink for just about two years began driving me nuts. I tried to remain positive imagining that one day I would find a way to make it lovely.

 The tiny bathroom remodel took a bit of a toll on me. There were days I wanted to shrink the animals and buy a condo. After a successful dumpster dive to snag a wonderful vintage window and trading a headboard for a claw foot tub that had been a fish pond for a dozen plus years I was inspired to redo my nasty farmhouse bathroom. Then I spotted a cool vintage dresser and after chalk painting it I knew that I had a few good pieces to begin to make my nasty little bathroom a lovely space.

                                                                 

When I spotted this vintage tub (that was also a fish pond for 12 years) in an old barn it was love at first sight. Wait until you see it in an upcoming post.

SHOCK,- for those that know me, I documented the redo with lots of pictures, (like big girl bloggers do).  Of course my readers never hold their breath as they wait for my next post (they would be dead) - but I am going to put a post together soon to show you the 'beast to beauty', swoon worthy IMO transformation.I am loving my new relationship with my new / old claw foot tub and we spend wonderful evenings together. I will be back.....................

Be blessed until we meet here again - and remember it is never too late to have a happy childhood. Go play like no one is watching you.

Tonita

  

Looking out the window from my tiny house.

Last month,  I sat for hours at my sweet little farm table in my tiny home and looked out the window, I pondered what life would hold in the coming months. Recent storms dumped twenty-one inches of snow in my yard. No power at all or land line phone service for eight days. My all wheel SUV was even stuck in my driveway for three solid days.  I don't own a cell phone on purpose, but even if I did many cell towers were down. Ice storms decorated the surrounding trees in radiance that made shrubs and branches look as if they were made of glass. The iced tree limbs and branches presented danger as the ice melted and the branches heavy from the weight of snow and then ice cracked off and slammed into what ever was in their path.  I was thankful that the huge trees surrounding my retreat didn't drop their branches on my little home.. I also thought about  being better prepared for the next storm and purchasing a generator, especially since having gone through longer storms and power outages for the past twelve years. Sigh. I drove into town almost every night just to thaw out before returning home to freezing temps and no power. I have to make it a point to be better prepared for next winter.

The silence in my life was screaming at me and I just was not inspired to create, decorate or do much. The down time that the storm offered, gave me time to reflect on life, to be thankful for clearing out a unhealthy relationship in my life, to count my blessings, and to deeply feel the pain of the loss of my best friend Bandit. I had the time to just sit and watch and listen and feel the effects of the storm, while taking time to be a human-being instead of the normal human-doing that I am much of the time.


For many months I had anticipated the arrival of my little retreat. I was thrilled when she finally arrived here this past December. I had planned to paint and decorate the interior right away. However, there were delays in even the first step of painting her interior. I painted just enough to do a Christmas post and then stopped and have not done much since that time.  Sometimes life throws curve balls and sends us a bit off track from our original plans.

Because my friends and tiny house enthusiasts have been emailing and asking me to post updates, I decided to post today, and let those who are keeping in touch with me, know about the delays of sharing finished interior pictures. There is still much to do and hopefully as the weather warms up and we ease into Spring it will inspire me to stain my kitchen counter, finish painting, put up kitchen shelves, make a small pantry and create a faux fireplace to add to the charm of my little girl cave.
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  In the mean time this post is dedicated to one of the children in my life that dressed in fur and touched my heart in a huge way. I called him Bandit. He spent thirteen years and seven months with me. True love has no ending and the love that a person and a dog share is like no other love. He lives on in my heart forever.

                                                                  

                                                               
The love of my life, my sweet boy, a beautiful Australian Shepherd, left my side and entered heaven very close to Christmas. He had been diagnosed with bone cancer only three weeks earlier. I was praying against all odds that the remedies I had started him on would allow us to spend yet more time together. I had hoped to be able to take a picture of him inside my tiny home but that never happened. The bone cancer moved fast and two weeks after diagnosis he was not able to walk on his own. I had to lift him, carry and support him every time he needed to get up. With no stairs built to get into the tiny house I was not able to lift him up onto the porch and carry him inside. Besides, it was no longer important. Keeping him comfortable as I prayed for a miracle was all I could do for him. And so he lived out his life in our big home which he was used to and very comfortable in.  He did not show his age and was full of energy and played like a puppy until three short weeks before he left me. The cancer went to war against his health, and I had to release him from his body and life on earth, and with that my heart sank. I know there is a  rainbow over my heart due to all the tears I have shed. I was blessed to  have owned his mother and his brother also. She was my heartbeat dog. Bandit is now reunited with all but one of his litter mates. I still feel lost without him in my life.

 After his passing I threw myself into painting the interior of my tiny home. Painting is therapeutic for me and it helped to quiet my mind from all the questions not answered, that kept me sleepless for weeks since he was diagnosed with cancer.  It helped me to not argue with God, about my dogs fight with cancer. It was not the first time I had been in a battle of this kind with the dreaded disease and a fur kid. One out of three dogs in America dies of cancer under the age of ten and one in two dogs dies of cancer over the age of ten years. Sad... This is why I am passionate about educating people about that dangers of vaccinations, chemical flea products as well as killer kibble that is unfit for a carnivore. OK... that is another blog.


 I was reminded of life's blessings even in the midst of that recent long winter storm.  I was delighted to be blessed with the first eggs from my beautiful Lavender Orpington chickens. They have always had a heat lamp in their coop at night so I filled two flash lights with fresh batteries each night during the storm so they would not be in the dark at night. They paid me back for my efforts with beautiful fresh organic eggs.

Something as simple as those eggs lifted my spirit. I will re group and one day soon be inspired to continue with my plans for fixing up my little menopause cave. Right now I am just giving myself permission to slow down and reflect.

Hopefully spring will bring new posts and further development on my tiny home as I hope to complete some little projects. I am on my way to the store to purchase a set of pink power tools. If that doesn't inspire a girl to use a drill .what will? 

Woof and Wags,

Tonita - a dog mom, a fairy dog mother and a dog co-dependent.

Dogs are not my whole life but they make my life complete.

The chicken coop is dressed for Fall

I placed mini pumpkins, gourds, apples, Indian corn &  a variety of seasonal squash on a vintage ladder in front of the coop.

The seasons seem to be in a rush. We slipped into a late and very short summer here in WA State. I just said good bye, to my last tiny cupcake rose bloom as cooler weather is fast approaching and we are headed into the Fall season. Yesterday, I was at a big box store and they had roses on sale for 75% off of regular price. I couldn't resist picking up a few more pink and white varieties at that price, to plant near my hen house. Hopefully, they will welcome in next years spring with beautiful blooms and bursts of color that compliment the interior coop decor.  You see, my sweet hens and the rooster are a bit pampered. Check out prior posts to see more coop pictures and the interior, complete with wallpaper and chandelier. Anyway... As I went inside the store to pay for the roses I noticed that the isles were filled with artificial Christmas trees and holiday decorations, geez... can't they at least wait until after Halloween?  They may as well display the plastic pumpkins under the Christmas trees and use a ghost decoration as a tree topper. The overlapping, and rush of holidays just seems ridiculous to me.  For the stores, it is all about marketing and consumerism.  




The Chicken coop - for my pampered chickens.
To see the fancy inside area please see older posts.

On my way home I stopped at a country farmers market to pick up some organic fruit. I felt a sense of calm again, as I took time to appreciate the colors of fall that surrounded me at this locally owned farm stand and little market. I couldn't resist buying some of their beautiful gourds, as well as a few tiny wee-be miniature pumpkins that sat on golden bales of hay. The uniquely shaped gourdes capture the beautiful colors of Fall and are genetically modified man made creations at their best. It is not nice to fool mother nature.  After picking up some apples, edible squash, and colorful Thai chili peppers, I returned home with my bounty of seasonal food and décor.




Fresh organic apples and miniature Indian corn add beautiful warm colors to the chicken coop garden area for fall.



Each window in the chicken coop has an outside window basket filled with plants and flowers. I found these little vintage chickens for .10 cents each at a garage sale.  They add charm to the outside of the coop.  Old scrabble game pieces spell out "Sweet Hen" in the window sill of the chicken coop. The super tiny pumpkin is the real deal. It is called a Wee-be pumpkin.

                                                  




(left)  Edible Thai chili peppers           (center)  Hens and chicks,         (right)  Sweet potato vine



Fall colors in front of the coop.



I purchased this old picture frame for .25 cents at a garage sale. I threw a coat of paint on it and then stapled some rusty chicken wire inside the frame. I found  wrought iron chickens at a flea market for $4.00 each and I  used one in the center to make a decoration for the top half of the french door on the chicken coop.  



Small vintage chick feeders can be used to also decorate a coop or garden area. They make great candy dishes for M & M's, candy corn or peanuts.  It may require little or dainty fingers and some patience for this purpose.



Thai chili peppers hanging to dry on a vintage gutter made of solid wood.



Vintage turkey or chicken feeders can easily be used as a planter. They also make an ideal container for a flower arrangement.  



I found these vintage feeders at a flea market. I paid $5.00 each for them.



The door to the chicken coop outside run.



I was able to get these flat surfaced stones for free. My sweetie spray painted a pattern on the grass and then laid them to form a perfect little pathway to the chicken coop. Hopefully next spring pink and white roses will be blooming on the side of the pathway.

                                                   
No sooner than when I was uploading my pictures did I notice this caption and story -  Unofficial Kick Off To The 2011-2012 Tahoe Ski Season | 10-14+ Inches Of New Snow Overnight!
http://unofficialnetworks.com/unofficial-kick-20112012-tahoe-ski-season-1014-inches-snow-overnight-45965/   It is already snowing in Tahoe, Utah and Colorado and some people are already skiing. Wow - winter is fast approaching. It just seems like the world is spinning so fast and so often days, months and even seasons of life, as well as whole years - just fly by us, way to fast. I need to remind myself to slow down and appreciate each and every single day as well as each season of  the year and of my life.

 The wonderful dogs in my life teach me so much. When you take a dog for a walk in the woods it is all about each step, each smell, each potty break - for the dog, it is not about the destination. As you go through life,  slow yourself down and embrace each day, so that you can be in the moment and count your blessings. Take time to smell the roses, the pumpkins, to notice your surroundings, and even slow yourself down and enjoy a good potty break. lol.


Food for Fall thoughts --- Where can you give up what you already know for what is possible. ?

Fall blessings to you all.

Tonita

Building the outside chicken coop run -

Keeping chickens seemed like the perfect solution, to my desire for fresh organic eggs. I try to take very good of all the critters in my life, and my chickens are no exception. After watching me re-purpose an old playhouse and turn it into a fancy little chicken coop, my friend decided that I needed a chicken coop run attached to the side of the hen house so they would have a safe and secure place outdoors, when they are not free ranging on the land. He built a secure enclosure that will keep any predator out. And now my hens have a great space that will allow them to go outside and still be sheltered from the rain.

I am a 'shabby chic, it will do' kind of gal while my builder and friend is a 'perfectionist plus' kind of guy. So, we continue to learn to work together and compromise on projects and areas where we both have completely different ideas. Most guys eyes just glaze over at the thought of the whole shabby chic decor movement. My friend thinks that items that are rusty or have paint chipping off them should be tossed into the burn pile or taken to the dump. I think those same items are treasures and I am thrilled with each old or vintage object that I can re-purpose. My coop ended up being a combination of shabby, vintage, old and also brand new. Sometimes it works well to blend opposing thoughts, ideas and plans.

The little coop is in it's final resting place, in a beautiful spot in the front yard. I wanted it to set it at an angle along the fence line, and the outside coop run needed to be built at a different angle to fit perfectly along side of the coop. It took a lot of planning and a lot of time. Being that my builder is a perfectionist he bought all new materials to work with and told me once he was finished that I could beat it up and fill the run with rusty and chippy painted vintage items to give it a distressed feel. What a guy. He is finally getting it, or at least it seems that way.

              Below are some pictures of the coop run being built and attached to the hen house.

    A trench was dug out and pressure treated cedar was laid below the earth to predator proof it.

                                                                               

               Gravel was dropped in along the foundation boards for drainage and reinforcement.

          The framing is put in place for the roofing material. Nothing shabby about this work. 

                                    

                                  

                                       Every board is plum and all the notches are perfect.

(Below)  - This is the doorway cutout that leads from the hen house out to the run.

It was cut this way because a fancy vintage wrought iron piece was used on the opposite side to frame out the archway and add a bit of style for the hens run.  Yep, that is wallpaper you see.

My little chicken coop is a work in progress. I am currently painting the outside run, and of course I will be decorating that also. However, that part may have to wait until next spring.

I will post more pictures and updates from my coop as time goes by. Thanks for visiting.

Waiting for my tiny home ... guess I have to decorate the chicken coop instead

As time goes by . . .

                                                    

Back in Nov, of last year I noticed what looked like a very well built tiny home that was designed and built by a custom tiny home builder from Mountain View Arkansas. I have been looking at tiny homes for many years and I know that to build your own tiny home you can easily spend twenty thousand dollars for a 8 x 22 foot home on wheels. So I was thrilled to discover Scott was offering his tiny homes at a very reasonable price. http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/the-slabtown-annemarie/ .  I spoke to him on the phone a couple of times and really liked the fact he would customize the tiny home to my desires. I communicated with others who bought tiny or small homes from him and heard great things about his work and customer service. I decided to order the Annemarie unit from him. Once it is built I will have it towed from Arkansas to WA state. Even after transport to WA state it is a wonderful deal. I had hoped to be decorating my tiny home by now but there have been some delays, but hopefully It should be built and finished in about a month or close to it. As soon as it arrives I will paint it, shabby-chic it, decorate it, girl-ify it and fill it with vintage treasures . OH, my little chick shack - I can hardly wait. Scott, (my tiny home builder) - I am counting the days.

 

 

 

In the meantime, I am going to fix up a chick shack of a different kind - The ultimate chicken coop.
This little  6 x 8 foot, old play house has been re purposed and made into a chicken coop for my rare breed lavender Orpington chicks. I can't wait to move them from my bathroom into their new home. Take a look -

A  fresh coat of white paint will brighten it up. Yeah, I already hung the chandelier. I knew that would be a must have in the little fancy hen house. The hens will need a bit of bling bling in the coop. Why not?

I found these wonderful vintage nesting boxes on Craig's list. They came from and old egg production barn that was over a hundred and fifty years old. I just love them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 They are  finally attached to the wall. They were just one inch shy of being a perfect fit. My honey had to carefully  retrofit them, so that they would squeeze into the proper place in the coop.  I have two old table legs that I purchased for $1.00 each that will fit nicely underneath the nesting boxes to make it appear as if the nesting box is a piece of standing furniture.

I found this old  rusty wrought iron piece at a garage sale for $1.00. The mirror was broken in it, but I think it will be a nice addition to the coop. It will  frame out the door way where the chickens will  eventually go in and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought washable wallpaper for the coop. It is a chicken wire  pattern with little pink roses, how appropiate for spoiled chickens. I purchased it at a closeout sale. I thought one roll would be enough for a 6 x 8 space. Not....(sigh). It was a discontinued pattern and I bought the last roll. Thank goodness for the Internet. After searching the world for a matching roll or paper, I found one more roll in the crevices of some old warehouse in the Midwest that  someone was willing to ship to me. So, after a 2 week delay in decorating the coop, the hens were happy to know the wallpaper had arrived. I can't believe a roll of wallpaper has shrunk so much since the last time I wallpapered. Why is it, that everything keeps shrinking, except my jeans that is?

A old milk can makes a great place to store the organic chicken feed. A vintage tractor seat makes a nice place for me to sit and hang out in the coop and watch my little chicks grow.
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I filled the nesting boxes with organic hay. Pink roses and white painted scalloped trim adorn the roof of the nesting boxes. I added a bit of stenciling and bling bling to the inside of some of  the nesting boxes. Only the top egg producing hens get to occupy these extra fancy little nesting condos. Just kidding, don't send me hate mail.

Just in case my hens start to squabble over what space belongs to them, I put their names above their space. I named some of my hens after my favorite Aunts who have passed away as well as  mother hen figures in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of the chicks that will be living in the coop. I can't wait to get them moved out of my bathroom. They sure create a lot of dust. I guess a vacuum & duster is in order for the upkeep of their coop.

. The recipients of fresh organic eggs, once they arrive. Are they waiting for eggs or the chickens?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside coop run needs to be build now. It will be a chick playpen of sorts. A place for them to be safe when I am not able to supervise their free-range activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coop is still under development - More chick shack (coop)  pictures to come.

Wait till you see what I've added to the coop for my lavender fuzz butts.