Splitting Logs, ft. JuJu the Donkey

I know. I am almost obsessed with splitting wood, luckily it's a healthy 'hobby' that will build muscle, get my heart working, make my lungs take deeper breaths, give me strong fingers and arms... and then heat my house without causing a huge heating bill this winter. Saving money is sweet, and so will be cooking on my wood stove.

Here is a short video I made yesterday morning while starting to split logs... the big wood pile to my left is what I had split the morning before. The big donkey who appears is JuJu. :)



xoxoxo

Creating A Sustainable Dream Part 2

Searching through Real Estate in western North Carolina looking for an affordable place that is not only right for sustainable living but is also a good long term investment has consumed me! I have to confess I don't really play around when it comes to choosing a home- because I actually know what I am doing... in fact I used to do this for a living and miss those wild days of a swinging happy economy where buying and selling land was almost as easy as putting a quarter in a gumball machine. Each property I consider gets examined carefully, not just on the MLS but also through pulling up tax records to read a lil history on the place, and sending over some questions to the seller. Most of the last few months I have been searching for land only, but was not opposed to some type of structure being already on the property- whether it be a barn, house, or tiny cabin... as long as it had the features I am looking for to slowly transform it into a green, sustainable mecca which will not only give me good exercise but also provide me with some independence.
At present all the best places I have found have houses on them & are located in Madison County (where I wanted to be!), these are the current top three and I would like to introduce them to you and get some votes!
1. The Rabbit Den Cabin - This is the tiny under 600 Sq Ft house I am in love with, the brown cutie pictured above! It has 15 acres with a small pasture with it, a tiny barn just the right size for my donkey and adjoins national forest on both sides. It has spring water, a wood stove and NO BATHROOM! Ya might think no bathroom sucks, but actually the bathroom is the one room I would like to create myself, completely eco style with composting toilet and tub that drains into a grey water system. This place inspires me to make art, and is close to community and a town.2. The Haunted Farm House - No, it's not really haunted, but my gawd it reminds me of the farm house in every movie were the zombies or children of the corn or whatever tries to break in! I love it too! This house is not only close to town, close to national forest, but also comes with 2 totally usable flat farm-able acres. It has a wood stove plus electric heat and a bathroom/kitchen already in place. There's a cool outbuilding the donkey can stay in behind the house. This big house also has job potential... think Appalachian Trail hikers stopping point to shower and rest, cause I would be that close to the trails and downtown Hot Springs. A big selling point is the house is a classic farm house which is never a bad investment... you know unless it's the money pit and really does have ghosts!3. The Hunting Cabin- Ok, here is something sustainable and bad ass from the start, this log cabin was made with ALL lumber right on the land by hand back in the 70's! It is on 7 acres of very beautiful farm-able land with endless forest behind it for adventures. There are also fruit trees, springs, an old trout pond(which is dry) and cool rock formations. Like all the others above it has wood floors, but doesn't have a wood stove already in place (i use wood stoves for heat and cooking during the winter) But does have a fireplace chimney! It also has neat outbuildings so I have a place to put the donkey here too!!! Only drawback is the house isn't as close to an immediate community but is a few miles from a general store. I imagine I will be making friends with people at all the general stores! ha.

SOoooo, which do you love, which gives you a good vibe, which would you like to live in and why!?!

XoXo

Sketching A Sustainable Dream

There are some adventures which are just still a dream, but the only way to make that dream happen is to clarify your intentions and follow every avenue of possibility towards making it happen. I make creative lists, and now I make drawings of what I want too! Right now I am looking for land to purchase (with or without a structure already on it) so that I can begin where I left off a long time ago, in building my own eco & sustainable homestead to live out a peaceful and natural life on. The above pic is my drawing of what I want to happen, I got the idea of drawing when a old neighbor from back in Marshall NC told me once she looked for her farm for almost a year and couldnt find anything she liked, she finally sat down one day and drew an exact picture of what this dream farm would look like - she drew in small details like spring fed concrete watering hole for her horses and hills rolling a certain way, barns in a specific place. After she made the drawing it was in almost no time she pulled up to her future farm, which was an exact replica of every detail of her drawing.
Another thing I am loving to do, is take the online photos of all the places that woo me on the TInY HOuSes BlOg, and save them in a folder for inspiration! Below are some of my most favorites I wanted to share with ya'll... to see tons more like these, go here.
I am attracted to natural wood, whether it's flat, round, logs, cordwood, or a shack - if it's made with wood in a natural rustic way I fall in love. Being in a forest setting, these structures make more sense- they blend in better and hopefully attract wildlife. :)
On the TiNy HOuSes BlOg, there are so many hand built homes that are on trucks or made from horse trailors and other wild imaginative objects. This one below is an antique/vintage photo which is why it holds that true gypsy style and energy.
And of course- here is my dream hobbit cabin, which looks not only like heaven to me but also not too hard to construct.
Now we get to interiors of tiny eco homes- which make good use of natural materials, space, and re-use.
In the pic above I love the wooden counter top, I built an exact counter top like this in my favorite house I ever bought - and would love to do it again! The bedroom pic below gets me because of the feeling of a loft, yet full private room to sleep in- it is very well designed.
Now, the cob house kitchen below freaking rocks, basically cause a real tree with bits of branches in tack was used to hang things off of and i lovvvvvve the micro sized kitchen! I am not into cabinets, everything I have is useful most days and i like having little open shelves like in this micro kitchen.
And last... quirky construction, so quirky I don't even comprehend - but all those warm looking wood slats on the walls, floor and ceiling. Mmmmmm, COmE On DReAM HoME, I am ready for you!!!!
XoXo

Donkey Dream Continues...

Hey Ya'll! I am so excited to say I have gotten a few donations already for my donkey! Thanks to Billie, Mokihana and Corrie for all sending their portion of love to help me fulfill my dream. :) I still need $ donations, as I am a few hundred shy of getting my Ju Ju Bean (that's code for my dream donkey!) In case you missed my first plea (and the amazing comments & stories)), here is a link to the post - also here is an excerpt too:
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"I am now accepting donations to help me buy a donkey! It all started a few years ago when I began having seizures and could no longer drive a car, or even ride as a passenger without causing serious medical discomfort. Soon after realizing my new isolating plight I met an old man on Reems Creek Rd in Weaverville NC who was raising midget ponies, he loved his midget ponies so much he teared up talking about them & he said they were his only joy... after hearing him talk a flash of brilliance popped into my travel weary mind that I needed something to ride on that was just my size! Over the years I kept my wish alive, letting it evolve with my changing life- but as my situation became more 'small pony' friendly the economy became a monster. A monster that gobbled up all my money and left me rather poor. Having a donkey to ride on would liberate my inability to get around very easily (I can only ride my bike so far in the rural mountains before I am exhausted completely). This would be a long term dream come true - some girls want fancy cars & a nice house, but I just want a donkey to be friends with."
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Donkey Donater Mokihana wrote a beautiful post about my donkey dream, and you can go read it at this link here. <3
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These fabulous pictures below are of Mr. Grady and Miss Lovely! They were sent by Donkey Donater Billie, they are her awesome donkeys out west, where she got them wild but eventually they warmed up to her, tamed by love. Here is a story Billie sent to me about just how funny and intelligent her donkey Mr. Grady is:::::
"I want to tell you a story to give you an idea of how smart donkeys can be... In our herd, which is two horses and two donkeys, Mr. Grady, our male donkey, is third in the pecking order (Miss Lovely, his mom is lowest in the order). Django, the lead horse, happens to be highest in the pecking order, and bosses poor Mr. Grady around all day long. But don't worry, Mr. Grady is actually smarter than Django....In the winter, we keep the horses and donkeys in stalls at night, and each morning my husband would clean out the stalls and put food to prepare for the horses and donkeys returning in the evening. Mr. Grady actually figured out how to open the stall doors to get to the food. Django, the lead horse, of course wanted to know what was going on when Mr. Grady was in the stall eating, so he forced Mr. Grady to leave the stall and went into the stall himself. While Django was eating, Mr. Grady closed the door on him so he couldn't get out. Seriously. At first we thought this was just an amusing coincidence, but no. Mr. Grady knows exactly what to do with those who boss him around. He actually did this several times in a row, and we finally had to put locks on the stall doors to keep Mr. Grady out. He can figure out how to open just about anything, so we have to keep locks on all doors and gates. Donkeys can be extremely curious, and most of them are very smart."If you have extra cash, any extra quarters, anything to give - please send it my way for my donkey dream! This donkey will be me baby for the next 40 years and I can not wait to love him/her! You can donate by paypal donations using the button on the right hand side of this blog (it's totally secure and safe!), or you can email me privately about sending something in the snail mail to lesrichard {at} aol-DOT-com (it's written out like that so spammers don't gank my email address). Thanks to those who are already Donkey Donaters and to those yet to come!!!!!

XoXo