A Living Magazine - Tap Root: Days 216 to 218 - Evolution of a Cottage

On February 22, I began property (and cat) sitting for my neighbors again. Gato still stays with me at the cabin too...

Gato, after being caught mid-air--just before landing on the keyboard of my laptop.

Gato is a snuggly, purring, squirmy, ultra-soft, bi-polar spazzola. He is still under a year old, and beginning to come into Tomcat mode, especially with it being spring and all. He has not started spraying (thank god!), but the odor-killing litter can't even touch his new manly fragrances. He, of course, revels in his new physical development sniffing the edges of the litter box, rubbing up against door frames where he has scratched - flemming--with that "t,t,t,t.." sound - and then pretending there must be another male cat in the house, by running around like a giant squirrel on meth looking for the ghost imposter.

He'll start his ghost attack in the bathroom, crouching down in there, but facing the kitchen--as low as one can on that linoleum floor. His little back paws try to claw into the floor with a scraping sound, trying to get a grip. His body quivers in muscular preparation, as his head bobbles side to side like a owl pinpointing prey in the distance... The difference here, is that Gato's "prey" is most likely a small ball of crumpled paper, or sometimes nothing at all (in the material world, that is). Finally, stopping his head in a motionless pause, his pupils dilate... Then he springs forth!...or, um, that is the intention. 

Instead his feet slip over the smooth floor in a flurry of navigational uncertainty before finally finding their holds, and then he springs forward, enters the kitty wormhole to hyperspace.

Upon observing this, suddenly time is suspended and my perception recedes into viewing a Matrix-like effect as Gato flies through the living room, up to the arm of the first couch, then using all that centrifugal force offers, grabs the fabric with all twenty claws, and then releases them, rounding the backrest, as if gravity itself had migrated sideways. 

Once in hyperspace, Gato is able to do circuits around all the furniture without ever being upright. In ultra slow motion, one might imagine the music behind the space scenes in 2001 (Johann Strauss II's 1866 Blue Danube Waltz) playing in the background. Then time returns to its normal duration and all I see is a series of hyperbolic blurs. I swear sometimes he is actually flipping head over tail!

He is SO hyper--more than I've ever seen before (and I've had a lot of cats). I've observed that he is most crazy before he needs to use the litter box. Yet, he seems happy, not in pain or anything and his litter results are perfectly healthy. It is just the way he is.

He's a rather small boned male, who almost has a female-cat kind of presence at times and in terms of affection. Perhaps he would check the mark next to "trans-cat" under gender preference? He does have the testosterone-driven aggression of a pre-neutered male occasionally though. It's that kind-of "I can't stop freaking out!" thing found in the dispositions of most mammalian species of pubescent males--including humans. Many of we adult men look back on puberty with astonishing embarrassment for how passionately we fought and cried, and threatened to die over subjects that (in hindsight) never should have been taken very seriously. Or, was that just me? Gato's energy is a scaled down version of that. He also spends a lot of down time napping. That literal up-in-the-air vs totally zonked out definitely reminds me of a small kid. Similarly, I try to wear him out at night so he won't wake me up so early in the morning.

In full disclosure though, Gato can also be a real pain in the ass too. Understanding that he doesn't mean it does very little to mitigate my irritation over certain things. When I'm working on my laptop (my preference for typing), he will do his spazzed-out thing around the room and then integrate jumping up onto the keyboard into his routine. I've lost work, had paragraphs of jumbled letters, lost the use of the track pad and had to restart...a hundred times! I now am getting good at catching him mid-air, just before he hits the keyboard, then putting him back on the floor, which I can tell surprises him. I'm not much for punishment, but even negative repetitive behavior modification doesn't seem to be working very effectively. Ha! In other words, learning is slow with this one. But after catching him in flight and turning him around so I can scowl scowl at him face to face, he just narrows his eyes in a cat-smile, starts purring and lovingly kneading my arm. As far as disciplining a cat? Maybe I am the only softy in the room...

The temperatures were remaining above zero more frequently each day. Sprinkling rain or heavy mist would come during some days with freezing wind at night, causing a sort of snow-crusted baklava effect when one observed the layers from the side. And I did this pretty often. 

The cabin water system needs a new filter. I have to let it run before showering to get rid of the sulfur smell. So for potable water I've been melting snow; just bringing in a bunch and let it melt over night for the next day. It is super clean and deliciously fresh water, once strained into a pitcher. To do this I need to dig through the icy layers outdoors to find clean snow, and can count the number of storms by counting the layers, like the rings on a tree stump mark years or striations on an archaeologist's cliff side mark millenia.

As the first book was starting to really gel, I'd regularly spent some time away from it, developing another architectural permutational design for a small, realistic cottage idea. 

I'm very interested in building with stone. I fully understand that the efficiency of outside stone in an insulating situation is not good, because because it is a bridge that cools to the temperature of the outdoors and takes a long time to heat up on the inside--mine will be double walled for that reason. I am not going to that be concerned for this part of the house, since the room is so small and will have a large fireplace (maybe with a wood stove). So, I want to use stone mostly as an aesthetic aspect, tying the walls into the construction of the fireplace and chimney as seen in the video below. I happen to have literally tons of stones available on my property. All I would need is premixed cement to begin building, rather than saving to buy lumber and waiting for delivery (which would also mean I would have to further clear my road for a large truck). I have a rock ledge area to which the foundation could be anchored. The stone walls will be combined with wood walls. And the idea would be expandable in many different ways, here is just one video example of a three-phase development plan... 

"Evolution of a Cottage"

© Copyright ACWall Designs 2018.

I have found it especially fortuitous to not have rushed into trying to construct something last fall. Although I have missed most of the first winter living on my own land, it has allowed me the luxury of evolving and perfecting my ideas about what I want for a house.

For the first time publicly, I think I should clarify my most current expectations for what I want in a living space... Although for brevity I tell folks who ask about my project, that I'm "doing the tiny house thing," this is really more of a half truth. Yes, initially there will be a tiny house, but it will grow. 

As I talked about in an earlier post, I want this property development and house construction to be an art project, from beginning to end. The house should be integrated into, and reflect the characteristics of, the land around me. Nature and I are co-creating a place that is meant to be perpetually beautified, embellished and perfected. That is why I want to do so much of the work for myself. I am the human part of this artistic relationship. I want to do the building as an almost meditational activity; or as much of the work as I can by myself. I'd love the help of friends in transporting and/or donating items, and there may be a few times when I will be happy for us to labor on the house as group (I'm thinking when the roof needs to be done). But for the most part it is going to be a private project--at least to start.

I have an offshoot technique when I build things, that mixes practical construction with careful finishing details; a process that I call "Jewelling." It is tangentially related to my POMA concept (Point of Maximum Affectability, that readers might remember from how I handled certain situations while I was Journeying?).

Jewelling is how the Temple at the Parthenon in Athens was finished. Even with the largest pieces of marble - and amazingly, using mostly small bronze tools! - the entire complex was treated as a giant sculpture--literally as a giant jewel. Every surface and frieze was as detailed and well-worked as the statues were. In the construction projects I have had the opportunity to work on, if given a chance I like to hone every detail of this building work until it is the best thing that it can be, even up close. I so-much look forward to doing that with my house and property. I have found that sometimes when I work without people who have industry routines and habits, I can often make improvements or innovations upon traditional ways (even with making some rookie errors).

But I need to explain that I am not necessarily interested about living in a tiny house as a final goal. I just want to build one that will become the core of a residential complex of small but interconnected buildings. 

I can imagine after the third phase of the cottage in the video above, that another small, connected building could be constructed in a different way, proportionally highlighting the new piece of land it will cover. Each hundred foot square on the property has its own characteristics worthy of honoring in the architectural plans of future structures. As things stand now, I want a structure for me personally, like the two floor master suite cottage that would be accomplished by the third phase shown in the video above. 

But, then I want a seperate house that can be a complete living space on its own, like a place for visitors, to be completely comfortable no matter what their living needs are, maybe even integrating a flush-style toilet (if a compatible composting system can be developed). I want a space on the property that even a disabled person could live in easily. Partially, this is out of pure curiosity--can I make an example of highly an efficient assisted living home in a remote place? 

I'm always thinking about how what I'm doing might help other people to live more simply. Can this be a model for low income and disability housing alternatives? There is much to improve upon when it comes to housing people in Maine (and all across America--something my book will address). Surely experimenting with self-sustaining and simplified lifestyles can't do any harm.  

The author enjoying warmer temperatures.

I went each evening to check on the other two cats, emptying their litter boxes, filling their food bowls and paying them some quality attention time. One of the cats (a calico) is not shy and always comes to greet me when I get there. The other kitty, is notoriously shy. Apparently past caretakers would never see her at all for the two weeks the owners were gone. The first time I looked after the cats, back before Christmas, I did discover her hiding places. But this time, she finally came out and offered her friendship, in all of its nuzzling, purring, shedding, drooling glory.

Now that we're bud's I can't do anything at the house without her begging to be snuggled. I guess I should feel proud to be let into her extremely tight circle of friends. The value of friendship is universal. 

A Living Magazine - Tap Root: Days 197 to 215 - Writing Books and Chasing Shadows

January had presented more evidence that the winter sun had finally turned its broad corner and now stayed up longer - by about two minutes each day - past its bedtime from the night before. That stretch of time had been a temperature recovery period after the brutal assault of December's extreme and record breaking cold. On one of those bitter nights around Christmas time, Farmington temps dipped to -30 degrees F (-34 degrees C) at the very end of 2017.

I discussed this with a friend the other day. We agreed that if I'd had to live outside at my land (as I had been doing until the middle of December) throughout the rest of 2017 and into January, I would have probably broken some kind of record myself, and been very uncomfortable. That didn't happen, thankfully. Still, I never assume anything anymore...

Now it was the beginning of February and fortunately these longer daylight hours were forcing the temperatures to moderate and become more seasonal. The increase in light was most appreciated, even by Gato who could have played this game all morning... 

I was walking nearly every day again, because I could not afford to buy a lot of food at any one time. Paying rent in addition to my mortgage, even the modest rent I pay now for the cabin, completely exhausted what had been my food budget. I have experienced hunger so many times that it is rather easy for me to fit back into the habit of living with food insecurity. Some donors, long term readers and friends came out and helped me get through the month. You know who you are and how much I appreciate it. I am not complaining about this. I choose to do what I do, knowing that that there will be lean times. It's an entrepreneurial approach... Stay in the game.

On the bright side, my new walk time into town from the cabin went from three miles to three and a half, or around an hour and ten minutes each way. I hardly noticed the extra time and there was a new hill to climb, but none of this bothered me. With very little I could do out on my land now and a lot more time to write, I began to both sort through my thirty or so pages of notes, ideas, and rudimentary outlines, and also begin typing up some of it. It seemed at first I had almost too much experience to draw upon, or more accurately, too many experiences in different fields, to organize them into a single work. Over time though, these these ideas settled into categories.

My walking really filled in a lot of meditative effort. When Iwallk, my mind is freed to work on things. By FAR, walking is the most productive time of my writing efforts even with no pen on paper, nor finger on keypad. Each time I run up against a deadline I begin to worry. But simply walking allows me to align my efforts with my goals much more effectively than being in any other circumstance. For me, thinking (as a part of working) needs as few distractions and as possible.

It took a couple weeks of condensing different layers of material out of the mists of so many ideas (I have over 550 posts) during my walks. When at home, I grew frustrated with myself as another 50 pages of handwritten notes built up after my many walks, along with the aborted efforts of a dozen different book outlines on the computer. Still, ever so slowly, the number of books shrank as their various subject matters grew in relevance, merged, and then stuck to the ribs of only two or three of the original book ideas. Only this week (and I write this post from a few weeks after the time period it refers to) did I finally confirm for myself a book writing plan.

Out of all I had been attempting, I was furthest along on my book about the mechanics of a modern nomadic lifestyle, called, appropriately, "Modern Nomadics." I have since, found it easier and easier to fill in the original outline I'd made for it. At this point, as I near the end of writing the book, it seems to have taken on a momentum of its own. You may have experienced this yourself with a project that actually begins to work. It takes a lot of effort to breathe life into it. But as it begins to understand itself (if you will?), you--as the once-creator, function now only as make up artist to the star--the book itself; primping and preening at this now-living idea (or, in my case, Living Magazine?). The book is commanding me now, rather than the other way around. And that is the best kind of boss a writer can ask for!

Things are going to change - specifics and such - and I offer no promises about being consistent with what I am predicting now. Yet, for the hell of it, I can see this first book, Modern Nomadics: A Manual and Guide, as being an obvious foot in the door. It is pragmatic and informative, if a bit tongue-in-cheeky. Marketing-wise I see possibilities in the travel section of bookstores. But I think it can be much more than that.

The book will go all the way across the spectrum of the Nomadic idea as I have envisioned it. It will start by seriously suggesting that young creative people who understand device-technology and social media -  but are perhaps having a hard time dealing with working at Dunkin Donuts or some other restaurant chain (with no disrespect to these companies) as their means of survival, right after receiving their college degree - might want to consider this (I think) incredible, if temporary, Nomadic way of saving money while being their own bosses, and instead of continuing to create more debt--potentially for life, while embedding themselves as slaves to the American Game. 

On the other hand, my middle class readership buying a book about what life is like at the bottom of America - while understanding that most of these readers would never seriously consider Modern Nomadism as an adventurous temporary lifestyle - have told me the the IWALLK blog is an incredible way to live vicariously in another kind of reality. I think they will like the book as a supplement to the blog. 

I hope to also make this work a kind of metaphorical or allegorical study of the "signs and wonders" (or is it the echo of "shock and awe"?) of our life and times at this point in history. That some guy from a small New England state might imagine future generations pouring over the begining of the Digital Age and being intrigued by his reports, is probably a bit on the delusions-of-grandeur side, when it comes to my published observations. However, there is no reason in the world why I shouldn't do all I can to try to be that guy.

I hope to run a very modest fundraising campaign for actual publication of this book, once it is written and being edited. I'd like that publication date to be around May 1st. I'm always so strapped and struggling for money though, that I can bearly wait. Just to have some kind of cushion for selling the book at that time and rewarding the investors in it with paper books of their own would be well worth the effort, if I can make that happen. 

Folks, I can't even get food stamps, because I'm not showing in the last three months (through proof of income) that I work enough. Of course I do work my ass off, but income has to show at least 20 hours per week at minimum wage in order to qualify for help. Fact is, very ironically, that I don't make enough to get help buying food in the state of Maine. Oh, and this limitation (thanks to our Governor) is for any "able bodied" applicant (meaning someone who is not on some form of disability). A little bit of money from the sale of this book would help tremendously, if just for food and medication.

During the first three weeks of February it seemed the light of some form of "success" shown from somewhere up ahead in the future. It seems to always be at my back. I know it's there though! I am only ever able to see it by default, via the shapes of the shadows it casts around my current challenges. Plato's cave where we all live until we figure out which direction to face.

Like Gato in the video above, it is easy to be tricked into imagining that we have some control over these shadows. Without giving into the luxury of optimism too much, it seems to me that the density of opportunity in my own life is finally outpacing the momentum (or perceived momentum) of failure. Now I only need to accept and run with that rationalization. 

After these three weeks, which incidentally saw the canopied structure on my land sit unattended, I took advantage of an anomalously warm day, hiking out on the crumbing snow crust to see how things were faring... 

The initial view of the tarps I cut last time and the snow that was filling up the interior.

It looks much worse than it actually is. Still, I don't like to see it like this.

Having felt trepidation when I'd first arrived at the land on this blazingly hot day, my emotions were much more hopeful as I crunched and broke my way back through the quarter mile of crust, to the main road. I had tightened up the loose parts of the tarp, reinforced the spot protected against snow, and sealed several holes that were allowing the rain from warmer storms to trickle in. The rain was particularly problematic as it was building a three inch thick ice rink around my stored stuff, sealing it in. There is no way nor reason to liberate these items from their icy stasis. The effort would never be worth it.

So, upon getting back to the cabin, I resolved to leave things until some real melting exposed the ground again. As I write this though (in the first week of March) a giant snow storm is approaching. It will dump 18 inches of snow on our Western Maine world, just when leaves were beginning to emerge from below the snow line. Such is the Maine Spring!, now of course mixed with just the global changes in weather that have only increased unpredictability...caveat of the 21st Century.

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On a personal note: I want to thank you all so much for reading! When I see the stats I'm always very pleasantly surprised! Some folks have been reading this blog since 2011! Many of you have been the reason why I could keep going, keep reporting. We have discovered so much together and there is a lot more to come. I DO still WALLK (about 50 miles a week!). And, the shoe-string budget project of developing this property may be the newest chapter, but I have the feeling much more ambitious things will morph into IWALLK projects in the future. 

Again, the recent contributions of a few very generous people have helped so much this winter. Now, I ask anyone who has always intended to give but never gotten around to it to consider clicking the PayPal Donate button at the top of the blog page if you can send some bucks my way. Folks who gave so much during the Journeys, but have not thought of donating since? I could really use your help! Please consider sending a small amount to help out if you are able to continue supporting these projects. Nevertheless, I love you all no matter what and appreciate anything you have given. Just sharing these posts on Facebook is very helpful. If you go to the bottom of the blog page and click on the Facebook icon you can join our IWALLK America - Journeys Group! All members of this Facebook discussion group will receive free ebooks!