So here's my proof that I count, arrived yesterday
Meanwhile I've been having textile adventures and plans, but they can wait for now. Today I spent some time down the fantasy path of Tiny Homes on YouTube.
Not including the 24' trailer converted by a couple of builders, with an additional loft, bigger than a lot of city apartments, complete with fullsize everything. Doesn't count as tiny in my book. No pix for you!
The ones that intrigued me were the creations and adaptations done by solo women, of all ages. Some are stationary, some are traveling vans made into homes, and there's the Skoolie movement, adapting old school buses to live in.
Back to real tiny homes, I like this Vancouver BC lady a lot. Finding herself alone, divorced, kids grown and gone, she learned carpentry in her sixties in order to build her retirement tiny home. Indomitable. She has so many clever ideas. She and her dog are happy.
Sitting in a multipurpose chair which tilts, works for naps as well as reading.
she rents the site, owns the home. And she's so honest about what she's learned.
She's got one of those scary flights of stairs up to the sleeping loft, but she's already planning on a downstairs bed, just in case. The stairs in tiny homes are often steep because they're also storage drawers, good for storage, not so much for climbing.
Most of the videos I saw of single women show them with their dog, whose requirements are also built in to the planning.
A couple of younger women are professional traveling woodworkers and consultants, one a lawyer, all working full-time and staying on the road.
They're so resourceful and ready to learn, and shape their own lives, it was fun to follow them. They're also generous with explanations of the logistics, WiFi, mail, electric, plumbing, much of which they learned as they went.
I notice that to be happy living tiny, you need access to loads of outdoor space, on a big lot or on the road. And the ones I saw were largely rural and in milder climates.
Several of them said they avoided winter wherever they could. The were hikers, climbers, fishers, their homes comfortable but less important than outdoors.
They all named their tiny home! Daisy in BC, Freebird the renovated fried chicken van, it seems to be a thing.
It seems to be a white world, too, at least from what I've seen. I wonder, well, I exoect, there are more barriers to minority women.
The miniaturization interests me, homes as organized and compact as boats. In fact one owner said she bought marine cabinets where she could afford to, more expensive but great weatherproof quality. And edges on shelves to avoid falling objects..
It also pays to be small and fit! Low ceilings, lot of bending to retrieve items, bed can be fitted in better if you're not six foot plus.
It was a dreamy trip of what if.. even though I'm not planning on a tiny home. Heck, in the eighteen months since I've been pondering selling this house and renting a little condo, the rent on the type I had in mind has gone up nearly 40%. Thereby putting it pretty much in the realm of fantasy! I need to regroup.
Meanwhile, may as well enjoy the space I'm in. Happy Day, everyone! I'm still Winnowing.
