Fortune Cookie

So, back to the tiny house. After talking with Dee a couple times, I finally built up the courage to ask her if she was still constructing vardos with Portland Alternative Dwellings. She wrote me back that she had her hands full with projects, but she put me in touch with a wonderful man by the name of Abel 'Zyl' Zimmerman.

When I first met him at Sizizi's for coffee, I really was not entirely sure what to expect. Abel is bright-eyed, quick to smile, genuine and a bit soft spoken. When I explained what I had in mind he lit up like a Christmas tree. We spent a number of hours going over concepts, ideas, cost and possible outcomes.

I knew almost instantly that he was the perfect guy for the job. He was artistic, a little off the beaten path and stellar with carpentry. He also happens to be a aerial trapeze artist, how rad is that? You can find him at Zyl Vardos.

The next time we met he introduced me to the first vardo he had constructed, The Azavela. Abel had a certain glow of excitement and pride about him as he explained the structure. It is gorgeous, well lit, spacious, cozy and I wanted to move into it immediately. My friend Odera, who was with me concured as we fell in love with his vardo instantly.

Abel and I talked more over the next couple weeks. I explained that my plan was to travel extensively across the United States, towing my vardo behind me. He made sure to design a structure that was built to withstand that kind of abuse. Eventually, the time came that we sat down with a contract, cost and the final design concept. It was a hardier version of his original Azavela design, with some tweaks.

Keep in mind that Abel is a rather artistically minded craftsman, something I appreciate and admire greatly about him. The cost of the original design was a few grand more than I knew I could afford. So, he worked around this by coming up with an entirely different design. He presented this to me and I gawked at it with glee. The drawbacks were that it was two feet shorter and a few feet taller than the original design. I knew this design was "it" though, I was ecstatic. He joked that it will look a bit like a church. He calls this design the Fortune Cookie.

Laundry Soap

I made a reference in the Seeds of Change blog post that I clean with natural products. I especially take delight in learning how to make things myself.

Laundry soap. I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate to buy laundry soap. I mean, really hate buying laundry soap. It comes in this HUGE plastic container and you have to choose between types. Do I want the one for dark colors, whites, with bleach, with fabric softeners, scented, unscented, the one that claims to be eco-friendly and the list goes on.

In the book by Michael DeJong The Humble Art of Zen Cleansing he makes a reference to making your own laundry soap and gives a list of ingredients.

I had wondered years ago if I could make my own laundry soap. However, I had dismissed the notion as I just assumed it was this difficult process that I really did not want to bother with.

It is not a difficult process! It is so darn simple, I was a little upset at myself that I had not looked into it more. I have been making my own laundry soap for almost two years now. This is a more sustainable option and will save you a decent amount of cash in the future. Additionally, all the ingredients can be purchased at most grocery stores.

The Ingredients:

Borax (20 mule team is the brand I use)
Baking Soda
Ivory Soap (or soap of choice)

Mix equal parts of each.

My Recipe is as follows:
3 cups Borax
3 cups baking soda
1 bar Ivory Soap

To shave the bar of soap I use a fine cheese grater. I mix all the ingredients in the container I intend to store the laundry detergent in.

Use one tablespoon per large load. Use two tablespoons per load if it is really soiled.

As a side note, finding bulk quantities of baking soda proved to be rather difficult for me. I ended up going to a restaurant supplier called Cash and Carry. They carry five and ten pound bags of baking soda.

I have heard suggestions to substitute Ivory soap with a bar of Dr Bronners bar soaps. There are a number of options for scents. I have been using the liquid soap as my body wash for years. So I am excited to try the bar soap for my laundry, I am a huge fan of the rose scent.

I have heard this mixture can also be used as a Dishwasher Detergent (I do not have a dishwasher). The difference is you omit the bar of soap when making a batch. Instead use two tablespoons of the powder mixture in the powder section and two tablespoons of white vinegar in the liquid detergent portion. The white vinegar is to eliminate food and water spots.

The Idea Realized, Part Three

Well, time passes. Chase and Adelle made their summer loop and asked if they could hang out in my yard for a bit between stops. Excited to get to know the two better, I agreed. As a side note: Adelle makes a wicked cup of hot chocolate and the best pineapple pie you will ever put in your face.

So, inquisitive creature that I am, I ask Chase and Adelle individually how they like living out of a 20x8 castle and being on the road. Chase sings the praises, he loves it, he is concerned that Adelle will want to set down roots soon.

Adelle is hesitant, she agreed to do this for about 5 years, that time frame is almost up. She wants to set down roots again, she is afraid that Chase will not. Long story short, they were both right.

A year after that, Chase and Adelle split. Chase turned in the castle for a bus. A short bus no less. He keeps up his road tripping lifestyle. He telecommutes full time for a company on the East Coast. My envy literally seeps out my pores.

I start talking to my best friend, Kim, she is starting to get the same itch, she wants to travel too. This is totally a win/win. I am single, she is single. Neither of us have kids, we can totally do this! After meeting Chase, she is fixated on the bus idea. I admit, it is a pretty awesome idea, especially if you get it to run on veggie oil.

We get into serious talks about how to make this happen. She has the money to buy a bus. I realize that both of us living in the bus, the short bus, might be a bit tight. So I decide that with her bus, I could tow my tiny house. She concurs that that would totally work.

The Idea Realized, Part Two

So I sat on this idea for quite some time. Pondered it, chewed it, dreamed about it and discussed it with people who humored my 'wacky' ideas. It was about this time I met some friends at an SCA event called Estrella War. I met some modern day gypsies.

One couple, I will call them Drew and Lisa, were a couple of crepe and coffee slinging vagabonds that hit the SCA and Renaissance Faire circuits throughout the United States during the Spring and Summer. They had a crew that traveled with them a portion of the time and went by truck and trailer.

The other couple, I will call them Chase and Adelle, were multi-talented people making breathtaking jewelry and hitting the circuit much like Drew and Lisa. These two delightful people towed a Castle behind their large truck. Yes, a castle. Chase had constructed it himself.

I have always wanted to travel. Be it road trip, vagabond overseas, stereotypically backpack through Europe, teach English in China, I really did not care. I just wanted to travel. Now, this gypsy lifestyle really appealed to me. Road tripping constantly, I could totally do that! Quit my corporate job and go. Yes please!

Around Valentine's Day every year, I travel for a few weeks. For a number of years in a row, my boyfriend (now former) and I would road trip to Arizona and back to go to Estrella War. We would hit Las Vegas, and a number of other stops. Every year, I would almost be in tears the whole way home. I just was not ready to go back to reality yet.

The Idea Realized

I have come to observe that I have to let ideas take root before I will give them credence. Partially due to what I call my 'Oh Shiny!' complex. So I try to allot myself a period of time where I ponder and/or drool about something before acting on it, best I can.

I have participated in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) for about 13 years, and have aspired to having a gypsy persona. In light of this, I have had a fascination with Gypsy Vardos for years. I thought about building one so that I could have a comfy place to lay my head when running off to wars and tourneys of all sorts. However, I always felt it was a bit of a pipe dream.

Fast forward to my tiny house notion, then back to my vardo concept. I realized I really wanted to marry the two ideas. Who said that my tiny house could not be a vardo? I mean, that sounds like a fantastic idea! Then realized I put myself almost back at square one.

As much as I would like to be a fabulous DIY'er (do-it-yourself), I knew I did not have the tools, time or money needed for such an epic project, or did I?

All About The Details

After meeting with Dee, I wanted to meet other tiny house owners. I found another relatively local tiny home builder, Mark. Mark agreed to meet with me to see his tiny house. He had deviated from the original Tumbleweed plan with his home. He built his tiny home for his mother, who had suffered when Hurricane Katrina hit.

He wanted his home to have a foundation. City ordinances made this increasingly difficult. He hired an architect, who assisted with city approved plans. When speaking with him, he answered a lot of questions. He was rather diplomatic about his frustrations regarding the process. The home turned out beautifully and gave me some more ideas.

I was not completely satisfied. I adore the Tumbleweed homes, but knew they were a bit more than I could afford and were not exactly what I was looking for.

Keep It Movin

"Keep it movin" was a turn of phrase Coco, a co-worker of mine, used frequently. Usually in reference to us pushing cases through our queue at work. But I found I adopted it during internal dialogue with myself.

The more immersed I became in adopting green actions, the more publications, blogs, books and documentaries I viewed. I stumbled across the Tiny House Movement. Specifically, the first main example I spotted was Tumbleweed Houses. I thought they were lovely, but wanted to see one in person.

I contacted Tumbleweed directly to see if they could put me in touch with a local Tumbleweed House owner, Dee Williams. They wrote back a few days later letting me know that I could get a hold of her through Portland Alternative Dwellings, a company she had started.

Dee Williams is one of the first Tumbleweed House builders. She built hers by hand for about $10,000.00, using mostly reclaimed materials. I requested to meet her and see her house in person and she agreed.

Meeting her was delightful, Dee was informative and friendly. She made a number of suggestions and answered my many questions how living in a tiny home had affected her life, dating and work. There are a number of videos of Dee and her home. I have to say she was an inspiration for me to consider living in a tiny home was possible.

So, the seed was planted, I realized I had to keep it movin. Otherwise, this was going to end up being a pipe dream. How was I going to get out of my house, in this housing market to get into a tiny house?

Seeds of Change

I have been lucky with my roommates. Many of the people that rolled through my house were friends. One of the most influential and inspirational of these was a couple, we'll call them Aaron and Sarah.

A & S are very planet conscious, green-minded folks. They avoid eating packaged foods, shop at the co-op, went shopping with their own containers, the list goes on. They introduced me to such material as No Impact Man. They also were the first people I had personally seen take being green to a level that was proactive, not just reactive.

Due to that inspiration I started implementing changes in my own life. I started buying local and organic, going to Farmer's Markets, I subscribed to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), I began researching ways to use natural items for cleaning. (Michael DeJong has a great book series I recommend highly The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing)

These type of changes have a way of changing the way you look at things. I found myself then wondering what else I could do, while keeping up the status quo of a house and a corporate job.

The Beginning

I knew something had to change. I was nearing my eighth year working for a major bank. I detested the job and the companies business practices. I worked nights as well as every weekend.

I owned a home that I had purchased at one of the worst moments possible, right before the housing crash. To help pay for the mortgage I rented out rooms in the house and I lived in the garage.

I realized after buying the house, that I did not want to own it. It was too big for my personal needs. Additionally, my income did not allow for it. I had to work a lot of overtime to make the payments and to have additional funds. So between my normal working hours and overtime, I did not have much of a social life.

My parents were proud, their daughter was under 30, had a job at a major bank and owned a home.

So why wasn't I happy?

The Tower Reversed

The Tower (R) - The process of change has started. Do not resist the inevitable breakdown of your present circumstances - let go, do not fight it. Look at things the way they really are - ignore the opposition and you will win the day. To rid yourself of something old or undesirable, you need to literally get rid of it - so that something much better can come along. See the writing on the wall - accept your situation and do what you know is right. Do not wait till the last minute - trying to hang on only makes the situation worse. Clear things up and have the courage to start over.

Your "ego" can find a reason for everything - but it is the wrong reason. Allow yourself to undergo the full experience. Trying to keep a tight reign on your reactions may lesson your pain for the moment - but in doing so, you do not release all the repressed emotions. The painful experience continues inside you - never having gone its full course. In trying to shield yourself from the Towers lightening - you virtually become its prisoner.

Enlightenment is a disturbing experience because it disrupts the little false "ego" world you have surrounded yourself with. You suddenly see that there is much more than the everyday world with all of its problems - there is an "inner" world filled with happiness and joy. You have always been aware of it, but you identified with it on the "ego" level in which you always seemed to loose. In the transition from the Tower - you never "loose" anything. Your "ego" becomes subordinate to your Inner Self and you begin to enjoy creating for that is what truly makes you happy. On the "ego" level - you win some and you loose some. In the creative situation - you ALWAYS win because you are not playing any games - you ARE important or you wouldn't be here!

Suggests that the major lesson involves someone else, someone most likely close to you, but you are involved in them getting this message and/or in the lesson itself.

Questions to Answer: How are you improving and restructuring yourself and your environment? What are you angry about? What structures in your life are breaking up? What has shattered your complacency? What sudden realization or insight have you had?