Archive for November, 2009

I-Ching: Sui “Participation” (#17)

// November 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // I-Ching, magick

Sui: Participation,
In this particular moment, try not to waste energy in fighting but wait without forcing Destiny’s hand. If you learn how to adapt yourself to the situation in hand, by coming to an agreement you will obtain great well-being and assured success.
Lake

Thunder

 Ching 17

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I-Ching: Kuei Mei “Marrying Girl” (#54)

// November 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // I-Ching, magick

Kuei Mei: Marrying girl,
In your social relations, both friendships and love affairs, you must always respect fundamental rules. The ones which establish the different roles people have. Try therefore to proceed with the right amount of discretion, avoiding difficulties and paving he way for success.
Thunder

Lake

 Ching 54

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Weekly ChinaTwits on 2009-11-29

// November 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Re:post – Bunkies avoid building permits

// November 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Tiny House Projects

Michael Janzen over at Tiny House Living posts about the tiny “Bunkies” that avoid building permits:

bunkies lake ontarioI always like to hear about folks finding creative ways of solving housing needs. It’s not the beating the system part that interests me, although too often it seems like that is a requirement, which is really sad. Shouldn’t building codes be designed to protect folks… not limit or exclude folks? This article on Tiny House Blog describes one such work-around situation at Lake Ontario, Canada.

These Bunkies Avoid Building Permits

NftU: Almighty Awareness

// November 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // NftU, life the universe and everything, spirit

China, there is an almighty awareness.

One almighty awareness.

A thinking, compassionate awareness, of which you are a part.

Infinitely kind. All-knowing. All-loving. Distant as the furthest mote of dust in space, yet as near as the beating of your heart. Here and there, before and after, always and forever.

And whensoever you should call unto it, it answers you by name. Or “Dude….”

Just like that,
The Universe

Re:Post – 1962 Airstream EcoConversion/Restoration

// November 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Tiny House Projects

Oh. My. Gods.

I love Airstream.  To me it is a cultural icon.  I used to have a recurring dream in a post-nuclear time of me and my family/brood (in this dream I had six kids) who traveled in that apocalyptic time in a converted Airsteam trailer which had been retrofitted with gun turrets/flamethrowers and all the fashionable bio-hazard accoutrement.

Jon and Kate’s Airstream looks much nicer than the one from my dreams and I will be following their travels.

From This Tiny House:

john_kate

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Mia’s Drawing of Loons

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything




Mia’s Drawing of Loons

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

My kid rocks! She drew these loons which were on the wall at her school during interim reports.

I love her. She’s an awesome girl!

HOC: Garden – Hibiscus

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, spirit

I purchased two red hibiscus plants at the end of the summer for the front patio of the Tiny House-of-Chaos.  They were about $10 bucks a plant and I wasn’t sure if I would get much in the way of foliage from them, but they have produced literally hundreds of flowers that I’ve enjoyed. (more…)

HOC: Garden – Gardenia

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, spirit

I love gardenia’s!  I love the smell.  I love that they are “finickey” plants that need a lot of specific needs.  I think that’s awesome.  I’ve killed previous gardenias (Harry gardenia, may you rest-in-peace) but I was able to tend to some of my family’s flowers while they wintered in Florida and received one for Mother’s day this year.

I learned they like to:

  1. drink coffee
  2. receive regular misting with distilled water
  3. and have an evening or two a week by a humidifier.

In return they gave me a steady stream of these:

Gardenia

Gardenia

Wasn’t that sweet?

Griffin’s Passing

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, family, life the universe and everything, magick, news, personal, spirit

Griffin - My faithful familiar

Griffin - My faithful familiar

On September 26, 2009 my 13-year-old familiar and faithful kitty Griffin passed away.

In July of 2008 he has something akin to a stroke and was all wobbly for about a week.  He had stabilized by the time I took him to the vet a few days later, but inside I knew that I was living with him on borrowed time.

MardiGriffin

MardiGriffin

I got Griffin as a spindly-legged Louisiana Swamp Cat.  I was living in New Orleans in 1996 and was thinking about getting a kitty.  I was actually talking to a friend aobut this when outside the window of Kaldi’s Coffee House on Decatur in the French Quarter I see this wispy little orange ring-tail sauntering past a window.  Since the window was about five feet off the sidewalk I ran out to see what it was doing.  Outside were some gutter-punks spanging on the corner and I asked if that was their kitty and could I hold it.

They told me that some friends came through town with him and left him there and that there were trying to find a home for the little guy.  I told them not to worry that I’d take him.  So Griffin rode down Esplanade with me, riding inside my scooter helmet and covered in fleas.

In those first days he got no fewer than five flea baths with different products, but every time I dunked him in a bucket of dip all the fleas would just climb up to his head.  So dense were his fleas that they literally would fall off his head into the water because they had no more real-estate left up top.

And so, on day five we went to the vet and invested a couple of hundred bucks in a brand-new flea medication called “Front-line” and “Advantage”.  It was the first time I had ever a significant chunk of my own money in taking care of an animal.  And with that, the fleas died, his shots were up to date, he was registered to me on his rabies tag and I had my first baby!

It was just him and me for the first two years and he moved with me from NOLA to Colorado, where I followed a guy.  That relationship quickly deteriorated and I moved back to Ohio, with Griffin to recollect during the summer.  I learned I left Colorado with more than myself and Griffin when I learned in July that I was pregnant.  Griffin and I had many deep conversations on the back patio and I decided that I was going to undertake the responsibility of being a single mom.  As I bought baby stuff, Griffin thought I was buying him elaborate cat toys.

Griffin in his ExerSaucer

Griffin in his ExerSaucer

He was a great friend.

Mia luvs up Griffin (who is tolerating her shenannigans)

Mia luvs up Griffin (who is tolerating her shenannigans)

He was a good brother to Mia.

Griffin and Baby Mia

Griffin and Baby Mia

Griffin asleep in Bed

Griffin asleep in Bed

Felize, Griffin and Lucifer

Felize, Griffin and Lucifer

Griffin and Lucifer eat the Catnip at TimberTops patio

Griffin and Lucifer eat the Catnip at TimberTop's patio

Griffin & Ojo - 2004

Griffin & Ojo - 2004

His last days:

Getting older

Getting older

Griffin has left the building

Griffin has left the building - September, 26, 2009

Griffin has left the building - September, 26, 2009

Griffin Memorial

Griffin Memorial

Griffin Memorial

I have collected some of my Griffin photos into a set over on Flick’r: You can view them here

HOC: New Roof for the Tiny House-of-Chaos

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, life the universe and everything, news, personal

Ugh!  I had to get a new roof on the House-of-Chaos before the mean Ohio winter snows started flying.  I didn’t want to.  I had much better plans for those $4500 dollars.  Really, I did!  But the one thing I couldn’t abide was the though of me being all nestled into my warm bed on a cold February night when it was a blizzard outside and hearing a creak and a crack that wakes me up only moments before the roof caves in and three feet of wet, gray and icy snow descends upon me.

That was enough of a nightmare for me to shell out the cash.

Here is what the exterior of  house looked like back in April, when we made the offer:

On October 19th the roofers started and it looked like this:

and then they laid the felt/ice guard down:

This is a slightly better view of the roof felt as the breezeway butts up against the garage:

New Roof for the House-of-Chaos

New Roof for the House-of-Chaos

They worked on it Monday through Thursday and now it looks like this:

The new roof for the Tiny House-of-Chaos

The new roof for the Tiny House-of-Chaos

They replaced much of the underlay of the roof, where it was leaking between the kitchen and dining room, they laid two new layers of 25-year, dimensional shingles and completely repaired the flashing on my chimney.

Nice job!

For the entire gallery of the roofing project check this out!

2363 8th Street Outside_Front Look! Blue sky! It does exist in Ohio The tree, now cut back off the house HOC_Back_Roofline_081609 HOC: Roof - The Felt is On SNC01738 The roofers begin - Oct. 19, 2009 HOC: Roof - Felting (part II) SNC01741 Roof - After The Back 40

horoscope

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, personal

Libra (Sep. 22–Oct. 23)
Self-awareness is the thing. THE thing, as in the VERY thing; the only thing and the thing to value above all else. Nobody is perfectly self-aware, so you can let yourself off the hook for that one. Yet there are those who value the stuff and those who really, truly don’t want to be bothered. Now is the time to bother; to take every step you have to take to hoist that flag and raise it high. Saturn beginning its 30-month journey across your birth sign is some of the best astrological news that has come your way in many years. You have faced challenging transits (as have we all), and while this one will indeed bring its challenges, they are the kind that are worth every bit of effort five times over. Saturn is here to bestow you with one of the most precious gifts of the postmodern age: maturity. Among the very most serious problems our society faces is the collective lack of maturity among its members. This not only leads to people being unable to take care of themselves and one another; it’s contributing to a significant failure of ethics and sense of awareness about the future. All of this and more are the gifts that Saturn is here to offer you; in due time, of course, but that time is close. And what is the cost? Self-awareness.

HOC: Breezeway – Front Storm Door

// November 24th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

After replacing the back storm door first, I felt confident enough to tackle replacing the front storm door all by myself.  I decided that white would be a better color for the front.  So I didn’t have to special order this door.

I selected the same model door I did for the back storm door; the Larson Tradewinds I picked it up from Lowe’s and brought it home, ready to hang.  I set up some sawhorses in the breezeway and went to town:

Just for reference, this is what I was working with:

Original Storm Door - Front Breezeway

Original Storm Door - Front Breezeway

and this is my set-up for working inside the breezeway to avoid rain:

Chinagrrrl’s always read the instructions and work with the proper tools before starting:

Instructions

Instructions

and then we go to town hanging that sucker:

SNC01741 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01731 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01730 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01729 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01727 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01726 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01725 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01724 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01723 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01721 SNC01722 HOC: Breezeway - Front Storm Door SNC01720 HOC - Tree on Breezeway (Front) HOC - Tree on Front Roof HOC - Front Breezeway (refinish windows) 2363 8th Street

Click on any of the thumbnail images to go to the Flick’r page detailing my door hanging extravaganza.

HOC: Breezeway – Painting the Ceiling & Molding

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

After painting the ugly gray paneling to a light-blue color I noticed that the ceiling and molding of the Tiny House-of-Chaos breezeway was cracked and dingy.  It needed a coat of paint too and there was a can of low-quality white paint left in the garage from whoever painted the Tiny House before we moved in.  Not the optimal choice, but would it do in a pinch?

Yes it would:

Tiny House Project: Breezeway - Painted Tiny House Project: Breezeway - Painted Breezeway - Ceiling Painted Breezeway - The Leaky Cauldron

HOC: Breezeway – Painting the Paneling

// November 24th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

So when we moved in the Tiny House-of-Chaos had this dirty, dingy gray paneling in the breezeway.  After I finished painting the 2nd bedroom for Mia I had some light-blue paint left over and I thought that would be a good experiment to lighten up that room.

This is how that room looked before we moved in:

So I gave it a coat of paint and it lightened right up:

The Light Blue Breezeway

The Light Blue Breezeway

The Leaky Cauldron

The Leaky Cauldron

Yum!: CHRISTMAS ANISE COOKIE

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

CHRISTMAS ANISE COOKIE

Mix the following ingredients until creamy:
1 c. sugar
Add 3 eggs and blend. Add the following to this mixture:
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
3-4 drops oil of anise
Add sufficient flour to make a relatively stiff cookie dough which can be rolled.Mix the dough well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
FROSTING:
2 egg whites
2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2-3 drops oil of anise (to taste)
Beat ingredients with an electric mixer until moist and fluffy.Roll dough to about 1/8″ thickness and use Crescent shaped cookie cutters.

Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet at 375F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Frost cookies and sprinkle with red or green sugars or white icing sprinkled with nonpareils if desired.

Yum!: HONEY BEE COOKIES

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

HONEY BEE COOKIES

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1 egg
1 1/2 c. Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.2. Beat butter, brown sugar, honey and egg in a medium bowl on medium speed, scraping bowl constantly, until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake until set and light brown around edges (surfaces of cookies will appear shiny), 7 to 9 minutes. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet, then remove from cookie sheet with metal spatula onto a wire rack. Makes 36 cookies.

  • HONEY-BRAN COOKIES:
    Stir 1 cup of shreds of bran cereal into batter.
  • HONEY-CINNAMON COOKIES:
    Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon; sprinkle on cookies immediately after removing from oven.
  • HONEY-COCONUT COOKIES:
    Stir 1 cup of shredded coconut into batter.

JFT: Gratefully Recovering

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // Recovery

November 24

Gratefully recovering

“We entertained the thought that staying clean was not paying off, and the old thinking stirred up self-pity, resentment, and anger.”

Basic Text, p. 98

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NftU: Looking back

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // NftU, life the universe and everything, spirit

One day it will all be a distant memory, China, yet I can tell you now, with the supreme confidence of someone who’s gone ahead in time to know, that you’ll look back on this life and be so flush with love and admiration for yourself, your journey, and who it made you, that you’ll wonder, as I do now, how it could possibly have escaped you then.

Maybe this will help.

Your greater-self,
The Universe

Storypeople: Bleak

// November 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // funny-bone, life the universe and everything

Here’s the Story of the Day:
There’s nothing out there you can’t find here, she said. That’s probably why it all seems so bleak.

Puscifer “Momma Sed”

// November 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Sheesh!  I thought I posted this months ago!  But since I couldn’t find it in a search here it is.  A song that helped me get through a really tough time in my life…and now I’m sharing with someone else!

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Matisyahu – Fire of Heaven (Altar of Earth)

// November 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, magick


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I-Ching; Shih Ho “Wrathful” (#21)

// November 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // I-Ching, life the universe and everything, magick

Shih Ho: Wrathful,
In this phase, the right way to face the situation is to intervene with decisiveness. It isn’t the right time to ignore a problem. You must re-establish justice, use every means you can: perseverance will help.
Fire

Thunder

 Ching 21

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Matisyahu: This guy rocks!

// November 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything, news

Just learned about Matisyahu, the American Hasidic Jewish reggae musician.  So good:

I couldn’t embed the ones that were my favorites, but here are the YouTube links:

One Day

King without a Crown

Youth

Indestructible:

NftU: M&M’s

// November 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // NftU, life the universe and everything, spirit

You see, the thing about Miracles-in-the-Making, or M&M’s as they’re affectionately called here, China, is that they must be disguised amongst the plain and ordinary events of each day. Until, of course, they come to pass, at which point the dreamer they had swirled around can comfortably be labeled lucky or blessed. Otherwise you’d be slammed with worshippers and devotees. Believe me, not pretty.

This isn’t by divine law, it’s just in keeping with the times you’re in. Most folks aren’t quite ready to have their belief systems blown to pieces with overtly obvious miracles, but this is changing.

Glad you’re different,
The Universe

Weekly ChinaTwits on 2009-11-22

// November 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

  • How close do u feel right now to your angel? If u r finding it difficult 2 connect it is because u r holding back. – Margaret Neylon #
  • “Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.” ~Dag Hammarskjold #
  • Americans now spend more money on fast food – $110 billion a year – than they do on higher education (sad) http://ow.ly/E7wO #
  • be back in a bit! (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/6aUs) #
  • eatin dinner and watchin' Transformers for Family Movie Nite! (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/6aUs) #
  • friday nite family movie night! (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/6aUs) #
  • …such a being is called a dakini, a term generally translated "space-goer," "celestial woman," or "cloud fairy." http://ow.ly/E87T #
  • dakini, generally of volatile or wrathful temperament, act somewhat as a muse (or inspirational thoughtform) for spiritual practice #
  • "No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night." –Elie Wiesel (hell to the Yeah!!!) #
  • Most commonly she appears as the protector, alongside a guru and yidam… #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — Vanilla Twilight Owl City Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tc3DrRR1Pw&feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • I subscribed to KatieM7's channel on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/KatieM7?feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • and many times as I blink, I'll think of you…tonight! http://ow.ly/E7gZ #
  • …rumors involving test tubes, birthday wishes, cryonics, dark magic, and a complicated system of levers and pulleys. http://ow.ly/E7co #
  • It is not the failure of others to appreciate UR abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs. ~Confucius #
  • "Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty." –Doris Day #
  • watching Grand Torino and doing laundry and NOT writing much yet…(I'm ahead of sched.) (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/6aUs) #
  • 'Cuz everything is never as it seems…" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI4JLa0hbUw #
  • …at last, I may realize that, I Am Not, therefore I Am. – Wei Wu Wei… #
  • “There are some people who eat an orange but don’t really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future.” – Thich Nhat Hanh #
  • g'night folks. Gotta sleep for work in the AM. We'll be back on Thursday! Ciao! (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/6aUs) #
  • Doing NaNoWriting here… (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/6aUs) #
  • "Always keep an open-heart…and two full clips. " ~Chinagrrrl #
  • A man has three names: the name he inherits, the name his parents give him, and the name he makes for himself. #
  • "Remember me? We took flying lessons together!" #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — Roger Housden Recites Rilke's "Sonnet to Orpheus Pt 2, XII" http://bit.ly/2WewXg #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — The Tear Garden – In Search of My Rose http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiwynSly7BU&feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — The Legendary Pink Dots – Golden Dawn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WHJ_z14MIY&feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — Silent Hill 2 (Skinny Puppy – Cult) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7kDh15gm0&feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — Skinny Puppy – Candle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu9htBbxA_Q&feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — "phoenix" tear garden (recut) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgiyv9dYXRU&feature=autoshare_twitter #
  • To Be An Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide…made a year before I met you. #
  • "Stand tall & fearless. You, so fragile and full of life. When The World tells it's true name don't you dare fucking blink." -Lord David #
  • "Changes come. Life will have it's way…" ~Puscifer "Momma Sed" #
  • It is our earth, not yours or mine or his. We are meant to live on it, helping each other, not destroying each other. – J. Krishnamurti… #
  • In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds. ~Robert Green Ingersoll #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — Hooverphonic – Sad Song http://bit.ly/a57Ym #
  • I favorited a YouTube video — Mango http://bit.ly/dgv65 #
  • Warcrack Anon. http://bit.ly/LXN6D #
  • "There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." ~Alexander Woollcott #
  • Local Cuyahoga Falls business providing solar and greenhouse needs to the House-of-Chaos http://icio.us/uzol35 #
  • Green building boards, beautiful too! http://icio.us/a0aihx #

Tiny House Movement resources

// November 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Tiny House Projects

Tiny house and simple living websites:

Tiny House Builders, Plans, And Kits

JFT: Finding Fulfillment

// November 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // Recovery

November 20

Finding fulfillment

“We weren’t oriented toward fulfillment; we focused on the emptiness and worthlessness of it all.”

Basic Text, p. 86

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NftU: Feeling Unfettered

// November 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // NftU, life the universe and everything, spirit

Think back to a happy time, China. A really, really happy time in your life. Go back as far as it takes, to a time when you felt so light you thought you might float.

Do you remember it? The carefree feeling? The acceptance of the moment, of yourself, of life? Feeling unfettered by thoughts of the future and oblivious to the past?

Feel it a little longer…

There. Very nice.

Yours,
The Universe

I-Ching: Kuai “Decision” (#43)

// November 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // I-Ching

Kuai: Decision,
Now you can finally take that decision which puts an end to your hostile and unfavorable situation. Remember that it’ll be enough for you to make the first step, the rest will come alone. Take this opportunity and correct once and for all everything which is not right around you.
Lake

Heaven

 Ching 43

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