Words to the Cosmos | Tag Archive

Asiatic Lily – “BlackOut”

// July 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Ohio, PlantSwap, Tiny House Projects, china

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Remember those Asiatic lilies called “Black Out” that I told you about last year? Here they are!

HOC: Chickens

// June 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Ohio, Tiny House Projects, china, family, life the universe and everything

Assortments

Barred Plymouth Rocks

Golden Laced Wyandotte

New Hampshire

Partridge Plymouth Rocks

Silver Laced Wyandotte

Butterfly Pavillion

// May 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Medea, china, family, life the universe and everything, personal

Last summer Mia went on a “Cousin’s Trip” with her Nana and Deda and four of her cousins from her dad’s side of the family. She flew for the first time on an airplane, by herself. Unaccompanied. Alone. Without me.

Can you tell I was mortified?

Anyway, it all turned out okay; the plane arrived safely, she didn’t get lost, abducted or dematerialize in the space-time continuum. She enjoyed meeting and spending time with her paternal family and is looking forward to the 2010 trip.

While there, Nana took the girls to the Denver “Butterfly Pavilion” where they could encounter hundreds of live butterflies in a walk-through environment. Mia loved it. While there, the gift shop had a smaller version of a home “Butterfly Pavillion” which she wanted to purchase, but didn’t have enough money.

Butterfly Pavilion Nana bought it for her birthday. So last December, the box arrived and we needed “nice weather” and a “breeze” to make it work, so we needed to Ohio weather to turn warm. Now, in May 2010, that has finally happened so she sent away for the caterpillars in April and they arrived about two weeks ago.

Each “bug can” had five caterpillars sealed in with enough food and air to last them 10 days until they climb up to the top of the jar and spin a cocoon and hang from the ceiling. When that happens, we unseal the jar and take the paper disk the chrysalis are hanging from and “pin” it to the inside bottom mesh of the 2′ tall butterfly pavilion. Then we zip it back up and wait another week.

This was a fun time because whenever the pavilion was disturbed, by me knocking into it while vacuuming or coming around the corner too fast, the little caterpillars in their Snuggies did the wiggle-dance, which is a defense mechanism they have. About the *only* defense mechanism they have since they are entirely sealed in a coffin of their own making and are spending all their energy turning into a completely different species! Sheesh! And I think I have some busy days! At least I don’t have to change my species!

Now, for some photos of the process:

Butterfly Pavilion: May 26, 2010 - Hatchlings!

Butterfly Pavilion: May 26, 2010 - Cocoons

Faery eyeballs me at WAY too early in the morning…

// May 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Ohio, Tiny House Projects, china, sex work

Since getting chickens, my morning routine has been changed. The ladies get up early so I have to out around 5:30 and open their hen door and refill the food and water.

Here we see the early-morning Faery, a barred rock pullet hen, stares at me through her fence, wondering if I brought her any tasty treats!

Our Woodland Bluebells

// May 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Ohio, PlantSwap, Tiny House Projects

Hat tip to @gearball for schooling us on what these wee flowers in the back40 at the House-of-Chaos were. All I know is that they smell heavenly; like a mix of fresia and lily-of-the-valley.

Yum.

Reel Mover & Rain Barrell/Composter Combo

// May 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Ohio, Tiny House Projects, china, editorial, family, inspiration, life the universe and everything, personal

We’re only one family, right? A tiny family at that. A single mom with a bad back and her eleven year old kid. What can we do to be mindful, responsible and accountable for living harmoniously with our environment and community?

“Why do you even care?” Some say, “You’re a family of two. One adult and one child. It’s not like you have an enormous carbon footprint.”

No. We don’t. But are are a part of a community, culture and global family that we want to both respect and teach respect for. We live in an amazing place, in an amazing world and our actions should revel in that delight.

So my small family takes small actions. We’re not financially rich, by any means, so our efforts have to be practical, affordable and easy for one 39 year old woman to accomplish single-handedly.

We have a Brill reel mower; no gas, no electric. Hand powered and allows me a bit of exercise as I mow. We have a very small lot, so this is practical and affordable and easy to use. The grass clippings are used in both our composter and in the chicken yard or bedding.

The second is a wonderful tumbling composter and rain barrel. Small footprint compared to the two items being separate. The composter holds 30 gallons of material.

Since we have chickens and the chicken bedding is great for the composter we use that to provide nitrogen to our compost and get the richest, nutrient-packed compost for our gardens. We use water from the rain barrel to water.

Its a good system. It is easy, manageable, self-contained, sustainable and it is some small action that create a positive impact and contribution to our little circles of this amazing world.

The new entry bell (Feng Shui) at the HOC

// May 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Friday Night Extravaganza at the #HOC

// April 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // life the universe and everything

Sage, protein shakes, fizzy water, enochian and pandora…life is good

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) Lavender & White

// April 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Ohio, PlantSwap, Tiny House Projects, china

My PlantSwap group is so awesome. The members contract using a Yahoo!Group for seed-for-seed trades or seed-for-postage trades. This allows us all to dramatically expand the diversity of our gardens with FREE seed exchanges. I have also learned so much about gardening and collecting seeds and taking care of my garden from the group. I can’t say enough good about our members.

On March 23, 2010 I received two PlantSwap trades; one from Barb Nice from PA and the other from Kelly Robinson from TX. Barb sent me our contacted trade of primrose (which I swapped her some fountain grass), but she also sent me a RAK (Random-Act-of-Kindness) by also including some rose of sharon and rudebeckia maxima.

Rose of Sharon - Hibiscus Syriacus

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)

Overview of Rose of Sharon:

Rose of Sharon will help bring a bit of tropical beauty to more temperate climates. The blooms that arrive later in the summer will help revive your garden after the flurry of spring flowers.

Latin name: Hibiscus syriacus
Common Names: Rose of Sharon, althaea, hardy hibiscus
USDA Hardiness Zones: Zones 5-8
Size & Shape of Rose of Sharon: Rose of Sharon grows to approximately 8-12′ tall and 6′ wide, with a vase shape.
Exposure: It is best to grow Rose of Sharon in full sun, though it can tolerate up to part shade.
Foliage/ Flowers/Fruit of Rose of Sharon: Don’t be surprised if the leaves arrive after most of your other plants, as they start producing the leaves late in spring. Leaves are 2-4″ long, often with 3 lobes, and jagged edges.

The flowers are 2-5″ wide, in shades of white, pink, red, blue, purple, and violet. There is often a different spot of color in the middle of the throat.
The fruit are capsules.

(more…)

FairyGate: The Back-40 at the House-of-Chaos gets transformed into a fae-gate.

// February 24th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Great Grey Beast of February, House-of-Chaos, Ohio, Tiny House Projects, china, family, personal, spirit

Faery Gate

I know I’m not supposed to do it, but I can’t stand it anymore. I completely understand that “no gates, bridges or other thoroughfares are to be built, opened or unblocked to allow the free transfer of beings from fae-to-terrin.”

Bollocks.

I’m building one. In the back-40 of the House-of-Chaos I’m building a fairy gate. It will open on the Summer Solstice of 2010. Just try and stop me.

In preparation, here is a list of plants to make the fae more welcome in the garden. Since this is the last week of February, and I’m convinced that Spring, in all her glory, is right around the corner…I better get crackin’ on the yard plans.

Try planting some of these faery favorites in your garden!

[ from: http://www.afaeryhunt.com/fairyfun.htm ]

BLUEBELLS: Faeries are summoned to their midnight revels and dances by the ringing of these tiny flowers.

FERNS: Pixie faeries are especially fond of ferns. One story tells of a young woman who accidentally sat on a fern, and instantly a faery man appeared and forced her to promise to watch over his faery son and remain in Faeryland for a year and a day. Ferns make nice soft beds for the little guys.

FOXGLOVE: The name “foxglove” came from the words “folk’s glove.” Folks referred to little people, or faeries. One legend says that faeries gave the blossoms to foxes to wear as gloves so they would not get caught raiding the chicken coop. According to another legend, if you picked foxglove, you would offend the faeries. And if the faeries stole your baby, the juice of the foxglove would help to get it back. In some stories, foxglove appears as a faery’s hat. Foxglove can sometimes heal and sometimes hurt. It is a poisonous plant, but it is also used as medicine to treat heart disease.

HEATHER: lights the flame of fairy passions and may open the gates between the fairy world and our own.

MUSHROOMS: Used by faeries as tables and stools. The species Amanita is the red and white mushrooms very poisonous….

PANSIES: These may be used in fairy love potions.

POPPIES: These will bring faeries into your dreams.

PRIMROSES: Primroses are one key into faeryland. There is a German legend about a little girl who found a doorway covered in flowers, and when she touched it with a primrose, the door opened up, leading into an enchanted faery castle.

RAGWORT, CABBAGE STALKS, GRASS and STRAW: All of these were used by faeries for transportation in the same manner as a witch uses a broom.

ROSES: The sweet smell and soft petals of roses attract faeries to your garden. A popular love spell uses roses. Sprinkle rose petals under your feet and dance on them softly while asking the Faery for a blessing on your magic

SAFFRON CROCUS: The stamens from this fall flowering crocus constitute the herb saffron. Any food prepared with saffron is a favorite faery food. Saffron used as a dye will turn cloth a royal gold. Such cloth is very valuable to faeries.

THYME: Wear a sprig of thyme to increase your ability to see the wee ones. Thyme may also be planted by the doors and windows of your house to invite the fairies to come inside.

TULIPS: The faeries like to use the tulip bloom to put their babies to bed.

Some other faery favorites are rosemary, heartsease, and forgetmenots.

Felize wishes you a Merry Christmas

// January 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, life the universe and everything

Felize wishes you a Merry Christmas

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

Ho Ho Ho….may all your holidays be bright.

HOC: Breezeway

// December 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

HOC: Breezeway

The weather is turning cold and I’ve finally gotten the breezeway into good condition. I have, in the past five months:

stripped and refinished the windows
replaced the back storm door
painted the ugly gray paneling to a blue (extra paint I had from Mia’s bedroom project)
painted the molding and ceiling
replaced the front storm door
installed a new, push-button lock on the entry door.
installed a new lampshade and painted the old light fixture

That’s a lot! Yay!

If you would like to see more photos from the breezeway projects:

Flick’r Breezeway Tiny-House-Projects for the House-of-Chaos

HOC: Dining Room Re-Do

// December 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

The Curse of the Evil Beige Paint

When I moved into the tiny House-of-Chaos in May 2009, the walls were painted with that cheap, beige paint that you can get for about $50 for 5 gallons. Ick. Ugh. Ooof.

It had to go, but to what? I know I have a lot of work in all areas of the house, so what to tackle first? One of my goals is to do all of the renovations out-of-pocket and not to gain any additional financing to support a remodel.

So I got an idea one day: The ugly gray paneling that was in the breezeway, well it extended into the dining area up to the chair-rail. What was behind that paneling?

The hole behind the paneling

Ah. There are holes behind that paneling, and water stains from where the roof leaked. Now that the roof has been replaced I’m not worried about water continuing to damage the walls, but I’m also not really into replacing all of the walls quite yet.

So I took the paneling off:

Removing the Paneling

Gave her a new coat of gray paint:

Cut in the windows with a sharp new white after sanding them down as best as I could:

Original Window Yuckiness

New Window Yumminess:

Installed new nickle-finish hardware on the window sashes and latches:

Old Latches

New Latches

Installed new birch plywood project panels which I stained ebony with my magick molding stain (now expanded to just “magick stain” since we’ve extended past the molding):

And installed new molding for the chair-rail:

White composite chair-rail molding

and the baseboard:

To finish we stripped the extra paint from the registers and air intake vents and repainted them a satin black:

and ta-da! It now looks like this!

Dining Room - after

Dining Room - After

The whole set of images from the entire project can be viewed:

The first grilled meal at the House of Chaos

Mr. Bird in his Tiny-Perch-of-Doom

// December 2nd, 2009 // 3 Comments » // House-of-Chaos, life the universe and everything, personal, spirit

Mr. Bird in his Tiny-Perch-of-Doom

Originally uploaded by chinagrrrl

This is Meester Bird. He’s been hanging around for a few weeks now. We get home after dark (which happens around 4:15 p.m. right now) and when we come through the breezeway, occasionally we hear the flapping of wings.

I knew it wasn’t Death coming for me. I knew it was just a bird. Yeah, right! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

But yesterday I collected evidence of this bird.

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:

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

In return they gave me a steady stream of these:

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

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

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

He was a great friend.

Mia luvs up Griffin (who is tolerating her shenannigans)

He was a good brother to Mia.

Griffin and Baby Mia

Griffin asleep in Bed

Felize, Griffin and Lucifer

Griffin and Lucifer eat the Catnip at TimberTop's patio

Griffin & Ojo - 2004

His last days:

Getting older

Griffin has left the building

Griffin has left the building - September, 26, 2009

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

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

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!

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

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

and then we go to town hanging that sucker:

HOC - Front Breezeway (refinish windows)

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:

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 Leaky Cauldron

Re:Post – The Save-Water Brick

// November 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects

I know I haven’t posted much in the Tiny House-of-Chaos section this month. That does NOT mean that there hasn’t been a ton of stuff going on. We’ve gotten a new roof, redone the master bedroom (half-way at least) and I’m in progress giving the dining area a significant new look. But all those entries are in the “drafts” folder of my WordPress dashboard and not ready to be revealed quite yet. Our philosophy is; make hay while the sun shines (or adapted for Akron, Ohio “get your nuts in order before the snow falls”).

Until then I’ll be feeding you some re:post entries from other lovely members of the Tiny House Movement. Please check this valuable and vital information out. Friend them, subscribe to their RSS feeds. Learn how to go small the stay sustainable! It rocks:

Now the first entry: the “Save-Water Brick” and it comes directly from Dornob:

It might look like your typical old red clay house-building brick on one side, but turn it over and there is a shift that hints at a deeper design change – one that is eco-friendly but also expressive in a way that most walls or brick are not.

Designed by Jin-young Yoon to be made from recycled plastic and decomposed leaves, this brick is green from the ground up (so to speak). More than just its composite materials, however, built-in grooves are designed to funnel water for gardening or even long-term underground storage.

In a world where water is becoming the next hot-button resource destined to become scarce, it seems like a good time to start thinking about our most basic building materials and structures (such as bricks and walls) and see how they might shift to accommodate an ever-growing need for homes to have access to nature’s most vital resource.

HOC: Shiitake Pot Stickers with Sesame Dipping Sauce

// October 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, personal

Vegetarian Times Issue: August 1, 2002 p.50

Use only pressed tofu, a product that is not water-packed, because it is very firm and dry, otherwise, the filling will be too wet. Pressed tofu should be so firm that you can easily dice it or cut into thin strips. I have found pressed tofu in natural food stores and Asian markets, but if you cannot find it, use tempeh instead. You can make the pot stickers ahead and flash- freeze them for several weeks, or dust with cornstarch, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for several hours. Frozen pot stickers can be cooked after partial thawing.

(more…)

HOC: Ravioli with Herbed Goat Cheese Filling

// October 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, life the universe and everything

Vegetarian Times Issue: May 1, 2002 p.26 — Member Rating:

Homemade ravioli are always a special treat. And, if you use wonton wrappers rather than homemade pasta, they require very little preparation. Here, ravioli are filled with tangy goat cheese that is seasoned with a generous quantity of fresh herbs and enhanced with your choice of either a fragrant broth or a light tomato sauce.

(more…)

Tammy Strobel: Portland Tiny Homes: Reused and Recycled

// October 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // House-of-Chaos, Tiny House Projects, professional

Portland Cottage

Tammy Strobel, who has the Rowdy Kittens blog about social change through simple living, guest posts over at the Tiny House Blog about the Portland Tiny Homes:

“Jeff and Brad are the cottage designers and builders. The couple created these beautiful spaces using salvaged and recycled materials. Brad has been building in Oregon for over 30 years and Jeff has an incredible amount of experience in gardening and masonry.”

The Portland Cottages are 374 sq. feet (that’s 1/2 the size of the Tiny House-of-Chaos!!!) and beautiful.

[read the whole article]