Tiny Lake Cottage

July 17, 2014: Betwixt and Between

 Today I have painting to do in the city house. (Sigh) Wayne is “up north” organizing his shed, moving things from the utility area of the cottage to the shed so we can move in a washer and dryer. And, so I find my head, “betwixt and between” these two lovely properties we own. This isn't a happy place: betwixt. I just want to get on with it but for now, I have to continue preparing the city house for putting on the market-- which means a lot of work. Work I really don't want to do. I have to continue to motivate myself to paint, clean, purge, organize, purge, purge and purge. So I celebrate the small victories. I have finally convinced Wayne to ditch all those hard DVD cases and store his precious DVDs in a binder. Halleluiah! “Victory is mine!” (Song in my head from the movie, “The Apostle,” by Robert Duvall) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apostle.

Betwixt, as I think about it was not a good spot for many biblical characters either. Take Lot's wife for instance. Her head was betwixt her home in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+19 and the unknown path before her. She was betwixt two paths: the know and the unknown. As we all know, keeping her head in the known was a disaster for her- she was turned into a pillar of salt! Another bible character that found himself betwixt is the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A16-22&version=NKJV. Another situation where someone couldn't give up the known, aka, his riches and embrace the unknown, aka, faith in God. So he walked away weeping bitter tears unable to give up his good life and embrace the creator of the universe and trust in Him. (He did not chose wisely.)

Today, I paint and I try not to think of what I'm giving up to move into a 600 square foot tiny cottage. I try not to think of the losses (closet space, my favorite furniture, my spacious kitchen, etc.) and I just say, “God has a plan for me and He will direct my path.” I try not to think of the negatives and accentuate the positives and let go of Mr. Betwixt... Between. (Thinking of a song again!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z45EB4TiYz4 … please listen to Bette Miller and Bing Crosby sing this song... it will brighten your day.

July 6, 2014: Ebb and Flow

The kids and the chaos that goes with family in a small space-- have returned to their own lives. What a joy it is to come together as family. It is always a temptation at this point to think, "We need a bigger cottage." We dream of adding a second story, expand the deck into kitchen/living space, etc. Especially my daughter, Christina and I; we love to exchange thoughts, pictures from Pinterest or Houzz. I not only dream about "rooms with out borders" -- I dream as if there were a money tree to fund all these glorious ideas.

Such is life and its "ebb and flow."  Times of great chaos and times of solitude. Times with no extra space and times when its more then enough. Thoughts turn to the bible story of the Mount of Transfiguration in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 17. Peter was so excited about seeing Moses and Elijah with Jesus that he had a brilliant idea,  I need to build three tabernacles!  He thought they were going to stay awhile and he wanted to make a special space for them. Nice thought Peter but  it wasn't needed-- and that wasn't the point in their appearance.  And, so, it is with the kids coming home: it isn't about having an expansive home to dwell in while they are here, it is to enjoy them for soon they will disappear, back into their own worlds.

So, I punch another cup of "joe" out of the Kerig, and relax by the fire; I reflect on our time together and pray for them as they travel. What a blessing kids are and the chaos they bring. I'm glad they come. Bring it on!  I will enjoy the moments when beautiful chaos arrives again.

 

This is How I Like My Morning Coffee

July 3, 2014: Funny How Things Always Seem Bigger in Your Mind

 Funny how things are always bigger in your mind. I'm always daydreaming of how to decorate, re-purpose and organize things at the lake cottage. But my mind envisions "rooms without borders" not, "rooms with hoarders!" The bedrooms are half the size I see in my mind's eye! Then panic sets in as I face the fact, I have to make some serious cuts in my expectations and possessions. Expectations can be a "gotcha." I dream. I see reality. I'm depressed. I'm negative. I'm a powder-keg filled with unrealistic expectations. But, as my daughter, Nicole always says to me, "Mom, breathe."  And, so I take a big, cleansing breath and assure myself that "all that is important will fit here."  This is the moment that I must look up and look out over the deck to see why I'm giving up my spacious house in the city and embracing the "up north" lifestyle. As I'm taking that cleansing breath, I see the leaves clapping their hands, the water on lake reflecting the sun's rays, the turtles sunning themselves on the dock, the ducks leading their young as they swim in formation, the humming birds hovering at the feeder in happiness... need I say more? So today, I prepare for kids coming home. I prepare the lake cottage for food and festivities. I focus my mind on what is important and let go of my expectations to have it all and have it in its place.

June 27, 2014: Moving Up North

It's trendy these days, to get rid of excess material possessions. People have lived the "good life" too long and with continual downswing of our economy and the cost of living on the rise, many are jumping off the materialism treadmill and going "tiny." (Small House Movement ). According to standards, our "tiny cottage" is really not so tiny at 600 Sq. Ft.

My husband and I are retired and both were forced into retirement years before we were financially prepared. Unfortunately, we were left with two homes with mortgages: our house in the city and the house at the lake. We can no longer pay all the expenses that go along with two homes so we have made the decision to sell. We put the cottage up for sale but no buyer appeared... nobody has money for an extra home these days. That didn't work so we decided to sell the city house. We have a strong interested party! But, that means, if we are going to do this, a serious downsizing must commence!

We have two houses jammed packed with 34 years of stuff. I can't believe all the collected crap we've amassed. Where is it all going to fit? What do we give away, sell, save--- where do we begin? This blog, Tiny Lake Cottage is about our journey to the "less is more" concept. For me, I'm very practical. I haven't a lot of attachments to material things but I'm married to a very nostalgic sort-of-guy (can we say borders on hoarding?) who holds his possessions very near and dear to his heart and frugal to a fault. This is going to be a battle. Lord, help us!

As I begin this blog (I have NO idea what I'm doing!), I am hoping that my experience will encourage others to join me in our leap off the grid (kinda) and living remotely (sorta). As senior citizens, many would think we are crazy. But desperate times require desperate measures. We are desperate to get into one home so that we can can live at peace, afford food, travel and just plain enjoying ourselves, our families and friends. Here we go!!