Our Tiny (10 x 12) Cabin

[Gary O]

You will

We will

Now, if technology would just take a breather...

[mountainlady1956]

Gary,
Started reading this thread and before I got to the bottom thought, this guy should write professionally (or maybe you do)! I'm an avid reader and loved your writing Why a book? although that would be grat. Why not some short stories? or perhaps an article for a magazine. Your writing style is so humorous, yet something that I could relate to (if familiar with chainsaws, jeeps or whatever-lol) Anyway, just my opinion. What is your book about? BTW, I've had that happen to me too! Lost my article draft which was soooo discouraging. Only happened once though! Always save everything (often) now on both my hard drive and a jump drive (love those). Thanks for an entertaining story. Cathy

[mountainlady1956]

Oops that's great not grat

[Barry Broome]

Hey Gary,

I too enjoy writing, but most of mine has been in the realm of politics. Where I learned that you can get some serious attention much faster than you had hoped! I tend to write on the factual, reasoning, and objective... which is good and all, but I still have not learned to combine it with humor and a humorous motif like you have. You are really good at that. The humorous motif is what makes the writing interesting and enjoyable - despite the content. That's an area in which I have a lot of room to grow.

I mean how do you tell people they are crazy while making them smile at the same time? 

[Gary O]

Gary,
Started reading this thread and before I got to the bottom thought, this guy should write professionally (or maybe you do)! I'm an avid reader and loved your writing Why a book? although that would be grat. Why not some short stories? or perhaps an article for a magazine. Your writing style is so humorous, yet something that I could relate to (if familiar with chainsaws, jeeps or whatever-lol) Anyway, just my opinion. What is your book about? BTW, I've had that happen to me too! Lost my article draft which was soooo discouraging. Only happened once though! Always save everything (often) now on both my hard drive and a jump drive (love those). Thanks for an entertaining story. Cathy

Hi Cathy
Thank you (really).
And, my book is just short stories.
A compilation of sorts.
Life in the '50s and '60s.
I tried to write a novel, and it started out quite intriguing.....to myself (my little test)......for a hand full of pages....then I fell asleep.
Dang, books are tough.
But short stories?
Spurts of inane thoughts put to prose?
I can do that.
At least I have fun with it.
Glad some others do too.
Cheers
And welcome, BTW.


Oh, and your 2nd post edit.
You don't have to do that here.
I've edited stuff I'd written months before.
Just one of the many reasons this forum rocks.

Again, thank you.

[Gary O]

Hey Gary,

I too enjoy writing, but most of mine has been in the realm of politics. Where I learned that you can get some serious attention much faster than you had hoped! I tend to write on the factual, reasoning, and objective... which is good and all, but I still have not learned to combine it with humor and a humorous motif like you have. You are really good at that. The humorous motif is what makes the writing interesting and enjoyable - despite the content. That's an area in which I have a lot of room to grow.

I mean how do you tell people they are crazy while making them smile at the same time? 

Hey Barry

Yeah, humor.

It has it's place.

...and there's lots of places it shouldn't go....I've learned.
Turned a funeral into a comedy club atmosphere once....easy crowd....emotional roller coaster......then started getting invited to speak at funerals....then things got weird.

I'd like to read suma yer stuff.

PM me if you'd like.

cheers

[Gary O]

Tired
Three days
600 miles
Finicky generator
Cobbled building thought patterns
Add on is near completion
However, I did manage to get my lady so pissed, she called me a 'grouchy ol' buzzard'....it only took 44 years. I laughed so hard,  pumice dust blew outta my nose.
Just wunna those times where your hands are full, and you want her to move the 4x4 to the left....'TO THE LEFT....LEFT!'....your head is bobbing to your left.....her right.

Anyhoot, we worked sun up to sun down for two days.
But in between those two days, I filled 'jenny' (the generator) with gas...two cycle mixed gas.
She ran, but she didn't like it.
She didn't like it for, oh, say, 2 hrs.
I shut 'er down for lunch.
After that she wouldn't budge.
Turned, had spark, fresh oil.
I didn't know what was the matter with her....until I poured a bit of gas in a tuna can.
I usually don't make two cycle mix in a 5 gal can....usually.
I usually label the can 'TWO CYLCE MIX'......usually.
So I wrung my hands until she drained out.
Examined the gas in the other can.
It's not bluish.
Only took, oh, say, 35-785 pulls to get her to respond.
I've discovered a new workout machine....
Was I ever so happy, ever so appreciative; listening to her hum, as I sat by the fire, gasping and heaving....there may have been some sobbing and maniacal laughter. It's my usual procedure, post gnashing of teeth, falling on and kicking and beating the ground with my feet and fists.

Tired

Here's some pix
gonna make the door and add more windows next trip (Mountain Don...I know....just don't say anything right now, you grouchy ol' buzzard....it's just a tiny cabin...that has grown to 200sf).....and....I....I....love you... (we'll get close, mighty mighty close when I attempt to build the main house).

Oh, I'm also giving strong thoughts toward solar energy, so I've got some reading to do in this here forum.

Tired

It just hit me.
I'm beyond tired now, so this grouchy ol' buzzard is gonna forage for some road kill.

Cheers

[speedfunk]

looks good!

[OlJarhead]

Very nice   Great place to have coffee I bet!

[Gary O]

Thanx guys.
Yes, coffee....Irish coffee seems to lube the joints just right.

[OlJarhead]

Yes it sure does

[Gary O]

Well, we completed our last addition to the cabin. It's as complete as it's gonna get, since it's now at 198 sq feet.
The windows were afterthought craig's list finds, but we're happy with them, even though they are heavy. I know, I dropped one on my foot.
The swelling and purple hue will recede.

Next the bedroom (120 sf lean-to style) a few feet away.
Then the utility/wash/sauna facitlity a few feet from the kitchen.

Then

Serious building (to code) of the shop

Then

The main house (this is where I'll be camped on this site like a plague)

Here's some pix;


worky worky worky



whistle while you worky



custom cut (skinny) shakes are fitting....happy




bend, grunt, staple



four day's work

[Redoverfarm]

Gary I would imagine that being a A-frame style dweller that it is good to be able to stand up completely near the side of a room.     Nice job.

[Gary O]

Yessir

That's the very reason I went with the four foot side walls

Thank you, John

[OlJarhead]

Cool!  I love the shakes

[Gary O]

Yeah, OJ, I love (hate) 'em too.
Matter of fact, I get the shakes ever time I think of 'em.

[MikeOnBike]

Gary, the new addition looks great!  Love the shingles.  We talked about that for our place but we would have had to go with the fiber cement because of the fire danger and that would just have blown the budget.

I'm like you.  As I start to get the sheds finished up this year my mind has started to wander to an actual cabin build.

[Gary O]

I'm like you.  As I start to get the sheds finished up this year my mind has started to wander to an actual cabin build.

Exactly.
My wife calls me a 'crazy man' when we are out there.
I can't stop.
It's a horribly wonderful infliction.
I forget to stop and eat.

'Hey, crazy man, hungry?'
'Uh, yeah, guess so, hand me that board.'

God seems to know me, and turns the lights down around 9pm this time of year.

I've always pushed myself, but I've never pushed on a guy so old before........

[considerations]

"I've always pushed myself, but I've never pushed on a guy so old before........"

I've discovered that this is not a gender specific truism...I think I'm working hard until I talk with my 40 year old son....he just laughs..damn.   

[speedfunk]

just chiming in to add those shakes look GREAT!!  that is all ....you may continue building cool stuff   

[Gary O]

No it's not gender specific.
My lady gets goin' on sumpm, and I can't stop her.
She discovered her natural ability to use the stapler............I need more staples.

Yeah, considerations, our kids wonder what's takin' us so long.
I tell 'em it's love.
Love of a painless night.

Speed, you got nuthin' ta say.
I've seen summa yer stuff
(but thank you)

[Gary O]

 So, we escaped to the cabin for a few days before Christmas.
Slash pile burning season.
Got tired of waitin' for the snow to pile up.
I did my usual of pouring a cup of diesel at the bottom of the pile and tossing on a lit chunk of paper.
Usually it takes several tries to get the pile going.

Usually

This time, this time the pile went WHOOOSH!...game on.
Immediate thought;
Do our best to at least to save the cabin.

No kiddin'.
The slash fire rose to approx. 15 feet in what seemed seconds.
My lovely wife started tossing snow and water on it like mad.
I, in my X-man/MacGyver action mode, immediately looked on......I may have had my mouth open.
My mind drifted to the incident of winter 2012....and 2011, 2010, 2009...aaaand the spectacle of 1976, where I discovered combustible garbage could fly.

I finally went into action, piling snow around the perimeter, then sitting back down to enjoy the fire/wife show.

Fire is a funny thing. Not haha funny, but oddly determined funny.
One slash burn season we'd poured gallons and gallons of water on the coals...no smoke, just black swill, swimming bits of tiny pieces of charcoal.
We went to bed that night, all tucked in our cabin bed, rather happy, and congratulating each other on our accomplishments.
As our custom, one of us wakes up around midnight....to pee.
I awoke to my lady shaking the crap outta me, shrieking something in my good ear.
LOOK OUT THE WINDOW!!
The once drowned pile was ablaze.
Huh
So, this year, my lady would not go to bed.
Every 15-20 minutes she'd go out and drown the piles.
Did this both nights we were there.
I know this because I'd occasionally pat the pillow beside me, remarking how soft she felt.
Man, was she ever grouchy on the way home.
But, heheh, slept most the way back...so did she.

[Redoverfarm]

But Hey Gary that one is gone.  On to the next one.   Make sure you take your wife.  HeHe

I remember burning a rather large no not large but huge one a couple of years ago.  The idea was to roast hotdogs by the fire.  Well we did have hot dogs but they were cooked at the house.;  It was 6 hours before we could get close enough even with a 10 foot weiner stick.

[MountainDon]

We've had fire get into a root system and burn way back some 5 or 6 feet. One of the giveaways was the slight curl of smoke and another was the very heavy scent of hot pine pitch.    Fun to watch the fires though.

[Gary O]

 Yeah, the root system. Always a worry for me there. I think you have the same (pumice) soil as we do, if I recall correctly.

John, I think I remember seeing pics of that bonfire.
That was a doozy.