Go Ask Alice
After a month of living in our tiny home on wheels, it feels a bit like we've taken Alice's wild ride down the rabbit hole, compressed, compacted, and generally shrunken everything we can now own down to about 1/20 of what has been contained in 2670 square feet (plus the basement and garage). Even as I continue to go through cabinets, drawers, and closets to ferret out the things that are supposed to go with us, I am still having to decide what we'll need, what we'll use, and what we absolutely cannot justify bringing with us. That said, I've got until Thursday to make those choices, as the estate sale fellow will be at the house to begin going through everything for sale.
Yes, the estate sale. Where your belongings are priced to sell, people pick through your possessions like produce at a farmer's market, and you realize that your years of collecting, cherishing, and admiring things are nothing more than a moment in time to indulge yourself a bit. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. But, with a twist to an old saying, one person's treasure is another person's trash. (Case in point, Depression glass. So many wine, water, cocktail, and cordial glasses that Mimi passed on to us, and it's virtually worthless because: there is so much Depression glass available out there, and NOBODY is interested in collecting it.) Suffice it to say, we are not going to make a whole lot of money from holding this sale. We realize it, accept it, and are ready to move on from being overburdened by so many possessions.
Living tiny has definitely been an adventure. Fortunately, we had those two months in the apartment which forced us to live small and close. Even though we're about 50 square feet less in the 5er than we were in the apartment, we have so much more space here! It's actually been an easy transition that way. Sharing so little space can sometimes be a dance (especially when the bathroom is in use and you need to use it too! Talk about a DANCE!!). We're doing well with our dancing though, and that's all that matters. The biggest challenge, however, is making the bed. Although by most RV standards our bedroom is quite roomy, the bed is wedged into one of the slides, and there is only about a 10 inch space between the wall on one side and the closet door on the other. I have to climb around on the bed, yanking up the sheets and blankets while I'm kneeling on them. I've discovered that it's best to make the bed first, and then shower. Otherwise, I'll need a shower AFTER I make the bed!
Our garage/guest room/sewing room/man cave/cat hang out is slowing taking shape. As we've been moving things into the rig from the house, everything was piled up in the garage first. It was pretty messy, but worked well. The last of the huge tubs of stuff has been put away, and I've actually been able to get my sewing table set up, fabric/notions/crafts put away, and it's all awaiting me having some free time to sit down and get sewing. I really am looking forward to that!
The weather has not exactly been pleasant since we've been back in NH. We've had an over-abundance of rain in the past 3 weeks, so we're pretty much stuck inside. We only had one campfire since we've been back, which is kind of disappointing. But, I really can't complain, given the fact that NH (and the rest of New England) has been in Extreme Drought conditions for so long. That has finally been ameliorated, and the surroundings are lush and green (and mosquitoes are plentiful). The ground water still has a way to go to be replenished, though. So, as much as I'd like to be sitting outside, enjoying nature and getting smoke in my eyes, the environment needs to be soaked some more. Besides, I have noticed that I fall asleep so much more quickly when it's raining......there's just something about the white noise component of rain on the roof that soothes my mind!
Last, but not least, the house is under contract! I'm trying not to get overly excited about it, as I don't want to jinx anything. The inspection took place, and all went well with that (a huge thank you to my sister, who is a real estate agent extraordinaire in NJ, for urging us to have our own inspection done last year to uncover any potential problems and get them fixed well ahead of time). We have to wait for the appraisal to be done (the buyers will be going with a V.A. loan, so the lovely bureaucracy of the federal government comes into play), and then we should be on track to close no later than July 13, but possibly before the end of June. In either case, we will be leaving Brookline on July 1, and then we'll head to Randolph, VT for 2+ months. At that point, our new life will truly have begun!
For now, I encourage everyone to find something in life worth celebrating, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential it may be. Life is Good!
Yes, the estate sale. Where your belongings are priced to sell, people pick through your possessions like produce at a farmer's market, and you realize that your years of collecting, cherishing, and admiring things are nothing more than a moment in time to indulge yourself a bit. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. But, with a twist to an old saying, one person's treasure is another person's trash. (Case in point, Depression glass. So many wine, water, cocktail, and cordial glasses that Mimi passed on to us, and it's virtually worthless because: there is so much Depression glass available out there, and NOBODY is interested in collecting it.) Suffice it to say, we are not going to make a whole lot of money from holding this sale. We realize it, accept it, and are ready to move on from being overburdened by so many possessions.
Living tiny has definitely been an adventure. Fortunately, we had those two months in the apartment which forced us to live small and close. Even though we're about 50 square feet less in the 5er than we were in the apartment, we have so much more space here! It's actually been an easy transition that way. Sharing so little space can sometimes be a dance (especially when the bathroom is in use and you need to use it too! Talk about a DANCE!!). We're doing well with our dancing though, and that's all that matters. The biggest challenge, however, is making the bed. Although by most RV standards our bedroom is quite roomy, the bed is wedged into one of the slides, and there is only about a 10 inch space between the wall on one side and the closet door on the other. I have to climb around on the bed, yanking up the sheets and blankets while I'm kneeling on them. I've discovered that it's best to make the bed first, and then shower. Otherwise, I'll need a shower AFTER I make the bed!
Our garage/guest room/sewing room/man cave/cat hang out is slowing taking shape. As we've been moving things into the rig from the house, everything was piled up in the garage first. It was pretty messy, but worked well. The last of the huge tubs of stuff has been put away, and I've actually been able to get my sewing table set up, fabric/notions/crafts put away, and it's all awaiting me having some free time to sit down and get sewing. I really am looking forward to that!
The weather has not exactly been pleasant since we've been back in NH. We've had an over-abundance of rain in the past 3 weeks, so we're pretty much stuck inside. We only had one campfire since we've been back, which is kind of disappointing. But, I really can't complain, given the fact that NH (and the rest of New England) has been in Extreme Drought conditions for so long. That has finally been ameliorated, and the surroundings are lush and green (and mosquitoes are plentiful). The ground water still has a way to go to be replenished, though. So, as much as I'd like to be sitting outside, enjoying nature and getting smoke in my eyes, the environment needs to be soaked some more. Besides, I have noticed that I fall asleep so much more quickly when it's raining......there's just something about the white noise component of rain on the roof that soothes my mind!
Last, but not least, the house is under contract! I'm trying not to get overly excited about it, as I don't want to jinx anything. The inspection took place, and all went well with that (a huge thank you to my sister, who is a real estate agent extraordinaire in NJ, for urging us to have our own inspection done last year to uncover any potential problems and get them fixed well ahead of time). We have to wait for the appraisal to be done (the buyers will be going with a V.A. loan, so the lovely bureaucracy of the federal government comes into play), and then we should be on track to close no later than July 13, but possibly before the end of June. In either case, we will be leaving Brookline on July 1, and then we'll head to Randolph, VT for 2+ months. At that point, our new life will truly have begun!
For now, I encourage everyone to find something in life worth celebrating, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential it may be. Life is Good!
You are nailing this, girl!!!
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