(Jan 3) Starting the New Year

Wow! Can't believe it's 2016! Another year has sped by. At least we've got something to show for it.

Going into January last year we had just started getting sheetrock on the walls, had no flooring down and nothing on the ceiling.

This year, we're starting off with electricity, a floor, furniture and and full kitchen. It's been very exciting. :)

I forget why I'm so tired until I look at the progress we've made in the past year. We've still got lots of work to get it finished, but it come a long way.

I got to spend the last 18 days of the year out at the Tiny House. Kim got a couple of days off for Christmas and New Years but worked the rest and stayed in Arlington. I tried to use the time to get a feel for truly living out here. We swoop in on the weekends, get some work done and hurry back to our other lives. Moments to slow down and enjoy a simpler life are typically measured in hours. This couple of weeks was eye opening. I have come to think of this new property as my home and the other house as just something I have to do for the time being.

If retirement is anything like what I just went through, I don't think I'm going to have any problem getting used to it. :) It's a good thing I don't require much sleep though since sleeping in late never really happens. One of the things we cherish about our little spot in the woods is the abundant wild life and let me tell you, their appetites kick in before the sun comes up every day. We can hear the birds and squirrels hitting the feeders by 5:30a - 6:00a every day and by sun up, there's usually a woodpecker pecking away on something. :)

Here's a little guy that flew into the house and couldn't find his way out this weekend.

Carolina Chickadee

The week before, there was a sparrow that hit a window and knocked himself silly. I couldn't bare to let him lay out there and risk the ants getting him. He took the better part of 20 minutes to regain his senses. Wouldn't fly even when I walked outside with him just standing on my open palm. LOL

White Throated Sparrow

We had a very peaceful Christmas. I can't wait until we get snow while we're out here on an extended stay. Speaking of weather, we're still having to park out at the street and walk in due to all of the rain from the last month. Not too bad except for the water jugs and the building materials. Hopefully, we'll have our cistern plumbed and running soon. That is our biggest daily challenge at this point (hauling and conserving water) now that we have electricity.

With the help of my son-in-law, David, we did some work on the shelves in the bathroom this weekend. We had hoped to replace our 2x6 shelves with some 1x Oak but it was going to cost way too much at this time. That will have to wait. I loved the brick paneling we put on the outside of the bathroom so decided to put it on the inside also. We also painted the shelves and frames. I really think it completes the effect.

Here was the before shot:

Here's the after:

We decided to take the backing off of the medicine cabinet and let the brick show through when you open the door. It didn't need the support anymore since it was sitting on a shelf. Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with it for now!

I hope everyone has a great week back from the holidays. Stay safe and warm!  :)