Offering Gratitudes

This time last year I was Giving Thanks for the Little Life. The year before I was planning ways to Unstuff Your Holidays. (By the way, I’m teaching a Downsizing E-Course in January, so if you’re interested, you can join us!) The year before that I was thinking about how most of my stuff is Just Stuff. And the year before that, when I had first moved into a tiny house on wheels, it was just a simple Thanksgiving!

Gratitude has become more of a habit for me over the past year. It’s becoming easier to count my gratitudes.

I’m keeping a 5 Minute Journal. And although I like a paper journal for my morning sip, sit, and jot, I like the electronic version of the 5 Minute Journal because it has a little notification that reminds me to complete it in the morning to record gratitudes and set intentions and in the evening to reflect on gratitudes, accomplishments, and serendipities and think about how I could make the day better.

On the nights that I cook Community Dinner at Simply Home Community, I ask everyone to say something they’re grateful for to kick off the meal. Mind you, we don’t let the food get cold while we say thanks. We dig right into our dinner and go around the table to hear what everyone is thankful for. Usually it sparks other conversation as people have follow up questions.

This year I spent Thanksgiving at my fairy godparents house with my sweetie, The Guy Next Door. It was a fabulous visit with people near and dear. Between carbo-loading with a Bread Bake-Off on Wednesday night and our Thanksgiving day feast on Thursday it was a very rich and delicious couple of days! Fortunately, we also enjoyed a hot sauna, a chilly run, several mugs of tea, catch up conversations, and a hilarious party game.

To add to all that goodness, Isha and I also spent time on our drive to and from Corvallis comparing notes from our Tiny House Considerations Challenges as we scheme our tiny house for two. As we rolled back into Portland we were wrapping up a conversation about the objects we own and looking forward to the Downsizing E-Course I’ll be teaching this January and February.

While we were making breakfast this morning, Isha said “We have soooo much to be grateful for!” I completely agree. We really do.

Key Free

Yesterday while I was having a working date with one of my best friends at our beloved Townshend's Tea House, we got to talking about keys. This isn't necessarily an unusual topic of conversation for the two us because we used to be housemates and we have stories to tell of times that one of us (I won't say who) locked herself out and the other of us (I won't say who) rescued her! We were discussing losing things and she was showing me her pod. We each have one and I Still Don't Leave Home Without It! But what was interesting this time around was that when I showed her my new pod, she said "where are your keys?!" and I got to tell her that I'm now Key Free.

Yup. That's right. I don't have any keys anymore!

(Well, okay, that's not entirely true, since I do still have a key to my post box. Buuuut... it's a small space and they know me - and they're meticulous about checking my ID anyhow - so they give me my mail even if I don't have my key with me.)

I used to keep my keys on the zipper pull of my pod. But now I've upgraded. Now I just have a phone case with slots for my work and personal debit cards, my drivers license, my insurance cards, and a $20 bill. Easy peasy. My new case even protects the screen of my phone (which is great because I'm a klutz and I drop that poor thing on a daily basis!)

So how in the world did I become key free?

The biggest trick is that it's all about Access Rather Than Ownership. I can still access the stuff I need but I don't have to carry around keys to get to it.

I used to have two house keys for my garden cottage (this was part of the reason we locked ourselves out regularly!) but more recently while I've been living in tiny houses I've only had one key. When I built my tiny house, The Lucky Penny, I purposely put in a combination lock so that I could avoid having a house key anymore. (I do, of course, have a back up key, in case the batteries conk out in the combo lock - and the great thing about having a metal trailer as the foundation of my house is that there are soooo many places to tuck a magnetic hide-a-key - a trick I learned from a fellow tiny houser! No fake rocks for us, thank you very much!) Oh, and we have combination locks on The Big House, too. So, no house key.

I used to have a bike lock key, but when I was Bettering Things one day I got my combination U-lock all set up so I'd never have to carry a bike lock key again. So, no bike key.

I don't own a car. So, no car key. (I rent cars regularly through Car2Go, Enterprise, Getaround, and Zipcar, so when I'm using them I have nice big clunky car keys to contend with, but this usually only happens once or twice a month. By the way, what is up with having TWO big fat car keys attached to each other and big clunky plastic key rings, anyhow? Really. How does that make any sense at all?!)

I am self-employed these days so even though I don't always work from home, I no longer have any keys to gate locks or construction trailers or offices. So, no work keys.

I can't even remember now what else I used to have keys to, but at this point I'm glad that it's one less thing to think about. This is one of my favorite aspects of minimalism. Not just less stuff but less stuff to think about (and lose!)

Do you have keys? What are your keys to? Do you use them on a daily basis? Could you get by without your keys? Would you want to?

Small Home Weekend Wrap Up

What an action-packed weekend it was for little houses!

On Friday I enjoyed visiting with other small home advocates and enthusiasts from all across the country at the Build Small, Live Large Summit. Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute and Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings laid the scene perfectly in their Keynote Address: The Power of Small. I especially appreciated that Alan’s point that small housing is so often illegal and his encouragement to think really BIG about how we can move forward housing options that are better for people, communities, and natural environments. It was hard to pick between the concurrent sessions, but I’m glad I went to the one about demographic shifts and housing trends because it was really interesting learning about how certain trends (towards smaller households, larger homes, longer lives, delayed marriage and childbearing, increased desire for walkability, etc.) are impacting housing choices.

The five panelists for the Space-Efficient Housing Policy Round Table (Eli Spevak, Jean-Pierre Veillet, Danell Norby, Liz Getty, and Rachel Ginis) did an excellent job describing the regulatory challenges they face in their daily work as they attempt to create small homes. They also presented clever solutions to address or work around these challenges and we left the audience with Tangible Ways You Can Support Space-Efficient Housing.

The Courtyard Clusters session with my heroes Ross Chapin, Mark Lakeman, and Eli Spevak was full of incredible ideas and images. I tried frantically (and failed miserably) to capture the poetry of how smart land use creates sustainable community. I also learned new words like “pre-legal” which I have already begun employing. (Thanks, Mark!)

The Best of Small Design Slam was fabulous, too. As he was ducking out at the end of Mark Lakeman’s presentation, Mayor Charlie Hales leaned over to me and said: “I know a vacancy coming up soon and that guy would be a good candidate to fill it!” I completely agree, Mayor Hales.

On Saturday Eli and I both lead Guided ADU Tours with 14 participants, showing them a great line-up of accessory dwellings. Many of the people in my group are considering creating an ADU on their own property so they had lots of questions about the ins and outs of the upcoming Accessory Structures Zoning Code Amendments and the impacts of Multnomah County’s new method for assessing property values on properties with detached ADUs. It poured down rain all day, so we ended up soaked, but morale remained high as we went to as many ADUs as we could fit in.

That evening we celebrated Simply Home Community’s 1 Year Anniversary with a party at our place. It’s always fun to get our friends together to mix and mingle. We hosted little parties in our tiny houses (at one point I had 17 people in The Lucky Penny!) as well as activities in the Big House. And, of course, we had singing and s’mores around the bonfire to wrap up the night.

Yesterday during our Simply Home Work Party we donned our rain coats and put our garden to bed. (Amazing how much we can get done quickly when working together!) Then Jake, Isha and I hunkered down at Bison Coffeehouse in the rainstorm to work through our Tiny House Considerations Lesson & Challenge for Week 2. (Since I've fallen in love with The Guy Next Door, I'm going through the same process of scheming a tiny house as the other participants in the E-Course!) We had a great conference call for Week 2 of the Tiny House Considerations E-Course and I look forward to sharing the Lesson and Challenge for Week 3 because it’s full of fun design exercises so participants can consider what’s most important to them. The bell rang for Community Dinner just as the conference call wrapped up, so we trooped inside for one of Lindsey’s fabulous meals. Our Heart Meeting after supper focused on capturing our Values in preparation for upcoming conversations about Vision and Mission.

If my weekends are going to be so full, I'm glad that they're full of great things and wonderful people! With a good breakfast in my belly (fried green tomatoes from yesterday’s garden harvest) I’m ready for a brand new week! Happy Monday, everyone!

The Guy Next Door

In June, when we hosted our monthly Tiny House Community Tour, we let everyone know that Tony’s tiny house, The Rustic, was available for rent. At the end of the tour, one of the fellas expressed interest in renting it, so I told him that we’d invite him over for dinner to get to know him better. He came over a couple days later for supper and a game.

By the end of the evening our whole community was pretty impressed with Isha, so the next day we invited him to move into the tiny house next door to mine. My only hesitation was that I had a little crush on him, but I didn’t mention that in our deliberations about Isha. I figured it would quickly dissipate as we lived together.

How wrong I was!

A couple days later, Isha began the process of downsizing from his 300 SF condo to Tony's 120 SF tiny house. He also started showing up for work parties and cooking us dinners on the night he claimed. We quickly learned that Isha is thoughtful, clever, witty, hard-working, organized, responsible, and articulate, not to mention a great cook.

My crush got worse. But I was going to be traveling for work nearly all summer. (See Five Weeks in a Carry-On and How to Travel with Just a Carry-On for more on that!) Surely the time and space away would help me get over Isha.

Wrong again.

Shortly after he moved in, Isha confessed a crush on me and told me it was futile to ignore all the ways we’re an excellent match. I knew he was right. So we decided that when the time seemed right he would check in with our landies to see if they would give our relationship their blessing.

Fortunately, our landies were thrilled for us. As Karin put it. “I love you both and I want you both to be happy, so I’m thrilled that you want to be together!”

Isha and I had all summer apart for a new-fashioned courtship (a game of 20 questions by email, google chats, Skype dates, texts, and phone calls). We found that absence truly made our hearts grow fonder.

Isha and I had our first kiss at the airport when he picked me up at the end of my travels. The past two and a half months, living in his and hers tiny houses at Simply Home Community, has been a blast!

I’m so lucky to have fallen in love with the guy next door! Now we’re scheming a tiny house for two. We’re planning to design this winter and start building next spring. Stay tuned for updates as our design develops and our relationship grows!

Helpin' Keep Portland Weird

This past spring I had the opportunity to do a video interview with an awesome German film team from WDR who were here to explore what makes Portland, OR so, well, weird!

And, of course, why we like it that way! Today they shared the video that resulted from their explorations of Portland, including footage of the World Naked Bike Ride, zoobombing, and, of course, tiny houses.

I'm proud to be featured as one of the folks keepin' it weird in Portland. If you want to check out my part but your attention span is short after the naked people disappear, you can scroll to the 10:05 minute mark. Enjoy!

http://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/video/sendungen/videonacktundnachhaltigportlandistanders100.html

How to Travel with Just a Carry-On

I'm better at packing densely than I am at packing lightly. So as I wrap up 5 Weeks in a Carry-On with My Travel Capsule Wardrobe, I’d figured it would be nice to share my favorite tricks for packing densely and traveling savvy:

• First things first, whether I'm traveling or not, I keep my phone, wallet, and keys all together (see Don't Leave Home Without It & I Still Don't Leave Home Without It) for more on that. When I'm just out and about on a summer day I slip my finger through the key loop and my pod becomes a little clutch wallet. When I'm wearing a coat my pod is usually in my pocket.
• If I’m just headed somewhere for a week or less, my 25 L daypack is usually sufficient. I use my mesh bags (see below) with My Travel Capsule Wardrobe.
• When I'm flying I bring one of my Gregory backpacks as my carry on. I’ve tried using a roller bag as my carry-on, but I’ve found that a backpack is much more comfortable since the conditions for rolling are often not present. It’s more frustrating to lug around an awkward suitcase than to shoulder a pack. (And Gregory packs are super comfortable, very well built, and cleverly designed. They’re one of the few brands I rely on so all three of my backpacks are Gregories!)
• If I need to bring a sleeping bag, as I did for 5 Weeks in a Carry-On, the 50-liter Jade pack is the best fit. If I don’t need to bring a sleeping bag, the 35 L Jade will do the trick even for a multi-week trip. And if I’m just headed somewhere for a week or less, my 25 L daypack is usually sufficient. I’ve found that if I pack densely, cinch down the straps, and orient it properly, the 50 L pack fits in the tiny overhead compartments of all but the tiniest puddle-jumpers! I’ve even tucked my 35 L pack under the seat in front of me in a pinch.
• As my personal item, I bring a scrunchable Sea to Summit bag into which I put everything I need to get through airport security quickly: my Eagle Creek shoulder bag, my 1-quart clear zippered Sea to Summit toiletry pouch, my laptop computer, my snacks, my Eagle Creek travel pillow, and my water bottle. Once I arrive at a new destination I put my laptop and toiletries into my backpack. Then I scrunch the bag back up and slip it into my shoulder bag and I’m good to go!
• I wear my jacket onto the airplane for three reasons. First, the jacket is often one of my bulkier items but it doesn’t count if it’s on my body. Second, I often get chilled on a plane without an extra layer. Third, a jacket can be bunched up to give me more back support or to create a pillow if necessary.
• I wear my boots on travel days when I’m on an adventure that requires them so that I don’t have to pack them. Yes, this makes the trip through security more cumbersome than if I have quick on-and-off shoes, but it’s still worth wearing my boots for the weight and the space. Any other shoes I pack are stuffed with undergarments before they’re put into my bag so that the space inside them isn’t wasted.
• If I’m bringing my 15-degree REI Downtime sleeping bag, I use a Sea to Summit cordura compression sack to make it a wee little lump in the bottom of my pack.
• I can’t stand the slippery inside of sleeping bags, so I use a ½ cotton and ½ silk travel sheet from Cocoon, which makes my sleeping bag tolerable.
• I tuck a face mask and a pair of silicone ear plugs into the cover of my Eagle Creek blow up pillow so they’re handy if the person next to me is reading or if there’s a screaming baby nearby.
• I roll my clothes and sort them into two mesh zippered pouches. (These came with my rock climbing harness and shoes years ago and I repurposed them to sort my clothes while traveling!) Depending on the trip, I may sort my mesh zippered pouches by tops and bottoms or by work clothes and play clothes or by outerwear and undergarments. I bring as few clothing items as possible, sticking to My Travel Capsule Wardrobe, and planning to wash as needed.
• As I approach the security line I make sure I have everything I need ready and waiting.  I grab three bins: one for my laptop, one for my toiletry bag and jacket, and one for my scrunchable bag. My shoes go on the conveyor belt first so they’re the first thing to grab at the other end. Then I run my scrunchable bag bin through. I put my laptop in the middle bin so I can keep an eye on it. The toiletry kit and jacket bin goes through next and then my carry-on bag. Once I get through the screening process I put myself back together again: slip shoes on, tuck laptop and toiletry pouch into scrunchable bag, jacket on, pack on, and I’m good to go!

Give these tips a try and let me know how they work for you! And, of course, please share your favorite traveling strategies with me in the comments!

Disclaimer: I included brand names because I often want to know which brands other travelers rely on. I am not sponsored by any of these companies. I just love their stuff!

Disclaimer #2: I know, I know. I’m smaller than lots of people. I recognize that if you’re bigger than me you (and your stuff) may take up more space. Let’s just say it’s karma for all the teasing I had to endure growing up. When I started traveling I quit crying about being little!

5 Weeks in A Carry On

I’ll confess: I’m really excited to wear something new tomorrow! I’m writing this post on my flight home to the Pacific Northwest after five weeks of traveling with just my carry-on luggage. So I’ve worn the same outfits repeatedly and although My Travel Capsule Wardrobe has served me well, it’s going to be great to switch it up!

Over the years, doing domestic and international trips ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks, I’ve learned the difference between Packing Lightly vs. Packing Densely. I’ve discovered that I don’t typically need to pack differently for 2 weeks than I do for one. I just need to make a point to do laundry.

As I explained in Packing Lightly vs. Packing Densely, I haven’t checked luggage since 2003 when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Once I learned how much more fun it is to travel with less, I started honing my packing lists.

Check out My Travel Capsule Wardrobe to see what I brought on this 5-week trip.

This may be my most Spartan packing list yet, considering all I needed to do on this trip. My five-week trip included a week taking a Cabinets & Built-Ins Class at Yestermorrow, 2-weeks teaching a Tiny House Design-Build class at Yestermorrow, a weekend with friends in Vermont, two days in hot and humid Atlanta, a long weekend at Tiny House Jamboree 2015, and three days attending a conference in Denver, CO. During this time I camped in a tent for three weeks, stayed in two hotels and one Airbnb, and crashed at a friend’s place for five nights (thanks, Sherry!) I worked on a construction site, instructed in a design studio, and presented on a stage. I went out to nice dinners, hung out in front of the fan sipping sweet iced tea, and hiked in beautiful places. I explored by foot, transit, and car. I traveled through warm dry places and hot humid places. I experienced almost daily afternoon thunderstorms and several cool rainy nights.

So I had to pack a variety of different things for a variety of different situations. And I still managed to fit it all in a carry on.

Check out How to Travel with Just a Carry-On and My Travel Capsule Wardrobe to learn how I did it!

Less Is More Tours & Programming

We're about to begin our third day of Yestermorrow's Less is More class, which is focused on small home design. The first two days had a similar itinerary: small home tours in the morning, afternoon design lessons, and evening presentation and studio time. (Today the high is supposed to be 17 degrees, so it's probably just as well our tours have wrapped up!) In just two days we've had the chance to explore seven homes, ranging from 200 to 2000 square feet. And while the larger homes are certainly not tiny (and I wouldn't consider them small either), they did offer good ideas for clever storage, creative work-arounds, and matching layout to program. They also provided good fodder for last night's discussion about design concepts that make small spaces seem larger. We now have good examples to point to as we discuss the strategies we're using in our own small home designs. This group of students has been asking great questions and they do a wonderful job working together to understand the various considerations and trade-offs when designing a small space. I'm looking forward to seeing their designs evolve!

They've already begun exploring layouts both in our life-size mock up and on trace paper. Today we'll continue the process with elevations and sections.

Hello Again, Less Is More!

I'm back in snowy Vermont for more Yestermorrow goodness. I spent my weekend in the Design-Building a Successful Design-Build Business class, taught by Adam Cohen. He was a wealth of information and wisdom and I learned just as much from my classmates who were quick with questions and ideas. Last night we started up another round of Less Is More: Designing the Small or Tiny House. I'm honored to be teaching with Dave Cain who is a creative designer, a bicycle adventurer, and an all-around great guy!

Last night we kicked-off class with introductions, complete with inspirational imagery and then we launched into our first design project. The photos in the gallery are the result of that exercise. We have an action-packed week lined up, including tiny house tours, programming, intro to drafting, presentations, and lots of (but never enough) studio time. Final presentations will be all day on Friday and I'm already eager to see what this creative bunch will come up with!

Follow along this week on our adventures! Meanwhile, you can read about last year's class here: Welcome to Less Is More, Less Time, More Drafting, and Less Is More Presentations.

Living Large in Tiny Houses by Love Ablan

Love Ablan believes in tiny houses so wholeheartedly that she relocated to Portland, Oregon - Capital of the Tiny House Universe - so that she could get involved in the tiny house movement. Over the past couple years she's put her writing and photography talent to good use, spreading the word about living in small spaces. She recently published and article in the November 2014 issue of Unite4:Good Magazine, entitled Living Large in Tiny Houses. I'm honored she included me in this story. Here's a snippet. You can click on the link below the excerpt to read the whole article.

Click to read the rest of Living Large in Tiny Houses by Love Ablan