You would think living in a 235 square foot aluminum house would include a scaled back list of chores. Not really. The list on this house is just like every other house in town. Plus, this house is relatively old for a travel coach, 1979. Everyone who owns an old house knows they are different.
We usually do house chores on Monday, mainly because that’s the day we move every two weeks at Clinton Lake, our home base. But Christina is traveling with a friend today, and I moved House Day to do some painting without making everyone (my wife) crazy. Good plan. Last week it rained on Monday, so all the outside chores were didn’t get done. The forecast is sunny and warm today.
Some of the things on the list today are routine chores. Cut firewood, add some rope and grommets to the skirt, and do a bunch of painting. There is never too much spar varnish spread around with all the natural wood cabinet interiors. The bathroom closet will get some improvements, the vacuum will be re-hung, and the floor re-arranged. It will get a coat of spar varnish too. I recently painted the stabilizers under the coach safety yellow, just like the new rigs. I’ll paint the cribbage blocks yellow too. My lovely bride would tell you this is insane, and only weirdos go this far on things. Because she loves me, she bore two sons into the world, who also paint, tweek, and explore all things machine and fire. I’d say she’s outnumbered, but I’ve seen her paint some things too. The gremlins of confusion possess the water pump. It’s cycling oddly, so I’ll swap out the pump sensors and valve in the headset. Adjust the screen door, put the register back up, and the list goes on. I like taking care of the place. We’ve lived in it for almost 2 ½ years, so weatherstrip, paint, and other things we installed new that are prone to wear require care.
Living in a tiny house isn’t carefree, but it’s less. Way less. We don't own a yard. The roof is only 9 feet from the ground, and I never go on it since I can reach halfway across it. I can clean all the windows without a step ladder, and we wash the house like a car to keep it clean and bright.
When House Day is done, I often find myself living a dream I had for a long time. Christina subscribed to Dwell magazine when we lived in our Mid-Century Modern house. All things ultra-modern and green construction. My favorite photos were always the modern houses on a slope, with absolutely no landscaping—just a pure, high-tech house, surrounded by natural grass, meadow, or forests. And while Luna is not a 2700 square foot dream home, she has been seen on so many slopes, fields, and forest edges that I truly am living my dream. Dwelling in places less touched, places alive at night with animals, and landscapes framing our own little magazine cover dream house. These are the moments I live for when I’m painting the window frames, sweeping the steps, or putting the chimney up. Living freely in places I dreamed of in the past and dreaming of more new places in our future.
