It brings me peace to see Maria holed up in her corner with her tea and laptop blogging at the end of every day. Maria is a writer and an artist; she took to it from the beginning and has put her stamp on her writing and work.
This science makes me happy to be alive and in my life and share it with her. I especially love her photos, videos, and notes from the woods. I’m quiet in the house when she blogs; it is a silent, almost meditative time.
We went to a quarter of a mile-long local Antique center filled with thousands of vintage and antique things. We were looking for a wall sconce to hang in our bathroom. The center was fast and stuffed with things. As I expected, Maria found a sconce she loved in the rear of the center. It’s going in our new compact toilet bathroom being built in the corner of our bedroom.
I think our long-delayed construction of a new kind of bathroom is the figure for many people in old and smaller houses. Dan Rogers, a skilled carpenter and good friend, showed up this morning with $300 worth of shiplap wood and went to work.
We went out shopping to get some breakfast, and the structure was almost finished by the time we got home.
This kind of toilet has been around, but it is being discovered by people who live in old and tiny houses, where tearing up the plumbing is expensive and complicated. The toilet, which is standard size, is odorless and doesn’t need water.
Compost toilets range from $900 to $1,200.
The human waste goes into a closed compartment that absorbs the waste and the smell. We are putting in ventilation that will suck any oder out of the attic window. We’re getting absorbents that turn the waste into fertilizer. This option becomes increasingly popular as the world loses much of its water.
We expect this small bathroom in the corner of our sizeable upstairs bedroom will make life easy, safe, and respectful of the troubled environment.
Although peat moss is much easier to find and easy to use, some people prefer coco coir for their composting toilets.
Coco Coir absorbs both order and liquid. This is especially important when you have a newly potty-trained toddler.
Compost toilets have been used in camps, trucks, and recreational campers for years. They have been steadily refined, most are odor-free, and new sprays keep the toilets clean. The reviews all say it is easy to care for the toilets, and they work efficiently and without trouble.
It’s a perfect setup for us, and working with Dan is a pleasure. He comes when he says he will, is as inexpensive as he can manage to be, and is a pleasure to know and talk to.
He has excellent and practical ideas, and he and Maria have straightforward conversations about his work. When I first moved here, most male workers were uncomfortable dealing with Mara; they were used to dealing with men. They ignored her at first, then got religion fast.
No sane carpenter wants to talk to me after just a few minutes of conversation. Dan says I am the kind of blank looks.
Dan was happy to talk to her from the beginning. They talk about carpenters and options. Old houses are often tricky, and a dozen problems always pop up. We’ll get through them.
Even a small bathroom like this raises questions about wood, electricity, ventilation, power, and light. Dan has figured it all out. They work efficiently together.
There is plenty of head and body room in this small enclosure, and we are putting an ancient outhouse door on the front. Dan has to build around it to make it fit, but we love it. We found it in the barn attic.
Dan is a joy to work with. I’m paying him for the materials; he can tell me when he needs more money. We’ll do it in chunks.
We expect Dan to get the structure up today and the ventilation and lighting next week. I need to paint it as well. Maria and I will do that.
I think St. Joseph, our garden saint, is praying for something whenever the sky is blue. I doubt this is true, but it feels like it to me. The statue gives out warmth and feeling.
The statue, Ed Gulley’s disintegrating Chinese, the yellow bush, and the plant vase all come together and send out solid spiritual vibes and spirits.
It’s just a feeling. Lately, I’ve been putting my hand on St. Jo, as I call him, and thinking about the spiritual realm and my ambitions. I always look for ways to be better.
He’s growing in importance to me; Zip and I often hang out there.
I want to go to sleep every night knowing that I have done something that day that will improve other people’s lives; this is, to me, the sign of an entirely successful life.
Increasingly, I put the haters, snoops, correctors, and intruders into a particular category. To be hateful tells me they are living what was done to them and passing out bile into the world.
Doing good is the opposite; it sends good feelings into the world. I believe we are entering a Spiritual Century.
At an art show, I got this lucky paper machine duck from our artist friend Emily Gold today. Maria bought it for me, and it is not hanging above my computer where I can see it all day.
We’re heading into the dark days, a special challenge in our somewhat remote village in Upstate New York. I’m living in the now but looking ahead to Spring.
Our friend Ian McRae, our shearer and a poet is coming for dinner. I bought some poetry books for him. We’re having goat cheese and spinach Quiche. See you tomorrow.
Have a peaceful evening.
