Blog

For this week’s project I’m going to begin rewiring the Beaver! The Beaver is my 1973 Dodge RV. It is my mobile hovel away from the hovel. I have never done anything like this before and I’m looking forward to whacking on this thing.

For this week’s project I read 3 books and enjoyed them all. When Breath Becomes Air is an emotional and moving memoir by a highly recognized Stanford neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, who becomes sick with lung cancer and struggles with meaning in his last days of life. It was a beautiful, haunting, indispensable and compelling read. I say indispensable because I think we could all benefit from asking this question of ourselves: what is truly meaningful and worth living for? This book takes that on and more, and made me think a lot about this. I’m sure I will keep pondering the central message of this book, and for that I’m very grateful.

Weekly projects. This is a new effort. Must needs I focus on my activities or I am likely to go off and scatter. Here is my plan. On weeks when I choose to commit to a project, I’ll announce what I am going to do and what I want to achieve. I’ll start on Monday of that week, work some amount on it daily, then finish up Friday or Saturday, and write up my thoughts on Sunday.

I’ve had this 35 ft 5th wheel trailer in my driveway for 14 years! I bought it about a year after I bought the house so that my parents could come to stay without having to deal with coming into a … filthy hovel.

Long time no post, eh? But I’ve been busy, trust me. Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to: Siding and painting,

I set up my living room to be my bedroom. Because it was warmer, more convenient and I just felt like doing it that way.

When I first moved in late 2002, it seemed the obvious choice for a bedroom. Now it is the obvious choice for a music room.

Hanging out with the pups Rehearsal with the band

As Summer winds down, I want to reflect on where I am with this house of mine. It’s been a busy 6-8 weeks of work, starting with mudding, texturing, then painting the walls of the living room where I sleep. Next came the decision to pull out the carpet and lay down flooring that matched the kitchen. Then I built a bed (more on that later).

Found in the side yard rubble. Unimaginable as it may seem, I finally moved into my own house, a place I have referred to as a filthy hovel for years. Over an 8 week period - April through May, I made a concentrated push to get the most important tasks done that would allow for a minimal, man-cave-ish existence.