You know, I've always wondered (on all the boards) what the difference is between discussion and conversation. Always thought it should be on-topic and off-topic.

thanks shades. hey how did the doctor changing topic get over there?

it has nothing to do with a 'small house'?

I seldom think to check over there. good idea to post here that something is there...

Was not really my idea I think it was Mama_Goose that suggested it. I did post a new thread over there and I suppose if some one posts there they can post to this thread to bump it to let others know there are new posts.

I guess this side,Discussions, is supposed to be for small house discussions and the other , Conversations, is to let us know what you are having for dinner or anything else you would like to talk about in your/our lives. Just a place to chat.

Chris

Trancegemini, I think someone must have reported that one to get it moved. Could be someone monitors the site, but I doubt it, or a lot more would have been moved.

Call me self centered or paranoid, but I'm sure I had something to do with it. Seems I hit too many (or one big one) sensitive nerves. Oh well, I am who I am and don't see any reason to hide it. If Mary Matilin (spelling?) can be married to James Carvel, I don't see why we all can't have diverse opinions and put those opinions forward. I think we can all learn something from each other but we have to be able to say it before someone can hear it. You know, free speech and all that. (sorry Canada) Just a thought. I guess that's next, thought police.

I look at this forum as an area where people who share a fondness or understanding for the concept of living small can share ideas and experiences. We aren't all going to agree on every topic but we share a common interest. Instead of looking for ways we are different, I prefer to look for areas where we are alike. If we can begin at that area of commonality, then maybe we can delve into the areas of dissimilarity in a civil and respectful manner.

But sometimes, the conversation is going to go off topic. And if it does, I might just learn something about you and you might say something about a topic that makes me look at that topic in a different way.

Personally, I like this group. You are all interesting and have walked different paths than I have. I thoroughly enjoy hearing (reading) about each of you. If we have to abandon this area, then we simply meet somewhere else.

Scott

I like you too Scott and sure many others do too.This has been my favorite forum to visit. Even over mosaics forums. I do think it takes a special person to see the pleasure of smaller living. I believe our Flowerlady is my hero to be so comfortable in her small house and to die for yard.I do enjoy our smaller house which is larger than many other houses here. It is just right for us. There are things I would have liked different like the long hallway is not my favorite. The dogs love it though. But then it is what it is and we are comfortable here.

I am fine doing the chatting thing on the conversation side or this side. Where ever it ends up it does . IF I want to add some thing not totally small house related to some one's post I will do so and take the heat for it. Hehehehehe

Glad you are back to posting Scott.

Chris

Scott, I'm so glad that you are hanging with us. Having a male view on some issues is a valued thing. Since I stopped working offshore, I don't get much interaction with a variety of male opinions and attitudes.

I did not realize there was a post moved until I read the Conversation side today. And then I thought it was just you posted it in both places. Duhhhh.

And my DH and I laugh a lot about the Carville/Maitlin marriage. Both very strong people, with agreeable differences. Sort of reminds me of my own marriage. :)

Scott, don't take the move personally. This may be what we need to be able to have a few party conversations. Think of it as being part of getting posting on conversations started again.

Well, to keep things on topic, let me tell you about the storm we had last evening and the near miss I had at my SMALL HOUSE. We had two bands move through about three hours apart. The first band brought down some tree limbs in my neighborhood and passed on quickly. During the second band, I was online posting my previous post on GW and I heard a loud thump by my back door. I went to the back door and saw the door was pushed in like someone had tried to kick it in. I wanted to open the door and investigate but I couldn't unlock the doorknob. I shut off the interior lights and tried to look out through a nearby window using a flashlight but couldn't see much. This morning I found a large limb had fallen and hit the door, scuffing the paint and maybe denting the metal door. The doorknob was twisted and angled down jamming the mechanism. Guess I'm off to Lowes to buy new hardware. The limb isn't that big but obviously hit with great force. The tree is a Sycamore tree and having large limbs like this fall is not uncommon but an incident like this makes you realize how dangerous they can be. I or one of my sons could have been opening the door at that moment to toss soemthing in the recycle bin and been severaly injured. I do not like those Sycamore trees.

A drive around the area this morning reveals several large trees along a one mile path sheared off at about the same level. Upon further examination you can see they all line up like Paul Bunyan had taken a big swipe with his ax. I'm betting it was a small tornado.

Oh the wonders of nature.

Scott
PS - I'm surprised no one commented on my mentioning the haunted house (small house) I previously owned. That was on the "Where have you been" thread. Of course my post was the last post on that thread before it went idle.

Scott, I hate Sycamore trees as well. When I lived in my last house in a subdision, my very nosey and nasty neighbor had two of those giant monsters in too small a lot. They made a HUGE mess in my yard. They didn't care that I was picking platter sized leaves out of my thorny antique roses. They didn't care that in a hurricaine they were likely to come down on our house because they "topped" them. They were just plain "brilliant" that way. They looked hideous being topped all the time, and, of coarse, it made them weaker. Needless to say my husband and I do not miss the Homeowners Association, the constant nosey drive- bys, and the Sycamore neighbor who commented on how often I swam in my pool. Oh, and we don't miss the judgements of self worth being how green and manicured the lawn was. I took excellent care of my yard because I love to garden, but I was still infuriated at being judged that way, even though I was on the nice receiving end. I did it to make ME happy, not THEM.

Sold my beautiful 2,000 square foot house that we designed ourselves, with a huge loss, to get out of there. We don't regret the decision for one second. We have 10 acres now on a dirt road in an area where people have respect for one another. (I do need to get cracking on this new house so I actually have a kitchen large enough to cook nice meals in without gritting my teeth).

I did find out that as owner builder, our blueprints in this county only have to show room placement, and that they do not mind the owner adding closets or moving a stove from the original plans. (Moving a bathtub would be a different matter. I need to stick with original placement on that because of the plumbing). Any changes just have to be code compliant. That eases a lot of pressure, as we can get going on the shell and I can still have you guys give me ideas on the details in the meantime.

Anyway, on another topic, I do believe that houses can be haunted, and that sometimes our loved ones "visit" during their initial transition period into heaven. I know my dad was with me at times, and let me know it. He's moved on now.

My husband and I also think as you do. We believe in the constitution and we can't believe how illegal many of the "laws" we now have are, as the constitution is actually our law. People just keep letting it happen. I believe in free speach, even if obnoxious views happen to offend someone. We are supposed to have a right to do so in this country, despite the words not being nice or not coming from a nice person. And lets hear it for capitalism! What really irritates us is how no one is allowed to do what they want in many cases on their own property. For example, if I want to live in a tent on my own paid for land, I should be able to do so and still have power run. Not that I would want that, but am making a point.

That said, I do have deep respect for other people's thoughts and just don't hang out with people that have an entitlement mentality.

Hope the "conversation police" don't get me. Tee Hee!

Sandy

And while you had damage to your house, Scott, I was watching the wind whip the two water oaks just across our fence in the neighbor's yard. Suddenly, in slow motion down came a huge limb which was bigger around than my thigh. It landed well inside my garden area so the top leafy end landed on the bricked patio. I'd noticed previously that my favorite little squirrel, Bob, who has no tail, apparently lived in the fork of this tree in a dark hollow hole, and it was one half of that forked area that just quietly broke and fell.
We've had 4 big pine trees, 1 big water oak, and 1 big sweetgum tree taken out almost two years ago now, because we don't want trees falling on our house in a hurricane. If hurricane winds had been pushing this particular limb, it would have made a big hole in the roof no doubt. It was not that far from the power line either.
I hope we still have some shaded area for my subtropical plants.

"Hope the "conversation police" don't get me. Tee Hee!

Sandy"

Do you know who they are?? Lets Lynch them!!!!!!!!!!! Hehehehehe

That is great news Sandy that you do not have to have every piece of furniture placed before submitting plans for approval by the county. I can understand the plumbing not changing because it is a different inspector. And too it all relates to your septic tank size and drain field run. Ask me how I know :^((((((

I have only sold one building permit in the almost two years I have been a clerk. And the BIG JOKE is the city annexed in about 1100 acres in the last 5 years????????????? Gives real meanting to "What Were They Thinking" All they had to show was as you say and I am not even sure they had to show the plumbing. Just septic placement and septic permit.Number of bedrooms. Driveway and house placement specs. There is an argument in government. Not Midvale government ,higher up, about driveways width verses length and turn outs and so on. At this point I missed out on having to deal with it as the building inspector dropped in and took me off the hook for having to make a decision. Sheese how many hats do I HAVE to wear???

I also agree there is too many people feeling this entitlement. Just went through conversation with neighbor about city budget. She did not want to see her or others taxes raised and in the next breath wanted all the roads repaired this year and weeds sprayed. Not to mention the 10K it takes to spray the mosquitoes. Well a city does not run on good faith and wants. It takes money. It is hard to run even a tiny city on 58K for the general fund. Taking the 3% raise is almost nothing for each household. so something has to give.

OK off my soap box. Sorry

Chris

First, let me say that thankfully, this is the only house I have ever had any supernatural experiences in and prior to this I was a total non-believer. My brother-in-law grew up in the house. His parents bought it from the original owners. Their only son drove out into some orange groves away from the house and committed suicide. He was young 20s. They sold the house and moved away shortly after that.

After he was married and stationed overseas, my brother-in-lawÂs mother had a heart attack at the house and died in route to the hospital. About two years later, his father had a heart attack, called 911 and died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Other than those passings, we donÂt have any knowledge of any other deaths relating to the property.

This ghost was more intimidating than playful. It seemed to enjoy scaring people. Maybe it thrived on the fear. Almost immediately after buying the house I had several odd occurrences that I brushed off and tried to explain away. Once, my girlfriendÂs cats, sitting at different locations in the living room, turned simultaneously like they were called and moved their heads in unison, again, from different angles, like they were watching someone walk across the room. Then one got up and trotted down the hall like it was following someone. The straw that broke the camelÂs back for me was when a young boyÂs face appeared before my girlfriendÂs face in the middle of the night and sent her screaming out of the house. She never came back in. It toyed with me right after she left and I swallowed my pride and quickly drove to her house to make up for my being insensitive to her for freaking out. I slept in the house very few times after that.

After I bought the house from my brother-in-law and began having incidents, my brother-in-law fessed up to things that happened while he lived there and my dad, who acted as caretaker of the house for about two years after both in-laws died, admitted he had experiences there on several occasions. My dad is a very humble man and a devout Christian and doesnÂt even tell jokes. He had no reason to try to spook me. It would have been nice if they had spoken up ahead of time!

About six months after I sold the house I ran into one of the owners and tentatively broached the topic. She thought I was crazy. She said nothing had ever happened to her or her husband at the house.

And thatÂs my story and IÂm sticking to it.

Anyone else care to fess up?

Scott

Darn it all. We also had a bad storm in the night and being up since the wee hours and just a nap this afternoon. I am pretty fuzzy brained.

Scott I am so glad that is all the damage you sustained. Hard to not let your brain not go to the "What If's" I am glad you do not have to know what if.Hope you were able to get your repairs done and no more damage was found. Not to mention all the mess you have to clean up.

There are sycamore trees in Weiser. I do not think we have any up here in Midvale. We make a complete zone change when we come up the mountain even though it is only a little over 1000 foot difference.

I need to get myself out and walk. It is cooling down some out there and also looks like it might be gearing up for another thunder storm.

Chris

Scott, it was not you or any opinion you may have expressed. I was the OP and as soon as I posted, I realized it should not have been posted in the Small Homes discussion forum. I immediately emailed GW and asked them to delete or move it (which is what they did).
I have no problem with people having a different opinions about anything than me, (I just consider them wrong, lol).

So don't hold back, we're all big girls.

Looks like I've missed something along the way - I'll have to spend some time reading I see. :o)
When I first started posting here, I checked out 'the other side' but saw that all the posts were very old (2+ years as I recall) so just started merrily posting over here.
I would think that if nobody complains, nobody would care? These forums do not seem very moderated compared to some other sites I've visited.
~Missy

I thought we were going to do haunted houses on the conversation side? Doesn't matter to me. I have only one ghost story that I believe:

I worked in a 100 year old factory in CT, and they decided to get a security company to watch the building at night. The first night, the guard called to say he was leaving (wouldn't say why). This happened with several guards- they always chickened out about midnight or so. Finally, the owner of the security company, a burly ex-Marine, said he'd watch the place himself. He left the building a little after midnight, and said his company would not be able to watch our building, and offered no explanation. They installed an alarm system instead, which had so many false alarms they finally gave up on the whole idea.

I worked second shift, and I tried to get the guys to spend the night to see what happened. No one would stay, even if I bought the beer! One night, I was locking up around midnight, when we heard someone walk across the floor over our heads. We went up there- no one was there. It wasn't settling or pipes rattling- it was definitely someone walking around- you could track their progress across the floor! I don't believe in ghosts- except that one!

I love sycamore trees- from a distance. I think they are an interesting tree, but they do make a mess. We won't have any sizable trees around our place in SC- too many ice storms. The first time we walked our property after buying it, we found a huge red oak that had blown down. It took out about 1/4 acre of woods! If that had hit a house, it would have demolished it. I love trees and I love shade, but I don't want to be up all night during a storm, worrying about if a tree is coming through the roof. We've done enough of that in FL!

Where we are building in SC, there isn't any plans review for a permit. They want to know the square footage and number of bedrooms. As long as it's to code, nothing else matters. Oh, and it will definitely be a SMALLER HOME! ;)

Jay, Flgargoyle, and of course they do not require a permit for your outbuildings? Like the series of SHEDS you want to build?

Could you perhaps have an outdoor shower and a composting toilet which requires NO PLUMBING? If you build about six or seven sheds you could make an old fashioned "motor court" which was the precursor of motels. I still love the old movie IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT with Clark Gable and claudette Colbert, won an Oscar when it came out. They spend nights in those little "cabins" too. Would you perhaps consider renting them out to your GW Small Homes buddies, hmmmmmm? I can see you with a small neon sign, like they used to have, (NO)vacancy....... I know you have a sense of humor, and this would fit in nicely with the concept of JAY'S MOUNTAIN BREEZE MOTOR COURT.

:)

Sounds like fun- and my GW Small Homes buddies would stay for free..... for the first week, anyhow! Actually, if I wanted the hassle (which I don't) I could set up a little B&B with the guests staying in the cottages. We stayed in one like that in SC, and it was nice being able to choose how much (or little) interaction you wanted to have with the other guests and hosts. Legally, I could do it on our property, but I'm too old and cranky to be a host. "Get your own #(@$ breakfast- I ain't in the mood!"

I'm glad I don't have any trees up close to me. I will plant a few for shade from the sun - but they won't be that close and won't be something that grows that big. not in my lifetime anyway.

shades - I was gonna post on the other side that someone on 'home decorating' forum was asking for pics of people's dog pens. I posted mine - thought I'd post it here in case you wanted to post a pic of your animal pen over there.

Scott,
My father had dozens of ghost stories. I loved hearing them. One time a friend of his asked me if I believed them. I believed every single one of them and still do. I also feel our loved ones lost are still with us at times.

A long time ago I learned that those we love who are no longer with us, will occasionally give us a sign. A token remembrance, if you will, to let us know they are there as long as we remember.

This is true of my son, who died back in 1995. His favorite rose, the beautiful blood red Don Juan, began blooming on the anniversary of his death. Each year, I check and find a big fat bud ready to open on that day, and I know he loves me.

Also, I have learned to take action when I think about a friend long out of contact. I know there is a reason for them coming to mind, and I should discover what it is. To delay is to be too late, in many cases. It is like a premonition, and if I do not call them, soon after they will call me and it is usually not good news. Some friends are with you for life, and they are there for a reason. We need to keep our hearts open for the signs....nothing happens in a vacuum, life makes waves and we should FEEL them.

Scott, forgot to mention the other day that I am glad that you and your son was not hurt during the storm. I had a close friend that lost his little girl many many years ago during a bad thunderstorm. She was opening the door as a power line came down and the electricity arced from the ground up through the door. She'd be in her thrirties now, if she were still with us. I'm REAL careful now, especially since I now live in the lightning capitol of the world. I've seen lightning "balls" move through a room after it entered an outlet where a lamp was plugged in.

When it comes to sensing "ghosts" I once saw a documentary about a study the military did, with the belief that humans actually have extra senses in addition to ESP. It is believed that some people can still tap into some of that, but over thousands of years,( due to not using our full senses), have lost most of our abilities in that regard. Most of us still have good gut feelings though, which I believe is part of all of that.

Cats are fascinating creatures. My vet thinks I'm a bit soft in the head when I mention that I feel they communicate with each other via telepathy. I've witnessed where nothing else could explain certain behaviors. One of my cats also knows the second I open my eyes in the morning, and he is not anywhere near our room at the time. I can also put the flea control on one of them, out of sight and smell, and immediately the rest of them know and go hide.

There was a story in either a magazine or newspaper one time that told of a cat that lived in a nursing home, for the benefit of the people that had to live there. The nurses knew when someone was going to die soon because that cat would go and sit with that person, and not leave their side until after they passed on.

Haven't figured out who the conversation police are, but I think we've made it clear that we are all pretty independantly minded, and don't care what they think, or even if they like us for that matter. We're certainly not hurting anyone, nor are we bogging down the forum.

Worked on floor plan stuff this weekend. I was very cranky and not very pleasant to be with. My poor husband! He knows I like lofts and told me to design one in. (Anything to get me out of my bad mood....). But, you know, I keep talking to people that have awfully huge electric bills this year that have lofts in their homes. The other thing that made me think twice was looking at some really cute tiny log cabin package deals with the Cracker Style Log Home people. The kits are a fraction of what it would cost to build a nicely finished loft, AND it would be considered an outbuilding for tax purposes. We would just factor in the materials rather than get a kit, since I feel it's a bit less expensive to do that, and I can get the windows I want through Home Depot. (I like Andersons).

I do think we are getting close to hammering out the blueprints. If I have trouble posting the floor plan idea, would it be O.K. to e-mail it to one of you?

Sandy

I just created a new topic on the other side.

Sandy, if you want to email the plans to me, find my email at my home page. I'd love to look at them. I know you've done so much work to get this far.

Now, my brain is half baked these days, but I am otherwise normal. :) ....and hope to make appropriate suggestions or comments.

Thanks so much moccasin....I'm going to take you up on your offer. I told my husband I would give the single story plan one more try tomorrow. He said I can increase the house size up to 2,000 square feet if I need to, but I hate to do that.....just seems awful big (although in reality a loft would do that anyway, I suppose).

He looked at me over dinner and said he knows I've always wanted a sewing loft and perhaps we should consider it. Hmmmm....then I hear how it complicates the roof, etc. etc., but he doesn't want me to be unhappy either. All of his concerns are valid, and that is why our last house didn't have a loft. He's heard me grumble about it for the 13 years we were in that house. Oh, and since I'm the one who is going to tung oil all the wood in the house, he likes to remind me about all the extra wood I will have to do. Sigh.

I keep trying to get enthused over an outbuilding but I don't think my heart is in it. However, I AM enthused about a summer kitchen. The women in this area of Florida set up a kitchen "outbuilding" near their house (usually just off their wrap around porches), with all their canning supplies, extra sink, stove, their freezer, extra fridge, etc. This relieves a huge amount of the kitchen storage and utility room pressure.

Craig never liked houses that went "up" that much. I, on the other hand, always played and hung out in our barn loft while growing up. Loved it. Climbed trees and made tree forts. Always got into my grandmother's attic too. I love flying. I like mountains and hiking. I think I'm meant to perch myself up high, like a bird or a cat.

So tomorrow I'm going to see if a large sewing studio, with proper storage, will fit in my plan with all of that in mind, and if it doesn't work I'll bite the bullet and do my loft. I have lots of quilt fabric and supplies I've been "collecting" for many, many years, and I'm not getting rid of it. They're my treasures.

Your brain isn't half baked. MINE is!!!! I used to be fairly sane. Now I feel like I'm flakey. Any suggestions are welcome. I sure appreciate your friendship. Just give me a day or so to get them to you.

Sandy

Hi, everyone,

Shades, thanks for posting and doing the 'leg work.' :o)

I've been busy haunting craigslist. I'm still enamored of marble, and found a nice carrara table for the kitchen. (Had to drive to Columbus--3hrs away.) It's replacing a vintage drop-leaf table that we were using as an island. I've been trying to finish up some drywall--my hubby will tape, but he hates sanding, skimming, and painting. I'm working on progress pics for the conversation side.

Thanks everyone.

I just posted a question on the conversations side. Seems silly to bump this thread for that, but I don't know how many people check it regularly.

bump

I forgot about this thread.