Tiny House, Big Living Review

Tiny House, Big Living

I find that I've said "I don't know why I waited so long" in my reviews on more than one occasion. This is another occasion. I have purchased my very first television show from Amazon and I'm thrilled I did. I purchased episode 4 of Tiny House, Big Living season 1. I feel a series binge coming on and I am pausing just long enough to tell you about this show.

Tiny House, Big Living on HGTV

I have not had cable for awhile.  I've only had cable for a short stretch of time (about 2 1/2 years) over the past 10 years or so.  I despise paying that much money for such poor service. The price tag seems so high for what it is and they hike the price higher each year. Basically, the only reason I had cable for those couple of years was for a few specific channels.  HGTV was the primary channel I wanted to watch.

Somehow, I didn't see Tiny House, Big Living while I had cable. Perhaps it came out just after I disconnected cable.  I had watched shows (I can't recall which channels.) such as  Tiny House Nation, Treehouse Masters, and Tiny House Hunters. 

Today, I started to search Amazon for those shows. And I found Tiny House, Big Living instead.

Tiny House, Big Living Season 1 - Episode 4

I chose episode 4 because the photo showed a plain but attractive exterior and a metal roof.  Simple with a tin roof is along the lines of my preferred tiny home exteriors.  But rest assured, there is a variety of exteriors to choose from in this series.

In this episode we watch a dad help his young adult daughter build a tiny house on a frame.  Her goal was to have her own living space and to be debt free. His goal, among many including some ulterior motives, was for her to increase her ability to be independent through knowledge of home building. 

We watch as choices are made and the home goes up.  I loved their creativity, their choices for the interior, and how this young lady imagined an ingenious ladder system for her loft.

I will stop here. There's not much that can be said about a single episode without leaking some spoilers.  If you are interested in Tiny Homes and haven't seen Tiny Homes, Big Living you might want to give it a peek. 

Purchasing Television Shows and Movies From Amazon

In case I am not the only one who hasn't purchased television shows from Amazon I want to tell you how easy it is.

• Search Amazon as you would for any other item
• Search under the Television and Movies category
• Choose your item and click the "buy" button
• My episode opened immediately and I viewed it
• When I returned to watch a second time, I located it in my account in Amazon - under "Your Video Library"

Happy watching!

I Met an Eastern Hercules Beetle Today

I wasn't sure whether to scream or faint when I saw it lying there on the steps.  It was THE biggest, strangest, and most frightening beetle I've ever seen.  It was on its back with legs in the air.  I skittered past it quickly and hurried upstairs. However, once upstairs I felt sorry for the little creature on it's back - legs slowly pumping, useless in the air.  I took my camera, and righted the creature, taking enough photos to be able to identify it as a Scarab Beetle known as an Eastern Hercules Beetle.

What is a Scarab Beetle?

Other than carvings on Egyptian artifacts I had no clue what a Scarab Beetle was.  I had to look it up.  According to Dictionary.com :

Scarab:

1. any scarbaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians
2.  a representation or image of a beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptions as a symbol, seal, amulet or the like.
3.  a gen cut to resemble a beetle.

Ah, so that settles it. My visitor was a Scarabaeus sacer.  Except, I didn't know what that was either. So I had to look it up.  The Scarabaeus sacer, otherwise known as a Mediterranean Dung Beetle. Aha! I've seen those on television shows on nature channels.  Yes, Dung Beetles.  Except this prettily painted beetle was not plain black in color. So I had to look some more.

More about the Eastern Hercules Beetle

Hercules Beetles are in the Scarabaeidae family, which include June Beetles, Japaneese Beetles, and Dung Beetles. There we go, I have had some up-close-and-personal experiences with Japaneese and June Beetles.  

The Eastern Hercules Beetle is the largest.  And my visitor was a male as evidenced by his horns.  Mrs. Hercules has no horns and is a bit smaller.  Mr. Hercules can grow to almost 2 1/2 inches long.  

Their colors are varied.  When I look at just his color (and ignore that face and those legs) I am mesmerized. It looks like some sort of beautiful water colored Rorschack test.

Their life span includes egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. I will not share any photos of the eggs, larvae, and pupae because I do not find them at all endearing.  But the adult male - after a few minutes - I began to see him as pretty.  

The good news is, they are not considered pests and can be found both in Maryland and in West Virginia. If I keep my eyes open, I may see another Eastern Hercules Beetle at some point. 

Here are some children, some adorable children who are much more brave than I am. They were brave enough to hold their Mr. Hercules visitor in North Carolina:

My Hercules

I turned him over several times after moving him to the mulch, behind a shrub, and to the shade.  And when I checked on him later I found him belly-up again. And when I checked on him even later. It is a good possibility that he's at the end of his life cycle since they live for less than 6 months as an adult.

After my initial fright, I am glad to have seen this interesting beetle. My interest in scarabs has grown and apparently I am only catching up with many people who like these beetles.

A face only his momma can love

Scarab and Beetle Gifts, Clothing, and Jewelry:

I was aware that Scarabs were a part of Egyptian art and the carved gems are used for jewelry. I've always loved ladybugs. But I had no idea how currently popular Scarab and beetle items are.  And I MUST get the Book of Beetles: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred of Nature's Gems. If you are at all interested in beetles, you can see what this book has to offer in the "look inside" feature.  I can see that my visitor is not the only strange beetle in existence.

THE Book of Beetles

CowCow Women's Skater Dress - Beetles

Egyptian Sterling Silver Scarab Bracelet

Keystone Kabins Park Model - Tiny Home Option

My original plan was to buy my land and make improvements over time.  On my less-than-shoestring budget, that would amount to a long period of time.  But my thinking was to pay as I go and hopefully retire to my little mountain homestead either debt-free or close to it. However, the more time I spend camping at The Shack, the more anxious I am to move there. This weekend I toured several options for housing. I was surprisingly impressed with Keystone Kabins' park models.

(Note: Since the writing of this article, the name of the company has change. It is now Lancaster Log Cabins. Same address, information, and cabin. Different name)

Keystone Kabins - Vacation Cabin Kits

I was originally interested in Keystone Kabins because they make vacation log cabin kits. You can either assemble the kits or have them assembled.  The floor plans and prices are on the Keystone Kabins website.  I liked the rustic look, the options, the small size, and most of all, I liked the prices. Their simplicity keeps the price tag lower than some other cabin builders I've been looking at.

I called to see if there were vacation cabin models onsite that I could tour at the Pennsylvania location. No. No vacation cabin models. But there are "park models".  I decided to go ahead and look even though I wasn't interested in a park model. Frankly, I didn't exactly know what a park model was but I'd go and look. At least I could get a sense of quality.

What are log cabin Park Models.

I've learned that park models are very similar to RVs. Or like Tiny Houses.  They are built on a trailer. They have VIN  numbers and are considered to be a recreational vehicle. Because they are suited for camping only, they are not considered to be mobile homes or permanent living arrangements. 

Originally, I thought there would be no way I'd interested in a home as tiny as the ones shown on the television shows.  I can live very small, but I'm not interested in living THAT tiny. Besides, I'm not very interested in living on wheels again.

However, these park model log cabins had an open feel.  And they were much more solid than I had expected. Later in the day I stopped at a model center to look at some of the modular floor plans I have my eye on, and there were park models there also. Those park models were gorgeous - shiny, fancy, decorated beautifully, and modern.  Visually crisp and clean. But they also smelled of chemicals and felt less solid.  

In contrast, the Keystone Kabins log park models were solid under my feet and smelled only of wood (despite having been recently varnished - or stained. I'm not certain of the correct terminology). The rustic simplicity caught my eye and my imagination.

Good Customer Service Early On

Dan, of Keystone Kabins, had answered my phone call and was very inviting. I don't believe he was scheduled to work that day but had left the additional pamphlets and information where he said he would. In addition, he was present in the office when I checked - just in case. We did not have an appointment.  I was just rolling through as I went from one spot to the next. And frankly, traffic was so horrible that I was running an hour and a half later than I had wanted. But he was there.  

That is more than I can say for another builder who knew I was coming - the builder of the homes I most wanted to see during this trip. I arrived 30 minutes within closing and their office was closed. We did not have an appointment, but they were aware I was coming.  Perhaps they had an emergency that required closing before their posted hours.  Perhaps not.  Either way, it makes me wonder what their customer service will be.  I do not wonder that about Dan with Keystone Kabins. I already feel that he'd be reliable and go above and beyond.

Daydreaming about the Future

I am still completely uncertain about what my final choice will be. However, I'm more able to imagine having a home on wheels to camp in, rather than my little rickety shack. Who knows, maybe I'll opt for one of those slick and shiny park models. Or maybe I'll make more progress than I expect financially and build a stick-built family sized home.  I don't know. But I do know that I'm smitten with these natural, rustic, wooden, tiny log cabins. Clearly, if I choose a park model, it won't be my permanent home. But perhaps I can use it to comfortably camp in for years to come. 

I need to do more research about living so small. And have ordered this book just today. My apartment isn't very much over 400 sq feet, but I do have quite a bit of storage here that I won't have in a park model.

Tiny House Living 

I'm sharing the following photographs that I had taken only to refresh my memory after returning home.  The models were in process and I was not planning on sharing the photos. For better quality photos and more information, please see their website or the Keystone Kabins facebook page.

Meanwhile:

Wordless Wednesday - Photos from The Shack

Today I will share these sights from The Shack in celebration of Wordless Wednesday.