My tastes are simple. Maybe they’re a little odd, but simple. I have no use for grand mansions (unless it’s my ancestral home, in which case, I’m also all about legacy, so, yeah, give it to my care along with the funds to maintain it) or high-end apartments with a stunning view of the city skyline (unless it’s the ’80s and there’s saxophone music playing, in which case, I’m a working gal having second thoughts about choosing my career over love). These homes are for the versions of me in alternate dimensions.
For this realm, I’d love a cottage in the woods, pretty close to the edge, right where the dense bush clears, making way for the more civilized greenery of village life. This village is pretty close to a city with all the amenities and modern conveniences. I don’t want to have to spend half a day getting to a hospital or an airport.
The cottage is made of reused stone and wood. I’m forgoing the quintessential thatch in favor of a living roof that’s thick with clover and wild edibles. There’s a ramp that lets my goats go up there to graze. My chickens can choose to go there too, but but wisely don’t since there could be raptors. I’m friends with a couple of them: two owls that live nearby in the hollows of ancient trees.
This house is in the woods but it’s also on top of a hill. Reception is pretty good, but, just to be safe, I have a satellite phone. Why not a landline (there was a time when it was just the telephone; no need to qualify)? Is it off-grid? Sure, why not? I guess I also have solar panels and a generator then. I also dug up a well, but I use a lot of rainwater that my barrels collect year round. Did I tell you about a brook on the property? It’s just a musical little stream that turns into a raging river in the wet season.
Then there’s the cottage. It has a front porch with a rocker, a glider, a swing, and a hammock. I guess my family and I spend a lot of time there, which means that it’s cool and breezy as well as bug-free. The biting bugs, that is. Also the creepy ones. Maybe it should be screened? No. Then again, the cats… Well, that’s why there’s a catio on the side of the house.
The front door is wood with glass panels. It has a brass knocker in the shape of an owl.
Now, inside.
Bookcases bursting at the seams span most walls. They hold books, but also games, figurines, and other curios.
There are multiple cozy reading nooks. Walls without bookcases are adorned with hanging cat perches and bridges.
There’s a window seat that looks out to the flower garden. This is separate from the potager, which is in the backyard. There’s also a bird feeder sticking out of the hydrangeas bordering that side of the house, opposite the side of the screened-in catio. The window seat is next to an alcove that serves as my office.
There’s really just one room downstairs besides the powder room and the kitchen. The living area bleeds into the “formal” dining area that’s only used for birthdays and holidays. Most of the time, we eat at the breakfast nook in the kitchen. We don’t have a TV. For family movie nights, there’s a projector. There’s a fireplace around which we can gather for storytelling and singing and, of course, s’mores.
On the catio side of the house is also a pergola that connects a side door to the laundry shed that’s connected to a multiple-vehicle carport.
The kitchen is the hub. The breakfast nook is also where we often do our homeschooling. There’s no microwave. We have a gas range and oven, which is enough. There are dried herbs hanging from the rafters, as well as bunches of garlic and onion. There are vases of wildflowers everywhere.
There are four bedrooms upstairs. The boys share, so the fourth one can be a guest room. It also doubles as a craft room. There are also two toilet-and-baths/showers.
For an entire contingent of relatives or friends sleeping over, the attic is a cozy dormitory with multiple bunk beds and tidy storage bins containing our junk.
At the back is a grocery garden with beds of vegetables and a few fruit trees. There’s also a chicken run and coop. I’m on the fence about rabbits, although I’d really like some and not just for their poop.
On the flower garden side, there’s a tiny structure that houses my husband’s office. It is soundproof because he plays all sorts of instruments there, including a double bass drum set…
You know, this just might be subject to additions and edits. Now that I’ve written it down, I feel like I have to actively pursue this ideal home. This will be its “manifestation” page or something. 😄
This Small Life 