Moving From The Hobbit House

So moving day has come.

Spent most of yesterday afternoon trying to figure out how to get everything to fit in the tiny Uhaul trailer. Pop and Sis were there to help with the jigsaw puzzle. We got most of the trailer packed and then decided to call it a night. Headed to a favorite pub for some beer and pizza and to celebrate the Pop's birthday belatedly. Afterwards, I headed back to the Hobbit House to work on cleaning.

Didn't sleep well, since it was on the straight floor and there was tons of crap on my mind, but I did manage to squeak in a few hours.

Sis and Pop showed up at 7:30am with breakfast and coffee and we started back at it. Had to get the fridge emptied out and everything moved out of the house and to the curb so we could apply the jigsaw puzzle to the back of the truck. Amazingly, we were able to get everything to fit...we were all surprised by this, and the check out with the landlord went well.

I left the area to begin my drive to the Bamboo Lagoon around 10:30am. Trailer worked fine and I made the trip in 5 hours, which is much better than expected. Turned the trailer in after a quick unload at the other end.

This is the last post for this blog, as a new adventure has started at The Bamboo Lagoon, and you are more than welcome to catch up with me there.

Guess It Is Lunch Time At The Hobbit House

So it seems that this guy has put the Hobbit House birdfeeder on the route for his weekly if not daily forays. The other day, I was washing dishes and I heard the distinct sound of a bird hitting the glass in the french doors on the back porch. I cringed a bit, but hoped it wasn't a hard hit and that there would be no casualties. I finished up what I was doing and then peeked around the corner, so if there was a stunned bird there, I wouldn't scare it. What I found was this hawk sitting on my welcome mat, not 14 inches from the door with a small "victim" in his clutches. As soon as he saw me, he flew off...with the "victim" for lunch.

Yesterday, I was coming around the corner of the house from running errands, and I saw him fleeing the scene (fortunately with no "victims"). I have noticed over the last couple of days that the birdfeeder is not being depleted as fast as usual and I have to wonder if my unwelcome guest is scarying off the little guys. Boo!

New Bird At The Hobbit House

I don't usually get the opportunity to see a completely new bird, but this weekend, I did. I have never seen a Varied Thrush before and when I saw him on the ground below the feeder, I had to do a double take...then I grabbed the camcorder and tried to get some snap shots of him...this one is not perfect but it was good enough for me to identify him. Click on the link to his name to see images that other internet sources have of him.

Apparently the Varied Thrush is related to the American Robin...similar in size for sure...but I loved the colors that were completely new to me. I have seen a few Robins out and about as well but they aren't in full color yet and this guy was so vibrant. I don't know if this means that the Varied Thrush has an earlier breeding season than the Robin or not.

Regardless, I thought it was pretty cool to see a new bird out there...hopefully he'll come back some more and I can get some better shots.

Hobbit House Maintenance

Due to the fact that I leave the back porch life on at night, and have Christmas lights on the back patio, I close the door between my office and the livingroom at night when I sleep. Because the carpet in this place is new, it is kind of puffy and big still. In the spot where the door would meet the carpet, the carpet was starting to pull up from the threshold. Shutting the door was always a very tight fit, but doable.

Even though there is nothing in this little old house that is perfect, I am still not able to leave damaged things, and the carpet was starting to really bother me. On top of that, I didn't want it to get worse over time. I wasn't completely sure how I was going to fix it but I was willing to give it a try.

So I pulled up the threshold, lifted the carpet, cut the padding back, moved the carpet strips back, and then made a trip to the DIY store to see what my options were. I purchased a new threshold and a 12x12 piece of parque colored linoleum so that I could try to fill any gap that might have been left in the process. After looking at the work I had done and laying the carpet back down to see how it all fit, I realized I wouldn't need the stuff from the DIY store.

I trimmed the ends of the old threshold to fit better and then reinstalled it an inch back from where it was. Overall, it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be, but I am thankful for that. I didn't have to do any creative construction to get it back into working order.

Snow At The Hobbit House

Don't know if it will be the last for the year...I watched it snow off and on all day yesterday but it really started to stick once the sun went down. I wondered if it would continue through the night, and it did. This was the biggest dump we have had yet, and it was so pretty. The birds were fighting over the birdfeeder. The majority of it melted off as soon as the temp started to come up. I was going to get out and get some pics in, but it started to melt so quickly that it wasn't much of an option. I ended up limited to shots from the house...

Hobbit House Wildlife

Today, I needed to go out and fill the feeder up since it was almost completely empty and this beauty of a towhee was out there and he was not even phased by me so I was able to get a lot closer than normal with the camera and get a shot of him. He is really pretty....however I didn't see any of the white breast that all the towhees in my book have so I don't know if that is because he is colored up for spring or what.

Then of course, the fat little squirrel that lives close by came by for a snack under the feeder. He seems to have given up on trying to get any seeds from the feeder itself, and is just as happy to just look around on the ground for cast offs from the birds.

"The Birds" At The Hobbit House

Oh my gosh, the other day, I had a million birds in the yard. I am not sure what caused it but it was a little freaky. I was watching television and kept seeing all these birds fly past the window. I looked out the window and saw all these birds on the ground picking around.

Earlier in the day, the house owner was here cleaning the gutters, so perhaps he was throwing the gutter leaves onto the lawn and there were bugs in them. The first time I checked the window, the birds saw me and flew away in a huge flock...but they quickly came back.

I grabbed the camera and snuck back up to the window. This was the best shot I got. I think they are Starlings, but I am not sure.

Hobbit Mouse

Doing laundry last night and almost stepped on a dead mouse on the floor of the basement. I have no idea where it came from...there are no open spaces in the basement for it to get in and there is nothing in the basement for a mouse to eat. I also have no idea what killed it...it looked pretty normal to me, just dead. I found some yard gloves close by and picked it up by the tail and tossed it outside.

I kept thinking it was going to wake up while it was in my hand and freak me out but it didn't. I don't have a fear of rodents but if one woke up when I thought it was dead and in my hand, that would definitely freak me out.

Guess I need to keep my eyes open in the future, just in case there are any live ones down there...

Hobbit Smoke Alarms

I don't know if I mentioned this but the Hobbit House on a whole is kind of small. The main living area is probably 900 square feet max. There is a basement and an attic but I don't use either of them for anything but laundry and storage. I have always know there were a lot of smoke detectors in the Hobbit House, but I never really took a tally. The other day, I took a tally....there are 5 in the main living area, and 1 in the basement. In the attic, there is a bracket for one (so one was there are one point), but there isn't an active one there. A couple of these are only a few feet apart.

I don't know if the fact that there are so many makes me feel secure or worried!!!

Hobbit House Snow

A couple of weeks ago, we got the one and only snow I think we are going to see this year. It wasn't a lot but it was still nice to experience the snow. The quiet, the stillness, the fresh feeling...it was all there, even with only a few inches.

Of course it came in the evening/night time because that was when it was cool enough for it to snow rather than rain. So it was hard to get decent shots but at least I was able to get a few to document our only snow.

Hobbit Seasons

The holidays started late for me since we were out of town until mid month, but I did find this cute little live tree for 10 bucks at the store and decided, "what the hell?", might as well do what I can to get into the spirit a little. I also had Xmas cards coming from friends and family and wanted to put them up. The tree only came with a bell on top (which I put on my front door), and 3 little ball ornaments, so I bought a few small things to spruce it up a bit.

I found a short strand of LED Christmas lights that I thought I might find a spot for. The only outdoor socket I knew of at the Hobbit House was near the back door, but I wasn't even sure if it worked. Without taking the lights out of the box, I plugged them in to see if the socket was good and it was so I quickly strung the lights up around my patio window...and instant festivity was had. Now, since my patio has no lights on it regularly, I am seriously considering leaving the Christmas lights up for a while, unless I can find some all white ones to replace them.

At this moment, all my Christmas stuff is still up...I need to get over to a couple of stores and see if they have any sales for Christmas stuff and maybe some white lights will be in my near future...LOL.

Hobbit Washer and Dryer

Okay, the title is a bit of an exaggeration...as the washer and dryer are both full sized. What is hobbit sized is the space that they are in. I have to duck my head in order to load and unload both the washer and dryer. There is a major supporting beam running exactly across where your head goes when you are loading these machines. I am so afraid of bonking my head that I spend most of my time in the laundry room hunched over and I am of average height.

The rest of the basement is taller, just this area where the washer and dryer are is short...and I guess I should have taken a pic of the door too because the door from the outside comes into the small area so it is of course short too.

Yard Work at the Hobbit House

Spring is still making itself known at the hobbit house. The yard keeps blooming...new plants every day. Today, I spent about an hour in the afternoon working in the yard...pulling weeds and getting some obnoxious vines under control. I am thinking I might need to do that for an hour each day (weather permitting) to get this yard looking less like a jungle.

The weather today was amazing. It was my first time to use my new lounge chair (the grass is too high in the yard to lay on just a blanket or towel), and it was amazing to feel the sun on my skin. I was only out there for 20 minutes on each side and it was after 2pm that I went out, so no burn, which is a good thing. I read one of my research books for my class while I was out there.

Windows are open and breezes are flowing and it has been such a long time coming.

Hobbit Feeder Visitor

So since I have put out the feeder, I have gotten quite a few birds on it, but just no images as of right now. I have managed though to catch my local squirrel...the WC Rufus. He was hanging out on the fence and underneath the feeder trying to figure out what his options are.

I am in the process of getting some video footage of his attempts to eat from the feeder but for now this image is a cute one of his little fat belly.

Hobbit Basement Stairs

The door to the basement stairs is short and narrow. The stairs themselves are short, steep and narrow. Fortunately there is a light switch at the top of the stairs and there are lots of things to hold on to, or I would already be a rotting body at the bottom of the stairs.

You actually have to hold on to something on the way down because the ceiling is also low. In order to duck in the appropriate spots and not lose your balance, holding on is a must. This means I have mastered the laundry basket with one hand (yes folks, the washer and dryer are in the basement).

The basement itself is pretty big but you can only stand up (and I am of average height) in it, in half of it. And it is not the washer and dryer half...so when I am doing laundry, I have to hunch over a bit or my hair is up in the rafters of the basement and who knows what might live up there...haha.

There is a door from the outside into the basement, so perhaps when the weather is nicer, that will be an easier way to get in, but for now, I just laugh at my temporary life, as I am walking up and down these stairs.

And I Thought The Hobbit House Was Small

Just read this article over on Yahoo about a woman living in Manhattan in a 90 sq ft place...watch the video to see how she does it.

Hobbit Sized Fishtank

When I lived in Japan, I had a clear glass vase in my kitchen with plants, rocks and fish in it...little fish. Didn't need filtration because of the plants, just cleaned the tank out when it would start to get cloudy or too algea'd up. This was in addition to my 20 gallon standard tank with fish, heater, and pump that I had in the livingroom.

Since I don't currently have my 20 gallon tank here with me, I decided to do another small kitchen tank.

This is the new hobbit tank for my counter top in the kitchen. The tetras seem to be happy and I am enjoying having them and the extra plant life around. This tank is only about 6 inches tall and 5 inches square.

Hobbit Doors

I don't know if I mentioned before but in this older house, when the new carpet was put in, two of the doors weren't put back in. One of these doors happens to be on the bathroom. This doesn't matter when I am here by myself but it makes things a bit uncomfortable if anyone comes to visit.

Needless to say, doors have been a priority. My sis and I found the two doors I want to rehang up in the attic and brought them down. Unfortunately the hinges were only in half shape, and the doors were too long with the new carpet. Two days ago, I was able to get the painted on hinges off the doors and today, I was tasked with cleaning up the doorframe hinges as well as mount the hinges on the doors so we can measure and cut off the bottoms before trying to rehang them.

So today, I did it, used the chisel and managed to clean up the door frames, and attach the new hinges to both doors. Tomorrow I hope (with help from my sis and b-i-l) to hang both doors after measuring and cutting the bottoms to fit. This will just be in time since my mom is planning to spend the night at my place on one night of her visit here this weekend. I have to say with all the chiseling I did today, I really missed having someone here that I love that is also an excellent wood worker. I did send him an email about it.

Spring Has Sprung

Starting to get some blooms around here. I can tell from the things planted in this yard that I am in for a treat all through the summer.

Here is just a smidgen of what has started to bloom in the yard. We have camellias, trillium and Pieris 'Brower's Beauty blooming at this time and there are rhodies, roses and a number of other things I am sure will be lovely later in the season.

As the season progresses, I am sure I will be taking lots more photos of the lovely things blooming in the hobbit house yard. I am looking forward to some of the trees and bushes to leaf out so I can have a bit more privacy as well.

Kitchen Is Done

Everything is put away in clean cabinets and drawers. Still have a few things I might need to pick up at some point, but for now, it is workable and I am willing to wait and see what might happen before spending any more money...haha

Next projects include getting the door for the bathroom done (big deal), get bedding for the "guest" bed, getting the DVD player set up wirelessly, killing the moss and cleaning it off the sidewalk, and putting out my solar path lights.

The hobbit house continues to be an adventure that I am sure will keep me on my toes for the time being.