New Aquarium Fish

I'm addicted to my aquarium hobby. R even told me he really seriously enjoys my tanks in the house. Likes looking at them. And he told me he doesn't mind helping me build parts and pieces to go with the tanks. Even said someday he wants an aquaponic system to raise peppermint and bluegills fish. Tea and supper.

Last weekend I got the opportunity to go to an event held by the Minnesota Aquarium Society in Bloomington MN. I took my youngest daughter and an old friend. A real treat to leave our big kids at home with dads.
It was the Society annual auction. All sorts of things dealing with the hobby. Tanks, fish, equipment, aquatic plants. Everything you could want or dream about. The event was free, held in a large church gym. Very clean and well run. I was having so much fun bidding and general entranced by all the activities I didn't take any pictures.

However I did pick up some very neat cat fish. Corydoras variety called "Sterbi" I've been drooling over pictures on the internet. They are just neat looking both spotted and striped, with orange fins. Corydoras can certainly very shy fish. My new ones are in a quarantine tank for a few weeks before putting them in my big tank. It is fun because in the smaller space I can see them much better.

Very Eco Friendly

Just wanted to share. Credit Chris Madden off Facebook.

Big Garden

Tiny House, Big Garden

Earth Day 2017. We spent as much time outside as I could handle with the kids. Weeks ago when we were still getting hard frost, we staked out the side yard for the garden. Now we are busy removing the grass sod to make our garden. I'm finding clever places to put the sod. Filling in low spots in the yard. Can't hurt, R says the worst will be the lawn mower will kick up dirt if the sod doesn't grow. With way the low spot will be a little more filled.  I try to get outside to remove the sod a little everyday. It is a big task. After all the sod is gone we have a tiny tiller that R thinks he can get running. The soil seems to drain well and is on the sandy side. Compost would be helpful and I will get some from the city when I figure out how to haul it.

It is interesting to watch my flower beds around the house. The renter clearly dug up most of the perennials. However she missed some. The tulips are easy to identify but until the rest get bigger I can only guess. I recall seeing day lilies but that's about it. As I didn't pay much attention. The tulips got disturbed and don't seem to be bluming this year. In fact all the perennials that are coming up are much slower then my neighbors. Maybe mine know that there will be one last snow storm or something. 

I planted some peas in a corner of the garden. I used dead branches from our lilacs bushes for the peas to climb on once they start growing. It is also a good marker for where I've planted. 

I have a rose bush on the corner of our small side yard. Having read a good article about pruning roses (link below), I confidently got to work. 

Pruning roses

I maybe should trim down the big tall one but it had buds all along the stem. We'll just have to wait and see. I wonder what color the flowers it will have? There were rose hips from last year on the ground. 

Tiny kitchen​ and forgotten bulbs

I promised a kitchen picture. Here you go. Rarely is it this clean, I try but end up baking and get flour everywhere. Or life happens. Dishes - I'm making a resolution to wash and put away every day regardless of how many or few. We have had a dishwasher in the past, but honestly I'm just lazy.

  I noticed something new in my front flower beds, bulbs are sprouted. Tulips I'm guessing. Renter must have forgotten them. It will be fun to see what they turn out to be.

Tiny house projects

Here at the small house most of us have been ill. A viral crud has gone round and round. I haven't felt much like doing anything. March weather hasn't helped, most of the days are gray cheerless. But a few projects have gotten done here and there.

Library corner of the living room got organized. 

 The kitchen got a couple much needed additions. First R turned a tall odd cupboard that the prior renter used for trash can and broom holder into a much need pantry space. He measured and cut me shelves. Specific to the height of Mason jars and a tall space on the bottom to house my big pressure canner.

Beginning. This is located between the fridge and back door.

The new pantry! With room for my canner on the bottom. 

 I'm very happy to have this pantry. I try to meal plan for two or three weeks, a whole month is my goal. So having a stocked pantry is key. Also I can can garden produce this year. Last couple years I haven't done very much canning due to lack of space and moving. This year we'll pay for our CSA produce share and try our own garden. Either way I should have lots of veggies to can.

The microwave got its own shelf! With extra room to store cookbooks. This allows for more counter space for meal prep. I'll try and get a whole kitchen picture next time it is cleaned.

Now on to the living room. R put up the two shelves in the corner above my desk, printer specifically. But I needed more shelves for books as the library corner is full. Little A is growing up fast loving to read. Both R and I want to dig out our favorite childhood books. More space, more shelves.

After poking around outside I was happy to discover the renter didn't take all the perennials. When we bought the place it was written in the contract that none of the perennials would be included. Yep the renter dug them up in November and took them with. All the flower beds around the house are dug up and empty. Looks dreary now come spring I'll fill them. BUT I found some she missed or left. They are in a big bed in the middle of the side yard.  Too early to tell what they are. Our plan is to expand that area into a extra large garden.

That's all I got for now. Happy spring everyone. 

February Rain. We have a back yard!

Our snow is gone. The whole yard is greenish brown. This is not normal for west central Minnesota. I am not happy. Dispite the warm temperatures I cannot garden or start seeds until the end of March at the earliest. I am happy to have the cement slab where we can park cleared of snow and ice. And we found the patio. It is made from pallets covered in the cheapest plywood. It desperate needs a few coats of paint. Again not a February task. So I sigh and whine and complain about our lack of snow.

Cement parking slab. Greenish brown back yard

The patio

Tiny House Laundry - Winter

Laundry here is a tish problematic. Before we moved in the renter had a full size washer in the kitchen and a full size electric dryer in what we use a a bedroom. Renter used the room as storage and for the dryer. The house didn't come with the appliances. We are used to apartments have a medium sized apartment washer and wooden dryer racks. I'd hoped for a full size washer but it's too much to justify when our apartment sized one works.
The tiny house came with a extra large outdoor clothing line. So this is how I dry clothes. After washing I sort quickly into outside freeze drying clothing and inside hang dry. Undies and kids clothes get hung inside. It is important to hang the outside clothing neatly. So as I pull it out of the washer I untwist any half inside out clothing and lay it neatly in my laundry bag- aka an Ikea bag.  This way there is less fumbling with cold fingers outside. When hanging out side in winter make sure the laundry doesn't touch. Summer you can skimp on cloths pins, not in winter. The little fold where the close pin holds the laundry won't dry. It will be a tish frozen when you bring it inside. The clothing tends to start freezing right away it's cold outside. Im always hurry to keep my fingers warm. Once the clothing freezes it is stiff and won't blow around. I watch for when it less stiff and wiggling on the line in the wind. That is how I know it is dry. When I bring it inside I let it sit for a bit to warm up. That's when I know for sure if it is completely dry or sometimes there is a damp spot usually a wrinkle - then it gets hung up inside.
I could hang everything inside on my wood racks but the tiny house doesn't have any vent fans. A summer project for bathroom and kitchen. So we try to avoid extra humidity build up to avoid mold.

Now for pictures of what I'm talking about.

Walking back to the house. Big clothes line

Wooden clothing rack and our little washer machine in the kitchen

A whole two loads from my little washer. And there is TONS more room on the clothing line.

My awanti brand fully automatic apartment sized washer machine. I love this thing. We have previously hooked it up to the bathroom sink and drained into the tub. But here at the tiny house it is fully plumbed.

Hanging kids stuff and undies. I love love love these hanging racks for little stuff especially socks. R just installed the ceiling hooks near the furnace for quicker drying.

On a final note. I really wanted this post to be all concise and how to ish to the point of not getting anything written. So it is wordy and longish. But it is written. And that is my goal to write. Eventually maybe I'll get refined and how to ish. Just not today.