Gifts from the Universe

This is a little story about a humble farmer named Betsy and her need for a hive.  Despite her love of bees and her relentless attempts to keep her hive through a hard Maine winter, Betsy had none.  Fortunately for her the universe had other plans. While cleaning out her barn today she was forced to move her empty hives to the front yard.  That is when a roaming swarm saw the vacant hives and settled in.  Betsy was given a hive of her very own that will be strong enough to make it through.  The bees picked her.  I thought it was a really cute story, and Betsy is so happy, in reality I'm currently living with a bee swarm in the drive way and freaking out.  I totally dislike flying bugs.

Wa Happin?

The camper door slams as Heath rushes out.  "I feel like we are living in a zoo" he shouts.  He is off to save the cat food from the chickens.  We have to feed the Fluff Butt outside due to her hatred of the puppy. The co habitation of the two has left heath and I at wits end.  The cat will not do anything but hiss at the dog and pee in inappropriate places. The rain isn't helping either.  It makes Softy into a pitiful wet mess.  I cannot help but bring her inside in order to start another fantastic day at 6:30 in the morning.  As for the puppy, well, she's a puppy.  Puppies are hard work.  Enough said.  Cats on the other hand refuse to be trained.  Maybe if she spent half the time thinking about how to make our already small living space feel even smaller, and worked on protecting her food against the wild herd of chickens that roam these parts, she would at least be better fed.  As for her and the puppy... I'm open for suggestions.

New Pack Member

Life at The Shire is wonderful as usual. We had our old roommate Joel and his girl friend Abi over for a lobster dinner last night. Abi is only going to be in state for a few days so we decided to do it right. Betsy and I went to the pier in Belfast and picked up some wicked good soft shell. As an added bonus Truffle was ok'd to come home. After a long walk around Betsy's land, she slept through dinner and most of the night. We have visited Truffle almost everyday, so the transition to life with us was easy. Betsy has taken on the roll as grandma wonderfully. They have been cuddling on the coach for most the morning. Truffle is really a remarkable puppy. I hope to go for another walk once she wakes up again. Softy does not like this puppy business at all. She went straight to hissing. She didn't even try to get to know truffle, so she slept outside last night in the rain. Sink or swim kitty!

I have started making magnets. I finally got all the supplies I needed when I went to Portland to see my aunt. I started making them with old magazines I found at liberty tool. They turned out great. I hope to start selling them. Heath made some magic card ones we hope to sell at the card store in Camden.

My how time does fly when your playing with your puppy

I have been a bad girl, but posting has been the last thing on my mind. Every moment I find free I fill with puppy cuddle time. Can you blame me? And yes it is official. We will be bring home our fourth member of our gypsy family July first. Her name is truffle and she is wonderful. Heath and I have been re-reading our puppy books and I have dove head first into Cesar's Way, with more books on order. Also on preparation for her arrival we have been going and playing with her when ever possible. She has begun to recognize her name and us. The wait might be killing me, but it is so worth it. She will be a fabulous road dog I can feel it.

As for work, I am currently in an off week. However if you were to call the sales office yesterday you would have talked to me. I filled in for a few people, had a blast, and was seen as the hero of the day. Not shabby. I will return to work for real in Thursday to get ready for another fantastic weekend workshop, making a shaker stool! I have so far learned so much, and after last weekend's dovetail class I am again motivated to build my own pin hole cameras. The instructor taught 14 people how to make beautiful dovetails in two days. I think I will take his method and see what damage I can do.

My weekend plans are to hang out with my aunt Rhonda in Portland. I am on the bus now hence time to update. The weather is far from nice, but the bus driver is singing the sun will come out tomorrow. Lets hope, but this is Maine. Softy is sick of the rain to. The humidity has made her poofier then usual. In Portland I plan on doing some art with my aunt and relaxing till Heath comes tomorrow night and we will meet up with some of his friends in the area. I have been really trying to utilize my time off. We finally made it to Big G's Deli in Waterville. Biggest and best sandwiches every. One made three meals for me.

I have been making an effort to say yes to every activity presented to me. This really is the time to enjoy Maine. Without rent I should spend my money on adventures!

Man syncing

My boyfriend last night on a whim decided to cut his hair. I thought nothing of this random desire until this evening. We were visiting Heath's long time friend Cory, these two lived together at one point, when I noticed Cory had gotten a hair cut to. They had synced up on their cycles! They were so in sync in fact that they even trimmed their beards the same way. How cute.

Last week: a short essay from the parking lot of the co-op in Belfast

Last week was enjoyable. I had two days off which I think I spend very well! We investigated a lovely place called liberty tools in liberty Maine. It was fascinating. This old building was just packed full of old tools and books and miscellaneous junk! It was so much fun to poke around and look for things. I was specifically looking for comic books in order to make an art project. I'm hoping to make magnets out of them. Then we went for ice cream at a place called John's. It was fantastic!

I made a point also this week to get some muscles and eat seafood. I got some muscles at the Hannaford's, a local grocery store, but they were not very good and kind of gritty. We ended up shopping there because both of the seafood stores we went to in Belfast were closed for the season. I think someone should let them know that summer is here! Despite the dirt the muscles were fun eating experience and we ate them with artichokes. It was a blast putting all the pots out with melted butter and artichoke dipping sauce and just having a free-for-all hands on eating experience.

Work has been wonderful as always. After spending most of the beginning of the week cleaning up the classroom then setting up for this class i was ready for the weekend workshop. This class has been tons of fun. Deneb,Lie-Nielsens sharpening goo Roo, is an amazing teacher and his students seem to be having tons of fun. I am also having tons of fun taking the photographs again. I hope to be able to show you some if them next week.

An update on the tick I found: no Lyme disease yet. However I am still skeptical that I will not die. Lyme disease is a sneaky devil... I think.

Heath is well. He is finishing up his first day of work, however he is running very late and has forced me to sit in the Belfast co-op parking lot for much longer than I had hoped. We made a strange set of car pool plans. The long drive in from Knox has made it so we have to plan what car goes where and when. As the half hour turn into hours I'm given plenty of time to write on my blog and let you all know exactly how bored I am. Please excuse any typos. I am writing this on an iPhone. Also the people of the Belfast co-op has started to look at me like I'm a loiterer. The bright side: if heath takes much longer I will just give Betsy a ride home. She works at the Belfast co-op and will be getting off of work very soon here. (One of the main reasons we decided to meet up at the Belfast co-op. ) He has his mom's truck I have the Tahoe and we would rendezvous to give her the truck back. However if he doesn't get here before she's off of work I will be giving her a ride home and Heath will have to just meet us at home later on. Too bad he has no cell phone. Yippy! Another extremely late dinner where I am starving beyond all reason.

First Tick of the Summer

I found my first tick today while getting ready for work.  I have been totally freaked out about getting one, and to find one in my butt crack was traumatizing! I love my boyfriend, he even got the head out!  I know he is a good man because he patiently reassures me as I scream "Am I going to get Lyme Disease!!??"

Wonderful Life at the Shire

Maine has been fantastic.  We have decided to stay at Betsy's in Brooks and drive into work. The Shire, AKA Betsy's farm, is a wonderful place. And the drive to work has it's own joys. The 38 miles takes an hour and the GPS has taken me a new way every time.  As a result I have seen some amazing places.

Work has been more then I could have hoped for.  I am totally in love with my job again and I feel like this time around I have truly crafted my job into something that fits me perfectly.  After two brutal days of heavy lifting and reorganization of the classroom space, I got my reward.  Two days of 17th century New England carving!  What a riveting opportunity!  As I watched the instructor lay out and carve I would get goose bumps.  Finally the creamy candy filling, my photos of the weekend were recognized by our marketing director and praised on Facebook.  You should really check them out! They are on Lie-Nielsen's Facebook page, or I put a post with a link on my wall.

As I was driving home the other day I noticed a sign on the side of the road advertising fiddle heads for sale.  I have heard for years about the delisousness of these crazy looking green things, so I stopped and bought some.  We cooked them that night and they prooved to be really very good.  I think I will try cooking them several different ways in the future, I bought 2 lbs.  But the real lesson I learned from this purchase was how the fresh local food of Maine is purchased.  The fiddle heads were in a cooler in the back of a car, parked at the end of a drive way.  I walked up to the house to ask to buy some.  This however is not how this system works.  In the cooler is the product marked with the price and a container for money with some change in it.  The idea is based on the honor system and I am expected to help myself.  On the drive home I realized Betsy had a similar cooler at the end of her drive way.  I looked in, eggs.  This is great, and now that I understand it I will be buying more fresh food items from local producers!  GO Maine!  It is so easy to eat local.

We have been looking for a puppy since we have been in Maine and a perfect scenario has fallen into our laps.  One of Heath's friends has a litter, about a week old, that we can visit and choose from.  This is ideal for us.  We will be able to assess and play with the puppy till we take it home in July. Also on the subject of pets, Softy now ventures outside.  I think she is happy at The Shire to.

Today we will be exploring the town of Belfast, more specifically the Goodwill and the Ocean State Job Lot.  Remind me to let you know about the Job Lots! That's a whole other post!!

Fun Fact

Did you know they trucked commercial bees across the country to pollinate different crops? Sucks to be the truck driver. Despite the net there were bees everywhere.

Welcome Maddhouse Gypsy

Ohio and New York were a driving dream. We made a point to stop in on an old friend in Hamilton. Thanks again Steve and family for another random visit gone well!

We left this morning after an electrical delay. The right turn signal would not fire. We fixed the problem by moving around the taped up bundle of wires. Truly fixing this will be easy, but we were sure glad we were being good about checking. Just another thing we have learned about our little house. I have a feeling many more are in store.

Before we knew it, there it was. Maine, finally, and what a welcome we received. As we sat around the Carson's table, Heath's across the street family, I could not wipe this grin off my face. We had done it. It had worked.

The Wierd Wonders of Iowa

After loosing time in South Dakota we decided to drive for awhile after the sun had gone down.  We both were feeling good and the cat had been asleep for hours, so we pressed on.  As we began to feel that we should look for the next rest stop, Betsy called letting us know that there was weather up ahead.  The wind had died and it seemed like it would be a warmer night as we pulled into a spot on the Iowa border.  We slept and awoke to a normal looking morning.  We had somewhat expected to wake with the world covered in snow.  We returned to the interstate thinking maybe Betsy was just being overly cautious.  Not 20 minutes later we were in the middle of snow covered fields.  As a result of the what looked like 2 to 3 inches of snow we discovered 28 vehicles that had slid off the road, 5 of which were trucks.  Heath and I shared a glance as the number of abandoned vehicles mounted.  We both new how lucky we had been to stop.  

I suppose it's time for a SOFTY UPDATE!! Have no fear, she still hates this!  However she has stopped making noise.  She mostly spends the ride sleeping in a little ball.  She has also stopped telling us when she really has to pee.  Unfortunately stopping to let the cat out to wander around the camper to pee, or more often not, has proved to be a real time sucker.  We had another accident yesterday. 

Iowa proved to be hell on wheels.  We had it all, white out blizzard, high winds, rain, stopped traffic, constructions, more construction, and more trucks then anywhere else!! This might also be why Iowa has so many rest stops and truck stops.  In fact the "Iowa 80" truck stop is the WORLDS LARGEST. Or is advertised to be.  Judging from the number of massive truck that wizzed by me, I would have to say they have the customer base to be.  They have so many rest stops that they have two different kinds. They have rest stops, and then they have MODERN rest stops.  The first time we saw a sign for a MODERN rest stop we were delighted.  What could it possibly be!  Internet! Restaurant? Electricity? No friends, the correct answer is nothing.  A MODERN rest stop is nothing more then a parking area, no restrooms, nor picnic tables.  Jack squat!  Apparently MODERN people don't pee or eat.  They just have a burning desire to park.

On our first night we slept next to this truck.  It was very recognizable with a large Statue of Liberty on the side.  The next day we see it several times, and when we went outside early on the third day there he was again.  He recognized us, we are equally as noticeable.  He said hi.  Oh boy! Our first road friend! We have talked about getting a CB radio.  It seemed like a good idea also when the traffic stopped in front of us, all the trucks seemed to know what was going on.  Until then I have decided to fallow the ways of the truckers.  Merger when they merge and such.

We are now in Champagne Illinois enjoying a rest day.  We ate at our favorite absurd sandwich shop, Fat Sandwiches, and I am now taking advantage of internet to update you all.  

   

First Cold Night

Our first day was not eventful. We reached a rest stop outside of Hardin just before sundown. We cooked our first meal inside the camper, sloppy joes. We ate while we watched a movie on my computer. A cold day led into an even colder night, and Heath and I awoke to our breath producing little clouds of steam. We made coffee and hit the road again shortly after seven.

We now cover the cat's travel carrier. Softy seems to make less noise that way. She is starting to figure out that while in the camper for a short break she must use her litter box. After the small accident yesterday she is eager not to soil her cage again.

It is a beautiful day today as we race through South Dakota. We hope to make it to Iowa today, but we want to have time to cook again tonight. Could be another cold night.

We doubled back to stop at the only gas station for miles. We have learned from that not to pass gas with only a 1/4 tank. The station was located on the crow reservation and looked so foreboding we would have kept going if it was not our only choice.

Softy and the Camper

We are full time in the the camper now, which means the cat has also joined us. She is adjusting well in fact. I know you were all curious.

We finished cleaning out our apartment today and it was kind of sad. Not only were we leaving our favorite place so far, but now it was also the cleanest it had ever been. That might be the worst. My fridge looked amazing. I cannot believe we leave so soon. As I lay in bed tonight in my new home I'm comfortable and for a moment calm. Tomorrow is a completely different story. All the last minute loose ends must be tied. But right now I have peace. I hope this feeling is what I have been searching for, what I dreamed of when the idea of a gypsy lifestyle came to mind.

Home Sweet Camper

After a day of finishing touches the camper is really starting to look homey.  The bar top was installed and looks fantastic and so do the cabinets.  Man those little guys took forever to paint. The next step is to give the old girl a good cleaning and move the bed in.  Considering no one bothered to measure the box spring to see if it would fit in, some modifications to the bed may need to be made.  

Shopping Like a Survivalist

When you have a cart containing the items required to stock our camper it kind of looks like to the Walmart cashier that you are crazy survivalists.  Just an FYI in case you wonder why people are beginning to panic around you. 

Well the cold weather has slowed the necessary work on Bell.  We are just not very excited about painting the backs of cabinet doors in this crap, however they must be finished.  Without the painting there cannot be attaching, and without attaching we cannot put our stuff in them! Without the moving of stuff to the camper there is no moving out of our place.  However, my horribly inaccurate Iphone weather app says it's going to get better.  So, I have found other, warmer inside, tasks to accomplish.  Such as the preparing of Softy.  

Softy is my 16 year old, no teeth, cat. She is also an avid hater of car rides in general. This will be her first road trip.

 
She seems to be doing alright with the harness, or she is too checked out to notice... yet.  Next step I will introduce the cage into her everyday surroundings.  These are all measures to keep us sane, and the cat from having a horrible stress related death.  So I am doing my best to take these steps slowly, always knowing that at any point she could kill me in my sleep.

It's Magic!

If you squint your eyes it looks like our little home is floating, however it really only is tireless.  We jacked her up to get new tires.  We had to quickly do the switch out due to extremely high winds.

Welcome!

Welcome one and all the the start of a new way to live!  We have taken our living space, and lifestyle, and shrunk it down.  We added mobility, with a touch of insanity, and "POOF" we have a gypsy adventure complete with a wagon.  

Over the last year Heathcliff and I have be slowly remodeling and upgrading our newest home, Belle, the Belle tow behind.  We wanted something we could call home.  We plan to leave the 1st of May and will be spending the summer in Maine, but I wanted to start by getting people excited. So, welcome again to the Maddhouse Gypsy BLOG.  This will be the forum for photos, updates, and our general shenanigans!  You will be in the front row for all the adventures and set backs. 

I have been slowly posting updated photos of Belle over the last few months on Facebook, but I thought I should put them all in one place for now, and then continue to update as we get closer to the launch date.  

THE REMODEL OF BELLE:

(to present day) 

Like with any great remodel there is always the destruction phase.  We had to remove the breakfast nook, which sat six, and the fold out couch/bed that slept one and a half.  You do the math, it wasn't going to work for the long term.  Also half of the ceiling was missing due to a new roof that was put on, so of course that meant a whole new ceiling.  You try to find matching ceiling tiles for your mid-1970's camper!  I'll tell you what, it's not simple.  

It then seemed like a great time to upgrade the insulation, with there being no ceiling and all.  We decided on this little number.  No more fiberglass, this baby is insect resistance, rated, and with any luck will keep us cooler or warmer! Don't worry friends we have a back up plan, or two.

The number one thing that I think of when I think of bad 1970's campers is the faux wood finish on everything! Thank God we got a heavy duty primer and a lovely gray paint, because this is a huge improvement.  I dare you to scroll back up to the picture above and tell me you liked it better before.  Also we added that slick looking metal ceiling.

We recently were very lucky to have two days with Bill Allison, of Allison Construction.  He put in the bar for us, as well as...

Those snazzy wheel well covers!

He also framed out our normal sized bed.

Here is a panorama of the interior after the construction was complete!

Finally we wanted a touch of something different and added these padded wall tiles. Anna Lee helped me today to finish them... Almost.

Over the next few days there is still interior work to do, but our focuses will be on the exterior.  Lots of gaps to fill with goo to insure a water tight ship, just in case it rains in Maine. Stranger things have happened. 

I hope you all will subscribe to my blog or at least look at it when I let you know new stuff is up.  Keep in touch, you never know when we might be at the same place at the same time!  It would be a crime to not say "hi", or hang out for an afternoon, or let us stay the night parked in your massive easily parked in parking lot/street, or giving us a chance to shower off some of the road "stank". I hope to fill the adventure with lots of friendly faces, new and old.