Natural Collections

I recently started my own collection of striped rocks. And I've been inspired by so many other forms of natural collections...

My own collection of rocks.

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Camper of the Week

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Cabin of the Week

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Tiny Greenhouses

I have long been a fan of the tiny trend- tiny houses, tiny cabins, tiny cars. Since we aren't in the market to build our own tiny cabin quite yet, I've decided to spend this cold wintery day dreaming up plans for a tiny greenhouse.

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The key to a tiny greenhouse is salvaged materials. Many creative builders across the web have demonstrated what a few discarded windows can give you. Whenever I see windows at yard sales I scoop them up because even if you aren't going to build a tiny greenhouse, you could certainly use the windows for a simple removable cold frame.

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Thoughtful placement is also a very important aspect to the tiny greenhouse. Maximize your passive heating and energy by locating the windows to the south, where the most direct sunlight will help warm up the greenhouse.

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The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax

Do Eskimos really have the largest snow vocabularies? For years, linguists have theorized that Eskimos in fact have accumulated the largest vocabularies in regards to snow, also known as the Sapir-Wharf hypothesis. The main idea being, that the more you know something, the more you experience it and the more you think, see, and touch something the greater your variety of language around it. Since Eskimos have vast experiences with snow, the idea that they may have the most varied and complex ways to describe it sounds logical.

Over the years "The Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax" has countered this hypothesis, stating that Eskimos in fact do not have the largest snow vocabularies. Linguists behind the Hoax theory point out that several Eskimo languages (Inuit, Yupik) vary their root words by adding any number of prefixes to them. By changing their root words in this way, Eskimos have dozens upon dozens of ways to really describe anything, not just snow.

So it seems that Eskimo languages are really more flexible in the way that they create vocabulary by adding prefixes, not that they have the largest snow vocabularies. Although the idea behind the Sapir- Wharf hypothesis still resonates with me. Based on the winter we have had here in New England my snow vocabulary is certainly growing (up to 12 different words!). Care to add to the list? Let me know what I am missing...

snow. powder. dusting. fluff. hardpack. slush. sleet. snowflake. flurry. avalanche. hail. frost.

Maddie the Coonhound

Misty's idol is Maddie the Coonhound. She admires her amazing balance, modeling skills, and knack for hamming it up in front of the camera.

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Now Maddie the Coonhound has come out with a book Maddie On Things, which Misty of course, can't wait to get her paws on. And Maddie is going on a book tour! Hopefully near us!



Maddie Book Tour! from This Wild Idea on Vimeo.

Cabin of the Week

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A cabin with one side open to the view. Add that to my list.

How to Walk

Walking: A Masterclass from Ace Greenhorn on Vimeo.

A Masterclass in Walking. This is the video I've been waiting all my life for ;) ;) Seriously hilarious video on how to walk. I highly recommend checking out more in his "masterclass" (think how to throw; how to eat; how to recognize basic shapes)

Throwing: A Masterclass from Ace Greenhorn on Vimeo.

More Hiking Videos

The above video was from hiking North and South Twin this past summer. Read more about it here.




This video was from hiking Mount Jefferson this summer. Read more here.

My Dream Cabin

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My dream cabin will be the perfect combination of a cabin and a house- preferably with a view.

Several acres of land. With chickens. And Gardens. Solar Energy. Honeybees. Maple trees for sugaring. A loft. Sliding barn doors. Rope swing. A pig. Squash patch. Wrap around porch. Fireplace. Stonewall. Picnic Table. Garden full of Hens and Chickens. Tree house. Tiny house nearby for company. Wood stove. One of these:

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Nearby Trails. A barn. Nut bearing trees. Wild asparagus. Room for too many bikes. Space for a camper. Lots of sunlight. Nearby stream. Smokehouse. Greenhouse. Cold hoops. Firepit. One of these:

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Screened in porch. Solar powered mason jars. Passive heating. Self sustaining. Compost. Wind energy. Outdoor kitchen. Bathtub under the trees. One of these:

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What does your dream cabin have?

Keeping it Real

It's always this time of the year that I start to feel ready for winter to end. It's been fun, but I've had my fill. Sure I love snowshoeing and hiking in the winter, but really driving to work in a decent amount of time sounds like it would be a lot better...

To help perk up my mood and remind me that, yes, there are bits of earth and leaves and things under all that snow, I dug up these videos from this fall. Both are from Mount Eisenhower.

Also, on a side note- thank you to everyone that comments, emails, and gets in touch with me- I truly appreciate every single note and every single follower of this blog. I've spent a lot of time digging through my posts from this past year and if there is one word to capture it all I would say-- fun. It has been freakin' fun and I can't wait to keep the adventure going this year!

Making Trail Signs: Behind the Scenes at the AMC