The Walden Dream: Part 1

this dream goes back to my childhood... when I would go up 'The Back' to an old 19th century hunting cabin that had fallen into disrepair... actually all that was wrong with it was that it's cedar shingle roof leaked, the window and door needed replacing, and the logs re-chinking, oh and the floor torn up and replaced... other than that it was in great shape... ;0


ok, more than one kid with 25c a week allowance could handle... but it was a dream that held on through the years... just one of many actually... the aim here, is to bring it into the 21st Century, out of the early 19th century...


for those of you not familiar with Walden, it was the name given by the American philosopher Thoreau, to a book he wrote, about a cabin he built on Walden Pond... he spent 2 years there, surveying the pond, growing beans, writing, and interacting with his environment... the time frame, Early to Mid 19th Century


Walden Pond
"I have spent many an hour, when I was younger, floating over its surface as the zephyr willed, having paddled my boat to the middle, and lying on my back across the seats. In a summer forenoon, dreaming awake, until I was aroused by the boat touching the sand, and I arose to see what shore my fates had impelled me to; days when idleness was the most attractive and productive industry. Many a forenoon have I stolen away, preferring to spend thus the most valued part of the day; for I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days, and spent them lavishly;" from the book, Walden, by Henry David Thoreau

he was free to do as he pleased, without neglecting the necessities of survival and the expansion of his mind... and that is the aim... I do not want to build a house that requires a lot of maintenance... ie like a computer... but something that will be "fit for purpose" and "be low maintenance", while dealing with the necessities of survival and having time left over to enjoy those sunny days...

I don't intend on building a shack or shed... this will be a house/cabin, fit for living in, in this climate (Central Canadian Woodlands) and yet 'green' or environmentally friendly to the point that best suits me... there will have to be electricity, and plumbing, but with a mind to the goals set out above... so hang on... and we'll see what the end product is... for even now, I am only faintly seeing the destination....

Schnee Wolfe, September 28th, 2007

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well, a lot has happened in the 10 months since I penned those words... 3 steps forward, 2 back is perhaps best describing the events, without going into detail...

will I get the dream: simple answer is, I don't know

will I keep dreaming: you can bet your pay cheque ;)

so what is happening with this blog, I am going to use it to collect information... specifically to harness it to be a resource for myself, of ways and means to achieve the end... if I make it one day, GREAT!!, if not then I have prepared the ground for others...

Thursday, July 10, 2008