I LIKE HOBBIT SIZE HOUSES

Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Their housing is funky and habitable, yet small.


I like small funky houses.Why? Because if you find the right one you can transition it into a warm cozy cottage. Unfortunately, the house in the photo above is not for sale right now. But it would be an ideal candidate to turn into a hobbit  place that I could move into.


I think the angular jutting out of gables and shed roofs adds a playful feeling to the place. It is probably only one room on the first floor with a small add-on mud room and kitchen. The upstairs is probably one big bedroom. I would guess the entire house has about 500 to 600 square feet plus or minus. The porch although sagging a bit could easily be repaired.


What would I do if I could live in this house? First I would paint the exterior all over with a dark leather brown paint and replace the front door with an old door painted a dark eggplant. I would put some shutters on a few of the windows, probably a dark pumpkin color?  I would plant a wild patch of various sunflowers and tall golden cosmos around the house -- hundreds of them and just have a dirt path winding through them to the front door. I would put two old metal chairs on the porch (painted a dark eggplant) and invite a good friend over for coffee or tea. I would swing a circle of natural wood fencing around the whole place.


I would have my grandchildren call my lttle place -- the hobbit house


Do you ever fantasize about what kind of house you would like to live in?


I just did about this house. Being retired, I would like somewhere to live that is easy to care for and sweet to enjoy. I do like the house I live in now but it requires a lot of work to keep it in shape. Too much for this little lady. 


Maybe in the future I will find a place like the one in the photo and trade out this house for a cozy hobbit sized house. It might not be in Middle-earth but it would hug Mother Earth.

MARIA'S FRONT YARD GARDEN -- Sunday Simplicities

Maria in her front yard garden

"I never planted anything in my life until eight years ago. Then when I moved here my thoughts just turned to plants. The results you see around me are how I envisioned my garden. It has taken a few years to get to this arrangement."

These words were expressed to me recently when I stopped to snap a few photos of Maria's front yard. I asked permission to take a few photos and as a result met a fine woman with a good heart.

Her garden is a joyous spectacle. It is a folk garden. She has turned her front yard into a creative, contextual, unrestrained, exuberant, garden -- all defining words of folk art. Her collection of memories, stones, whimseys, plants, colors, and water are all organized in the garden much to her inner delight.

Front porch area of Maria's mid 20th century home

She plants mostly shade perennials as there is a large grandfather tree that hangs over part of the garden. She loves all colors and changes colors as the whim hits her. She will repaint all the garden items another color whenever she gets in the mood. Right now red predominates on chairs, birdhouses. and some planters.

Red and white begonias in her grandmother's pot

She has put together family memories through the use of her grandmother's iron pots.

Maria's front yard pond surrounded by her collection of stones

Water was an important element to her garden. She with the labor of her daughter created a pond -- she surrounded the pond with her collection of stones. Maria loves stones and collects them locally from creek beds. But she has collected stones from as far away as Washington state. She mailed a beautiful boulder home from the west that cost her fifty dollars in freight charges.

Red blooming hibiscus

A young hibiscus puts on a lovely show near the street-edge of the garden.

Social area near pond

A small sitting area is located near the pond. A reflection of the inviting context of the whole garden.

Teapot and pig whimsy near pond

Maria told me that she has many of the plants because folks have given her starts and also she has rescused some plants from fields and old homesteads. Also, that some of the old statuary was given to her by neighbors. She said this season she only spent seven dollars on plants.

Old fashioned garden statuary with bear cubs.

Collections of old statuary items contribute to the definition of her folk garden.

Neighbor's complimentary folksy planted bathtub complete with garden ducks and lots of red and pink petunias.

Across the street from Maria's home is a friendly neighbor that compliments her front yard garden by putting on a folksy show using a bath tub as a planter.

Maria has created a "dancing" front yard garden that reaches out to friends and neighbors. All in the small town of Berea, Kentucky.