by JB McCauley
For a the past year, I have been following Tammy Strobel and Logan Smith’s story at Rowdykittens.com, and was envious of the great life they orchestrated. The tiny house inspired my husband and I to begin building our own “Coyote Cabin.”
We live near a nature center and the “escapees” come to our backyard, which is a large clearing surrounded by woods. It’s not unusual to spot deer snacking in the vegetable patch. For several days I kept seeing what looked like a large dog near the garden. I snapped a picture while it was investigating what was in the red wagon. My husband identified it as a coyote.
When we started building our tiny house, we dubbed it the “Coyote Cabin” since it was in the same area of the back garden. Most of the materials are re-used – the trailer from a generous family member, wood that was destined for the dumpster. The design is my husband’s and he is building it without plans. Every inch will be created just for us, including a staircase to the sleeping loft (we’re not getting any younger) instead of a ladder.
I was still working at our local school district as an administrative assistant. Although I loved my boss and co-workers, I needed a change from sitting at the computer in an underground building for most of the day. My inspiration to resign came from two quotes by Danielle LaPorte at daniellelaporte.com:
“Obligate yourself to your dreams.”
“Fear hardens us. We over-protect ourselves and we get further from who we really are.”
I was afraid. ‘What If?’ kept playing in my mind. It was time to let go of the fear and begin making our tiny house dream a reality. I turned in my resignation the next morning and only have 7 more working days left. My husband is still employed so we will have income. As we begin downsizing from 900 square feet to an area 16 feet long and 8 feet wide, I plan on donating most of our belongings.
It’s an exciting journey and I know this will be a positive change!
