Quote:
Originally Posted by KeriMoonbeam
Janice142, thank you for the marvelous post! Are you permitted to list your website? You didn't come close to tiring my eyes out with pictures! Quite the contrary!
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Thank you Keri. I do have a lot of photos and my website is
Janice aboard Seaweed, trawler cruising on a nickel budget...
Please visit.
You said:
My little fur buddy is Nando (pronounced NON doe, short for Fernando). He's a 26 pound wire haired fox terrier, 5 years old, and doesn't like to swim. I'd post a picture but can't figure out how. I love the swim platform/puppy potty idea! My little guy loves to run! And he's very prey driven, so I've wondered what all this would be like for him. Could he run after sea gulls or run around the deck barking if someone goes by with a dog without flying off the boat? Do you just have to let him learn and be there to guide or rescue...
Skipper was driven by a love of
dinghy rides. The problem I had is that every time she got into the
dinghy she would christen it. Not fun! Finally it occurred to me to put her on the swim platform and let Algae (my dinghy) drift too far away for her to jump. As soon as she performed, LOADS OF PRAISE followed by a ride in the dink.
I wrote an article about it here:
Janice142 article Pet Poop Primer (it's not horrid!)
You said:
Your decor is awesome! I love the brass and all the nautical things and themes. I keep hearing folks talk about doing all these things to their boats - like you hanging curtain rods and that gorgeous lantern - but most of my experience has been on fiberglass open motorboats, so I can't quite wrap my feeble little brain around installing such things. Maybe I should give storage a tad more thought before I start wholesale disposing of my most cherished posessions.
This is one of those "it depends" items. I've drilled through and found outside (oops!) but a simple
repair makes the mistake invisible. It's a
boat, not a perfect Bristol Yacht.
For me, comfortable is of higher importance than "beauty"
The thing is, the are
family treasures that I can continue to enjoy. Now the koi were bought by a friend (Marsha) years ago at a thrift store. She spotted them first, then passed them along to me. So the koi aren't just
fish, they are a memory of a friend.
Marsha lived aboard a 30' Freedom sailboat. She was a special gal who came into
boating after fifty. She bought a boat knowing exactly zero except she liked it. Eventually she met another sailor and they married, bought a bigger boat and lived together until a stroke took her. All too soon I might add!
Don't wait too long Keri. For proof positive of that please read this article:
janice142 article Time Stopped
That article received 71,000 hits on the day after I posted it.
Please don't be Bob!
You said:
I love stained glass and love your turtle. I've got a couple salvaged stained glass windows and a bit of an art collection and those are the most difficult to imagine parting with.
If they aren't tooooo big, or you bought a
power boat... well, I'd make room for them. I might want one as the dinette table, covered with a piece of glass (stand off's might be small slices of cork so they won't bang together)
I saw an etched glass white egret as the back window of a boat once. And IF money were no object I'd have a stained glass window aft in my
galley with a nautical scene. That small window is 10" x 28" tall. I think a great blue heron would be lovely there...
Your stained glass MIGHT fit if you use some creativity about the placement. Just because it was a window does not mean it permanently must always serve that purpose. Put on your thinking cap gal.
My criteria of stuff is if I love it, I find room or a use for it.
Now just a couple days ago I went though my clothes locker and threw away two bags of stuff I have not worn of late. I don't need them so out they go. I had a couple dresses I haven't worn in over a year. They are gone.
Side Note: Just because I live on a boat doesn't mean "jeans and shorts" -- I wear skirts for the most part. I did keep my LBD (little black dress) and one other that is sort of fancy. Of course I'm going to wear them with boat shoes!
You said:
So, your "locker" for your sewing machine is on your boat???? I love doing various crafts. I'm working on a quilt now. I'd likely let my sewing machine go in favor of some other craft stuff for items I'm hoping to start selling on Etsy soon.
Dinette bench seats have storage. The one aft is dedicated to my craft stuff. The sewing machine is there, my silk flosses, thread crochet, cross stitch and crazy quilting pattern
books plus A LOT of
oil paints. I've been painting since I was ten (or younger -- I'll admit to fifty years) so they are an important part of my life.
Now rather than large canvases I
paint seashells. Here's one of mine:
Frankly as to quilting I prefer to hand piece and hand quilt. I'm not very good with the sewing machine. And currently mine needs to be tensioned again. The first person that shows up with $200 can have the Featherweight. Honestly I'm getting tired of giving up that space for something I have not used in at least two years. It's got to go.
As for Etsy, a friend of mine in
Key West has an Etsy shop that is doing okay for her. It's
income and she makes the crochet items in her leisure time. Tina is very talented.
You said:
Thank you so very much! You have given much to think about and saved me from prematurely getting rid of my most cherished belongings. I can part with it all, but I don't want to end somewhere going "Well, darn! I shouldn't have gotten rid of that!" LOL!
Most things can be replaced with patience by
shopping eBay. The items that touch your heart though, well, there is no
rule that says you cannot have them aboard. Breakables, buy Quake Hold on Amazon. It works.
Those treasured items might just fit aboard your boat.
Psychologically, having your comfort items available is bound to make the whole experience happier. Figure out a way to make that happen if at all possible.
Good luck and all the best to you Keri.
J.