Well, old friend. There comes a time in every tent's life when it's time to lower the poles and say goodbye. We had a good run, you and I. You sheltered me from the winter down pours albeit with some flooding, and were my magical ice temple on the coldest of nights. Still, I never had a night where I woke up shivering, and I never felt disdain when I looked upon your polyester walls, and dirt flecked floor. You were my home...that is until I demolished you with my boss's Dodge 3500. That's all in the past now...
BECAUSE BITCHES GOT HERSELF A TIPI!
I can't even. I CAN'T EVEN! How did this happen? How did I come to live in a bomb-ass, freaking tipi!? Well, with the help of some friends, of course. For those who have cheered me on and kept asking me about how the tipi project was going, and for holding me to a deadline, thank you times infinity! And to those who came out and offered their time and labor, thank you times infinity-and-one!
I'm so excited I don't even know where to begin. There's plenty of pictures of the process, so I guess this entry will just be a little photo album of the tipi's rising. So, without further ado; AHEM
To make a tipi become a tipi, first you have to gather the appropriate materials-
Oooh, aaah, yes, materials! Then you gather the components of the tipi itself-
Aaah, oooh, components! Then you get yourself three of your biggest tipi poles, and you tie them together, like so:
After that, you're going to want to pull these three poles up to make a tripod to hold the rest of your poles. NOTE: If you hire your dog to be the foreman of a construction job, just know that they will do a bad job. Because they are a dog.
"No, we need to pull it the other way, mom!"
Now that you've wrestled the rope from your mangy mongrel's clutches, you can stand up the poles, pull out one of its legs, and set your tripod.
After our lunch break, we laid in all but one of the poles.
My legs are not that asymmetrically sized in real life. I just wanted to point that out.
If you know what to look for, you can see the order in which the poles were properly placed, creating a beautiful crown of spires.
The last pole was saved so we could wrap the tipi cover around it and lift it up into place. While we were prepping for the lift, Boo and a resident pup here on the farm decided the canvas cover would be the perfect place for a dog-on-dog battle royale. Luckily, they kept the gorier parts of their fighting off my nice, clean canvas.
Once we had all recovered from the trauma of watching the dogs practically kill each other, we wrapped up the canvas, lifted it into place, and began to unfurl it's wings so as to envelope the skeleton of sticks.
We had to sort out the smoke flaps as they were caught underneath the cover, but once that was fixed, it was time to lace up the front.
It looks like my knee photobombed me.
Then there was more dog violence!
The tipi has a most beautiful, amber glow in the sunlight. Perfect for taking more dog pictures.
"Can I take your picture?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because, damnit!"
And that's how he got this picture.
Tipi troll says, "No!"
Sunday was go-back-and-redo-some-steps day (we're all a bunch of rookies, after all), but we managed to get it all sorted out, and I've stared to move in. I have so much space, now! And don't worry, I'll be getting rid of my large mattress for a small one so I can build my fire pit in the coming weeks. I hope to also make some low-sitting couches for visitors.
In regards to my last post, I'm still working through my angst, but it's hard to loose sight of how lucky I feel. Just think, the first home I ever bought was something that allows me to live in an integral way to my beliefs. This space is symbolic to me in so many ways, and I can't wait to see how we grow together.
I also can't wait to see how this tiny little speck in the world can help bring people together. Following the fire pit and seating, I'll be able to host Tipi Nights where people can come and join me for tea and get a peek at another way of living, and share other views on other forms of alternative lifestyles. The "erection" (thanks for the humor, Sara) is over, but my evolution continues.
Happy tipi living!
"Believe in Peace."