Make Your Own!

Results of another round of research. Before yesterday, I had not made any kind of soap or solid shampoo bars. But, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I have a batch of shampoo bars curing in my craft closet. And my house smells like rosemary olive oil and lavender. Yum!

Everybody Says...

There are an awful lot of Everybody voices when it comes to starting a new business. Everybody tells you to not work with your spouse, or your family. They want to talk about your business plan and see a binder full of information before you even THINK about actually DOING something. Everybody knows that you need to work out all of the background details before deciding where to settle. But this weekend, we took another step on what may be the next business not only for HTH & I but V & B. And with the way things are going so far, I can definitely say that all of those Everybodys/Theys are not us, so they can just (to quote the lovely AW) shut it!

Mr B, of V & B fame, was in town this weekend. On a whim, we took a wander down Main Street to size up the commercial real estate market for places that could be our next business: a multi-purpose space for a coffee/wine bar with stage for local bands to play, shelves for V & I to sell our stuff and an area to teach classes. We'd done some preliminary research so that we had some rough numbers in our heads for startup - licenses, equipment, etc. Today was just supposed to be another data point - namely rental rates in the area - to add to the list.

BUT - we may have found THE place. And that means that our time line and extremely tentative plans may just change. V& I are going to be very busy for the next week or two figuring out whether or not we can make this work!

If this works, believe me, THEY are going to be very unimpressed with our business process because we will have done everything in the "wrong" order. But, then again, those unimpressed Everybodys would never have been interested in building a Haven in the first place.

Havenology: Keep the end game in mind

In my mind, the principles of havenology have been developed over many years. One of the trickiest things about setting up a haven is deciding where you want it to go. That principle is one I learned from HTH. The key is to always keep the end game in mind. This applies in a wide range of situations – from relationships and career choices to making dinner – but it seems well suited to Havenology.

For the purposes of Havenology, keeping the end game in minds means that you need to know what your haven will be: what purposes will it serve, who will want to spend time there and why, what needs will it supply and how. Answering these questsions can create a framework for defining your haven.

For example, do you want to be able to gather a fair amount of your food from your haven? Then you'll need some space to farm and possibly raise chickens.

Do you want your haven to cover the basic medicinal requirements of your family? Then start growing plants that match your family's medical conditions.

Do you want to be independent of municipal power? Research wind and solar options for your neighborhood.

Do you just want a place that is warm, inviting and friendly? Implement interior design and “homemaking” principles that work for you.

Someone, somewhere wants each of these things in their havens (though I'm glad I don't live next to the chickens anymore!) and they can pursue them. The trick is to know what you want your haven to be in the end. Once you've established that, getting from here to there is usually not that difficult.

Havens have good bread

I'm still stumbling to a good definition of "haven" for 2009. As most of you know by now, once I work my way through it, the definition will be irrelevant. But working definitions are a good place to start. This last week has defined a few parameters that are clearly pieces of the haven puzzle - but I doubt that any off them are edge pieces. But, here is the current state of the havenosophy.

Havens have good bread. Don't ask me why. I don't know. But the association between havenage and good bread cannot be ignored. In the last two weeks, I made cinnamon/ginger bears, apple spice bread and dill bread. And I modified all of the recipes this time because "good" bread is a matter of personal preference.

Havens can pull off Christmas Eve dinner for 14 - no 18 - no 13 - OK 16 (final answer!) at 4 p.m. even though the main breaker for the house broke at 10:45 the night before. Did I mention that a community of skilled and knowledgeable members is essential to havens?

Havens are made to engage and entertain guests while still maintaining private spaces. Yes, B is the house whisperer and, based on his advice, we'll be rearranging the house over the next several months. It should be interesting.

So it was probably a good thing that I started thinking about my 2009 word of the year last week. Because I would've missed a lot of good haven points this week if I hadn't. I hope that your holidays were as good for you as mine were for me!

The word of the year is Haven

The official dictionary definition:
Haven \Ha"ven\, n.
1. A bay, recess, or inlet of the sea, or the mouth of a
river, which affords anchorage and shelter for shipping; a
harbor; a port.
2. A place of safety; a shelter; an asylum.

The thing about a haven is that is both a place of safety and a place where travelers come to trade their goods and information.
I had to do Lighten Up first, of course, to make space in my brain - and my house! - for me to be able to think about/see/feel what should be next. But this is something that I've been leaning towards for years. It seems like the right time to focus on havening or havenage or haveniciousness or havenosity or something like that!


Although it may change throughout the year, I have already set up a working personal definition of haven as well.

Haven (n)
Homebase for me and mine

It is a nice thought for 2009....