Celebrating simplicity day

Greetings,

Today is a big day for us.  We've officially launched our new brand The Whiskey Porch, which appropriately coincides with National Simplicity Day.  No accident, really.  I wanted to set a goal to work towards and force me not to work it to death, in an attempt to achieve perfection, before hitting the 'launch' button.

That's one thing I've come to learn in life --  perfection will never be achieved, and done is better than perfect.  And, so, here we are!  Happy to be with you and striving full speed ahead to create and share all kinds of ideas and inspiration.

To get us started, I wanted to write just a little bit about two things:  What is The Whiskey Porch all about?  And, why launch on National Simplicity Day?  
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so what is 'the whiskey porch'?

The Whiskey Porch is all about celebrating  Nordic bungalow lifestyle & design - cultivating contentment & possibility in a smaller & simpler lifestyle.  ​

​We offer resources, local goodness, inspiration, and services to help you along your journey to finding the 

#contentmentandpossibility

perfect balance  -- whether it be in a craftsman bungalow, a tiny historic cottage, or somewhere yet to be discovered.

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What is a 'Nordic bungalow'

I'm sure you might be wondering:  what is a Nordic bungalow anyhow?

I can imagine what might come to mind first, for many of you:  spare, minimalist, austere, or modern.  And I'm actually not going to say that those concepts are wrong, but they are surely not my design aesthetic. 

I am most definitely NOT a minimalist, or particularly modern.  My style and personality are evidently not spare in any way (just ask my family!)  My homes have never been bare or austere - in fact, visitors and friends have always said how warm and comfortable they felt.  

I am actually Swedish, and grew up there as a native speaker.  I truly love and appreciate most of the architecture and Scandinavian design - both ancient and modern.   And that must be part of what informs my approach.

picking wild blueberries in the backyard of the lake cottage in Sweden

​But truly the definition of a "Nordic bungalow" to me is more of an idea and lifestyle than any particular architecture or design.  And it should be imagined and formed in the eye of the owner with those ideas in mind.  

I am not even sure that anyone else out there is using the term "Nordic bungalow" - yet.  So, we will create a vision of what that is as we go along here at The Whiskey Porch.  

I will be sharing lots of ideas and details about my particular flavor of Nordic bungalow here in Prescott, Arizona.  Ours is a tiny 1924 craftsman bungalow that happens to be on the National Register of Historic Places.  You will find the whole story about Juniper Hill Cottage in a separate blog.  I will also be blogging about the Nordic concepts and ideas that are central to this lifestyle & design.
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contentment and possibility

​Contentment & possibility is equally hard to define.
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I'm passionate about small, historic bungalows and the artful design and lifestyle that is imbued in that concept - but crafting it in a modern way with a Nordic aesthetic and ethos.   

I believe an inspired life goal should be to find contentment in the simple pleasure of existence and not in seeking wealth or accumulation of 'more'. 

I realize that's not very American.  The American dream is, or has been, to strive for the highest pinnacle in a career of your choosing so that you can afford an impressive and large new home with plenty of garage and closet space for all your .... stuff.  Or at least, that's the version that's most familiar to me and most of my friends and co-workers.

I spent much of my life dutifully following that path.  And it never really worked, although I was quite "successful".  It just didn't fill me with peace and contentment.  Even though I had everything I needed and really wanted, and so did my children.

Here's what I finally came to embrace: 

Dragonfly by James Wainscoat.

​Contentment comes from having just enough to be comfortable and work less, throughout your lifetime.  It's the sheer enjoyment in the simple and beautiful things that surround us if we just slow down to observe them with all of our senses.  And having time to take the dog for long, leisurely walks.  Or savoring a locally crafted whiskey whilst watching the sunset from your cozy front porch. 
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Possibility is what comes out of free time and space - not having every second of your day crammed with must-do's and should-have-done's.  Just feeling completely at ease to stop, and observe, and appreciate where you are in the moment.  Possibility is what happens when you don't have to push yourself to the limits to afford something new or better, or even just to maintain the home and lifestyle that you've created.  It's what you thought you wanted because that's what everyone else is doing who is successful... but, it's not what you need. ​

Dragonfly by Ritchie Valens.

If you are breathless and at your limits every day, then it might be worthwhile to reconsider your priorities.

So -- here it is:  Our mission is to share this lifestyle and design concept to foster contentment in a smaller, simpler lifestyle.  

(By the way, if you are wondering what's up with all the Dragonfly images, stay tuned... I'll be explaining that in a separate blog post.  Consider our RSS feed to stay connected.)

launching on national simplicity day

​It's an interesting thing - I didn't even really know there was such a "holiday" until last year.   But it was clear to me that this was THE perfect day to launch this new brand into the e-verse.

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​Turns out that July 12th is the birthday of Henry David Thoreau who lived in the 19th century, and became a world famous American author, environmentalist, poet, and historian, among other things.   

​He was also a surveyor, which I mention just because my husband is too.
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Henry David Thoreau

So, today he would have been 202 years old.  But his ideas and words are still meaningful and thought provoking.

He wanted us to seek a simpler life, and consider how to truly live in the moment.  Pay less attention to the insignificant things that distract us.  And truly, much of what we collect and amass during our lifetimes is temporary and a distraction.   Seek peace and true quiet - when you can.
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​"As you simplify your life the laws of the universe will be simpler, solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness."

Just to be clear, I am in no way advocating that we should all go live in the woods, alone.  But still his principles and life are inspiring.
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If you are curious and want to learn more about this man or his book "Walden", here's a link.
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how to Follow this blog

​A great way to see everything that's new as it gets published here, is to setup an "RSS" feed. 

​That's short for Really Simple Syndication - a great way to have content you care about delivered to you rather than having to go looking for it.  Here's some more background on how it works.  

To set it up, just click the little orange button to the right here, or in our side-bar and you'll be on your way.
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RSS Feed

thanks for reading

​I hope you found this first blog post worthwhile.  Let us know what you think!  You can post a comment below, or send us a note via email @ [email protected].

We are excited to get going with our content and inspiration, and look forward to spending more time with you on the porch.
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Cheers & Contentment,
~Miriam