Here's the first Imagination Challenge, as explained here: http://community.stretcher.com/forums/p/1342/13007.aspx#13007

The rules:

Assume that you're alone and that you're in reasonably good health so that you can walk long distances, carry things or do whatever other physical demands your imagination can create. 

Strive for balance - i.e., good nutrition, reasonable working hours and conditions, etc.  

Let your imagination wander into areas you wouldn't normally go, but make your plan believable - no little green men bringing you electronic zappers and no genies in or out of a bottle, please.

Make it unique to your situation. Do you have a grandfather who always slips you a ten dollar bill? A dog that can sniff out water? Use them, just don't abuse the leeway.

Here we go...

HOME SWEET HOME 

Here's what you have to live in:

It's something like an unattached garage. Concrete walls and floor, windows on two sides, a windowed door on another. With a little more class, an "attic" could be called a "loft," because it's really a floor that reaches halfway across the room, with about a 6 foot headspace in the center. Roof rafters and boards are the ceiling. There is no insulation.

You have two hand tools of your choice, (tell us what you choose) a two foot pile of old newspapers and a 5 X 8 rug. You also have a cast iron frying pan (no stove) and a bucket.

In your pocket, you carry a book of matches and a small ball of string.

Outside, there is a small, private yard all your own. There are a couple of hanging solar lights, a clothesline and a faucet for water. You'll have the use of a neighboring facility for personal hygiene.

You work an 8 hour shift 5 days a week at a job that's not physically demanding. You're barely making enough money for food and transportation, but if you're careful, you can pinch out about two dollars a week for other needs.  

Your mission: Get comfortable. Make this concrete block a home. Think of what you will need to get through an entire day and night here. You could be here for a very long time, so make it as permanent as you can.

Use any other resources you have realistically available to you right now.

OOH OOH OOH (Horshack-style)!  I love this type of challenge!

Assuming I would be single and would be the only person living here...

I would use all but a few of the newspapers to line the ceiling of the loft for insulation.  I would scrounge used, discarded newspapers every day to add to my insulation,  using my hammer (tool #1) and scrounged nails (hello, city dump) to attach them. 

Tool #2:  a philips head screwdriver

The rug would be placed in the loft and used as a bed. 

Most of my waking home time would be spent in the private yard, weather cooperating.  The bucket and water are for laundry, washing dishes.  I can scrounge boxes, more newspapers, and glass and foil or mirror to make a solar oven. 

I can put out the word for any materials I need to make my house a home; people are always throwing out perfectly good stuff.

Now, if I take the last line of Pat's message seriously and I can use anything that is currently available to me, I would just move all of the furniture from my existing house into this smaller house and plop my fat happy tail down into a fully furnished home.

And if I am working 40 hours per week and can only afford food and gasoline, then I am immediately going to look for another job that pays more than $2.00 per hour. 

ahaney:

Now, if I take the last line of Pat's message seriously and I can use anything that is currently available to me, I would just move all of the furniture from my existing house into this smaller house and plop my fat happy tail down into a fully furnished home.

LOL! By using what's available, I didn't mean things you already own, just resources that wouldn't invalidate the purpose of the exercise.  

What would you use for heat in cold weather?  

:)  Well, I guess I need to go downstairs and contemplate this challenge over a big sinkful  of pots and pans.  That's when I get my best ideas! LOL

What time of the year is it in this challenge?

I'm thinking that I need some kind of oil drum heater, I'm from MN, we take heat seriously- could I get a oil drum for free?  I would need tools for this project- tin snips?  Something to attach it? I keep thinking I would need a pillow, like the one I got one clearance at Walgreens for $5, 75% off- but that would be 2 1/2 weeks pay- decisions, decisions! 

I guess I'd be looking for part time work.  I think of all the things I want, yarn and a crochet hook- is that a tool?  to make a blanket.  I would start collecting paper bags to make a paper bags floor with torn paper bags and polyethelene- it looks a little like a leather floor, and would make it look warmer.

 I would use the string and make a few macrame hangers and get some cutting in glass jars recycled from my food budget going to add some green and look homey.  Also would look for boards and bricks for a bookcase.

Tracy 

As there is no internal means of heating or cooking, I would build a small camp fire in my private yard. After cooking my gathered wilderness goodies, I would rinse my skillet. I would then enjoy my fire until the coals had gone low.  I would then "season" my cast-iron skillet.  When it was done, I would let it cool, just a tad and then wrap it in a few layers of newspaper (cool enough not to catch the paper on fire but warm enough to keep a body warm).  Then I would take my foot warmer up to the loft and roll myself (with it near my tootsies) into the rug.  Instant heat.

Also, could heat bricks for warmth, as well.

Newspaper is a handy item....TP, Insulation, blanket if necessary. 

I think a knife and a hammer would be my tool choices.

I'll have to think a bit more on other means of survival and continue in another post.

Lorrie

 PS...assuming that my bucket is metal, I could save the hot coals to start a new fire in the morning, thus conserving my matches.  If I could salvage a few bricks, I can put the bucket on them in the house to help heat the interior--with no insulation their should be plenty of free flowing air to prevent carbon monixide poisoning.

Polka Dot:

What time of the year is it in this challenge?

Sorry, I forgot that part. Let's make it about this time of year, late summer.  Remember that you're going to be there for quite some time.

Good...then I have time to forage for weaving materials to help insulate the roof... thatching?  Could also use wild grasses to weave a couple of  window coverings.  Would leave the sunniest window uncovered to help heat and close both off at night as well as the glass in the door.  Funnily enough,  my sis and I build a "club" when we were 7 using weeds that we wove together for walls.  Thick bamboo type for the structure and grasses for the weaving.  We only built a couple of walls as we used an existing bramble patch for our club, but it was cool!

More later,

Lorrie

This one is going to take some real thinking.  I am pretty sure about the tools I would choose. When I get it all worked ou in my head I will post it. How long do we have?

kabin:

How long do we have?

Until the weather turns cold.  Seriously, there's no time limit on these. You might even want to try twice, or make changes later.