Yurt-net

     Magically, I manage to do more with internet at the yurt than without! The tiny peeks out into the world beyond are often exactly what I need to motivate my day. In late August, I was beginning to despair our autumn intentions would ever be finished, but now, at the end of September, I can look with hope and satisfaction at what we’ve done so far. I think we’ll make it!

 

I did want to mention exactly what it is we are using as an internet connection, because looking for rural options can be difficult. We decided not to do a satellite, the set up would have be a lot of work - taking down trees and getting the dish set - and aesthetically, I think I would have resented the dish quickly. So we decided to get our internet through US Cellular, because we already know we get a good signal for our phone and everything is all in one company (remember, I’m trying to make life at least somewhat simple). So far it’s been fantastic. We have no complaints! And I’m getting more done, it’s the best of both worlds!

Wasting time..

I am obviously not cut out to be a daily blogger. Even with an internet connection at home. It’s not laziness, thought, really.

I’ve been doing a lot: baking (sweet potato pie today!), I really feel like I'm getting the hang of the oven,

Extending the pig’s pen (that’s right. I built that extension. With only Yarrow and Luba to help, and all Luba did was to rile up the pigs and trip Yarrow.

Stacking firewood with Petka helping out. That girl's going to be running her own homestead in another year. She's sweeping floors, putting away clothes, 'feeding' the stove, and hauling wood..she doesn't do any of it particularly well, but she does it all!

Hanging herbs,painting, running, and whatnot - my days go by quickly!

My life's lists..

Things I Absolutely Need to Finish this Fall

 

1. The greywater system required by the town. My least favorite project, and the one the most needs attention.

2. Papering the Outhouse. It’s been a long process, but I’ve finally hit my last wall. I can’t wait to finish and start painting!

3. Clearing along the road and filling in ditches. The plow-guy last winter gave up plowing all the way in after a while, and I’m expecting this winter to be worse than last, I’d like to make it possible to drive in most of the season.

4. Get internet at the yurt. Yes, it is possible! There are portable connectors, that run on battery. I could have semi-consistent internet access! I could be a daily blogger. Amazing!

 

 5. Move outhouse to the new "town approved location"..

 

6. Send the pigs to the butcher..and get back too much meat for anyone to eat! 

 

I know I have to do them, but really, the only one I'm looking forward to is "get internet at the yurt"..ok, that's not true, I'm looking forward to them all, except #1.

 

 

 

 

City People

We’ve had the man from the city out here to draw up plans for a gray-water system. He’ll be back soon to redesign our outhouse as well. He was a very nice guy, and he’s being very helpful, but I’m frustrated by the local government’s involvement in our lives. I want them to stay away, to concern themselves with legitimate areas of their authority and not with my home. They mean well, I’m sure - like our code officer, the evaluator who just came is patient and friendly, and didn’t seem to mind that we currently weren’t up to code, but I can’t help be feel that as a decent person, he shouldn’t be working to enforce unnecessary requirements. It would have been nice to have stayed under the radar.

My "New" Machine

Guess who doesn’t have to do all her sewing by hand anymore!!

Me. That’s right.

 This beautiful sewing machine belonged to my grandmother, and it’s actually still in perfect working condition. I’ve never sewn on a treadle before, and when we first set it up, I was a bit overwhelmed by the difference. It takes more focus, and more hand-eye coordination than I usually have, but after a hot Sunday afternoon of practice, I’m doing well! Now I have to find all my fabric and get started on all the little projects I’ve been putting off for months.

Bulk food & cold storage

Sometime soon we’ll be getting an ice-box. The original plan was to put a propane fridge in the kitchen, but they aren’t always easy to find, or affordable. Most of the propane refrigerators we saw were too big for us, designed for restaurants or camps. The delays given us a chance to think a bit about what we really want, and generally that leads to a more “off grid” choice. In this case, it helped us decided to attempt refrigeration without propane - the ice-box. Eventually, I’d like to invest in a solar-freezer, for meat and ice cream, but for now, I’m just looking forward to being able to keep milk in the summer. An ice-box would meet our immediate needs, and keep within the aesthetic requirements that govern our life here. I love the thought of big blocks of ice, pitchers of raw milk, and quart mason jars of fresh yogurt.

Without consistent cold storage, we eat a primarily vegetarian, bulk food diet, except when we slurge on good meat, or take-out, or some other amazingness. Beans have been a huge staple this winter: beans & rice, white bean stew, and tomato-bean soup being regulars in the meal rotation. My favorite is the white bean stew, made with vegetable stock and spices, and left to cook into a creamy perfection on the stove all day. With bread and butter, it’s completely satisfying and soothing to the winter soul.

I’ve attempted a large, stove-top tart recently, with preserves from summer picking, with amazing success. We also managed to succeed at stove-top pot-pie and a few stove top pizzas. We were glad to have an at home, non-pudding dessert option, glad to play with traditional over recipes and actually enjoy the results! This coming summer, with a working kitchen at my command, I’m excited to think of the extra canning I can do and the real baking - the croissants, ciabatta, muffins, & whatnot that I can make in abundance.

Yurting III: Firelight

Winter’s long night can be exhausting. It’s sad to see the sun go down by five in the evening, and sad not to see it again until almost seven the next morning. We light the lanterns here well before my husband in home from work, and though we have enough to make a cozy light, it isn’t the sort of lighting that works for cleaning, sewing, finding little lost things, or staying up late.


There’s a whole different atmosphere that comes with natural lighting. The flickering lanterns and candles make the darkness and the light seem like living things battling it out for control of some space. They make the eyes of our icons come alive, they make the night magical. If we’ve gone out for the evening, we always make sure there is a flashlight by the door, and a lighter nearby, otherwise we could be wander the house in pure darkness, tripping over things and trying to remember where we last saw a light.

On the whole, I love living with lanterns and candles. Electric lighting is not one of the things I miss, and definitely nothing we’d ever waste energy on when we eventually do have some solar power. The lanterns give our little home an atmosphere I’d been trying to create for years with shades, small lights, funky light bulbs and a few candles mixed in. It gives the night an energy I’d never experienced before, a sense of power. I can understand the imagery of darkness and light in the Bible now: “the light shown in the darkness and a darkness did not overcome it.” Watching a candle die in the night, I can see the darkness overcoming light, slowly drowning it in blackness and shadow. It is a joy to see the lamplight brighten a space of darkness, to watch the shadows recede. I think it is lightening more than anything that gives our home the feel of being a sacred space, a little hermitage where love grows strong.