Brrr!

I woke this morning and was a bit chilly! The coldest has yet to arrive. Either my eyes played a bad trick on me or the forecast stated that there would be temperatures in the negatives within the next few days! Brr! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it was near 70 just a few weeks ago! But I must not complain. After all, it is nearly the end of November already! Where does time go? 


It has not stopped snowing for over a week now. It seems the old timers were right when they said we would see a very white winter (and cold for that matter). We've only accumulated around 5 inches at the homestead, town has less. I believe there is around a 1,000 foot or more difference in elevation from here to there. It's not supposed to stop though, so yesterday was spent assembling the new plow on the floor of the camper. The instructions initially looked a bit intense. We probably spent about an hour prepping to tackle the project but after beginning it things went surprisingly smooth! Or perhaps we just make a great team :) At any rate, we got it done! It was pretty fun to plow for the first time. Aside from the terribly torn up road thanks to easement rights and a construction company that didn't seem to care that WE would still have to get in and out of here all year...ahhh digression. Anyway, it works really well & is a very large piece of mind to know it can snow, Snow SNOW as much as it wants because this plow girl is up for the challenge! 


Anyway, our batteries are struggling to hold a charge. This morning was especially chilly after they went dead somewhere around 3am. I was in a bit of a daze stumbling out to flip the generator on but it definitely heated it up again in here fast enough to take an early morning nap until it was light outside! Next week we will have to figure something out with this though. We do have 2 extra now that have yet to be added on to the current pack. That should definitely be added to the To Do list! :D


Other then that we have just been continuously prepping for winter! Going good so far! 


We are also especially excited about a new prospect that has come up! Our FAVORITE rustic log cabin company  that we never thought we could afford has a shell for a full sized log cabin which they are offering for sale for right in our price range!! It's SO beautiful!  It has draw knifed logs, extra large instead of the milled look & is plenty large enough to make it a permanent residence! We would be under budget which would leave so much room for other things within the construction of this home! Yeah!! We are hoping to have the purchase for this log shell secured asap so construction can begin first thing in the spring. This is especially exciting since what seems the biggest decision (which home) might be answered now so the focus can go back into all of the seemingly minor (yet incredibly major) details! I'll get some pictures up soon! 


I guess that's all for now! The local ski mountain is getting dumped on so we are pretty excited to get our boards out! Some play time will be much appreciated after the chaotic preparations which have seemed to rule our lives for the past couple of months!


Until next time - keep your toes warm & always have water! ;)

Simplicity

With the time change I have found the days to be drastically shorter. I don't know what it is exactly that makes this new place so cozy. Perhaps its the stillness of the night. Maybe it's just being back in my right element. We both agree, that this is definitely one cozy spot.

After the whirlwind of craziness over the past 2 months things are FINALLY settling down. Not a whole lot but something is better then nothing, right? Last week we had the most beautiful of days. Fair weather - I think it reached 70 around the middle of the week. Just when I tossed my hoodie back in the closet we had a lovely gust of a high around 30 the next day blow in. I do love that about winters out west. It seems they give you a break. It's never consistently freezing for months on end. At least not since I've been here. You get little breaks. Though I must admit I do pay close attention to the rumors as they continue to fly...this is supposed to be one bad winter. Lots of snow and lots of cold.

I'm not too worried though, there is always a way. We did experience some serious freezing of the hoses already which was a little inconvenient. Especially since living like this involves a whole lot of pumping fluids into this beast. We've found some great back up plans for these times even if they involve multiple trips to the laundry mat to move enough water for a shower & teeth brushing. Luckily for Brandon, he is with a Wisconsin girl and we know how to defrost things like no other! So I've already stepped into action on the defrosting department & would make you Wisconsin girls proud.

Over the past couple of weeks there has been a lot of monitoring & creating new and innovative ways of doing things. Every night it feels a little more like home as well as every night I am more and more glad to be out of town!

We've arranged for some loggers to come in next month to remove some beetle kill. We still need to get a larger propane tank but for now these smaller ones work very well.

The dogs are getting settled in. We always double check outside after dark before we let them out. It shouldn't be too long before a moose or bear is standing out there poking around the "yard".  Would hate to have an incident. The trauma from it alone would force me to pull this sucker by hand back to civilization.

We've renewed our love for playing the game Mario Brothers and have spent endless hours into the dark night up here in the hills trying to beat Bowser after Bowser. We have fun like kids, feeling young & full of life. We've found that this move has renewed a sense of youth in us. We don't really know why we feel that way but we definitely are enjoying it.

The snow is falling & this week we hope to get a plow out here or it's just a short matter of time before we're snowed in this snow cave (which wouldn't be so bad mind you).

I write this with flakes slowly fumbling their ways to the ground outside my windows. The dogs and I just returned from a walk that was cut short because of an apparent starving old Akita who insisted on running full force back to the camper for her bone without waiting for us.

We hiked along a trail with about an inch of fresh snow. All so fresh, no tracks aside from our own. Birds screech out their sirens as we pass by, informing the entire forest of our presence. To my left I noticed a beautiful wide area in the creek with a crystal clear sheet of ice covering it. Basin was so excited - his first experience with ice! He was a typical malamute - extremely cautious, innately tapping the ice with just the tip of his toe nail before even thinking about putting a foot on it!  It was beautiful. I had to slack for a moment and actually admit how freaking beautiful winter can be and maybe even admit that I can learn to love it.

A family of beavers swam by beneath the crystal layer. I watched in unbelief trying to make sense of these enormous blobs who were on a mission below the waters surface.  They didn't mind that I was there. They knew I meant them no harm. I smiled as Basin and I returned to Kaycee & her gigantic bone. The beauty in the simplest of things is so often the best.

Until  next time - from the camper in the mountains of Montana, take care!

Back to the Basics.

Meanwhile...back on the homestead things have been very well. You know, when you grow up with things such as power, plumbing, an abundant source of water, plenty of heat in the winter, etc. you really can't know what to expect when suddenly you are living off grid.


Well, speaking for myself - I can honestly say - I had only a little idea of what to expect. I knew only these things. Showers would be short. Using the restroom would be chilly. Sometimes being indoors might be chilly (though we haven't even touched down into our coldest months out here in Montana so stay posted on that.) And I HOPED the change of pace would be an eye opener. I hoped it would be a refreshing change of pace. A way to abruptly learn to really appreciate things that had so soon are taken for granted. I also hoped these changes would be a source of inspiration. A way to get Back to the Basics. 


So far, that's exactly what it has been. Though the past few weeks have been SO busy I think both of our heads are still wildly spinning out of control and I am SO anxious to have a day just to hang out and enjoy this new world. That day will come I am sure but not quite yet.


This week was an important one. The transition has been made. No more town. No more 30 minute hot showers every morning. The use of energy is now widely conserved. The priceless lessons of how to live outside of society are now underway. But all is good. Actually, quite wonderful. The stressors of "not knowing" are slowly diminishing and enjoyment of being in this new place is quickly taking hold. 


Both of us have always known we would love to learn to live completely off grid. Being independent, headstrong, and at times quite the "loners", we had always talked about Not Needing Anyone to exist in this world. You know you will miss certain things (though at the moment I can't say I miss ANYTHING about depending on people to live!) but you also know you are undertaking something that not many people can. That's a pretty cool &  what an opportunity in this day & age!


An endless supply of water is underway, I am now permitted to #1 indoors which is WONDERFUL! We have purchased 2 more batteries to add to the pack. The current batteries are doing the trick and keeping everything charged enough until morning, however their charge is dwindling so fast that it is alarming (and dramatically reduces the life expectancy of the batteries) so two more might just do the trick. 


Next week will be another busy one. A "front" porch area will be constructed & a larger propane tank which can be filled in bulk will hopefully be purchased. So far we are going through about 7 pounds of propane in 4 days - mind you I probably have it a LITTLE warmer in here then it actually needs to be but still not bad! But apparently propane is much more pricey when purchased in small quantities. Also, along with the front porch we will be using a heavy duty tarp of some sort to protect the slide out from acquiring large amounts of snow...any ideas welcome before that is underway. :) 


I awoke this morning to a beautiful frost filled valley. The sun comes up a little later in this nestled area. Everything is is so pure. So untouched. I am especially grateful to #1 inside on mornings like this. The views are so much more enjoyable through a window pane first thing upon rising. But the beauty I cannot quite express. It is also very good to know when & where the sun is hitting throughout the seasons in regards to future home sites!


As I type this I watch the sun slowly making it's way to where I sit. I have very limited cell & internet service here which I am inquiring on how to boost the signal a little bit. But for now it works! 


Haven't spotted any moose, bears, mountain lions, etc. passing by the windows yet but have noticed an enormous abundance of tracks, scat, and beds within 100 feet of MY bed in the mornings. Which prompted the purchase of a good spot light. I can hardly wait to see my neighbors now!  


We also discovered a fairly large beaver dam not far from the camper. I am excited to try to catch some good photos of them! Apparently they are nocturnal so I am hoping that if I wake up before the sun rises and prop myself on a rock with a good view I might be able to catch some action!


Time to get the day started - lots to do! Until next time -  from the mountains of Montana,


Take care!