Off The Beaten Path

We’ve been married over a decade now. In that time, we’ve probably been unemployed and jobsearching about a quarter of the time. The other three quarters, we have made well under what would be considered a ‘comfortable’ wage. Once upon a time, a single wage earner in a blue-collar job could make enough to support…

We use a kerosene heater in the bus. It’s pretty old, but has served us well, considering it has been burning 24/7 since early November. For the past week, though, it has been working less well. Taking a very long time to light. Smoking more. Heating less. Considering this is our only source of heat,…

Now that the insulation is in place, the last barrier to inhabitation is the stove. Technically 2 pieces, I suppose, as the stovepipe isnt here yet either. We’ll be picking up the through-the-wall stovepipe kit either today or tomorrow, most likely. The stove is a bit complicated, given a combination of distance and being unable…

In many cultures through ancient history, disagreement was a form of entertainment. One would choose to spend hours in the baths (Roman men), in the wine shops and squares (Greek men), in the gymnasiums and coliseums (various), debating other men both drunk and sober. This was foundational for societies. The deep questions of life, the…

Once upon a time, I wanted a large, grand, sprawling house. Something with a wandering rabbit-warren of rooms, high ceilings, grand furniture, glossy floors. Time passes. Things change. I spent time in South America, in third-world areas where simply having solid walls makes you wealthy. I spent time in Hong Kong, where entire multi-generation families…

We finally have four insulated walls! It will be very interesting to see how long it takes for the last bits of frozen floor to thaw out now. Early this afternoon, husband began installing the batts. Mom and I cut and installed strapping to hold said batting in the wall cavity. The side walls are…

We began today where we left off yesterday. We got most of the things out of the tent yesterday, but the couch remained. It’s a fairly big sucker, heavy and awkward. Today, though, the ground was a bit more solid, so we loaded it on the cart and got it moved The tent is looking…

Yesterday was both winter and spring. Technically considerably below zero, but the sun was bright and warm and thawed the driveway such that we almost got stuck again. This morning is stinking freezing. The windows are heavily frosted and I might put on a second sweater. Leftover hot soup for breakfast today. Yesterday, as the…

You’ve probably played it at some point: “If you were given one million dollars, tax free, what would you do with it?” It’s a game we tend to play when money gets tighter than we’re fully comfortable with in relation to the number of projects on the list. We’ve played dozens of times over the…

Some days are a dead bore. We’re still in a holding pattern until the insulation comes in, so there isn’t much to do. Aside from barn chores this morning (in part, beefing up the wall between the goat pens because little Miss Maggie has been practicing parkour and making illegal border crossings, and then getting…