Preventing Our Cistern from Freezing in Winter: Part OneGMonday, October 5th, 2015 Last fall, I wrote about the water situation for our cottage, documenting why we have an above-ground cistern next to the house rather than a water line from our well. When I wrote the entry, I was building an insulated shed for our water storage, ...
Strawbale Workshop: Day Zero, MorningGSunday, July 12th, 2015 Our strawbale workshop begins today! Or rather, folks start arriving today. It's 7:40AM on Sunday as I write this. I'm laying in bed with Tara, preparing to head out and tackle the last remaining tasks before Andrew and the students arrive. Our to-...
Off Grid Above Ground Water StorageGSaturday, October 4th, 2014 Tyler: There is a drilled well on our land, and a large clearing next to it. This area is obviously where the previous owners had planned to build a home—it is also one of the few places on our property that gets a good deal of sun. Rather than b...
Heat & WaterGSaturday, July 26th, 2014 Today, I arranged a meeting with a master gas fitter to see about hooking up a propane regulator on the outside of the cottage. Our current plan is to run our oven and on-demand hot water heater with a pair of 40lb tanks. Someday it would be nice ...
TodayGSunday, February 9th, 2014 When Tyler and I were journaling every day, we had the process down to a science. While it was far from easy, at least it felt routine. Lately, our journalling efforts have been sporadic, and my writing muscles are weak from lack of consistent prac...
Weathering the StormGFriday, February 8th, 2013 All morning long, we've received text messages, phone calls, and emails of concern about the blizzard headed our way. While I'm sure there is dramatic, worrisome news all over the TV and radio announcing the impending "snowpocalypse," here in our ...
HeatGThursday, January 24th, 2013 It's 4 AM and the camper is freezing. Tara and I are cuddled together under our down comforter, a minuscule bundle of tenuous warmth atop a freezing hill, flanked on either side by the frigid Green and Taconic Mountains. Our camper furnace is run...
Character BuildingGTuesday, January 22nd, 2013 It's January in Vermont, and we're smack dab in the middle of a major learning curve. Once again, we're settling into a more rustic lifestyle, and once again, the transition is more intense than we anticipated. Emotions run high, silly little thi...
Black IceGSaturday, January 12th, 2013 We planned on driving through the night in order to reach Deanne's place in time for our postponed reed-collecting workshop tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, there is no way that is going to happen. Just a few hours into our road trip east, our me...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part TenGFriday, January 11th, 2013 Mike was short and to the point: half of our camper's roof was suffering from wet rot. The only lasting solution was to replace it, at a cost no less than $5,000. The other option was to ignore the underlying problem, plug the hole, and fix a few...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part TwoGSunday, January 6th, 2013 It's 8AM and the camper is freezing. As we get up, shivering, I am filled with doubt. The reality that I don't know anything about travel trailers is rapidly sinking in. There is no way we're going to be able to live here if this thing can't make ...
Starting a Homestead: Our ListGWednesday, February 22nd, 2012 With a twinge of nervousness akin to the moment we purchased our tickets to Scotland, we've declared a moving date. On April 1st, 2013 (exactly four years after we began our round-the-world bicycle tour), we'll bid our friends and families in the ...
