Mackay's Back To The Land Project- The Fruits of Our Labor

[Dace]

I just came across your journal and I am soooo impressed! What an absolutely perfect and beautiful spot you chose to build a home and your new life! Can you hear the extreme jealousy in my voice??

Congrats and please keep posting!

 

[Mackay]

Dace, don't get jealous yet! Let's see how this wicked winter goes...I may be ready to abandon ship come February and you will remain grateful for the nest you have

 

[Mackay]

thought it was time for an update.....


We have been in the camper for about 8 weeks. It does have all the ammenities of a first class hotel except for a few things like you have to dump the sewer every few days and load the water tank daily, and climb over the dog, and crawl over the bed to get to your closet, and get up and get dressed one at time to avoid bumping all over each other, and you can't really bend over in the bathroom unless you are sitting on the pot, and the refrigerator freezes and the freezer melts, and the dog hair and the mud on the carpet is about a half inch thick but it is extra insulation, but aside from a few little things like that we have been quite cozy

and if it weren't for my electic heating pad for my feet and the red rubber hot water bottle for my stomach .... it just makes life so much normal the icicles that form on my clothing when placed between the window and the bed don't really bother me at all nor the dripping condensation from the overhead escape latch located over the bed just in case there is a fire.... no aside from little things as such we have been just fine..


but I have noticed that DH and I arn't talking so much. No, we have kinda run out of things to say. after spending all this intimate and close time together the snide and snippent remarks have gotten old so we just prefer silence which is really great cause there really isn't room to get away from anybody and the bathroom is a tad bit confining... and hot too! we have to keep an exta heater running in there to keep it from freezing up. No we arn't talking so much, but lots of under the breath mumbling that I can't really understand

But there is so much to do. I spend a good part of my day mouse hunting. I have two traps going and they fill up a couple times a day. Ever since we packed the staw bales around the camper they think it is the Ritz and they have shown all their buddies where the best place to hang out is.. of often in the morning when I go to pull a pan out of the cubboard there is a nice new pile of soft fluffy insulation that the mice have moved from the walls of the camper to where they think it is warmer I guess.... but no worry ... I have broken all their backs! the stupid little turds really love peanut butter and man do I have peanut butter for them delivered in a nice little vice!

We do have to fill the water tank daily. I just can't seem to stretch it for two or three days, not if I want to keep the level of B.O. down and all the dishes clean. So come midday when the sun is high I get the 150 feet of hose out of the garage and fill the tank. When its full I spend about 40 minutes trying to empty the frozen sucker, roll it in a ball and get it back in the garage so it wont split.. this is how I get my exercise. its like wresting with an anacoda.

Meanwhile there is about a foot of snow. Lowest temp so far 20 below, but not so bad...It only lasted for a week. 0 feels pretty warm these days and we got our coats off at 30 degrees.

I don't have any photos to show you right now as we have a new camera and haven't figured out the programs yet... but maybe in a little while.

The good part about this update is that two days before christmas we moved in to our upstairs studio. 450 square feet of luxury! The walls are painted, the carpet is in and we have a toilet and bathroom sink. Cherokee is stoked.. thats our wood stove and things are cozy. Now I don't mind at all washing dishes in the bath room and when ever someone has to use the pot "Japanese" time is announced cause there is no door... its the simple challenges that keep life interesting

Next week the sink to the kitchenette gets hooked up but showers will still be in the camper for a while. I had to go and insist on this busy design for the shower ceramic... it will take a while. My washer and dryer arrived on Dec 31 and we have managed to keep the garage warm enough to hook it up! Yea!

So as far as back to the land goes....I've spent some time thinking about those pioneer woman.... If I was them I'd probably be dead from doing what they did.

 

[Dace]

So nice to hear an update! It sounds like it has been rough going....How long exactly were you in the trailer?? You are a better woman than I!

Nice to hear that you have more room to spread out now....can't wait to see pics!

 

[MorelCabin]

Wow Mackay...that is quite the undertaking! I read a book about someone who did this very same thing...I think it was called 'The Homestead" I am envious of you! Well kind of...don't envy the camper in -20 part...gives you a real appreciation for space, heat and amenities huh? When all this is done you will have a place that is truly your own and truly home!

 

[Mackay]

So we have been in our studio above the garage for about 2 months now. Things are settling down and we are getting along better. It took two weeks to put ceramic in the shower and DH got creative cutting tiles. We have a mock solar sytem on one of the walls, kinda galaxy looking, in honor of 2012 he says. He said it came about cause he was running out of tile and only had odd shapes.... it was either that or drive 110 miles to the city to pick up about 9 tiles. Its got little round colored rocks for the planets and sun.

We haven't gotten the severe cold weather that usually happens. I tell folks that was one of the conditions for me moving here... a weather improvement. It only got 20 below for about a week and a half... all in all a mild winter for these parts but still enough snow. The resivoir is full already.

We have been ice fishing. The resevoir is only a few miles away. The fish are really on or really off. Often you can catch your daily limit of 6 salmon in an hour. other days next to nothing. They are small fish, pan sized but really good. Thought we would get stocked up in the freezer but we just keep eating them

Been making goats milk yogurt and trading milk for massage with my neighbor who now has two milking goats. She's going to teach me to milk so she can have some help when she needs to do other things. On those days I get to keep the milk. can't wait..

Not making any money these past few months is a drag for me and I hate asking DH for cash so its back to work for me pretty soon. I will have my nursing license come april and then back to the grind... but this time I will also start an Alternative Health Consultation business and massage as well. Been working on business cards this week. the internet is good for that. You can design cards without going anywhere. Also lots of sites to help with labels if you have products to sell.

Been working on my liquid soap products. I've finally got some bottled. I won't stick a lable on them but use a hanging tag around the neck of the bottle instead. I hate bottles on the counter with lables. Come summer our local selling coop will be having a famers market and I will be able to sell there. It will be fun.

So today we will start again with the house design. First draw had 1200 sq on the first floor. We decided it has to be smaller, to we have to tighten up. After being in the 450 foot studio I think 900 feet on the first floor will be huge! Then about 300 or so on the second floor. It could be smaller but I am insisting on a room that could be used as a bedroom on the first floor if we get too old and feeble to use the stairs... also a bathroom with wheel chair access and easy access shower if ever necessary.... I dont want either of us forced out of my house if things turn sour.

So thats the update.

 

[Mackay]

Oh, and we finally got the photo program working on the laptop so here is a photo of the view from the middle of the lake where we ice fish. Man, its cold out there!

 

[TanksHill]

That is an amazing picture!! Thank you for sharing!

gina

 

[lupinfarm]

Do people set up little ice huts for ice fishing? Out here what I love the most is driving past all the small lakes and seeing all the colourful ice fishing huts We have some pretty big hills and rocks so its always a lovely view here.

I couldn't imagine ever building my own house, no, instead we subject ourselves to other peoples mistakes by renovating LOL.

We have the same amount of land more or less, we're on 8.38 acres here.

 

[Mackay]

Yes, they do put up fishing shacks and there are about 10 or so on the lake.

We are still trying to figure out what to do with our land. We're starting with a small pasture that will get seeded this spring and fencing put up and then the garden too... we are still thinking about Yaks since I heard about them on this forum. Somebody about 50 miles away has a couple.

What do you do with yours lupinfarm....grow more than lupins I suspect. Have you managed a fair level of selfsufficiency on 8?