Ground was broken. Seriously, it was. It's going to be the leach field, but at least something is happening.
Garden is in.
And corn has vanished.
Will plant more next week.
DH has been fixing damaged roofs of family members.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Now it's freezing
Too much time has passed since I wrote in here.
We were turned down for a mortgage. We bought a 26' travel trailer with idea being we would at least be able to build a small cabin as extra room for the winter. But we didn't. So, now we are trying to make it through this awful Iowa winter in a trailer not equipped to be lived in in these extreme conditions.
DH lined the bottom with pink board, wrapped all exposed lines and remodeled the interior to have countertops and cabinets instead of a couch.
Septic is an issue because the leech field is not in.
Yesterday, our refrigerator stopped working because it had gotten too cold! The ammonia liquids had gelled. DH worked very hard to remedy the situation and by last night it was working again.
Plastic on all the windows has helped, and a de-humidifier to remove moisture (ice) from the windows has helped as well.
I also picked up one of those Eden Pur heaters, but it isn't working very well. I had really hoped that it would warm the entire trailer, no problem. So far, BIG PROBLEM.
It's freakin' freezin in here.
We were turned down for a mortgage. We bought a 26' travel trailer with idea being we would at least be able to build a small cabin as extra room for the winter. But we didn't. So, now we are trying to make it through this awful Iowa winter in a trailer not equipped to be lived in in these extreme conditions.
DH lined the bottom with pink board, wrapped all exposed lines and remodeled the interior to have countertops and cabinets instead of a couch.
Septic is an issue because the leech field is not in.
Yesterday, our refrigerator stopped working because it had gotten too cold! The ammonia liquids had gelled. DH worked very hard to remedy the situation and by last night it was working again.
Plastic on all the windows has helped, and a de-humidifier to remove moisture (ice) from the windows has helped as well.
I also picked up one of those Eden Pur heaters, but it isn't working very well. I had really hoped that it would warm the entire trailer, no problem. So far, BIG PROBLEM.
It's freakin' freezin in here.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Another day another opinion
We went out with the kids today. D has been cutting down dead trees and cleaning brush. We organized it into categories: Solid thick Oak and Walnut to mill for cabinets, trim, staircase and possibly floors; scrap pieces for burning in the biomass burner; scrappier ones burning into ash and mixing into the soil; and stuff to just leave to rot and be part of the ecosystem.
We are going to tag different saplings for what to keep and what to harvest and what to scrap. That will be a great school project.
The kids really enjoyed the day. The were dragging branches around, and looking at bugs under logs and walking out into the creek and pond in their Wellingtons. N's boots are a preppy pink and green plaid, B's are black and yellow, mine are pink.
After several days of questioning if this is really where we want to be, it felt good to be there. I was saying to D that I was worried I'd be isolated and he pointed out that I am a loner by nature, so why would that matter. I may not have any friends in the area, but I am kind of used to that, I guess. Seeing the kids walking through the forest and talking about the garden and the house and a gazebo and a fire pit, it all made sense again.
But, if a realtor from Colorado or Idaho contacted me with right piece of land ...
We are going to tag different saplings for what to keep and what to harvest and what to scrap. That will be a great school project.
The kids really enjoyed the day. The were dragging branches around, and looking at bugs under logs and walking out into the creek and pond in their Wellingtons. N's boots are a preppy pink and green plaid, B's are black and yellow, mine are pink.
After several days of questioning if this is really where we want to be, it felt good to be there. I was saying to D that I was worried I'd be isolated and he pointed out that I am a loner by nature, so why would that matter. I may not have any friends in the area, but I am kind of used to that, I guess. Seeing the kids walking through the forest and talking about the garden and the house and a gazebo and a fire pit, it all made sense again.
But, if a realtor from Colorado or Idaho contacted me with right piece of land ...
Friday, April 24, 2009
Walked the Land, 4-23
We went out and walked the property. David marked it off with flags and officially mapped it.
The town is very quiet, very small. I wonder with whom I'll connect. The state law here says that my homeschooled children have to be evaluated by a state certified teacher every year! What the fuck. Isn't that exactly what I am trying to avoid?
I'm having second thoughts about the whole thing. We could do this in southwestern Colorado, but we'd need a greenhouse, ... but we'd have the mountains. The goal is to be low impact, of course, but if we can be very low cost as well then we can travel. I can't see living here day in day out for the rest of my life. It's a hub. We're an airline and it's our Atlanta. That's the way we are going at it. And we need to maintain that focus.
The windpower here is great. Obama was in town this week at one of the plants. David has found a system that will give us 950kwh per month. Our highest usage in Colorado was 840kwh. He also picked a woodstove as an extra heater for the house or garage. We'll have the kiva, wind, solar, and biomass. In-tran heat and straw bale insulation. If we could be off the grid, or better: selling back power, we will finally not be freaking out each month about how to pay our bills.
Or, if the bank turns us down ... a yurt in southwestern Colorado with a greenhouse. Whatever happens is what is supposed to happen.
The town is very quiet, very small. I wonder with whom I'll connect. The state law here says that my homeschooled children have to be evaluated by a state certified teacher every year! What the fuck. Isn't that exactly what I am trying to avoid?
I'm having second thoughts about the whole thing. We could do this in southwestern Colorado, but we'd need a greenhouse, ... but we'd have the mountains. The goal is to be low impact, of course, but if we can be very low cost as well then we can travel. I can't see living here day in day out for the rest of my life. It's a hub. We're an airline and it's our Atlanta. That's the way we are going at it. And we need to maintain that focus.
The windpower here is great. Obama was in town this week at one of the plants. David has found a system that will give us 950kwh per month. Our highest usage in Colorado was 840kwh. He also picked a woodstove as an extra heater for the house or garage. We'll have the kiva, wind, solar, and biomass. In-tran heat and straw bale insulation. If we could be off the grid, or better: selling back power, we will finally not be freaking out each month about how to pay our bills.
Or, if the bank turns us down ... a yurt in southwestern Colorado with a greenhouse. Whatever happens is what is supposed to happen.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Paperwork, Round 1
About to sit down and fill out the mortgage application. If banks were loaning I'd feel a bit more hopeful. As it is, if we don't get approved, at least I won't take it personally ... like I would have if we'd tried this 2 years ago.
We may end up in a 5th wheel on the property, with a heck of a garden. Then we would have the added opportunity to travel around more. Go back to Colorado, see the sights around the US, all that stuff we promised ourselves we would do years ago and never did.
We may end up in a 5th wheel on the property, with a heck of a garden. Then we would have the added opportunity to travel around more. Go back to Colorado, see the sights around the US, all that stuff we promised ourselves we would do years ago and never did.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Beginning
We have arrived in my husband's home state of Iowa. After years of living in the rocky mountains, hand to mouth, with more month than money, we have decided to stop being consumers and start being producers.
For years, David added his artistic touches to some of the most beautiful vacation homes in Colorado ski country. Huge, rambling, ridiculous in their pretension. Worst of all, they were used for a few weekends a year and then closed up again. Meanwhile the massive Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezers(multiple in each home), and plasma-screen TVs (again multiples) were plugged in and idle, draining energy and facing an used room for months on end.
When the economy crashed, and his client base found out they were no longer worth 15 million, but were in fact in debt 2-3 million, we decided it was a sign. A sign to stop feeding the machine of over-consumerism and start the new revolution. Back to the earth, back to the simpler ways, back to Iowa.
For years, David added his artistic touches to some of the most beautiful vacation homes in Colorado ski country. Huge, rambling, ridiculous in their pretension. Worst of all, they were used for a few weekends a year and then closed up again. Meanwhile the massive Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezers(multiple in each home), and plasma-screen TVs (again multiples) were plugged in and idle, draining energy and facing an used room for months on end.
When the economy crashed, and his client base found out they were no longer worth 15 million, but were in fact in debt 2-3 million, we decided it was a sign. A sign to stop feeding the machine of over-consumerism and start the new revolution. Back to the earth, back to the simpler ways, back to Iowa.
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