Off Grid Living - Always a Bonfire - Our Happy Place! Me, my Mountain Man and our fur babies. Gathered around our cozy bonfire, reading a book aloud for all. Even the fairy nymphs could settle around and join in, if they should choose to do so. It's just that enchanting! It was just like the picture shows, relaxing and spiritual...definitely our happy place! For the struggle of off grid living, this is the reward,...this is why we work so hard, to spend this kind of time together. As humans, we are even drawn to the flame of a candle, America’s 2 billion dollar candle industry can attest to that.…

Relief from the Freezing Rain Waking up to this sky was a sign of relief! The last few days have been well, days of rain. Freezing rain. A light drizzle freezing to everything possible, except the lake. The lake is supposed to be the only thing that takes the form of solid ice this time of the year, but the land has instead. It's made doing chores dangerous. The only one with 2 good legs left and I can barely stand on them. Filling my arms with loads of wood and balancing my way into the cabin takes more patience than I have. The dogs are sprawling out on their…

The mercury dropped 14 degrees over the course of 24 hours to -7C (19.4F) and that was enough to finally freeze all the mud. Somehow I still worked up a sweat outside hauling wood back and forth to the greenhouse. That big wood stove is wonderful but it eats 5 whole large logs 3 times a day. Going for a hunt... Mountain Man went for a trail ride to see if he could round up a few grouse, since my recipe for dinner required white breast meat. It's nice that he can finally go do something on his own with more confidence. I worry about him out there on his…

We were in the middle of a crib game when Mountain Man piped up and said, “You know,...now that were done and ready for Winter to hit…and we seem to be doing all this waiting for freeze up, I wonder what the neighbors are up to?” “Hmm…I said, being the procrastinator. “What about your broken leg working the clutch?” “The trails are in the worst shape they’ve ever been, with all that water!” “Are you up to driving the Jeep on a 6 hour round trip?” “How many trees will be down again?” I'm not a fan of pushing our non-luck. But no sooner than I had gotten my concerns…

Most mornings are care-free, coffee in hand, laxi-daisy times. Depending on how things are flowing around me. It seems that waiting for the cold to hit has me impatient. Even the chickens are ready as they have gone through their full molt, and adorn new shiny warm feathers. We've had freezing rain warnings the last 2 nights, which means nothing to me since we don't have to drive on any roads or travel. The routine with the wood stove is normally always the same. It has to be dampered down at night, other wise it would be way too hot in this little cabin. It's the time of year that…

Secure in our 'Natural' element. I think life may have gotten a bit easier. Or I just started letting go of the ideals & discipline so deeply embedded in my soul. It's all the little things that add up to lots of things over time. Yes,...it's wind down and most of you have noticed. That fast paced mess of the last few months have melted away. The tourist season ended last month as the float plane operations have closed and now it's time to relax and breathe. It's really what the changing or transitioning of the season is about for me, especially November. It's time for reflection - and I'm…

I waited patiently in the shadows of my oil lamp, for the crimson sky to appear. At first blackness...turning to dark blue, as nights curtain faded away. The hot pink clouds bubbled up from the horizon like witches brew...making the lake blush. It's there I sat, sipping my coffee,...it's there I sat, reflecting on the last few crazy months of my life. It's these moments that seem to creep in slowly at first, and captivate me with their awe and wonder. The color fades, darkness becomes light - and the presence of another day arrives. It's here that I dwell when my life slows down, the place I anticipate and…

As you may recall, we went to bed wondering where the men where on the trail – cutting their way in & out of our place. One of the longest nights our lives followed by an early morning…several cups of coffee and lot’s of pacing, anticipating word from anyone at this point. Mountain Man and John had started early finishing the last of the repairs on the truck. 7:44am a message from Linda (Rob’s wife) Rob left here about five and radioed me 10km in at 7pm…so far 90 trees to cut. A message from Dale popped up: Dad met Rob on the trail last night. Pretty exhausted, got to…

Our travel map with arrows showing our direction of travel. We woke up to the familiar sound of gusts & swaying trees. A weather statement was issued - a wind warning (50-80km) that would blanket most of British Columbia. Great! Our minds quickly shot back to our resort sitters, our trail, and only way home. It only takes 40-50km winds to start knocking the giant dead pine and spruce trees down. We had breakfast with the family before heading out. I received a message from Dale, our resort sitter’s son. It said, “Mom is getting worse and would fly back home if a plane could get to her today, but…

'The Toland's Twisted Trips To Town'. That's what they should be called! Maybe it's because this is my 100th journal entry? You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you head out the door and you can just feel that resistance to leave? That voice in your head telling you that something is just-not-right? Some say, "Oh, your just being pessimistic", always thinking the worst. "You should be more optimistic!" Well, intuition is more than that - it's something I've always had, and I always use it to guide me. However, I do get resistance from my one legged Mountain Man. Even after our 27 years of…