Return of the Sun

 At this time of year I eagerly track the patterns of the sun in anticipation of longer days.

Thinning out those weedy pines on the hill was a great step in extending my southern exposure.  I get sun on the house at any time of day now before 4pm, even if just a sliver of sunlight - when the sky is clear anyway.

We've had enough dramatic weather in the past two months to make up for a whole season if you ask me.  Snow, wind, and rain storms, 13 power outages, and that last cold spell down from Canada made me feel like I lived in the arctic!

I've been tested on my pioneer skills (and tolerance) enough to make me wonder if another location would be any easier.  But in the words of the Abraham collective;  you take your (energy) vibration with you wherever you go.  So until I can master this lifestyle with ease, I shall just carry on here.

The best thing that happened this winter was the purchase and use of a light box for the symptoms of S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  I wasn't sure to what degree I had this but learned about it in a terrific book called "Winter Blues" by Norman E. Rosenthal, MD.  (By the way, the fourth edition has updated information).

I feel like a new person!  I feel like the person I am during the longer, lighter days.  Energetic, inspired, confident.  There's a lot to be said for a balanced brain chemistry!  

With this new tool I am better able to cope with the challenges that come along here.

After the last snowstorm and nearly 3 day power outage, I got busy working with my local development on an emergency call list.  I'm happy to say that I have passed through all the red tape so far and will soon be implementing the plan.  We will ask residents if they would like to be on the list, to have someone call or check on them during outages or storms.  A designated representative from each division will cover their area.  Sometimes just a human voice that cares is a comfort to those that live alone.

It's a great concept that I hope will catch on in other housing developments and small communities.

Work continues on the kitchen, and small steps are getting accomplished.  I'm taking pictures of the progress and will post them when I'm nearer to completion.

In the meantime, I hope you are all well and getting off to a great start in this new year!

In the Dark

Western Washington has been hit with a series of rain and snow storms this year.  Last week my area on the Hood Canal was hit with a surprise snow storm that wasn't forecast.  

Two feet of snow at my place in less that 24 hours.  It was heavy snow and took down branches and trees and power lines.  The ground was already saturated from the earlier rains so some trees just fell over at the roots.  Chunks of earth broke off of bluffs and hillsides.

I live at a higher elevation on more level ground, so no worries of slides around me.  The tall pines here have also been more exposed to heavier snow and the ground has good drainage.

Trees and power lines came down across our only access road in and out of the development and we were basically trapped for two days.  However the highway was closed as well from Hoodsport to Mount Walker.

The world as we knew it had just stopped.  As I sat alone in my house I did what I always do in a power outage;  put water on the wood stove, set out the camp cook stove and find a good book.

By the evening of the first day I knew there must be major trouble along the main road.  So I prepared some more.  I put the fridge food in a crate on the front porch mud-room where the temperature was a perfect 34 with an outside temp of 32.

I put the freezer foods in an ice chest with the ice I keep made up for just such an occasion.  

I got my exercise by shoveling the steps, walkways and driveway.  Since there was no warning that this storm was coming I hadn't been able to get my car down the 50 foot driveway, so all I could do was keep it dug out of the snow so it might be a little easier later.  (It wasn't though).

Day two was about finding new things to eat that were nutritional.  Egg omelets somehow just taste better in a cast iron skillet on the camp stove.  The aroma of beans simmering on the wood stove is also delightful, and comforting in a storm.

Now I never claimed to be a survivalist on this blog, it's not in my tags.  I'm not homesteading in Alaska and I'm not off the grid.

I am more of a minimalist, with a modest lifestyle and income.  I don't mind living alone as long as I have the freedom to leave once in a while.  I do have neighbors so I'm not completely isolated, although there are fewer of them in winter since this is more of a summer recreational area.

Surprisingly, there are even some year round residents who do not have back up heating, but there are others who are fully equipped with big generators.

So a storm with this much snow and a prolonged power outage are not common place here. 

(By the way, the photos I've included here were mostly shot early on.  It just got depressing to shoot after a while.)

By day 3 I was a little surprised that no one had come to the house, although I did check on my next door neighbors while I was shoveling the driveway.  They had gotten out in their 4x4 truck and discovered the road block on our entrance.

About 1pm a friend did arrive but he lives ten miles south.  I got the full report of how much damage had been done along highway 101, which was now open after two days.  He said the power company trucks were working on the lines on our entrance road and it was being plowed.

I was so grateful to see a familiar face!  Thank goodness for caring people.

When the power and phones were working again, I had two other messages from friends in the next town.

I have been through some major storms here and some pretty deep snow, but two and a half days is the longest I've gone without power in a snow storm.

I'm grateful to our development to have installed generators on our two community wells in recent years, or we would have been without water as well.

So my food was saved, but in another day I'd have been cooking up the thawing items.

I count my blessings on one hand though, and have decided to make a list of improvements I would make when this happens again, which could be as soon as March with the prediction of solar storms knocking out entire grids.  Then where would I put the fridge food??

I could get a generator, but I would have to lift it in and out of my car, find a place to store it and keep gas on hand to run it.  Not to mention running the extension cords outside.

 I think I will start with a more practical and long term solution approach.  A pantry of dried and canned goods.  This may be a time to learn to can, or just add to my shopping list each week.  There are a lot of websites where you can buy things in bulk, or emergency essentials.

Communication is high on my list also.  I will be upgrading my cell phone in hopes of having service at my house - which I don't currently get.

I've contacted our community's office and volunteered to head up a phone tree with a back up plan for checking on people when the phones are out.

This was a challenging time for me.  I don't usually blog about my limited income or resources, but it became pretty apparent to me that I need to make some changes in my lifestyle if I want to continue living remotely.

I usually try to keep it more upbeat here, but I just felt the need to reach out to others who may be in similar situations or even temporary challenges.  

Us fringe-dwellers like our solitude and independence, but it often comes with a price.

As we near the end of 2012 and look to a new year, I vow to improve my circumstances as well as reaching out to my community so no one feels alone or stranded in rough weather.

I encourage you to do the same.

Bad Weather Travel Tip

One of the things I have found to be necessary where I live is an over-night bag in the car.  This idea came to me, of course, after I was unable to return home due to a massive snow-turn-to-rain event back in 2007.  I wasn't able to return home for four days due to many mud slides and flooding.  Of course I knew kind friends who let me stay at their place, but imagine not even having your toothbrush with you.

So the over-night bag has become a staple emergency item that gets checked and repacked every Fall, and stays in the car till June.

Today I found a new use for it.  I was cleaning an outdoor hot tub for a client in the wettest downpour I have seen in a long time out here.  Needless to say I was mostly soaked.  I remembered that I had that bag in my car and was able to change into dry clothes in order to finish my work there.

Things to put in this bag would be pertinent to you and your travel habits.  A change of clothes, toiletries, pj's, etc.  I also put a twenty dollar bill in there.

It's really about peace of mind for me.  I imagine that four day stay away from home and think about what I might like to have with me.  

In a worse case scenario, a bottle of water, even some non perishable food might be a good idea.  A blanket and a flash light.  I have a space blanket that fits in the glove box.  What if you had to sleep in your car?  

Imagine no cell service, no people, bad weather, maybe it's dark.  That's no time to panic, just be prepared.

Have any great travel tips to share?

Snow Days

As with all glitches in life, I try to accept the inevitable shifts and changes in plans.

I think snow days are life's way of saying hey - slow down, smell the coffee, stoke the fire.

They are never planned and often a surprise, if not a monkey wrench thrown in your busy path.

Yesterday was just such a day for me.  Living in the foothills of a mountain range one becomes accustomed to weather anomalies.  The main road at sea level could be clear - but here at 800 feet we could have six inches to a foot of snow - even in March!

I bought an all wheel drive car last year and have quickly learned its limits - and mine.  It's not a snow plow and is no match for gravity on a slippery hill.  It performs much like a ballerina on ice skates on level ground that's icy.

So on these snow days I stay home, change plans, cancel work, apologize to clients.  What else can one do?

I find these unexpected days off to be a test of my attitude.  If I give in and allow it to be a gift, then it is much more enjoyable.

Soon I will find myself cooking and baking, or cleaning, sewing, reading a good book by the fire, or writing a blog post!  Time will pass and I will have forgotten all about the missed appointments.

I think it's a great lesson, a metaphor for life.  When sudden changes are thrown at you - are you resilient?  Flexible?  Adaptable?  I'd like to think that these bumps in the road are also part of the grand plan.