The coming... and going.....

It's hardly a secret around here that we despise winter with a passion. Usually we figure on the snow staying after November 1st. It's here and it ain't going away until June.
This year it's early by a week and it's cold. Darned cold with more darned cold to come next week, with double digit darned cold at night which is pretty darned cold for the first week of November. Darn it.
The Geese are still flying overhead, the ducks left town instantly it seemed and the sun is already noticeably low in the sky, so much so that the solar panels are now shadowed by the cabin we are working on. It will have to be moved PDQ or we'll face mega generator time to keep the system running. At least we do have sufficient coal and wood in store for the duration.
The hay supply for the Naggeroos is ample and an improvement in feeding over our last efforts.
Vehicles are capable of carrying us through without concern, new tires are installed as needed and no real concerns lurk.... that we know of.
We're not as far ahead as we had hoped on the cabin project but we are warm and snug in what we have, so we'll do what we can, when we can. We learnt long ago to work with nature, not against it.

So all in all, I'm not too worried about it, the concern before us now is that a trip back to Blighty is necessary for myself, my Mum turns 100 and I need to be with her. This means Sylv will be holding the fort for 9 days on her own.
Watering the horses in winter is a struggle, even with electricity. We are therefore facing a challenge.
This week end our project is to build something to do the job and ensure Sylv can keep the water flowing on her own. Note the word problem is not mentioned. It's a challenge, not a problem.
Living this way builds a level of self reliance we don't notice anymore. We just deal with what comes.
Whatever we create, it will get us through and we'll be stronger for the experience.
Looking back on our years in Canada and how we've worked through the difficulties we faced, I know this winter will be no problem at all.

Maximus Minimalist.

Yes, it's been a while....
There never was any real intent here, just ramblings and thoughts when the urge arose. Guess I must be getting older and less inspired. Darned near a year passed and nowt written. There is no defense offered, none needed. It's been a busy while, things happened and life is good still.
The restoration of the old house here at The 12 is a fading memory, it's too far gone and so are we.
Sylv once said that she's not leaving the 12 again, because if we do we'll be robbed blind and loose those possessions we hold dear.
Her mindset got me pondering, as it often does.
We love to travel, particularly through the winter months, yet we cannot leave home for more than a day or two without risking robbery. We are prisoners of our possessions.
If we rebuilt the old house, everything we put into it would be a shackle to this propriety, emotionally, financially and physically.
Then my mind wandered towards options and the bigger, long term outlook for our lives. We are both heading towards our senior years and all that entails. We have lived in 6 houses in our lifetime together, every move bringing upheaval. That thought provoked the usual reflex of "never again".
We don't want to change house again, so how do we avoid it?
Simple: You take your house with you.

We've had a small cabin for many years that we never use, located at a campground we never enjoyed. So we cancelled our memberships, picked up the cabin, brought it home and embarked on a project like few others. It's now mounted on a massive steel skid, insulated to beat heck, a new roof, an addition and by spring, will be our permanent home. And that's the key. Permanent.
If the approaching years demand we move closer to our children, our home comes with us. We'll move our home, but we'll not leave it.
Van-dwelling, downsizing and tiny houses are all the rage but we're just not cool enough for that. We have too much stuff ....and we're not giving it up. A lifetime of collecting and creating who we are. We know we're not a couple of old hippies and we don't care what anyone else thinks. In fact, many quietly envy being able to live as we do. No mortgage, no worry of collapsing house values.
Nutty perhaps. And that's fine with us. We're doing what we feel is right, not to be trendy, not doing what the rest of the herd is doing. It's us.
And what fun it is! No architect, no approvals. Just the responsibility of protecting our own interests and safety. We can create whatever we can dream up that can be hauled down the highway.
When we leave the 12, we'll leave nothing behind. No house, no home, no investment other than the trees and gardens we've developed here. We're not buying into "The dream" of building forever, to leave it tomorrow.
And when we are done with our little cabin, it will pass to our children or perhaps grandchildren.
Whoever might care to embark on a similar path of simple living.
Our gift, with our love. Their home, for their dreams.