Time. It slows down for no one and always brings some kind of change. The past year has brought many changes in our lives and on our homestead. Sometimes we are tempted to think that we should’ve accomplished a few more changes in the physical aspects of our homestead but the reality is that earning the money to pay for that progress takes time and energy also. And we can’t forget the most important time consumers, our precious children, for whom it is sometimes necessary to forgo the work and spend quality time in play.
Looking back at pictures from a year ago disproves our feelings of inadequate progress thankfully. Last year at this time we were residing in a 240 sq ft auto shelter with only a propane buddy heater for warmth. We lived lived in that space for nearly 4 months, throughout the coldest part of an Alaskan winter. Luis roofed it with tin and lined the inside of the walls and ceiling with foam board insulation but it still got cold enough that in the evenings and mornings we could see our breath in the air. Lots of blankets on our beds ensured that we stayed warm at night and during the day we wore layers of clothing(tho I never was very successful at keeping socks on the children). Our toilet was a 5 gallon bucket with a special lid/seat and it was situated in an unheated shed on the other side of the driveway. There were no windows so all our lighting came from two floor lamps or from battery powered LED lights, which we utilized when the generator was turned off. Of course there was no running water either and no sink or countertops so all dish washing was done by heating water on the stovetop and then using dishpans on the table. We learned many things throughout that time though and I’m grateful for all those lessons. Things like: how many luxuries we take for granted(even those of us raised in ‘plain’ homes), how resilient children are and how easily contented they are if we just stop handing everything to them on a silver platter, how small a home can be and still be quite sufficient, etc. God also taught me some lessons on contentment and patience as the cabin project strung on longer than anticipated (doesn’t that always happen with building projects?).
Today, I am grateful for our snug dry cabin with a cozy wood stove , for an indoor bathroom even tho it is still a composting toilet that needs emptied about once a week, for a sink and countertop space even tho we still don’t have running water, and for separate bedrooms for us and the children! Astonishingly enough, the children do not entertain themselves better in a bigger space and the whole patience thing is still a work in progress…
So, is life better now than it was a year ago? Yes and no. While I have gained a new appreciation for some of the creature comforts we usually take for granted in this country, in reality, we are the same family with the same God and the same scope for happiness or stress, contentment or jealousy as we had a year ago. And I just pray that we never lose sight of the lessons learned during those 4 months of ‘tent life’.
Wandering the Last Frontier 