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The Grid Is For SquaresAuthor: Amy Thorstenson
Meet Vince and Amy, a couple of Californians with a dream of creating their own off-the-grid homestead. Join us as we chat about our triumphs and our struggles, give advice, and together we can find out if this crazy idea is more than a pipe dream. Language: en Genres: Home & Garden, Leisure, Personal Journals, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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It’s a Dry Heat
Saturday, 4 September, 2021
Well, there’s no new episode of the podcast, but I recently got back from a trip up to our homestead so I thought maybe a blog post would be better than nothing.But first things first. Are you doing ok? Are any of us doing ok? I know I’m not. The possibility of returning to normal was so bright and tantalizing for a precious handful of weeks and now here we are again… isolated, nervous, and still profoundly not normal. It’s been long enough now that I can feel my old friendships, my old self, fading at the edges. Who were we all before this started? Who will we be once it’s over, if it’s ever over? On top of the pandemic, we’re constantly worrying about the drought, the heat, and wildfires. In the time since we last updated here, the River Fire raged nearby for one nerve-wracking week back in July. It’s out now, and I know that we were lucky—only 10,000 acres? only one week? didn’t touch our property?—but the added dread is not particularly helpful in these dread-filled times.And on top of that, my grandpa died last week. He was my last remaining grandparent, which fills me with this strange hollow feeling and more grief than I was expecting. And again, it’s hard not to compare myself to others—many people have lost their parents, or spouses, or children this year. But I know there’s no sense in comparing my burdens to anyone else’s. We’re all in the thick of it and we’re all doing our best.Well, shoot. This wasn’t supposed to be a post about my mental health; it was supposed to be a property update. And I’ll get there. But I wanted to let you know what’s been going on with us in the background as we still try to put one foot in front of the other, still try to build and create and save money for future building and creating.So. Let’s get to the good stuff, shall we? Vince and his mom have been spending a fair amount of time up on our homestead, but my work schedule hasn’t allowed me to get up there for ages. Finally, the stars aligned and I was able to get up there for 4 days. And… it was over 100 degrees every day. It was so hot. It was SO. HOT. But I didn’t know when I’d be able to get 2 days off work again, so into the heat I went. The yurt is shaping up nicely! We finished the yurt itself a couple months ago, but the inside is slowly filling with furniture and turning into a proper habitation. The next step is working on the space outside the yurt: a genkan (or entryway), a retaining wall and deck, a tiled terrace, and an outdoor kitchen. This will be a long project, but we’re making progress.So, with no further ado, here are some pictures from last week’s trip up north! The inside of the yurt is being decorated with Judy’s furniture from her house in Napa; the retaining wall is being built with 12”x4” concrete retaining blocks ($3 per block); the entryway is being built from (slightly-twisted but cheaper “Manager’s Special”) 2x6 lumber and the offcuts of OSB from our yurt platform. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize The podcast will be back eventually. The pandemic, I hope, will be over eventually. We have another two months of fire season to make it through. But after that… the rain will come.Take care of yourselves. All our love.
