I was a child of the wide open Plains, tucked away in the woods of Missouri, drunk with the sights and smells of the forest. Each new discovery was a thrill, the little stream tucked under the brush, the large wolf spiders that guarded their trees, and the perfect spot to build our home hidden in an overgrown clearing. I was living a childhood dream, singing to the song of my pioneer blood.
The camper that was to be our tiny home while we built was not new, but it was well taken care of. I quickly set about figuring out what was important enough to tuck into the tiny space we had. Everything else stayed in the horse trailer. The first order of business was to build a corral for Sugar, my little mare. Then we began to clear a place for the trailer and our home. I found a job 57 miles away and began my daily commute. That winter I learned how to change flat tires and that even a 4 wheel drive won’t go up the hill on the ice.
In the summer I bought my goats, Chloe and Tinkerbell. They were both in milk and I quickly discovered that the tiny kitchen in the trailer just wasn’t enough to make cheese. Since the kitchen table was generally a place where everything I should have put away but hadn’t collected, we decided to remove it and put in some more counter space. The kitchen table from our old home was cut up for that purpose and the benches that went with it became my milk stand.
One thing about living off-grid in the woods is you discover just how much of everything you use. We purchased a couple of large tanks for water and some of our wonderful neighbors let us fill them when we needed to. Our heat and cooking were propane, although we did get a wood stove for our second winter. Our big expense was gasoline. I was driving 114 miles every day and using a generator is not the most efficient way to produce electricity, even when you only use it a little. It became obvious that our “utility” costs off-grid were more than they would be in town.
There was something else that began to bother me during this time. We were taking this bit of wildness and slowly taming it. The clearing grew, the road was graded, and the goats pruned the trees all around us. The spiders, unhappy with the commotion, left. I hated driving so much and the sight of all the small animals killed on the road during my twice daily trips made me terribly sad. Then we discovered that in order for us to have electricity brought in we needed a well and the foundation for a home that was at least 1000 square feet, much larger than we had planned. I had wanted to go back in time, but the modern world kept intruding.
It was time to look for something else.
- Hanging On – Steps to Simplifying Part 1
- Letting Go – Steps to Simplifying Part 2
- Even Less – Steps to Simplifying Part 3
- Walking the Path – Steps to Simplifying Part 4
Latest posts by Sherry Willis (see all)
- Walking the Path – Steps to Simplifying Part 4 - February 10, 2013
- Even Less – Steps to Simplifying Part 3 - February 2, 2013
- Letting Go – Steps to Simplifying Part 2 - January 26, 2013
You could have solved your electricity problem with a small solar or solar/wind turbine system for very little money.
I lived two years in a camp trailer with just a 45 watt solar system. I hauled in water in 5 gallon cans to refill two 55 gallon storage barrels that lasted two months.
A camp trailer is not designed for permanent living so I built a small 14×14 cabin and recycled all the camper appliances and solar equipment to that.
destroying nature when you homestead is not good homesteading and leaving hedgerows, native trees and native ground cover is recommended. never dig unless yu are planting something to replace something because wind and water will quickly take away your prescious topsoil.
Finding work and commuting is only a problem if you work for someone else. us eyour skills and the internet and start a business and end the slavery.
laMar
Hi LaMar,
I’m glad you’ve found a way of life that suits you.
We are loving WeeHavyn and feel it suits our values better than changing the wilderness and driving so much. I currently work from home with most of my business on the internet. However; I would not have been spared the driving as I must get supplies and mail packages almost every day. There was also dial-up only in the woods and poor cell service to boot.
I did not feel we were destroying the land, but rather we were changing it. It seemed silly to carve a home out of the wilderness when there were lots of homes available in already tamed areas.
Sherry
You could have solved your electricity problem with a small solar or solar/wind turbine system for very little money.
I lived two years in a camp trailer with just a 45 watt solar system. I hauled in water in 5 gallon cans to refill two 55 gallon storage barrels that lasted two months.
A camp trailer is not designed for permanent living so I built a small 14×14 cabin and recycled all the camper appliances and solar equipment to that.
destroying nature when you homestead is not good homesteading and leaving hedgerows, native trees and native ground cover is recommended. never dig unless yu are planting something to replace something because wind and water will quickly take away your prescious topsoil.
Finding work and commuting is only a problem if you work for someone else. Use your skills and the internet and start a business and end the slavery.
laMar
That was a big bone of contention when I lived in the Yukon. Many people wanted to live in the bush, then when that spot became too “civilised” they moved to another patch of wilderness further out and the whole thing started all over again. After I moved to town some people were quite derisive, calling me a soft living townie even as they took advantage of my running water for showers and laundry. Hah!
Hi Alice,
Our society has created such a romantic picture of the stern, independent homesteader battling Mother Nature and winning. Somehow the person who lives contentedly in town, needing very little and getting along with her neighbors, just isn’t as exciting.
Sherry
Sherry, I must have overlooked it earlier in another article because I jumped when I saw you mention “Missouri”. I’m in Missouri too.
Are you or Weehavyn on Facebook? And, if yes, may I send a friend request, that is if I can locate your page?
I’m enjoying your article each week. Please keep it up. Thanks.
Greetings fellow Missourian. I know living off grid is hard, but I agree with the fine folks who commented before me that solar or wind power would be a great way to solve your electrical needs. In my personal experience, insulation is worth its weight in gold, so I’d suggest adding foam board and house-wrap to the exterior of your cabin to improve your energy efficiency. Another investment to look into would be a split air-conditioner with heat pump. Heat pumps utilize the earth’s natural radiant heating and cooling to stabilize your inside air temperature. Heating with wood can sometimes be difficult, and you don’t want to be left without a reliable backup, especially keeping plumbing in mind.
Hi D.J.
We didn’t have anything like a cabin that we could insulate and could barely afford to keep the gas tank filled. There definitely wasn’t any money for any of that and as long as we were driving everyday, there wasn’t going to be.
That heat pump setup would take enough electricity to require a large and expensive solar/wind system or a lot of running the generator. The brutal truth is that producing your own energy (especially electricity) is much less efficient and more expensive than being on grid. I’m not saying it isn’t worth it, but it was not something we were able to even begin to do financially while we were out there.
We do have plans for a solar water heater and some pv panels here at WeeHavyn to replace our very expensive electric heating system as well as a tiny woodstove for backup and to provide radiant floor heating. We can actually afford those things now that most of our earnings aren’t going directly into the gas tank.
Sherry
Hi Carolyn & DJ. i’m planning on a cabin in missouri near ellington some time this year(god willing) 10x 24 is as big as it is going to get. I’m really excited there are more tiny house livers down there. hope to read more of you’re remarks.