July 31, 2023: 2 years in: baby steps

2 years ago this week Alan and I sold our home in Bayfield and moved into our camper Pippin. 3 months later we bought 4Fords. And here we are, still loving the place. Sometimes, it’s difficult to imagine how much work we’ve done. Other times, it seems like so little. Sometimes it feels overwhelming, other times, it feels just right. There is much more to do, of course, but in tiny, little baby steps we are achieving our goal of living in a self-sustaining, off-grid home with a tiny carbon footprint. In a larger sense, we hope to demonstrate that it is possible to live comfortably in the midst of abrupt, extreme climate change and, more importantly, without doing more harm to our earth. Our ultimate dream and goal, of course, is to have zero reliance on fossil fuels, access to affordable, quality food that rejects CAFOs and GMOs, and to use resources in a way that builds resilience and regeneration, not impotence and rigidity. Also, we wish to create a landscape that encourages and invites wild critters of all types to hang out, from native grasses to rattlesnakes. Any of us can make positive change, if we can overcome our fears and take that first baby step.

This week, we have continued taking those baby steps:

Learning to stucco is my next project. I’m getting my start by doing the finish work around the new windows. You can see where I’ve put some in and where the hardware cloth is waiting for more. It gets so hot by 11am on that side of the house, I can only do a little every morning before I roast. Next, I’ll move on to doing other repairs around the house. There are surprisingly few cracks or damage, but they need to get fixed before water gets in and harms the straw bales beneath (mold!). Then, I’ll start on the bigger stuff: the walls of the generator room and around the sunroom. The goal is to finish the stucco work by fall and maybe get the whole house painted. Not sure if it will happen this year, but I can dream! Question: should we keep it the same color, or go for something new?

Next, Alan hooked up the cold water into the shower. We had no idea if the showerhead or faucet would even work. It’s been years since they were used. We had no idea if they had frozen or if they leaked. But Alan made the hook-up and, lo-and-behold, they both work great. No leaks and plenty of pressure. You can’t imagine what a wonderful thing a running shower is until you’ve not had one for 2 years! A cold shower, in this heat, is a pleasure. And the tiles are in great condition. No repairs needed there. (Actual HOT running water will follow soon.)

Today, Joe came and started on getting the new cistern situated. A 3′ hole was dug, and 6″ of sand spread. Then, the tank was tipped in and filled with 12″ of water to hold its shape while getting the hole backfilled. Since it might rain, we made a temporary downspout, covered with the tarp. You don’t want to lose a drip of water around here! Once set up, I will wrap it with insulated covers to protect it from UV damage and keep it from freezing. The 2 cisterns together should give us over 6 months of drinking water. This is the kind of thing the people of Phoenix and LA will need to learn if they want to live there in the future. Water is precious.

Another project I am even more excited about is repairing the broken tiles that fell while removing the old windows. The builders did not know about wonderboard, so the old ones, while lovely, were never very secure. I ordered a box of 100 random Talavera tiles and look forward to making the interior windows look cheery.

And FINALLY, it RAINED!

Thank you Alan, for your Rain Dance.