Captains log: City to Gritty
Oh boy.
Well….
Living off grid isn’t easy. And it isn’t cheap. In both time, money and resources.
Todd dealt with clearing our grey and black water tanks after only a few days of living here full time. And we don’t even shower here either. All showers are done at the gym. And I haven’t done dishes yet here or laundry.
So it looks like grey and black water could be an every 2-3 day chore once we really get settled. ??
If you don’t know what those tanks are- they are tanks that store your own sewage and dirty water. ?
I spent the day first at the gym to shower and then headed up to IKEA again for things we forgot to make our space more spacious. I went with just the kids. I returned 5 items and left with too many. It was exhausting.
The childcare was full and after a few hours, my boys were getting stir crazy. At one point, another mom spoke loudly to herself, “where are these boys parents?!”
And I very quickly replied, “I’m right here! I’m their parent! I’m on my own here and I’m right here.”
Of which, she had no response back and stormed away with her older 2 girls (I’d guess about 10-13). And sorry girl moms, YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. Unless you have a boy, YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW! Lol
So I’m just dead at this point and pacify my nearly 2 year old boy with playing a cat simulator video game on my phone.
Now my phone case is also my wallet and I later notice him pulling out my credit cards, debit cards, business cards, etc and just tossing them.
I freak but find everything (I think).
The entire time I’m CONVINCED IKEA is a place for masochists.
I finally finish up my 2 flatbed run with my youngest laying down in one and my 4 year old pushing the other and miracles start to happen.
People start HELPING ME. Opening doors. Helping me lift things. It’s just amazing and I graciously thank everyone who helps me. It’s like I passed the judging look phase from all the perfect IKEA parents and graduated to the wonder mom phase where people were fascinated I was doing it all on my own.
But what really broke me wasn’t IKEA or my husband having to haul away our sewage so soon-it was a tiny moment we’re even know I can feel a HUGE lump in my throat forming just thinking about it.
Bath time.
Our tub doesn’t have faucettes yet—you have to use a wrench and only do one at a time-either hot or cold.
It takes 30 min to heat our hot water tank which is 4 gallons.
So I get the water hot and then spend another 10 min painstakingly wrenching hot, then cold, then mixing, all the while I have to get up and switch the water pump off and on every time I switch.
And I’m just like WTF.
What the actual F?!?!
I’m not used to spending my time on bare bones basic necessities and it panics me.
Will life ever get to a new form of normal?
Our neighbors also left us a note on our door welcoming us and after texting back and forth are BAFFLED we are trying to do winter here.
I guess we get 8.5 feet of snow…they mentioned we need snowshoes—no ploughing (our driveway gets millions of pounds of snow) and they’ve lived here 20 years and always move away in the winter….
And I’ve worked SO HARD attempting to make our RV super cute and functional and dropped ?????????????????????? too and I just broke tonight over bath time. And the thought that maybe—just maybe—we’d need to move after I already committed to myself that we will stay until our house is built. Of which—if our architect doesn’t reply to us by tomorrow-I’m seriously considering finding a new one. But that only adds to MORE time added to our 18 month build schedule.
COMMENTS:
- Christion Sadler You are so strong, so capable, and you got this.
- Handlebar Henry Jane and I sort of did something similar to you..in some ways when we first got married. But there were huge differences. And it was NOT easy. But we made it.
- Mario J McCash It is in the challenge and toughness and the extreme roughness that will make it so remarkable and worth the retelling on a global scale.
The die is cast and you’ve crossed the Rubicon, there’s really no going back. But consider those realities prog…See More - Amy K.M. White Outdoor baths. Old school with a tub of hot water. Hand washing station outside, where it won’t fill up your grey tank. They also have tank attachments that increase the size of your waste tanks. You may need to think camping for a while when it comes to water.
- Michael T Hoover Don’t worry, don’t panic! You are very smart and will find ways to adjust… Of course you will have to ease into accepting ” different” thanks what your used to… Some of the things that seem awkward, you will just get better at with a little time……See More
- Michael T Hoover *than not thanks
- Kaitlin Drew You are SO brave doing all that with 2 little boys! I’m glad eventually people started helping you. You’re right most girl moms DONT EVEN KNOW!! ??
- Rachel McCash Cronin My almost 2 year old boy was chasing my oldest with a hanger trying to hit him along with all the displays. He thinks it’s hilarious to hit-like he doesn’t understand he’s destroying or hurting. I’m hoping all the “hands are for being soft” conversations will sink in one day
- Handlebar Henry I wanted to add..I think it’s amazing that you are able to do all these things..I think back to when Jane and I were young and starting out..we only had dogs..not actual children..(well..Jane had her kindergarten kids..1000 of them)..but with three chi…See More
- Joelle Lane Awe love I’m sorry you guys are having a tough time. Really reach out to us we did the trailer living and trust me it’s an adjustment. If you need to chat I’m free hun. You got this though.
- Olivia Cronin Change can be SO stressful but y’all can do it. Just take it one day at a time and see what y’all can do! Don’t panic!
- Susan Kemer For right now, have you thought of using a solar heater? We had one of those camping once at a primitive space. That would help a bit. The other thought is building a greenhouse of some kind. It can hit 80-90˚ in the winter if it is tight with the sun. and do some passive heating of water that way? Not on snowy days, but still….
- Sandy Tiemann i can relate in that I often have ideas of how things I want are going to work out. I always envision it in the most positive form. Then, when I’m in it, all the negative I never imagined leaps to the forefront. And, then I’m perplexed, disappointed and wondering WTF. But, then…the most curious thing occurs…things I never imagined, that are wonderful and amazing, happen…all because I did the thing that I thought I wanted to do that didn’t work out the way i wanted it to.