Fire

I was born in July. I like to be warm. I like blankets and thick socks. Our current home in town has central heat and a/c. Our first winter here, the thermostat seemed really luxurious--not having to cut, haul, split, stack and carry wood inside--except when we burned wood for heat we also spent time together. It took cooperation. It also kept us close together. Literally. The wood stove was the warmest place in our home so everyone (dogs and cats included) wanted to be near. If we got too hot we moved away. Before a shower I'd hang my clothes near the stove to warm them so after the shower I had toasty clothing with no additional energy cost. Warm towels, radiant hair drying, clothes racks for drying laundry, a pot of water to humidify. With central heat, just when I grab a blanket, the furnace kicks on, I get too hot, ditch the blanket, then it kicks off and I'm chilly again. Too cold. Too hot. I have serious "Goldilocks" syndrome that would be instantly cured by returning to a constant radiant heat source.

I recently came across the idea that a wood stove warms you while you're cutting, loading, splitting, stacking, and carrying, not just burning. I look forward to next winter when wood will warm us.

"Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water." 

Zen Proverb

Also missing from central heat is the gentle source of flickering firelight. Long winter nights leave me yearning not only for warmth, but light. My friends and I have a tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice, that hopeful return of the light. We exchange homemade or re-gifted gifts, eat, drink, reflect and plan. My husband and I anticipate the Solstice by limiting the use of electric lighting in our house the week prior and instead using oil lamps and candles. Being extremely busy through November and December, I don't have the motivation to do much seasonal decorating, but I do keep an upside-down tomato cage adorned with chicken-wire and Christmas lights complete with a star on top. This year, we've decided to keep the tree until the Spring Equinox, a sure sign that something is missing from our home.

Perhaps the building plans for our off-grid, forever home won't even include overhead electric lighting. Perhaps we'll be able to heat water and a radiant floor with our wood stove. Maybe our dogs and future children will rest comfortably on an earthen bench warmed by a rocket-mass heater. Whatever the case, it will be just right.

Links

Resources

Pinterest: Green Building

Pinterest: Fire

Pinterest: Tiny

Pinterest: Microfarm

Pinterst: Dream Home

Pinterest: Dream Home

Inspiration

Kansas Off-Grid Round Strawbale for sale, Eastern Kansas
(too far away for me to purchase for myself, otherwise I would)

https://www.greenhomesforsale.com/listing/view/united_states_kansas_se_6601_19550

Natural Products
http://livincleanandgreen.com/

Jane Koger's Stawbale Home, Chase County, Kansas 
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/hybrid-house-ze0z10zhir.aspx#axzz3NQVymYaI

Dreaming

Spending time with friends who have been traveling the world is motivating in more ways than one, the less obvious being blogging. Nevertheless, that's what's happening. One of those inspiring comrades reminded me to write throughout the process of my next big adventure: getting back.

My garden is the Flinthills of Kansas, where my mothers' family has for seven generations called home. I am one of but a few in my generation with a need to nest among these deepest of roots. Fortunately, I found a partner who, despite his relative newness to the area, feels the same.

We came to town almost three years ago to save time and money previously spent on highway 50 in an effort to birth a new and much needed business in the perfect community for us. The transition to town was easy and fun for while. The grocery store and the school where I teach are five minutes away instead of twenty and thirty-five. The heat in our home comes from a box on the wall and a mysterious machine in the basement which require no participation, thought or effort. Quickly running home is possible. But I'm done. I'm over it. I've had enough. Living in town has been convenient, but both of us are ready to get back to the county where we can begin building our off-grid straw-bale uber-hyphenated dream-home.

A big turning point occurred this fall when I told the husband I don't want to move to a comfortable, livable, regular, existing house in the county. If we did that, it would be too easy to take too long making design and construction decisions. We have agreed to place ourselves in a temporarily uncomfortable living situation in order to drive our process. Currently, we don't know the details. We're not even sure which county this will lead us to with a few options within our proposed radius. Maybe we'll find a run-down farm house we can patch up and stay in while we build, or perhaps well buy land with no existing structures and live the RV life. Maybe we'll practice green building techniques on a smaller dwelling that will become guest quarters and someday house an angsty teen or two.

Knocking on the door of 2015, I am reminded of my 2006 goal to be off the grid by 2010. But better late then never. And what does a twenty year-old college student know about her future, anyway?!

Woodstock

by Joni Mitchell  

I came upon a child of God

He was walking along the road

And I asked him where are you going

And this he told me

I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm *

I'm going to join in a rock 'n' roll band

I'm going to camp out on the land

I'm going to try an' get my soul free

We are stardust

We are golden

And we've got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside you

I have come here to lose the smog

And I feel to be a cog in something turning

Well maybe it is just the time of year

Or maybe it's the time of man

I don't know who I am

But you know life is for learning

We are stardust

We are golden

And we've got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

By the time we got to Woodstock

We were half a million strong

And everywhere there was song and celebration

And I dreamed I saw the bombers

Riding shotgun in the sky

And they were turning into butterflies

Above our nation

We are stardust

Billion year old carbon

We are golden

Caught in the devil's bargain

And we've got to get ourselves

back to the garden

http://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=75