Didn’t sleep again. I was up till 5am and out of bed by 8. My foot feels like I’m walking on broken glass, painkillers help, but it’s another thing to bring up at the doctor in a few weeks. Three different creams haven’t fixed it. Two are steroids doing nothing, the third one helps the […]
Looking back on May – A Monthly Review
May was a bit of a wild ride. Off-grid living means that everything takes more effort than you think, and this month reminded me of that again and again. But between the sweat, setbacks, and surprisingly satisfying moments, I’ve made real progress. Garden Wins (and Losses) The potatoes are looking good. I mounded them up […]
Mold, Movies, and Making Do
Started the day doing a bit of garden maintenance; mounded up soil around the potatoes and yanked the rest of the radishes. They’d bolted, and the roots were more like red strings than veggies. Not worth the space. Then… surprise! Found condensation inside one of my storage boxes. Opened it to discover mold city. Yuck. […]
Back to the Jungle
I made it back home this morning. Some plants didn’t make it, others bolted or went to seed, but honestly, most of the garden survived. I’ll call that a win. The weeds, however? Absolute chaos. Even where I had barrier and mulch down, they’ve taken over like it’s their land now. It’s overwhelming, but after […]
When Everything Feels Off
Another rough night. Same 3am wake-up, even though I took a Xanax at 10pm thinking it might help me finally get a full night’s sleep. Nope. That disappointing mix of tired and wired is really getting old. I think the letdown from yet another person flaking on helping with the well hit harder than I […]
Potatoes Gone Wild & Disney Before Dawn
Another 3:30am wake-up. Ugh. This time, I tried something different – stayed in bed and threw on a couple of old Disney movies (Jungle Book and Dumbo). It helped a little, but I still don’t know when I drifted off. Maybe around 6? I was back up by 8. A solid 5–6 hours of sleep […]
Stormy Skies, Dull Dates & Dance Parties
Happy Star Wars Day! (Yes, I said it – May the 4th be with you.) Woke up at 3am, just before the storm rolled in. I pottered around for a couple of hours, caught in that weird space where you don’t know if it’s better to be productive or just lie there and try to […]
Low Battery Mode: Burnout, Bullet Journals & a Bit of Mulch
Today started with a familiar rumble, the big generator ran for around 9 hours on 5 gallons of gas and shut off just before 7:30am, which conveniently became my wake-up call. My neck? Way better. Barely a twinge this morning and I think I can skip the painkillers today. Small victories, right? But overall… I’m […]
260lbs of Nope!
Woke up around 6:30am. Neck’s doing a bit better — not quite pain-free, but the painkillers are still doing their job. Progress, right? Started the morning with my usual background noise: NPR, Reuters, and BBC headline podcasts. It’s part habit, part grounding. Keeps me feeling connected, even out here. I finally pulled together the shopping […]
Tools, Tech, and Tiny Wins
Woke up just before my alarm, feeling a bit stiff. Sleeping in the travel trailer again — the mattress is way firmer than the fifth wheel, and my body always needs a few nights to adjust. Still, I was feeling motivated, which makes all the difference. Big win of the day?I built the arched garden […]