It’s
raining! The pounding of the drops on the roof of our yurt is sometimes
deafening! Living in a yurt keeps us close to the outside. The vinyl exterior protecting
us from the elements allows us clear auditory access. Our wood fire keeps us
toasty warm. In the winter, the challenge is everything else that makes it
necessary for us to go outside.
When
the rains come, slugs emerge! They pull their way up from underground. Slugs
like moisture. Sometimes I frantically shake a fat one off my toothbrush wand,
or cautiously avoid stepping on one as I walk. I check my cup in the morning before I pour my coffee, and
open up the towel hanging near the outside shower before I dry my face in the
morning. Slugs appear anywhere!
Slugs
are not my favourite creatures, although, over the years, they have
unsuspectingly guided my transition to living in co-existence. I remember the
first time I saw a slug. I was with my stepson, Josh. We joked about
bar-b-quing them. They look pungent and meaty. I’m guessing someone, somewhere
in the world must know how they taste!
I have never done it! I never will!
Cooking
can be a bit a challenging when the wind blows and the air is wet and freezing.
Sometimes I am pick pine needles out of our soup and dishes. Towels take
forever to dry on their own, and the small ponds that accumulate around the
kitchen platform can sometimes get quite deep.
The
ground is very dry from this year’s lack of rain. With my hot pink gumboots I
can go anywhere when it rains, as long as the ‘pools’ don’t reach my knees.
Sometimes it comes pretty close. The interesting thing is, though, by the time
the rain stops, the ground has absorbed the puddles. The earth is endlessly
thirsty.
Above,
the maple leaves are golden with patches of orange and green as they flutter
gently and rhythmically to the ground. I sit and watch. Tenderly the trees
release their tired babies to create a blanket on the ground. The gaps left
behind opens up to sparkles of sunlight streaming through. Nature gently
implies the change that is coming! Maple leaves surround the circumference of
the outside of the yurt. We gather them to make a blanket for our flowers.
We’ve
eaten the last lettuce from the garden. Soon, all the gardens will be put to
bed. Layers of leaves, horse manure, seaweed and fresh compost that we’ve
created over the summer months blanket the gardens before the frost comes.
Today I planted 56 cloves of garlic. Our greenhouse is ready. For the first
time we will be experimenting with seedlings and winter growth.
Mice
find their way to warmth as the weather changes. Somehow they have discovered
the blanket that sits at the bottom of our composting toilet. We finally
discovered how they get in, and have fixed the situation with steel wool around
the inside lid. I haven’t seen a mouse in a long time, but my previous
experiences keep me aware! I keep a stick next to the toilet and I rattle the
pail before I sit.
Most
of the time I am in awe knowing that I live in such a gorgeous place. I never
tire of the spectacular views that surround me. Deer wandering through the
woods sometimes find themselves on the roads. I drive past them slowly.
Sometimes I roll down my window and speak softly to them as they group their
family together finding food and comfortable shelter. Seeing deer as I drive
softens my day!
The
process of collecting, washing and storing our outside artwork is underway. The
Tibetan prayer flags are removed from the trees and the oyster shell garden
receives a complete cleanse. Every one of the shells gets washed and dried. It
takes me a week to complete, and every year I wonder, “Why am I doing this”? And then I remember…it is my
meditation for the fall clean-up. I persevere. All the vases and ceramic pots
get put in sheds or filled with inside plants. Soon we’ll be hanging tarps
around the outdoor kitchen to ward off the winds and rain while we cook, and
also around the outside shower to make sure the winds don’t blow the stream of
water from the spout anywhere else but on our selves.
When
the temperature drops below 10o the refrigerator gets
placed back inside the little cabin. It’s so convenient outside, just steps
away from our outdoor kitchen, which includes a double stainless steel sink,
cabinets and our main source of cooking - a barbeque with an side burner. But,
the fact is, we have to protect the fridge from the freezing elements. This is
our second fridge in 10 years. We want it to last, at least until we move in to
our new beautiful house next summer.
Living
outside is definitely an adventure I love. And, it’s also exciting to know that
this is our last winter without walls. By this time next year we will be
settled into our new house. The progress is slow and solid, and we have a new
home that we will love and appreciate.
It will be warm and welcoming! For now, though…bring on the winter!
