I've been asked a bunch how I feel about living so far away from civilization. Actually, we are only 20 minutes from the nearest town, but unless you have 4-wheel drive or chains (or both) you can't get to our house about 9 months out of the year, and I couldn't be happier. I love that we don't have a doorbell and all that implies. I love that I wake up to trees and horses and animals (domesticated and wild). I love taking both short and long walks and never seeing a soul. I love how quiet it is, although we do have planes that pass overhead and we always stop and listen to see if someone is coming up our road. I love being able to hear people 1/4 mile away come up our road. We definitely don't have solicitors. We definitely don't get people in the middle of the night that are drunk and looking for their home or their friend's house (yes, this happened to us twice in our last house). The only artificial light that shines through our windows is the one that gets kicked on in the middle of the night if the horses get out, the raccoon is getting into the trash, the elk is muching on the alfalfa, or the wind is blowing the trees. I love our woodstove and waking up to a warm cabin, now that we found out that aspen will burn almost all night and you should burn it when it has just a tinge of green, where cottonwood and pine is spent in an hour or two. I love watching MacGyver, my man, chop firewood and hear it echo through the canyon. I love spending so much time with my family and working side-by-side with my husband. I love the sunrises and all the birds that come out and sing in the middle of winter because the sun is out. I actually saw a bird take a snow bath a few days ago. I love how safe we feel. I love back-up plans that include a generator and an extension cord. I love Carharts, leather gloves and work boots. I love fences made from trees, and the smell of alfalfa. I love my warm comfortable bed and caramel coffee in the morning. I love fresh-baked pumpkin or banana bread. I love homeschooling and all the life-lessons, conversations, and 'rabbit trails' that make homeschooling so cool and rewarding. I love being still and peaceful. I love watching all the life lessons my kiddos are learning by 'living off the grid'. It's a simple life; certainly not for everyone. There are sacrifices but they are easily forgotten in the shadow of these beautiful mountains.
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