We’re about halfway through our first winter living in the yurt, and we still love living in it, so that’s a win!
There have been some unexpected challenges and definitely one thing that I dislike, but overall, it’s been a great experience! This land we’re on has such a special meaning to our family, from the way we found it to all the short weekends we spent on it before moving here. It is something that I hope we’ll have forever, something to give to the boys when we’re too old to take care of it anymore.
Let’s talk about heat! Boy does our wood stove work well! We have it running every day pretty much. I like to be extra warm and sometimes I smoke Je out and he has to open the doors to cool it off. But at any rate, we’re not cold that’s for sure. Some mornings we’ll wake up and it’s in the 50s inside, but that’s just because we don’t stoke the fire during the night. The in floor heat is working wonderfully, but we are definitely crushing through propane because the slab isn’t insulated like a house, and the walls of the yurt are not as insulated as a house. But it’s only temporary living until we have our house built.
Let’s talk about the WIND. The gusts of wind around here can get crazy- we’ve probably had 50 mph gusts on some nights. And when it’s windy, you basically don’t sleep (well, the boys do but not Je or I). Since the yurt isn’t as insulated as a house, you hear the wind as if you’re outside. I’ve almost completely gotten over my fear of the yurt blowing over in the night so that’s good! And luckily it’s only windy like that a few times a month. But I’d say that’s the only downfall of living in the yurt- the rest is great!
Now for an animal update. Mice have found their way to my car! I’ve never in my life had a mouse problem in my car, but I guess it’s super common where we are, with or without a garage. So to scare off the mice, Santa brought the boys each a kitten for Christmas! They live in the shed where it’s heated just enough to keep it above freezing. And they have a cat door to go in and out. They haven’t caught a mouse yet that I’ve seen, but I think they’re doing a good job of keeping mice away just by their scent. I’m hoping we have at least one good hunter out of the two.
I think we say almost daily how lucky we are to be in such a magical place. We also have recently discovered an owl that lives in the trees nearby, so we hear him almost every night after dark- amazing! Living out in the middle of the woods has its challenges, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. That’s it for my winter update…Enjoy some pictures below 🙂
Poppy Seed Farm 