Would you live in a Yurt in Winter?

Off the grid, in Northern Minnesota? Apparently, it can be done:



Even in the frozen North, a yurt's so good

Grace Brogan and John Kamman live in a yurt.

It's a squat round structure with lattice walls, a dome skylight and a few layers of canvas over the whole thing — think of a tent with stiff walls. Tents are great in the summer, but this is winter. In northern Minnesota.

Why would two employed people with three master's degrees between them choose to live with only a quarter-inch of material between themselves and the elements? And how do they stay warm?

To find out, I drove a dozen miles north of Bemidji on a recent morning and hiked a quarter-mile across a snowy field. It was not yet dawn, and from the outside, the yurt's vinyl windows glowed with firelight.

Inside, a small home's worth of furnishings lined the circular wall. A calm mutt named Mabel loitered near the crackling wood stove. The yurt was actually a really nice place to be. [...]

They are young, so I'm sure it's an adventure. At first I thought, a grizzly bear could break in and eat them. But it says only that they live off the grid, a dozen miles North from Bemidji. They talk about "going into town", so I think they probably aren't in an extremely remote area.

The inside of the Yurt looks nice, very cozy. Do follow the link to see the other photos, and the interview with them answering questions. Be sure and click on the "gallery" link to see the extra photos.

     

Super Christmas Lights, VS my paltry effort

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

It's quite a Light Show, music and all. (H.T. to Kim Komando)


Here is my meager display:


I almost didn't bother. But I ended up doing it for the same reason I do it every year. The gloom and early darkness get to me. The lights cheer me up tremendously. My effort isn't all that grand to be sure, but it sure lights up a bit of my life, our life here on the farm. A bit of warmth in the growing cold and darkness.

And mine doesn't take as long to put up or take down! ;-)



It ain't fancy, but we like it. I'm way behind on the Farm Report, two months behind, but I'll hopefully get to it soon. I've had a lot of other priorities, gearing up for winter, and other things.

     

Christmas Lights Are Here at Last...

Been meaning to put them up, and finally got around to it yesterday:


A nearly full moon rises over the farm as the sun sets.


I hung the colored lights across from the living room windows, so we could see them from inside.


The winter moon shines through the cold damp mist. The weather forecast says SNOW is on the way for the weekend.


The warm looking lights will cheer us through the dark cold winter. I will probably leave them up until March at least.
     

Happy Holidays, and a Very Happy New Year!

OK, I'm a bit late with the "Happy Holidays" part, as Christmas, Hannukah etc have already passed, but better late than never, as they say in the classics.

We put our Christmas lights up when the daylight savings time fall-back happened, and they will stay up till we spring-forward again in the Spring. I can't be bothered to put up lights for just a few days or weeks, so we leave them up all through the dark season, to give us cheer.




Indoor decorations, like the artificial Xmas tree and the Christmas Angel Wreath, will get taken down soon.




The problem with leaving indoor decorations up for too long is, they get dusty, and you'll choke on the dust when you have to take them down and dust them off. Just try leaving your tree up for a couple of months past Christmas; after the dust storm that's generated when you take it down, you'll be unlikely to do it again.


This time of year is dark, cold, damp and bleak; yet even in it's bleakness, I still see a bleak kind of beauty in our farm and it's cold landscape.






In the bleakness the earth rests, in hibernation and sleep, storing it's energy in preparation for rebirth and new life in the Spring. It speaks to me of hope.


It's in that hope for rebirth and renewal that we now enter a new year.


Best Wishes to All People of Goodwill for a
Happy, Healthy, Wealthy & Prosperous New Year for You and Yours!