Warm and Toasty on a Crisp Autumn Night



Dubs and his masterpiece

As September draws to a close,
the temps outside continue to fall.  As promised by Dubs, we now have our wood stove installed and functioning. He, and my "son" Roy, finished installing the chimney today, cutting a 14" hole in the roof to ensure adequate ventilation and exhaust release!  With the installation of fireproof materials and the required collars and fittings, I feel safe now, and toasty warm.

 



Our first fire in the wood stove



Boiling water on the stove

Not only can we heat our living area with the new stove, but we can cook, boil water, slow-cook a pot of stew, etc.  Dubs measured the temp of the stove at the chimney outlet and it was 435°.  So far, since we lit the stove tonight, it's been burning for almost 2 hours, fueled by just 2 small sagebrush logs, and the thermostat says 79°, with the ceiling vent open!  Clearly, we have a super efficient heating machine powered by relatively minimal fuel.   I am quite confident that we will be warm and cozy even when the temps drop into the negative digits.

 



Sweety, our Great Pyrenees, with all 4 of her 3 day old pups

Our Great Pyrenees, Sweety (so named for her personality and the distinct "Y" on her forehead), continues to take exceptional care of her 4 sweet pups.  The pups are as fat as ticks, look like little roly polys, and are starting to display their own unique personality characteristics.

 



Stormy Weather

If today was a harbinger of things to come, we are in for a long winter.  I woke up to lightning, torrential rains, and wind gusts up to 70 mph.  The trailer rocked like crazy in the wind, tables and chairs were tossed about like dollhouse furniture, and one of our 300 gallon water tanks was blown off its platform.

Fortunately, Dubs' solar array withstood the gale force winds and only went slightly out of adjustment.  Since there was no sun to be had, it was moot

Now that the storm has blown through, the temperatures are starting to drop.  I saw snow on Blanca Peak for the first time today, and, according to NOAA, Wolf Creek Pass is closed with 18" of snow already.  My friends in the Springs have posted about thundersnow on Pike's Peak.  Judging from the lightning we had earlier,  I would say the same is occurring on Blanca.

The wood stove is in place, the critters are snuggled up, and Sweetie & her pups are warm and dry. 

We were reminded today, rather abruptly, that winter is on it's way.  We'll be ready.

Reflecting on the past 3 months

As I wind down from another busy day at Wolf Skull Ranch, I can't help but marvel at all that we've accomplished in the last 3 months.

Since beginning our off-grid journey in June, we've fenced and secured acreage for our horses, built a "tiny" tool shed, acquired and installed a solar power system, built and installed a wood burning stove, etc.

Our next focus, before winter closes in, will be to insulate the trailer with straw bales, start on the foundation of our house, build a loafing shed, and construct an earth bag cistern building.  Thankfully, Dubs and I have lots of help from some of my "sons", Roy and Nate. 

Everybody is welcome here at Wolf Skull Ranch.  Just pull your weight, buy your own cigarettes/beer, and respect the "no drama" clause, and we'll all continue to prosper.

Listening to a mountain thunderstorm, about to sign off.  At least I don't have to worry about a power outage.  Take that, Xcel Energy

Peace...out

Propane Tank Wood Stove and Convection Powered Enclosure

The guys built me a wood burning stove today, out of a used propane tank.  After lots of welding, grinding and cutting, it is finally installed, only needing the chimney to be complete.  This little stove will keep us warm and cozy through the winter.  We tested its efficiency yesterday, and found that two sagebrush logs and some tinder will burn for close to 2 hours, maintaining a temperature of 300+ degrees.  Dubs never ceases to amaze me. 

Durock base installed over cinder blocks with metal stud spacers

Placing the top layer of the base over the metal spacers.

Installed the short wall behind the setee. This will prevent the back of the setee from overheating and create mid-level, warm air flow.

Install tall wall to prevent overheating of the outer wall and create upper-level, warm air flow.  The top is similar to the short wall on the right.

Placed the woodstove, made from a repurposed propane tank on the enclosure.  The opening in the base will draw in cool air and be heated by the bottom and sides of the stove.  This will cause convective currents to form in the walls and the warm air will be pushed out the top of the walls.

Opening in lower wall.  There is a continuous channel for air to flow from the front of the enclosure out the tops of each side wall.

With Autumn Closing In

I've been very neglectful of my blog lately, and promise to correct that.  This pioneer girl has been up to an awful lot since my last post of 8/16.   Dubs and I have, with the help of some of our "kids", made remarkable progress in a variety of areas, and are preparing for the inevitable onslaught of Old Man Winter.

As such, I'll make this a progress report.  I realize that many of you out there are legitimately concerned for my well being, and I want to reassure you through blogs and photos that we will not only survive, but thrive through this coming winter, thanks to the ingenuity and brilliance of Dubs.

In the past month, we have installed a working solar energy system, complete with 100 watt solar panels, a 3,000 watt inverter, 2 deep cell batteries holding 193 Ah. and a solar charge controller.  With 330 days of sunshine a year in this glorious place we call Colorado, taking advantage of the solar benefits was definitely at the top of our priority list.

Two months in

Today marks 2 months since we made the decision to buy some land and move off grid.

In these last 60 days, I've learned more about myself than I have in the last 50 years.  For example, it IS possible to go 4 days without a shower, as long as you have plenty of baby wipes and some Mitchum deodorant.  I've learned that I can go without a microwave or a hair dryer, and that the batteries on the Rav4 and Jeep, if monitored carefully, will keep my phone charged and my Facebook account active (Lord forbid I should go completely off grid...I need my social media lol).  I've learned how precious a drop of water can be, especially after hauling 80 gallons of water a day.  Needless to say, when I boil water for pasta, that same water will be reused two more times (I.e.dishes and flush water for the toilet). 

I could go on, but daylight is fading and I have much still to accomplish.  Needless to say, this promises to be the adventure of my lifetime.

Am I crazy to be living this lifestyle? Perhaps.  But when the sh** hits the fan in this country of ours, and the revolution begins, at least I can say I'm dependent upon no one and ready to stand up for the America I remember.  Did I mention, I'm improving on my marksmanship skills?  Gotta love that .45

Until later
Pioneer hugs and chardonnay kisses.

A month in....

It's hard to believe we've been here a month.  In the last few weeks, I've made so many life changes, it's not even funny.  I've learned how to appreciate the niceties in life that we all take for granted, I.e. water, electricity, shelter, etc.   For those of you potential off-gridders out there, some preliminary advice:

1). Always recycle your water, to the greatest extent possible.  If that means washing your dishes in water that was used to boil spaghetti, so be it.
2) Conserve electricity whenever possible.  I just turned out all of the lights and am running off the illumination provided by my cell phone.  The occasional flash of lightning in the distance is almost haunting.
3) Take your solar shower before noon, particularly if you live in CO or a similarly mountainous area.  Lightning and outdoor showers don't mix.
4) Learn to be crafty and ingenious.  That baling twine just might come in handy

Signing off.