My Grandma lives in Wisconsin as well, though she doesn't live in a yurt. Instead she lives in a house in a small town. But I think that this kind of lifestyle, especially as an adventure for awhile, is far more wondrous. Especially if it includes a sauna and is so close to beautiful scenes in nature! I would love having access to a lake, especially Lake Superior - for Breb is quite landlocked, the most water we have is a few creeks. I am so grateful every time I get to swim in, or be around, a lake of any kind! And the snow truly is something amazing over there... Your story is truly inspiring, Elaina!!
And thank you, Sophie, for bringing this story to your readers. Both of you are gifts to Substack! 💚 💚
We've also been using the humanure system for about ten years now. It's really nice to hear about someone else doing the same, it doesn't happen all that often! When we go away for a couple of days in winter we also encounter a similar situation - that the inside temperature inside is the same as outside. One particularly cold winter when we woke up in the morning it was 6°C in the room (we never keep a fire going at night). From our wooden home in the mountains, I can totally sympathize with bringing the temperature up to a nice degree... but you have that amazing sauna. I think I now need one of those for after our cold baths in the creek. Thank you for sharing your story ♥
Humanure is super cool because of the cyclical process. I'm looking forward to using the Humanure soil to plant veggies and then we really have a circular system in place!
I love hearing about our home life from my wife's perspective. Of course nothing she's said is new or surprising to me, as I know how she feels about our setup- but it's fun to read about her thoughts in one cohesive interview (thanks, Sophie). We love our home in the woods and the off-grid "inconveniences" that tie us back to the real world and the important aspects of our everyday lives. It's been a more beautiful and substantial existence for us- both physically and mentally.
Oh love to meet Elaina's other half 👋 I enjoyed this interview as well. As someone who also lives off the grid I wouldn't want it any other way either!
I loved how you explained the practical aspects, like your heating setup and how you deal with water. The rustic elements of your lifestyle really show the beauty of simplifying.
Changing your mindset toward sustainability is so important.
It's also interesting to think about life back on the grid (which we probably will do someday) and how I can maintain some sustainability features, while also probably having a more standard septic system.
I think there are tiny habits like turning lights and water off when you aren't using them that feel more important to me now than before.
I think a lifestyle shift to being more sustainable is simply limiting incoming items into the home. That way we are making habits of reducing food waste, and using what we already have before buying new.
There is a slow rhythm to living off grid that forces you to do things like empty grey water in the middle of doing the dishes and while that can be annoying, I hope I always can have the slow rhythm of off grid living.
My Grandma lives in Wisconsin as well, though she doesn't live in a yurt. Instead she lives in a house in a small town. But I think that this kind of lifestyle, especially as an adventure for awhile, is far more wondrous. Especially if it includes a sauna and is so close to beautiful scenes in nature! I would love having access to a lake, especially Lake Superior - for Breb is quite landlocked, the most water we have is a few creeks. I am so grateful every time I get to swim in, or be around, a lake of any kind! And the snow truly is something amazing over there... Your story is truly inspiring, Elaina!!
And thank you, Sophie, for bringing this story to your readers. Both of you are gifts to Substack! 💚 💚
Thank you for your lovely comments Csermely as always. I live relatively close to water and don't think I could miss it!
Thank you Csermely! I would highly recommend the Lake Superior Circle Tour. It's an incredible way to experience the magnitude of the lake.
Wow that looks like quite an amazing trip! When I get out there I will make sure to do it. Thank you again for your lovely post!
We've also been using the humanure system for about ten years now. It's really nice to hear about someone else doing the same, it doesn't happen all that often! When we go away for a couple of days in winter we also encounter a similar situation - that the inside temperature inside is the same as outside. One particularly cold winter when we woke up in the morning it was 6°C in the room (we never keep a fire going at night). From our wooden home in the mountains, I can totally sympathize with bringing the temperature up to a nice degree... but you have that amazing sauna. I think I now need one of those for after our cold baths in the creek. Thank you for sharing your story ♥
We're considering humanure system in the future as well but currently we just have the good old "hole in the ground" system 😅
Humanure is super cool because of the cyclical process. I'm looking forward to using the Humanure soil to plant veggies and then we really have a circular system in place!
Thank you for reading! It's not often to meet a fellow toiket-less person! And yes, sauna is great!
So very interesting! Thanks to you both for sharing! 🌿
I love hearing about our home life from my wife's perspective. Of course nothing she's said is new or surprising to me, as I know how she feels about our setup- but it's fun to read about her thoughts in one cohesive interview (thanks, Sophie). We love our home in the woods and the off-grid "inconveniences" that tie us back to the real world and the important aspects of our everyday lives. It's been a more beautiful and substantial existence for us- both physically and mentally.
Oh love to meet Elaina's other half 👋 I enjoyed this interview as well. As someone who also lives off the grid I wouldn't want it any other way either!
Hi Elaina,
So inspiring :)
I loved how you explained the practical aspects, like your heating setup and how you deal with water. The rustic elements of your lifestyle really show the beauty of simplifying.
Changing your mindset toward sustainability is so important.
Thank you for sharing.
Hiiiiii Sophie
I hope you are having a good week.
Thank you Neela, wishing you a lovely weekend!
thank you so much and same to you too :)
It's also interesting to think about life back on the grid (which we probably will do someday) and how I can maintain some sustainability features, while also probably having a more standard septic system.
That's an interesting question to ponder for a bit, how can we maintain sustainability while still connected to the grid. Giving me ideas 🤔😁
I think there are tiny habits like turning lights and water off when you aren't using them that feel more important to me now than before.
I think a lifestyle shift to being more sustainable is simply limiting incoming items into the home. That way we are making habits of reducing food waste, and using what we already have before buying new.
There is a slow rhythm to living off grid that forces you to do things like empty grey water in the middle of doing the dishes and while that can be annoying, I hope I always can have the slow rhythm of off grid living.
Hey Elaina
Yes! Blending the best of both worlds feels like the sweet spot.
I imagine some habits and features from off grid life will naturally carry over.
I will look out for that article when that time comes lol
Happy May…..