Well, here I am in my first harbor, Bug Hill Farm, in Ashfield, Mass, where Kate Kerivan grows a multitude of berries, both common and exotic. My favorites are Aronia berries, super packed with anti-oxidants and mouth puckering with tannins. I pulled in last Thursday, August 25th. It took me 35 minutes to get here from Greenfield, and an hour to get backed into my parking spot. I had to rush off to Cambridge for some appointments, so I didn't have time to level the trailer, with the result that I am bungee corded to my desk to prevent my chair from rolling away.
On the way to Cambridge, fortunately just a few minutes out, my power steering failed, and I was unable to turn the wheel more than a few degrees. I am so lucky that this didn't happen in the morning when I was towing a very large, heavy trailer on curving country roads!!!! My truck is in the shop, and until I get it back, I can't level the trailer, which requires creating a little ramp of leveling blocks and pulling the trailer forward onto it.
It's been an exhausting year, and I am trying to allow myself some rest, in between learning the various systems of my new home and figuring out what to put where and what to do with everything that doesn't fit.
I am really excited about my photovoltaic system, designed and installed by PV Squared of Greenfield, MA. I spent a lot of money on it, but I will have enough power to be off grid almost all the time, pulling my electricity from the sun. Even when I use my electric kettle to heat up tea water fast, the battery levels only dip for a short while. The glorious sunny weather is letting me use my crock pot and even my toaster oven.
I am also very much looking forward to my consultation with Chris and Cherie of Technomadia, who will advise me on what internet system to set up so I can stay connected, and upload photos and audio. At the moment I am going through my iPhone data plan like a hot knife through butter.
I have a steep learning curve ahead of me on many fronts. I need to learn how to use my Kimberly wood stove, turn on the propane water heater, set up my new system of data backup for my laptop, learn how to use my new digital recorder, my special RV GPS, reset the codes on my digital door lock (where did I put those instructions?) and the tire pressure monitor that will keep me safe on the road, practice hitching and unhitching until I don't have to consult the notes each time, inaugurate my Sun Oven, and finish securing all the drawers and cabinets so things don't go flying when I drive. I also need to do my best to shift weight toward the back of the trailer, which isn't easy given how I had it built. Ooops.
But today I filled my water tank with a very long hose, and did my first load of laundry with the tiny Wonder Wash hand cranked washing machine which I only had to turn for 2-3 minutes, and the spin dryer, which gets clothing almost completely dry in 3 minutes! My clean clothes are finishing drying in the sun.
The most challenging part of this process is sifting through belongings and letting go of so many objects that carry memory and identity. To make things more difficult, some of the boxes I put in storage got wet, and the unit is now smelling musty, which means I have to get vulnerable items out of there asap before they are permanently contaminated.
In the meantime, I go to sleep each night in my elevated bedroom, with stats in my windows, and wake up at dawn to birdsong. Early morning, the open ended greenhouses are full of bees and birds among the ripening raspberries. The adventure has begun.
On the way to Cambridge, fortunately just a few minutes out, my power steering failed, and I was unable to turn the wheel more than a few degrees. I am so lucky that this didn't happen in the morning when I was towing a very large, heavy trailer on curving country roads!!!! My truck is in the shop, and until I get it back, I can't level the trailer, which requires creating a little ramp of leveling blocks and pulling the trailer forward onto it.
It's been an exhausting year, and I am trying to allow myself some rest, in between learning the various systems of my new home and figuring out what to put where and what to do with everything that doesn't fit.
I am really excited about my photovoltaic system, designed and installed by PV Squared of Greenfield, MA. I spent a lot of money on it, but I will have enough power to be off grid almost all the time, pulling my electricity from the sun. Even when I use my electric kettle to heat up tea water fast, the battery levels only dip for a short while. The glorious sunny weather is letting me use my crock pot and even my toaster oven.
I am also very much looking forward to my consultation with Chris and Cherie of Technomadia, who will advise me on what internet system to set up so I can stay connected, and upload photos and audio. At the moment I am going through my iPhone data plan like a hot knife through butter.
I have a steep learning curve ahead of me on many fronts. I need to learn how to use my Kimberly wood stove, turn on the propane water heater, set up my new system of data backup for my laptop, learn how to use my new digital recorder, my special RV GPS, reset the codes on my digital door lock (where did I put those instructions?) and the tire pressure monitor that will keep me safe on the road, practice hitching and unhitching until I don't have to consult the notes each time, inaugurate my Sun Oven, and finish securing all the drawers and cabinets so things don't go flying when I drive. I also need to do my best to shift weight toward the back of the trailer, which isn't easy given how I had it built. Ooops.
But today I filled my water tank with a very long hose, and did my first load of laundry with the tiny Wonder Wash hand cranked washing machine which I only had to turn for 2-3 minutes, and the spin dryer, which gets clothing almost completely dry in 3 minutes! My clean clothes are finishing drying in the sun.
The most challenging part of this process is sifting through belongings and letting go of so many objects that carry memory and identity. To make things more difficult, some of the boxes I put in storage got wet, and the unit is now smelling musty, which means I have to get vulnerable items out of there asap before they are permanently contaminated.
In the meantime, I go to sleep each night in my elevated bedroom, with stats in my windows, and wake up at dawn to birdsong. Early morning, the open ended greenhouses are full of bees and birds among the ripening raspberries. The adventure has begun.