If I hadn’t see all of three people in the last sixteen hours or so (none of whom seemed the least bit curious about me) and if there wasn’t one guy who drives his big diesel truck too fast, I would swear that I live in a ghost village. The sounds last night were not unlike the sounds at my old homestead, birds and coyotes mostly. Very peaceful.
I am disappointed that I did not sleep well though. Too many numbers dancing in my head. Thankfully, I am still working steadily and do have money coming in, but it’s not enough. I need a really big juicy contract to land in my lap. I’m at the point where enough comes in to pay the bills, but with nothing leftover for when calamity strikes repeatedly. I have had A LOT of help in the last few weeks, without which I would never have made it here (thank you again to everyone!) and which I thought was going to give me measure of peace of mind while I got settled here. This last blowout completely f***** me over. 🙁
Anyway, it’s a beautiful cold morning here on the prairie, but it’s warm in the sun in my truck. It sucks to have to drive 3.5KM to get online, but there is a big difference between driving to a public wifi location and driving to a quite turnout where you can use your own connection (which is FAST, wow!). I feel relaxed and that I can do what I need to do. This is going to be a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand, I am more productive when getting online is difficult. On the other, I need the internet to get and sometimes do work.
None of the Bell devices can take an antenna, even if I could get one high enough to get a signal (unlikely). I am going to call them and see what they have to say for themselves considering the village is most definitely dark blue on their coverage map. Of course, being Bell, they are difficult to reach. I miss Verizon.
As promised, some pictures:
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I’m parked right at the entrance to the property where there is a little cement for the front wheels to sit on. Getting the truck in and out is a pain.
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Here’s the other side. I want to park much further back and right smack in the middle of the lot where there is more clear sky. I’m okay for now, but will have no solar once the trees get leaves!
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Can you see how deep the rear wheel is? The other side isn’t as bad and the front is on cement, so I’m confident a stomp on the gas pedal will get me out. I’m waiting till I can get some plywood to put under the wheels before I try to move again.
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This is the rear of my lot. I will be much happier back here. Right now, my side passenger view is right into my neighbour’s kitchen!
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View from my truck office. 🙂
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To the right of me.
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Behind me.
The lot next to mine looks really wild, junky, and deserted, which makes me feel better about my lot being neglected last summer. I would like to rake up the leaves and trim some trees, but am loathe to invest in any tools until I can afford to put a small shed on the lot. Even better, I’d like to meet a neighbour who would be willing to rent tools, including a lawn mower, but considering how little of an impact my arrival made yesterday, I’m starting to doubt I’ll get to know anyone that well. For a mower, I’d like a little non-powered push type like I had at my house. But that kind of a purchase won’t happen until I can put a lockable storage building on the lot. I checked Canadian Tire and there are some small sheds available for under $500. I am going to keep my eye on the classifieds. I’d also like some pavers to use as a foundation.
I still have no idea what I’d have to do to get water on the lot, but with power lines running right over it, I think that getting electrical will be fairly straightforward. I checked out the Saskatchewan power site and they say it’s a two-step process. The first is to get a pole to your property and the next is to install a metre. I imagine I’d still need a pole, but that it would be way cheaper to install one where there are lines than it would be to bring lines in. Later this summer, I will ask for quote as there is no obligation for doing so.
But, really, power is my last concern. What I really need water. There is a hydrant on the corner which gives me the impression we are on ‘city’ not well water, but I need to confirm that as that would actually surprise me considering just how far out in the middle of nowhere we are. Sewer is not a concern since I can go for ages as long as I can leave my grey valve open.
I also need to call the municipality on Monday to see if I am eligible for Tuesday morning trash collection. My property taxes were only $19 last year, so I won’t be put upon if they say no. If that’s the case, then I’ll need to find the dump. Because of the cat litter, I do generate quite a bit of trash and can’t let it pile up. If am eligible for trash collection, then I need a garbage can, which, again, I can’t get till I have a place to store it. 🙂
