Author: Rae

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Off the Grid, But Not Independent

A very grey sky and the threat of a storm has kept my batteries unacceptably low all day. I am so annoyed with the weather this summer. Anyway, I ran the genny for a few hours this morning and conceded that I needed to do so again this evening.

Since a generator should operate with a load on it, I actually microwaved my lunch. This evening, I decided to do a small load of laundry that I could hang in the shower and pulled out my spin dryer, which makes my favourite chore even better. I can’t imagine what the neighours who don’t talk to me must think about my laundry station. Wait till I build a serious one with a retractable roof on it. Bwa ha ha.

I am really loving the generator as it is making it possible to remain off the grid and still have all the power I need. I am however cognizant of just how dependent I am on propane and gasoline. Another solar panel is going to be in order for next summer as my single panel just isn’t enough here (which SUCKS).

I have another electrical upgrade in the works. I have a package en route to a nearby Montana border town, so I will be pulling out my passport Monday or Tuesday to go fetch it. And then the fun will begin. But I have to say the instructions seem a heck less intimidating than did the battery monitor ones, so either projects are getting easier or I’m getting savvier about all this electrical stuff.

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RV Park Chez Rae Has a Vacant RV Spot

L just pulled out. 🙁 Goodbyes were hard, as they always are. He has 200 miles to do to get to the Montana RV park I found, so an almost 11:00 departure will be fine and get him settled at a reasonable hour.

It was interesting to see him hook up his trailer, something I find intimidating. He gave me some hints for how to line up. I’m thinking that at some point I might want a little bumper pull trailer like his, so I might as well get all the tips I can!

I have work to keep me busy today, canasta tomorrow, and I’ll spend the bulk of the weekend helping C&C on their house. So that should ease me back into solitary life.

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A Day in WIllow Bunch

L might be leaving tomorrow ( 🙁 ) so we decided to spend one last day together exploring the environs as I’ve been working while he’s been puttering around and doing some landscaping.

Before we headed out, he made me open my awning. What a heavy sucker! But I did it!

We decided to go back to Willow Bunch to visit the thrift store, the museum, and then try the food at the pub.

The thrift store didn’t have much new stuff, but it’s so crammed full we still made discoveries. L found a gorgeous leather man’s coat that he refused to buy because the buttons were on the wrong side. And then he found another bomber-type leather jacket that fit me really well and he insisted on getting it for me. Wow, what a score! I also found a nice light jean coat/vest and a squeegee. When we went there the first time, L found a giant stuffed clownfish (‘Nemo’), so that was rather hard for him to beat. 😀

We then headed over to the museum, which occupies two floors of the old convent. It is much better than the Assiniboia museum as there are more informational placards. The French left something to be desired, so I left my contact info as I am willing to volunteer a few hours to improve the translations.

For lunch, we decided to try the Jolly Giant pub. It looks rather intimidating from outside, but the interior is cozy. We both had a really good grilled ham and cheese sandwich (fancy whole grain bread and real cheese). L had the tomato soup (obviously homemade) and I decided to take a chance on the fries. OMG, they were real French-Canadian fries, super well cooked and very dark and sweet! Yay, I can find real French fries around here!!!!!!! They could have used another minute in the deep fryer, but I’m just being picky. 🙂

We then took the back roads home. L says that the next time I’m in Kansas he wants to take me to the western part of the state as it apparently looks just like southern SK.

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More Remote Than Dawson City

I’ve only been at my property a few months and I can already tell that living out here is going to be a major pain for some things.

When I lived in Dawson City, I had no trouble getting anything sent up there. If something was sent UPS or by any other courier service, it would get transferred to the Canada Post truck in Whitehorse. No problem.

Out here, I can’t get delivery by anyone other than Canada Post and if I need a street address for whatever reason, forget it.

I ran out of printer ink this morning and thought it would be a simple matter to jump on the Staples website to order some. Well, they needed a street address. I spent 20 minutes chatting with a rep only for us to conclude that delivery here would be impossible since they ship with Purolator or UPS, who don’t serve the hamlet.

My only option was to have the ink sent general delivery to Assiniboia using the post office’s street address. I figured it would be faster to ask my mother to get me a cartridge and then mail to me here in the Hamlet so that’s what I did.

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Visiting the Assiniboia and District Museum

I took the bulk of the day off from work. After breakfast, L and I headed into town for some supplies and to visit the Assiniboia and District Museum.

It’s quite small, but the exhibits are interesting, especially if you have a farm boy like L on hand who can further explain the farm equipment to you. I enjoyed the small exhibits showing early 20th century scenes like a barbershop, general store, and dentist’s office, but my favourite bit was the classic car display. For $5, the Assiniboia museum is a great way to kill an hour or two.

After the museum, we headed out to lunch. Caroline had warned us against going to 121 Steakhouse, but L wanted to form his own opinion so we went there. Service wasn’t great, but the food was good! L started with a French onion soup that was a 9/10, followed by fish ‘n chips. My chicken and bacon club with yam fries really hit the spot. I’d go there again.

We also did some window shopping at The Bargain Shop!, Fields, and the Sally Ann.

Not a very exciting day by big city standards, but it was plenty of fun for simple folks like us. 😀