Living With The Threat of Wildfires…

 7:30pm – 53 degrees – scattered clouds…

A few years after we moved up here, Tony had a DNR (Department of Natural Resources) Fire Forester come out to look at our place and let us know how we would fare if a wildfire came through.  The outcome of that visit was the knowledge that we would be on our own.  We were told that ground fire crews would not be sent out due to the steepness and inaccessibility of the mountain ridge we live on.  They may send out an aircraft to drop some fire retardant on our house but that’s about it.  On the positive side, the DNR guy did say that we had a great start on the defensible space around our home and had the right to stay and protect it.  Before he left, he gave us some information on how to make the defensible space around our home even better.

If you are not sure what ‘defensible space’ means…it is an area around a structure where fuels and vegetation are treated, cleared or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire towards the structure.  It also reduces the chance of a structure fire moving from the building to the surrounding forest.

We are very aware of the danger from wildfires, and so far, we have only been in various levels of ‘evacuation zones’ a handful of times – several times we had our rigs all packed and ready to go, and we have actually evacuated twice when the fires have gotten a little too close for comfort.

This wildfire last fall was less than two miles away from our house and we did end up evacuating.

Over the years, we have had a few wildfires that were very visible from our house.  During the day we could watch as water and fire retardant was being dropped from airplanes and helicopters, and during the night we could see the glow of the raging fire, on the next ridge line over from us.

Last night we had another scare with a fire that was about 3/4 of a mile from our house. Usually when there is a fire, or visible smoke within 5-7 miles of us, our phones blow up with calls and texts. However, yesterday it had been raining hard all day, and it was foggy with low clouds, so no one saw the smoke or fire. It wasn’t until it got dark, the rain stopped, the clouds lifted a little, and then you could see the orange glow from the burning trees.

When we first saw the hillside on the ridge across from us ablaze, and we hadn’t heard anything about it, we went with assumption that no one knew about it yet and went into evacuation mode – sent a group message to our neighbors to inform them of the fire that was in close proximity, called 911, and started packing our rigs in case we needed to leave.

Within a half hour, Tony and Jack had their fire equipment pack and went to inspect the fire, we had our rigs packed and ready to go, and another neighbor had contacted DNR. That’s when we found out that the fire had started out as a planned controlled slash burn that had gotten out of control when the wind unexpectedly picked up to 30+ mph wind gusts which caused the burning slash piles to jump to the surround trees.

Thankfully they got the fire back under control, and no structures or people were hurt. But it was still a bit of a stressful night as this has been the closest fire to our house to date.

Winter Prep | Car Emergency Kit...

1:50 pm - 49 degrees - drizzling...

When my siblings and I started driving, our parents made sure we all had emergency kits in our cars, and we have all continued with that habit. Now that our kids are at that stage in their lives, we make sure they also have emergency kits.

Really everyone should have some basic emergency kit in their car - they come in very handy when on road trips and even in daily life.  Anything is better than nothing, and it's always good to be prepared.

Now that fall is here, we're starting to do our winter prep because snow is right around the corner... which for us means winter storms, and possibly getting stuck in the snow until we can get dug out. So I'm checking what I have stored in my SUV and restocking as needed.

Love that my Telluride has this storage compartment where I can keep everything out of the way and organized. 

The black bag is for random tools and misc. items - zip ties, fire starter, knife, matches, compass, mirror, handwarmers, duct tape, etc.

The red bag is for first aid related items - band aides, gloves, tweezers, gauze, pain killers, etc.

Between the back to chairs, I have a basket full of snacks, that gets regularly refilled. (Please excuse the dirty car - we live the mountains, and it is impossible to keep a clean car!)

Here's a list of what I have in my car...

Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Benadryl, Ibuprophen (Advil)

Bottled water

Car Safety Tool

Emergency Mylar Blanket

First Aid bag

Hand Warmers

Hand sanitizer

Hats, gloves, warm socks 

LifeStraw Water Filter

Nylon Rope

Outdoor Edge Knife Set

Snacks

Storage Bag

Portable Solar Wireless Charger

Rechargeable Flashlight 

Rechargeable LED Emergency Road Flares

Roadside Assistance Emergency Kit

Wipes

Zip ties

Lemon Blueberry Bread...

6:50 pm - 60 degrees - lightly scattered clouds...

This is a new family favorite. Moist, flavorful, delicious, and can be served for breakfast, snack, or dessert. I also love to make it in patterned bundt pan.

~ Lemon Blueberry Bread ~

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter (melted)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons fresh grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

~ Lemon Glaze ~

2 table spoons butter (melted)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9" x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper or a bundt pan lightly greased with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking power and salt, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, blend together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.

While slowly mixing, alternately add in the flour mixture and milk - add some flour, then some milk, then the rest of the flour, then the rest of the milk. Stop mixing as soon as its just combined.

In a small bowl toss the blueberries and 1 Tbsp flour. If using fresh blueberries, rinse the berries off, so they have a bit of moisture on them so the flour will stick. This flour coating will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of your mixture while baking.

Add the flour coated berries to the batter and gently, but quickly, fold the berries into the mixture.

Immediately pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool bread in the pan for about 30 minutes, then move to a wire cooling rack with a baking sheet below (to catch the glaze you are about to add).

Prepare glaze by simply whisking together the melted butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, then pour glaze over the loaf. Allow to set for a few minutes then enjoy!

Notes:

If baking the day before serving, wrap cooled loaf in plastic wrap and store at room temperature WITHOUT the glaze. Then, mix up and add the glaze the day of serving.

Store leftover lemon blueberry bread at room temperature, or in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Fresh or frozen blueberries work, whatever you have on hand.

You can freeze the bread in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Harsh Truths About Homesteading and Off-Grid Living...

10:12 am - 65 degrees - clear sky, 24+ mph wind gusts...

First things first - you need to realize that the "simple life" isn't so simple. Too many new homesteaders fail to realize that a simpler life does not mean an easier life. In many ways, you will be working harder than you ever have before.

With that being said, if this lifestyle is the right choice for you and your family, all your hard work will be more than worth it!

Here are a few harsh truths that we have learned along the way...

A lot of family members and friends will think you are nuts. -- Get used to it. Some people just will not understand or embrace your lifestyle choice. They may even try to talk you out of it. That's okay, just keep doing what you are doing.

Instead of getting defensive, or frustrated, try to stay focused and positive. Try to surround yourself with supportive people who can help you achieve your goals.

Homesteading is unpredictable. -- Often times you are dealing with the whim of Mother Nature and she cannot be controlled. Not enough rain, and your garden or crops suffer, or the threat of a wildfire gets high. Too much rain, and it ruins your garden or crops, or your road washes out. Crazy howling wind (which is a normal thing here) causes its own damage. And snow... trying to keep our driveway/road open is a full-time job and makes all the chores 10 times harder.

Forest fire about 1.5 miles from our home.

Besides Mother Nature, you also have to deal with whatever Life throws at you. Every year is different. Every year has its own difficulties, hardships, and rewards.

Homesteading and off-grid living is year-round, long hours, and hard work. -- Homesteading is 365 days a year... in sickness and in health... sunshine, rain, howling wind, and snow... and often involves long hours with hard work. 

It is also hard to get away. Want to go on vacation for a week... a weekend... or even an overnight trip? Who is going to take care of the animals?

The Rules Of 3. -- Everything takes 3 times longer than expected. You think building the chicken coop will take 1 week to build - wrong it will take 3 weeks to build.  

3 regularly used items will break within a week of each other. The washing machine will die, then the next day the power inverter just stops working, then a several days later something breaks on one of the cars.

And finally, the top 3 - time, money, and healthy - one always seems to be missing when you're getting ready for a big project.

Both Homesteading and off-grid living cost money. -- Some people may choose to develop a sustainable income from this lifestyle, and some may choose to continue working their traditional jobs. Either way is great, just choose whatever works best for you and your family. 

Just keep in mind... you will still need some sort of steady income. This lifestyle is not free, in fact, sometimes it is quite costly. You will need financial resources to pay taxes, insurance, purchase equipment, medical expenses when they occur, and any other supplies you may need. Just try to take things one step at a time.

This lifestyle is not for dummies. -- In reality, there is a drastic learning curve for beginners. Unless you grew up with this lifestyle, you will find yourself looking up how to (fill in the blank) quite often. 

If you want to grow your own food, you will need to learn how to garden, and how to properly preserve that food. You will need to learn construction, plumbing, and electrical work. You will need to know how to build a chicken coop, or raised garden beds, or how to build a fence, or how to build a shed or barn, or how to wire your off-grid power system, or how to plumb your garden's irrigation system.

The vast amount of knowledge, over a wide spectrum, that you will need is sometimes daunting, and much of your education will be in the form of on-the-job training, and learning as you go.

You won't always be able to do everything yourself. -- Regardless of how hard you try to do it all yourself, sometimes you will need help. Whether that help is in the form of barter, trade, paid help, or simply getting advice from someone with more experience - it is nice to have a network of like-minded people who you can look to when needed.

You are going to fail at some things. -- Some of your failures may not be pretty. And some may result in should of, could of, would of moments.

This lifestyle is going to have its major ups and downs. Your farming equipment may fail. Your snow removal equipment may break during a snowstorm. You may run through your savings more quickly than you thought you would.

But if you try to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, you will hopefully maintain a healthy attitude.

Windstorm broke our first set of solar panels.

You may occasionally have a love / hate relationship with this lifestyle. -- You are going to have times of frustration, disappointment, failure, and ask yourself "what the heck are we doing?" "Why isn't anything going as planned?" "What have we gotten ourselves into?".

You will also have feelings of accomplishment, appreciation, and sometimes awe - which, at the end of the day, somehow makes all of the chaos worth it.

These harsh truths are not to discourage you, but to hopefully help you. With some advance planning and forethought, and by learning from other homesteader and off-griders' mistakes, you will be able to weather through the initial rough periods. With each passing year, you will gain more experience, more knowledge, and more confidence to handle the inevitable problems that come with the territory. You will also gain the satisfaction of living out a rewarding lifestyle that you and your family enjoy.