My Second Anniversary of Tent Living

I moved into my tent in November of 2011, so it's been two year now. Nearly as long as Thoreau lived at Walden Pond. I've planted no beans, as he did, and I don't bathe in a pond, but like him, I've lived the simple life long enough to get a good taste of it.

This second year of tent living was my year of routine. Last November, I was setup much as I am today, which means that I've solved all the problems that needed solving, and I know how to live well through each season.  My one big home improvement project during this past year was to hang a tarp over my picnic table during a particularly long Summer rain storm on an otherwise pleasant day when I wanted to spend some time outdoors. But that's it. So I am cruising along now on a steady course.

This November is different from last since I know exactly what to expect in the coming months. Last November started with a feeling of dread since I had not yet had a good Winter experience. But last Winter was a great success, so now that is my new memory. And I know now that there will be very cold times, as well as warm and cozy times. And long, dark evenings spent reading in solitude next to a fire. And early bedtimes. And cold mornings when the coals did not last through the night. And wind and rain and Winter storms. And clear, crisp, snowy days that will make me squint and smile. And hot coffee with my morning walks through the quiet, snow-covered pine woods. And visits to my swing and picnic table and hammock, covered with snow, surrounded by mud, waiting for Spring's warmth to wake them up again. And stacks of kindling and firewood that I will have to keep dry and well-supplied and tended to, that being my primary concern this time of year.

I can already say with confidence that I will live yet another year this way, should all things go according to plan. I've yet to seriously consider returning to the normal way of life, this one being so much simpler and therefore preferable to me. This time of year, I often sit by the fire, gazing into it for awhile, then look around my home, realising, as I often do, that I want for nothing more. And that makes me smile, knowing that I am living well and right, for me.

Land Search Continues

It's been a month now since I started my most recent land search. I ran a Craigslist ad looking for land to lease for off-grid living, and posted a corresponding link to Facebook. Both received a lot of attention. Several of my friends offered to let me stay on their land, and to-date I've gotten about 140 blog hits from the Craigslist ad.

I also met some new people, like Donna and Ron who saw my Facebook post and asked about writing an article on my lifestyle, and Jonathan and Joe who saw my Craigslist ad and sent me emails. Jonathan was very encouraging and said he would pass the word to his friends. But it was Joe's email that got me thinking.

Joe lives in a rural area about 3 hours from me. He owns an 86-acre farm. Sometime ago, Joe let a friend setup a camper on his property for occasional overnight stays during hunting season. An anonymous neighbor complained about the camper to the county who sent investigators. Joe was informed that he was in violation of various county ordinances and was forced to stop using the camper.

I also heard from my old friend, Elizabeth, who I'd met on my previous land search back in 2011. She had also shared with me some of her experiences with nosy neighbors and county authorities.

By now, I was starting to get angry! How could the county restrict someone from tent camping on private property? I did some research. From what I can tell, there are three areas of concern that people wanting to live my lifestyle should be aware of:

• Health codes. Especially in the area of water and sewer
• Fire codes. Such as fire-retardant materials, indoor use of propane, wood stove installation, and so on
• Occupancy and zoning. Limitations on "camping", and the definition of "campgrounds" (this is where Joe got into trouble)

I already learned about the health code issues when I setup my tent toilet back in 2012. And the fire code restrictions are probably a good idea (considering I've already had a few mishaps with my propane heater and wood stove!) But it's the limitations on tent camping that can be the show-stopper.

I was pretty angry about the whole situation until my friend, Elizabeth, finally talked some sense into me. "Oh, my. Looks like you have swapped priorities and choose contentiousness over enjoying life in your tent. I feel bad for you!", she said. That really got to me. Of course, she was right. I was getting all worked-up just thinking about the authorities ending my peaceful lifestyle. So worked-up, in fact, that I had already ended my peaceful lifestyle without a single visit from the county!

So my current strategy is to lay low and be a good neighbor. And maybe invest in some camouflage.

Candle Making

I don't have electricity at my place so I light with oil lamps and candles. Candles never completely burn. They always leave behind remnants of wax after the wick is gone. I gather up these pieces after each candle and, from time to time, melt them all down into new candles.

I have a small pan dedicated to candle making so I don't worry about melted wax spoiling the pan.

Melting wax chips

I always burn candles in small containers so that the wax doesn't drip onto my table tops. I use these same containers as candle molds.



Candle molds

Once the wax is melted, I pour it into the molds. I use a sieve to remove any debris, like old wicks, and insects that flew into the old candles. I let the candles cool just long enough to form a thin layer of hardened wax on the top and bottom, which holds the new wick in place.

Cooling the wax and inserting the wicks

Here's the finished product in use, lighting up my bathroom.

Autumn Squirrels

It’s harvest season again. That used to mean something to humans when we lived close to Nature. When we were each keenly aware that our food supply was part of the yearly cycle of our planet. Before commercial farming and global agriculture and supermarkets, we each knew where our food came from. It was grown in our own fields, or foraged and hunted from our surroundings. And we knew how our food supply depended upon the seasons. We knew the season to plant, the season to cultivate and grow, and the season to harvest. But that antiquated awareness is now gone for most of us. We now do our gathering at 24-hour supermarkets and restaurants which seem to always have a bounty of food available, no matter the season.

 

But while modern humans no longer associate their food supply with the seasons, most other life forms still do, which means that October is still the harvest season for many. It’s the time when surplus food is quickly gathered and stored away for the coming of Winter. And so it is for squirrels in Virginia.

 

In my area of Virginia, the squirrels seemed particularly active this Autumn. I have a large walnut tree just outside my door so I have a front-row seat to the harvest. There are always two or three squirrels in the tree this time of year, scurrying up and down the limbs and around the trunk, cutting walnuts from the tree and dropping them to the ground, then picking them up and carrying them off. Very industrious! Always on the run. Is this a stressful time of year for them? Do they feel a sense of urgency?

 

I love watching squirrels during the harvest. Their behaviour personifies many of our most esteemed values. They work hard, and benefit from their own labour. They plan ahead, and save for tomorrow. And they’re independent, each relying upon themself to gather their own nuts. There is no "nut factory". No working for "Nuts, Inc.". No investing in the "nut market". Want to eat this winter? Go gather some nuts! And so they toil on, each one of them, gathering all the nuts that can be found until each has enough to carry them through until Spring. Some will be more fortunately than others, but each has their own equal chance, so long as they work hard.

 

And they all work hard! Running up and down trees, this way and that, always on the run! Especially when they’re away from the woods and out on the roads. Standing just at the edge of the road, looking first in one direction, then quickly spinning to face the other. Taking a quick step or two, then stopping, and turning again. "Come on, little fellow, make up your mind!" I’d say to myself, slowing my vehicle as I approached them, until finally there was nothing more to do then to commit to my chosen route, hoping that I had correctly predicted their next move, which I often did, but sometimes didn’t.

 

I hit only one this year, but had plenty of near misses, as I did a few weeks ago. I was driving along a narrow country road when I spotted a squirrel ahead on my right, just at the edge of the road. As I began slowing down, planning how to avoid him, I realised that the oncoming vehicle would be just to my left at the very moment that I reached the squirrel. I wouldn’t be able to swerve, so I tried to slow down even more but there was no way to fully stop before reaching him. It would be up to the squirrel now.

 

The little guy stood up on his hind legs just as I and the other vehicle closed in on him. He was facing the road, and took a quick few steps toward us, but then quickly spun around and ran safely off into the tall grass to my right. Relieved, I looked up and smiled and waved at the oncoming driver.

 

He was an older man in his sixties with neat grey hair. He wore a dress shirt and drove a clean, new Ford F-350. He looked at me but didn’t wave back, seemingly unaware that he and I had just collaborated to save a squirrel! As he passed, I joked to myself, "Nice truck. Must have cost a lot of nuts. Wonder which trees he gathered from?" I looked in my mirror, expecting to perhaps see a "Nuts, Inc." bumper sticker on his truck, but there wasn’t one.

 

We’ve come far since our days of hunting and gathering, but we’ve lost much along the way, too. While our physical hunger has been satisfied, our spiritual hunger has increased in the bargain. Now, instead of gathering nuts, we must all gather money to carry us through the seasons. And our money-machines are not nearly as nurturing as our Mother Earth.