Wednesday the thirteenth was our first night in the yurt and the weather was cool enough we could sleep under the corduroy comforter, my favorite:) It had looked as though we would be staying with friends for another few weeks while I re-patched the earth floor (first patch job didn’t really take) and then coated it with a few layers of linseed and citrus oil. My friends who have done this before recommended that I skip this part and put throw rugs down everywhere as the linseed fumes would most likely aggravate Arwydd’s asthma. We just went through a rough week of nebulizer treatments and endless coughing so no thanks to a repeat of that scene!
So there we were with a surprise - moved up - move in date. To improve things, there is a kitten in the barn and so Arwydd no longer cares about the change in scene, there’s a new pet! A friend’s presentation on Gaviotas, Colombia and his new tree planting non profit coincided with our grand entry, so Arwydd enjoyed showing the yurt to everyone who came. As night fell and the guests left I realized I’d forgotten a crucial element - the lamp! Fortuntely candlelight was enough, and I still haven’t brought a lamp in.
Arwydd insisted that the kitten sleep in the yurt with us, which was a mistake. At first she was cute and cuddly but soon started pouncing and biting toes. When I put her out she circled the yurt and meowed piteously until let back in. After the kitten finally settled down, Arwydd started crying and saying her legs hurt - growing pains... After a candlelight search for Ibuprofin and a long while waiting for it to kick in we all slept. Nothing like a good solid four hours of sleep...
The next night Arwydd had a sleepover and I went to a friend’s place to shower and do wash... and the next? Well in any case we slept in the yurt two out of the last six nights. Tonight is the third day of a scorching heat wave and I meant to try out the yurt, I really did, but the water catchment tank on the barn is dry as a bone. The yurt is hot and stuffy because I left the south facing windows open while I was at work, even the pond is warm as soup.
Excuses, excuses... but this is not about torturing myself. If I wind up hating this experience what’s the point? Maybe part the lesson in all of this is that it’s ok to be a bit more flexible. And that a/c totally rocks.

Tags: yurt, off the grid, change of lifestyle, simplifying