I’ve always been captivated with tiny living. The idea of being mobile and parking my tiny home in an open field opening up to views of a rolling landscape of trees and wildflowers, or parking it on the beach hearing the roaring waves as I go to sleep at night. Or wait! The mountains. What about parking at the base of the looming mountain and waking up to the hazy sky covering the sun just enough to drown out its shape, but not the glow of pinks and deep oranges it emits in the early morning hours. Yep, that’s where I would park it.
I have also been drawn to the freedoms that tiny living provides, from the minimal belongings and clutter to frequent movement and the ability to change where you start and end your day, your week, your month. The freedom to explore, to simplify and to be reminded of the slower pace in life that allows for restoration that all to often gets drowned out in the rat race culture we live. Reducing our carbon footprint and living off-grid not only significantly reduces the cost of living, but also the impact to our environment. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t consider myself a global warming activist, but I do like to remain mindful of the affect that our decisions make on this magnificent planet.
This past week my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by escaping together. As per usual, I wanted to do something that we hadn’t done before. We both love being outside in nature and enjoy escaping the ordinary. In my quest I came across a remote escape just about 4 hours north west of home for us. So without telling my husband what we were doing for the night we got up early in the morning and drove to Fall Creek, Wisconsin to get a taste of off the grid tiny living.
“Sometimes you just need to go off the grid and get your soul right.”
Tiny homes have become increasingly popular as people choose to live with less and debunk the notion of the “American dream.” Bigger isn’t always better, what can I say? I have dreamt many days of the possibility of clearing the clutter and going tiny myself so this was a good test run.
I was eager with anticipation as we pulled in the drive. Once the door to our home away from home was opened, we were greeted with spectacular views. The windows encased a scene that almost looked like a painting and as the night fell the moon illuminated the trees dancing in the wind ever so softly.
For the record, I did make the man sleep next to the window. I could not get the image of me waking up to someone staring at me through the glass out of my mind in time to actually execute the falling to sleep part. I left that fun to him. Within minutes he was snoring so apparently the irrational fear of some hillbilly murderer watching us sleep was only mine.
Being off-grid for us meant a dry flush toilet. We were able to flush the toilet a limited number of times while we were there, because anymore than that we would have run out of self closing bags to seal things in. In other words “If it’s yellow let it mellow…” you get the idea. A heated mattress pad and portable heater to warm us in the winter night. In the beginning of the year they established running water from the well on site, while the generator outside gave us our light and power. Given that this was the first winter that they were using the well on the property and that the running water wasn’t a guarantee depending on the temperatures outside, we brought bottled water just in case. Wisconsin winters can be confusing and a 50 degree day can be followed by a day in the 20’s with snow so we remained prepared.
We cooked a romantic dinner for two, because if we were only going to get one night in this tiny luxury we needed to experience cooking in this space. The mini fridge was just enough to hold the items needed for our stay. Utensils, plates and cups were provided by the owner. In addition, as a wonderful gesture coffee and a few condiments were as well. After dinner we played card games, talked, laughed and connected without distraction.
In the morning we enjoyed a simple breakfast and lounged. We read. Laid back down. Got ready. Laid back down. Meditated. Laid back down. Sense a theme?
I did enjoy the pace in which this environment created. We were forced into rest and relaxation. We were able to get out and explore the nearby town, and venture in and out of antique shops and little brick and mortar store fronts to escape the dreary weather. I always find it enjoyable to experience the town that we stay in. Our outdoor bon fire plans never came to fruition, and on the morning of our departure the sun was shining brilliantly, but the trails nearby were wet which made hiking a little less desirable so we crossed that off our list too. The overcast skies and rain the day we arrived did make it ever so much more enjoyable as we hunkered down inside enjoying the amazing views with our creature comforts.
As I gazed out the windows I imagined seeing a mama bear and her cubs slowly approaching our little hide away. Nope that didn’t happen. Do they have bears in Fall Creek? Anyway, to say the least watching the wildlife wasn’t really anything to write home about. We did meet this sweet guy (I spy with my little eye), and I gave my best attempt at bird watching with the supplied binoculars. Attempt is the key word in that sentence as even the birds seemed to evade me. Bears I could understand, but birds? Really?
After living in this space for 24 hours I will tell you that my tiny house would need to be a little less tiny if my husband and I would like to celebrate any more wedding anniversaries. Sounds carry. Smells carry and it gets messy fast. My biggest nightmares summed up into one pretty little package. With that being said, I still think I could do it. I think that the adventure of it all would over shadow the frustrations. Not now. Not with two kids and two dogs (one of which is a Saint Bernard). So tack on a couple more feet and a couple more years and I’d still be up to the task of waking up in the wildflowers, at the beach or the base of that mountain. In the meantime, I will continue to try to remain mindful of the environment and what I can do to reduce my families carbon footprint. I will continue to take small strides to remain minimal in the purchases that I make, think quality over quantity and consider the products in which the items are made of. Or, maybe I will never be a full time tiny home dweller, but I may find myself doing more long term travels in a van, a remodeled bus, a tent or another visit to an inviting tiny home!
“I live in a very small house, but my windows look out on a very large world.”
Confucius
Here is a list provide you with a little inspiration to get you thinking tiny and off grid:
- Tiny House Nation- Netflix
- Living Small Tiny House Documentary- Amazon Prime
- Life Off Grid- Amazon Prime
- Expedition Happiness- Netflix
- How to Live Mortgage Free- Netflix
- Minimalism- Netflix
- The Far Green Country- Amazon Prime
Could you go tiny? What would you miss the most by going off grid?
Roots & Wings,
Kyleen
