Something to ponder

When you do something, 

you should burn yourself completely, 

like a good bonfire, 

leaving no trace of yourself."

- Shunryu Suzuki, Zen priest

More thoughts on my living situation

A friend of mine who was a long time Yukon resident, and has been to my cabin, told me she thought that I was mis-representing my living situation, and that in doing so I was not being respectful of Yukoners who truely rough it, and/or live way out in the bush. Out of respect for her opinion, and given that for a number of years she lived and raised three small children 30+ miles out of Whitehorse in a cabin with no running water or electricity, and both heating and (I believe) cooking from a woodstove (I don't know if she had a phone,) I'm adding the following further description of my cabin and living situation.

My cabin is located about a 20 minute drive up the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse, and about 1000 feet up a gravel road from the highway. I share my lake view with about nine or ten neighbors, all of us living around one side of Echo Lake, which gives us all a wonderful view of the lake, the tree'd far side and the mountains to the South in the distance, and immediately to the West.

At 12' by 16' I'm pretty sure that my cabin is the smallest on the lake. Certainly there are at least 4 one and two story houses that are likely 2000 or more sq. feet. My neighbors do refer to my cabin as the "little cabin that use to be the Espresso shop." I love it for it's views, and compactness and the fact that I'm probably 35 feet from the lake.

Facilities-wise I have everything but running water and an indoor toilet. Heat comes from a propane stove, so, unlike my next door neighbor, I don't have to chop wood, and the cabin warms up at the flick of the thermostat when I come home in the evening. I have electricity, phone, and I have brought in DSL Highspeed Internet and installed a wireless LAN (just in case being 12 feet from the hardwired connection is too far.) :-)

As my friend (correctly) observed, I have made a lifestyle choice that reflects an interest in living in a smaller place, and trading lake views and access for the convenience of running water and a toilet indoors. And, as someone who works in town in an office each day, I have the option of "holding it," and using the toilets at work. I joined the local gym to use the shower facilities (and also use the gym about 3 - 5 times a week.)

There are an amazing number of people who live "off the grid" up here. Some, particularly in rural communities, do it out of necessity... some small communities might not have sewage systems, and / or may get their water delivered by a trailer truck. Some are professionals who have decided for any number of reasons, to choose a simpler, more basic lifestyle, out of principal, interest, or need. And some just live far enough from infrastructure that they have no option. And those situations can yield pretty fancy solutions at times, with wind powered turbine or solar electrical generation, satellite High Speed Internet, gravity fed water, wood-fired hot tubs and composting or "flash fry" toilets.

So by Yukon standards, I have a pretty cushy set-up. What I enjoy is thinking about my current trade-offs and decisions in light of our last house in Kansas, with its 2 1/2 baths, four bedrooms, etc. Living in the Espresso cabin has freed me to spend time (and money) to do other things, and it's hard to beat the view! When I shoehorned MacKenzie and Peter in last summer, they and I could be canoing or off on our mountain bikes right from my door. And little can compare with the memories of us sitting by a fire by the lake, roasting marshmallows in the evening, and listening to the call of the loon family as the lake water lapped at the shore.

So I hope this more detailed description of my living situation is a respectful response to my friends concerns. The majority of the Yukon population live in comfortable suburban style homes around Whitehorse. A lucky number have access to restored gold-rush era homes in Dawson City, or plush and cozy houses with spectacular views overlooking Marsh Lake or Lake Labarge. And some of us, by necessity or choice, live with a varying degree of tradeoff... sharing this beautiful part of the world.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet

The light is coming back to the Yukon amazingly quickly. At the winter solstice, the sky doesn't start to light up until about 9:45, when the first faint rays begin to the backlight the clouds behind the mountians.

This morning, I noticed that when I left my cabin at 7:40, the clouds about the mountians were already beginning to glow, and by the time I began to descend "Two Mile Hill" into Whitehorse, the clouds were a full-on pink-orange color, which was incredibly beautiful.

And after work last night, it was still light, with the air feeling the cool dampness that reminds me of Spring up here, rather than the bone-dry crispness the is characteristic of the depth of Yukon winter.

I know we will have more cold days before Spring, but the promise of it is around the corner... ok, maybe two months away! :-)

Hoping for Love Under Northern Skies

Not hoping but rather I’m yearning,

Aching with separation that has no resolve,

Some tell me that anything is possible,

But some actions are too big to absolve.

But this is not an acceptance of defeat,

Rather faith in time and persistence,

Over time, the tallest mountains,

Yield to the rains’ insistence.

So while rain washes away mountains,

And I chip away at their base,

What will be the life of the hewer?

What will be the look on his face?

Grim determination is not my nature,

But neither are regret nor sorrow,

Each place I have known has its beauty,

Each hard day and dark night, its tomorrow.

I can’t and I won’t live in sadness,

I live in to beautiful a place,

The people, the mountains, the rivers,

Bring the return of my smile to my face.

So I’m hoping for love in my future,

In time of borealis or midnight sun

I’m prepared to wait and make ready,

In the meantime I want to have fun!



OK, it sounds like bad Robert Service, but I mean it.

Upon reflection, I am amused at the thought that had Shakespeare written in a cabin in the Yukon, he, too, might have ended up sounding like Robert Service... "Hamlet" could have had a very different feel! So long Iambic pentameter, hello doggerel!

"To be, or not to be, that is the question

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them?"

might have ended up as:

"Whether it will happen or not,

we pondered as we moiled for gold,

is it better to freeze or be hot?

or fight troubles with acts that are bold?" :-)

The kindness of friends

Last night I slept at the home of a friend, rather than in my own bed. With temperatures below -40, I left work to find that my car was frozen solid.  One friend tried to help me jump start my VW, but we quickly determined that it was too cold to get started.

He drove me to a second friend's home, and she took me up to my cabin so I could set up a heater for my propane tank... it turns out that propane jells at about -40, and I had heard about several restaurants in town that had had to close because of jelled propane.  My propane stove is my only source of heat for the cabin, and I wanted to ensure that I would have a warm place to return to, once my car problems were resolved.

My friend, Kim,  and I went to the "Copper King" bar for steak sandwiches and beer, and then home to her place, where she let me crash in her spare room.  

People look out for one another here, and every good deed comes back in returned kindness.  Last year I helped Kim install new light fixtures in her home, and replace a leaky faucet.  Last night I slept warm and cozy under her roof.  Today a third friend drove me up to pick up my repaired car at Canadian Tire.  And so the great prayer wheel of life spins up here, through the cold winter nights.  And I, and the people whose lives touch mine, and mine theirs, all whirl in a wonderful Northern dance of caring and community.  I am blessed to have become caught up in the dance!