December on the Mountain

2022 - What a wild year!

Wow, another incredible year on the mountain and one whole year of writing this blog! I’m so happy to be able to share my experiences, and trials and tribulations with you. I must say, 2022 was WILD. Full of hard work, fun and friends.

The Front Room

The new addition! This is how it will be until spring. We’ll likely make wood siding and do a tin roof.

I hope this January will be like last year with one exception. Water. Last year the stored cubes of water froze solid. For showers, washing dishes and watering animals, I resorted to melting snow. This year we have 4 cubes stored in the new addition. The doors to the sea can house are wide open, allowing the newly insulated 150(ish) square feet to warm up. I’ve already been able to get water from them!

New front room with a view.

From Piggie to Porkchop

When I got the pigs I suspected they may not do well in the cold. I’ve read that they can do okay with lots of bedding to cover themselves in - but one of the three has been particularly dainty (for a pig). As soon as the weather dropped below freezing she refused to come out of their house. After a few days, it became obvious that she was struggling. Sadly it was time for her to go.

Exhausted but happy.

Harvesting an animal is a strange mix of emotions. It’s both something that I’d been looking forward to and dreading. It’s a lot of work! I’d never processed an animal from start to finish and was looking forward to making it into actual cuts of meat. It took two days - three with grinding and stuffing sausages. We had a fun afternoon of mixing spices and frying small ground pork patties to determine what should go in the sausages.

I’ve read and been told that potbelly pigs aren’t particularly palatable - so far this pig has been very tasty!

Bunny Blankets

One byproduct of raising rabbits for meat is beautiful, fluffy furs. I’ve been learning how to tan and preserve their hides by trial and error. There are a lot of different ways to tan, so finding what works in your circumstance takes time and patience.

Now that the weather has changed, using the subzero temperatures to my advantage works. The final step in making hides soft is to ‘break the hide’, breaking the fibres that keep them a stiff rawhide. Using a ‘sublimation’ technique allows the hides to dry gradually while frozen, making them pliable and more like fabric.

It was a ton of work, and now I have a pile of lovely furs.

Christmas

With the front room insulated, we went to town for Christmas! After having issues starting the snowmobiles in the cold, just one would run. Our only choice was to double on the machine. Since I’m the more experienced rider, I drove and Curt held on for dear life! Luci rode happily in a backpack between us. She’s a surprisingly adaptable kitty and even wore some clothes for the occasion.

Merry Christmas!

The New Year - 2023

I’ll admit, the last two years have been tough - basic needs have been the main focus. Water, food, and a comfortable place to sleep. This year will be different. I’m looking forward to having more fun, doing a lot of learning, and making this place my oasis. Instead of surviving, it’s time to thrive.