Teresa 
A guide to identifying, harvesting, preparing, and brewing Chaga from the forest If you’ve ever walked through a stand of birch trees in a cold northern climate, you may have noticed a dark, cracked growth that looks almost burnt into the bark. That unusual growth is wild Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus), one of the most … Read more
Cougar Encounters in the Wild: Safety Tips and Facts Don’t run and don’t back down!If you spend time hiking, camping, or living in cougar country, it’s important to know how to stay safe. Cougars (also called mountain lions or pumas) are elusive, powerful predators that avoid humans most of the time—but knowing what to do … Read more
If you heat with wood regularly, one of the best upgrades you can make is adding a heat powered wood stove fan. After using the Ecofan on our off-grid wood stove for over eight years, I can honestly say it’s one of the most useful wood stove accessories we’ve ever bought. A good stove fan … Read more
Where do Pack rats live?Where do pack rats live? Well apparently they live in my Cabin. Well I’ll give you some Pack Rat information and then I’ll tell you my story and give you some ways to get rid of these nasty creatures.
The Cabin Floor One of the first major projects we tackled in our little cabin was replacing the floor. The old floor had seen much better days. It was dirty, damaged, and clearly needed to go. We were almost certain that once we removed the old flooring we’d discover nothing but a dirt floor underneath. … Read more
2025 Update: We have taken the wood stove out and put in a propane furnace. It’s wonderful and the cabin is now for our guests
The cabin is only 10 x 11 so there was no need to leave the big cast iron wood stove that was in there. A small wood stove will do the job we need it to do.
There are all kinds of small wood stoves out there, we are trying to recycle and use what we have so spending money was not part of the plan. We found a larger wood stove in the cabin, but the heat from it would have blown us out of there, so we decided to buy a cheaper wall tent stove.
The existing front door is damaged so we will be taking an exterior door from the addition to the main cabin and use it.
The additions will slowly get taken down and we will be re using whatever building supplies we can.
There are so many things to do on this property, for sure there is no shortage of projects. We decided to start working on the small cabin again and try to get it ready for winter trips up, but before we could fully focus on that, there were still a few things at the main … Read more
Living off-grid comes with incredible rewards—peace, quiet, and a deep connection to nature. But it also means sharing your space with wildlife. At our property, bear encounters aren’t rare. In fact, over the past few summers, I’ve seen a bear almost every time I’ve driven up to the cabin. And let me tell you—those moments … Read more
Installing a metal roof on this small cabin was the next step after tearing off the old roof. Once the old shingles and insulation were removed, the structure could finally be prepped and made ready for the new metal roofing. Before putting the metal on, the roof needed proper ventilation and insulation to prevent moisture … Read more
