September

Fall came quickly. Nights were cold but propane kept us warm enough. We knew, for sure, that we made the right decision to find a place to rent in town for the winter.

The string waited in the pipe. Waited to pull the long awaited electrical wire. We waited too, wondering, when will the day come? We've worked so hard to get to this point, what is taking so long on the other end? Almost three weeks go by. We make a call. There was a mix up and Fortis doesn't even know we are waiting. Finally we are put on the list. We will have power... sometime this year.

In the mean time we move to our winter lodgings. An old, one bedroom cabin (?). The windows are single pane, and after much effort and time, the house is sealed from the mice. But, it has heat, water, electricity, and even a full sized fridge and working oven! The girls run in the yard every day and go for horse rides whenever they can.

We enjoy fall days at the beach, the fall fair, and cozy school days. Venturing out, we explore the hidden gems around town, like desert and beach walks.





Then, Jason's truck quits, breaks seized, thankfully in the driveway. We're grateful it happened after the two of us manage to move the 500+ pound piano from Kelowna to the cabin and pull the RV into position for next year (although the RV's retractable legs are now stuck in position and the screen door handle broke, but at least it is now all winterized and ready for the cold).

Then it happened.

This morning I got a text from a friend who just so happens to work for Fortis. And he sent me this:

And as Jason put it: We have been electrified!!!

Daily lessons

The last couple of weeks of summer have flown by quickly. Full of heartaches and heart fullness, each day teaches us something.

A week of summer holidays with Jason was wonderful. We did very little work and enjoyed what we could of the area despite the thick smoke we were living in. Much was spent in the trailer to escape the dense haze that settled on the property, but we managed to see some new places, such as Conkle Lake. Family time is never wasted.

Fortis came on the 21^st to pull the string through the underground conduit. We were ecstatic to know that electricity was coming soon. Not all things go to plan though, as we know. Instead, we found the old conduit full of water and Fortis was unable to complete the job. So, Jason and I took things into our own hands and after some intense digging, we managed to clear the way and pull the string ourselves and left the last 10 feet (out of 300) for Fortis to complete. One week later we finally had the string all the way through from the meter base to the transformer. We still sit and wait for Fortis to come back, yet again, to pull the wire through. So, we might, just might, finally have electricity next week… just in time for us to move into our winter rental down in town. Oh well, I guess we’ll be set for spring. Patience is never mastered.

Yes, we found a cheap rental place down the mountain in town. Just a little one bedroom cabin, but it’s much roomier than the trailer for the winter. The most wonderful thing is that we can bring the rabbits and it is located on an acreage which boards horses. The girls are in their glory with horses in their back yard. Minutes from the library, skating rink, and stores, we’ll be set for winter. We will surely miss the property, but look forward to sledding days when we head up there for snow fun. We have been blessed twice this winter.

We continue to work on the shed, putting in insulation and beginning the siding. We hope to have it ready for the winter for the days we come up. We’re not sure if that will happen as winter is approaching fast. Fall is definitely here and the nights are cold. Our timing isn’t always the best timing and that’s okay.

Lastly, we said good-bye to the straw bale idea and finally decided on a beautiful small cabin home. As much as I’m a bit sad, now that the decision has been made, I’m very excited. It is everything we need, fit into 1000 square feet. I can’t wait to start the next step in the spring. Dreams never stop evolving!