Old Life New Life

Getting ready to ride!

When we first moved here we were into the cowboy type of life. We had plans to make our buildings look like an old western town. The horses were the most important part of our day. I couldn't wait to get out of bed in the morning to feed them. I always held Georgie Girl's feed bucket while she ate. She tends to go after the other horses' food if you don't watch her. So I would stay with her, petting her often while I held her bucket. She loved having me pamper her. I loved pampering her. I still love her so very much, but it has been a long time since I held her bucket or even brushed or petted her. I have been spending more time in the house because my legs are so bad that I have to walk with a cane or even times a walker. It makes me so sad.

The structure in the background is now our barn!

Things were so different for us back then. For one thing it was only the two of us here. Now my son has been here for about two years, I guess. He is hoping to move out this month or next, at the most. I hope it really happens. We have had many different things happen to us along the way. But back in the time of this photo, you can see my husband had a true relationship with our horses. He really did love and care about them. Now things have become so hard here, that he is not "into" them anymore. I am torn.

 Georgie Girl all tacked up to go.

As you get older, some jobs are just really hard. I always thought things would get easier. But money has been hard to come by. That meant those things I thought would get done, never did. It makes me not like it here anymore. I want life to be easier. The horses are not the hard job. The hard jobs are the wood work, the shoveling snow, the pumping water outside and carrying it inside, filling the bath tub with buckets of hand carried water, outhouse work, etc. These are all jobs my husband has to do and he hates it. It is just plain hard when you get to be over 60 years old!

Notice our wood buck fence!

The conveniences I crave (I know, makes me sound weak and spoiled!) are running water out of a faucet, lights.........lots of lights at night or on gray days, a washing machine and a dishwasher. I admit it, I hate to wash dishes by hand!!! I HATE IT! And to be able to use my computer at night, or my crock pot, whenever I please. Living off-the-grid means you cannot do any of those things unless you generate enough power to do so. Easy, if you live in New Mexico or Arizona, but not in New York state! We are the dreary state. If you have enough solar panels and batteries, you can generate enough power for all of that in NY, but it takes money, and quite a bit for a solar array that big. So.......we suffer without and buy one panel at a time.

Notice how thick our trees in the forest were back then! I miss that.

It is not my husband's fault anymore than my own. I had a job and I quit it when I had trouble with my legs. If I hadn't done that, maybe I could have earned enough money to buy those extra solar panels or at least to purchase the wiring to put up the wind turbine (which is sitting in the barn waiting to be set up). I'd like to see my homesteading life take on different challenges and expand beyond what it is now. I am in a dead end, so to speak. Now I feel like my life is going to go in a different direction. I am not sure what will happen, but I think changes will take place in 2013 and I hope they are for the best for both of us.

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2012  Kathleen G. Lupole