Sweet Homestead Alaska: Dry Cabin "Plumbing"/Daily Life

Wyatt & Oak in the tub playing with cups

We live in what is refered to as a dry cabin which means that we have no running water. Therefore we have no conventional plumbing. We actually set up the kitchen sink this summer to drain into a grey water tank but that wont work in the winter as the line going out just freezes. Heat tape would work but requires more power to run than we have available. You can see that the kids are bathing in a galvenized tub. The sink has a container with a spigot on each side for water and a conected drain going down into a bucket which must be emptied. The honey pot or thunder mugs have been set up to slide into a wooden frame with cushion seats. We made them at two levels one for the boys and one for Lisa and us big folk. Ken and I are still using the outhouse with the exception of late night calls. We also have a training potty seat upstairs and one downstairs for the boys. The one downstairs is used as a little boy urinel because Wyatt prefers to pee standing up. We just leave the lid and seat off it for him. You can kinda see it in the picture it's sitting behind the lower honey pot. Water for bathing and washing dishes is heated on the wood cookstove.

Kitchen Sink

Honey Pots in a Frame with cushion seats

For entertainment we watch movies usually on one of the two 7" screen dvd players. These are the kind that you mount on the back of your car seat so that the kids in the back can watch them. they are 12V and we have them hooked into a battery that sits on top of the propain stove that is currently just an added counter/cabnet space. I also have a small MP3 plyer that I hook into some little battery powered speakers so that we can dance around the house. This is of coarse when we aren't outside playing in the snow. Taking turns being pulled on the sled behind the ATC. It's all good fun, for a sled we've been using the old hood off my 69 chevy it's all good until you crash ;)

If we are feeling like a treat we'll watch a movie on the "BIG" 19" screen instead. This TV is hooked into the 6 battery bank located in the breezway. It is charged by a set of RV solar panels and or a generator. Off of this bank we run: the "BIG" TV, charge my computer, charge other baterries, and run our only electric lights wich are in the kitchen (2 LED Lights) which use a total of 5 Watts. I've asked Ken to build me a stationary bike generator so that I can help creat power durring the winter. All he needs is to find an alternator thats in good shape. Even the kids could help by pushing the petels around for fun.

"BIG" TV, VCR & DVD

RV Solar panels on front porch

6 Battery Bank inside front door

2 LED Light 2.5W each

We've been working hard gathering wood. We found a patch near the back of the property of standing dead. Ken went back and cut some and I helped by hauling the logs out on a sled. Talk about hard work, I'm even more determined now to get at least one sled dog. This week Ken is in Manley taking an ETT class which is pretty easy for him so far as he was already a nationaly certified EMT but he let his certification expire just before we left AZ. It gives him a week off from the heavy lifting ;)

I do alot of cooking and baking though not as much as I would really like to do. I make homemade breakfast bars and or muffins once a week to eat in the mornings. Lunch is usually something simple like sandwiches and crackers. Dinner I try to make a big meal because Ken is always starving. Two of my favorites lately have been Moose roast that you could cut with a fork and Sweet and Sour Chicken. I'm hoping to start baking bread but I've been kinda lazy about it since we've had store bought sliced bread in the freezer. I need to start baking some fresh bread though to make the sandwich bread stretch. Maybe today after I wash the dishes. We'll see what other chores I can find for myself.

MOOSE ROAST

The roast I slow cooked all day on the woodstove in my dutch oven. I lowered the oven into one of the removable burners and burnt a low fire all day. I put in olive oil, a can of evaporated milk, water, a can of cream of mushroom soup, a handful of dried chopped onion, garlic and sea salt. I also added a can of sliced carrotts and some cubed potatoes.

Sweet & Sour Chicken With Fried Rice Bush Style

The Sweet and Sour chicken was an adaptation of a Betty Crocker recipe. I chopped 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts. I put in a fry pan: the chicken, olive oil, dried bell pepper (handfull), and dried chopped onion (handfull). The juice from the chicken and the olive oil plumped up the peppers and onions. Then I took a can of Pinnaple drained it set the juice aside. I mixed with the juice 2 Tbsp Cornstarch, 6 Tbsp Vinager, and 2 Tbsp of Honey. Then I added the pinnaple and sauce to the chicken and cooked a couple minutes until it was warmed and the sauce had thickened. I made with this Fried rice. I just cooked the brown rice as usual accept I added soy sauce to the water and added a can of peas before removing from the stove. I cooked 2 eggs worth of dried egg product (per container instructions) and mixed into rice after removing from heat. Vwalla Sweet and Sour chicken over fried rice Bush Style.lol...

Breakfast Bars

My breakfast bars I use a base and then I add different things to it to make different flavors. Here is my base and some suggestions for add ins. 2c rolled oats, 1c apple sauce, 3/4c milk, 1/4c honey, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 egg. Add in that I've tried that are good: Nuts, dried fruit (ex: raisins, craisins), flax seed, chia seed, chocolate chips, marshmellows, peanut butter. Some things that you can swap honey can be replaced with real maple syrup or Agave nector, Milk can be replaced with pretty much anykind of juice, you can add white or brown sugar to taste if it's not sweet enough for you. I really like to make a fruit one with raisins, craisins, dried currents, walnuts and flax seed. I also really like a smores style one with chocolate chips, marshmellows and walnuts.

After a long day of hard work/play, a nice hot dinner and an evening movie we're all relaxed and ready for a good nights sleep.