It’s been a while since I sat down to write an update. Summer has hit full force now, and to be honest, even if I were home on the Rock right now, it’s almost too hot out to get much work done on the land. But even with the heat and being away, things have still been moving along.

Last time I wrote about clearing the land and my mind, and since then a couple of real milestones have fallen into place. For one, the land finally has an official civic number! On top of that, Bell came through and replaced those old downed lines that were hanging around. It might sound like small things, but knowing those pieces are sorted makes me feel good. It means we can actually get in there and clear out some spruce and brush come fall. With any luck, I’ll be able to get home for it.

I’m also hoping we can get a driveway put in this autumn. Bernard is keeping an eye out for someone local who can handle that when the time comes. But of any of you know someone around who does good driveway work, and a “pad” for a trailer of some sort, you know what to do. In that vein, I’ve also been keeping an eye out for used trailers and RVs – something I could just get hauled there to have a dry spot to sleep and boil a kettle while working, or maybe thats all I can afford. But between hidden leaks and soft floors in older rigs, that opens up a whole other set of questions.

In the meantime, since I can’t be out on the land every day, I’ve spent a lot of evenings looking into small shelters. I’ve been weighing up options like converting a shed from Shoreline Sheds, putting together a shed kit from Kent or Home Hardware, or going with a cabin kit. I know it’s cheaper to build something from scratch out of raw lumber, but not being right there on the ground makes that tough, and I can’t afford to pay anyone, even if I knew anyone. If we had all the materials sitting there, I’m sure a group would come together and help out for a weekend, but I’m just not there right now to try and organize anything.

So a lot of what I do these days is plan, think, and worry if I can afford any of this. My mind keeps toggling between whether to dig a shallow well or pay to have one drilled, how to manage septic, or whether a compost toilet or chemical setup makes more sense to start.

Since the goal is to go off-grid as much as possible, I’ve also been researching DC fuse boxes alongside standard AC panels, figuring out how to wire for both. Plus, I’m trying to learn the ins and outs of DC fridges, propane stoves, and propane furnaces.

Anyway, things are still moving right along—even if most of the work is happening in my head for now.

Have any of you built one of those hardware store shed kits into a cozy camp, or faced the choice between a dug well and a drilled one out in the outports? I’d love to hear your thoughts and advice, leave a comment below!