The storm like the year is over. You don’t need me to remind you that the years pass too quickly, life is short, choose to be happy, be with the ones you love…You know all that stuff. If you don’t, there are all kinds of touchy feely blogs out there you can read.

This blog started as a letter to my mother telling her about our life. Then it became a record of our learning curve. It includes a testament to organ donation and the gift of life. En route I have mentioned my struggles with depression, and my fondness for Italian red wine. Talk about water tanks seems to be currently in the forefront.

The reno has been an unexpected adventure. I try to be honest about the off grid challenges of building and living on this island because I doubt anyone learns from an off grid blog advertising an easy mistake free life. We learn from our mistakes by trial and error and we have a lot of trialing and erring.. Maybe you will learn from our mistakes too.

I heard that one of the secrets to happiness as we grow older is having a reason to get up. Sometimes our reason to get up is as simple as needing to put wood on the fire but still it’s a reason. I think laughing is just as important. We do a lot of laughing, often at our mistakes but still we are laughing…

I have found quite surprisingly that creating something from nothing is not only fun but extremely rewarding. To grow a tomato from seed or sew a quilt for a grand child are minor achievements for the women with whom I share this island but for me, someone who had done neither before she was 55 , it’s been an unexpected treat. Learning to create is apparently another secret to happiness..

We have lots more to do here and see and share. I thank you for reading and encourage you stick around. We have committed to a life with no regrets. We are healthy and happy and surrounded by kind friends and loving family. For 2019, I sincerely wish you

all the same

December 31, 2018 sunrise