off grid Archives

How To Hack A Chicken Killing Dog

by KatieApril 15, 2017June 13, 2023Dogs / Homesteading35 Comments

Anyone who has chickens and dogs at the same time knows the anxiety that goes with introducing the two.

Our dog, Link, killed 15 of our birds the first time he was ever trusted alone around them. Now he is left alone with them regularly and hasn’t touched one since. How did we manage this? By hacking Link! So no more chicken killing from him. Now we have a new rescue husky, Laska. Unfortunately she killed a chicken her first time around them. We used the same trick on her, and two days later, she ignores the chickens when they walk up to her. Continue reading “How To Hack A Chicken Killing Dog”

Dealing With Isolation And Alaskan Winters

by KatieMarch 13, 2017June 13, 2023Family / HomesteadingLeave a Comment

One thing about living off grid and off-road is the isolation factor. I never thought of this as a problem before. In fact, I considered it a benefit in our move! When we lived in town, our door was never answered if Kyle wasn’t home. Part of our moving this far was to get away from the noise and distraction of city life. It is completely different out here, though. With so little human noise, we are always glad to have guests. There are also only two reasons for people to knock on our door; either they own a cabin in the area and know (or want to know) us, or they have an emergency. In either case, I am happy to answer the door here.

It probably helps that there is no pretending you aren’t home in 300 square feet with smoke pouring out of the chimney!

Continue reading “Dealing With Isolation And Alaskan Winters”

Tagged : alaska / homestead / Homesteading / isolation / off grid / off road / self sufficient / winter

Cooking On A Wood Stove

by KatieFebruary 27, 2017June 13, 2023Equipment / HomesteadingLeave a Comment

Before we moved to Alaska, I had cooked on a wood stove once, for practice. And it wasn’t even good practice either! Our wood stove in Washington was more decorative than for heating or cooking. Coming to Alaska was a huge change, as nearly everything we cook out here is done on the wood stove. We do have a propane stove that gets used occasionally, but I’m not particularly keen on cooking outside in negative temperatures. I’m also a relatively lazy cook. I used to be the queen of ‘let’s go out!’ rather than cooking dinner. Because of that, I love any fast and easy recipes and love one-pot meals. I cook quite a few things in just a 10″ cast-iron skillet (Amazon). I thought I’d throw together some tips and tricks I use for cooking on a wood stove. Continue reading “Cooking On A Wood Stove”

Tagged : alaska / cooking / cooking from scratch / homestead / Homesteading / off grid / off road / self sufficient / wood stove

Living The Off Grid Life As New Parents

by KatieFebruary 16, 2017June 13, 2023Family / Homesteading5 Comments

As many of you know, Kyle and I found out I was pregnant before we gave up everything to move to Alaska.

Starting a homestead from scratch while pregnant was not easy (post here). We didn’t want to try starting from scratch with a toddler, though. Luckily for us, our daughter Bellamy is what I would call an easy baby. She slept through the night nearly from day one, doesn’t have many fussy spells and is easy to comfort. That’s not to say life with a newborn baby on the homestead hasn’t been challenging, especially as new parents.

Continue reading “Living The Off Grid Life As New Parents”