Little Cabin in the Woods

I thought it was about time to let you all in on what's been going on recently.

First things first...living the Yukon dream.


When I arrived in Whitehorse, I had been living in our office (which is a 2-bdrm apartment), which was nice, free and couldn't beat the commute of roll over, make coffee, at work. However, in my head I saw myself living in a little wooden cabin by a lake or a creek, hauling water, chopping firewood and being constantly paranoid of being eaten by a bear. What I'd like to call the Yukon dream.



It came true! I called about a "rustic but cozy"
cabin in the newspaper, the price was right and the location sounded pretty decent. So I went to look...it turned out to be better than I had imagined...down a gravel road that the Southern Lakes Caribou herd frequents (or so rumor has it). Just a few km from the cabin is Annie Lake and the Wheaton River, not to mention the Annie Lake Golf Course, which I missed on my first few drives out.
The cabin must have been built in stages, as the former inhabitants got either bored or inspired. There is beautiful handmade log furniture...a big log bed, desk, kitchen table, chairs. Maybe this is what cabin fever inspires. A wood stove for heat, propane stove for cooking, solar panel to keep a light on in my room and the bathroom. There is even a spare bedroom...so no excuses not to come and visit! A little path leads down to the Watson River and a potential swimming hole, but I'm not sure that the mosquitoes or the cold water will make that a reality!
My landlords are super, and live just a little walk away. They recently got two little black lambs that, as Brett put it "probably won't see winter". Sigh. The trouble with being vegetarian. But now I have some little buddies to eat up the leftover veggies I have without risking a compost. There are also 5 dogs that live on the property...my favorite is the Australian sheep dog named Tetra. She comes to say hello and is a little sweetheart.

Evenings at the cabin are spent drinking tea, painting and reading. I'm working on "My Life", Fidel Castro's biography. It's a big read and I'm just about to get into the good stuff...they're about to march in to Havana.

There is also a small garden just outside the door. I planted some beans and lettuce and will get some squashes and maybe potatoes to through in. I seem to have a legacy of gardens that I tear the weeds out of, plant and then move away from...Golden, Edmonton, now Whitehorse! Thank goodness the main weed here is fireweed, which is a beautiful plant in its own. The raspberry plants are also taking over the garden...so when I leave there will be something left I suppose.
I saw my first bear the other day. About 7km down the road from my house this BIG black mass was hanging out by the road near a few other homes. Now, why this beautiful creature is spending its time with the only humans within 100's of kms of wilderness is kind of beyond me! Now hopefully I don't see that guy again....