Storms, Space Heaters & Survival

It’s Saturday — at least, I think it is.
Time starts to blur when you’re pacing between a flickering furnace and a snowstorm that won’t quit. Last night, the temperature outside dropped to -22°C. Inside our camper? Not much better.

The furnace — that finicky, fragile lifeline — gave us about five minutes of heat before sputtering out. Again. And again. And again.

We’d figured out the culprit by now: a squirrel cage fan inside the unit, off-kilter and overworked, tripping a safety switch every time it spun itself mad. We could reset it — for a while. But it wasn’t holding.

Every burst of warmth came at a cost:
Trips outside in sub-zero darkness.
Hands numb, hearts tired, one more reset.
Only to have it die again before the frost even had time to melt off the windows.

So, we improvised.

A tiny space heater. Canned food heated on the stovetop for a bit of extra warmth. Our host lent us another small propane heater — a kindness that felt massive in the cold.

This wasn’t what we’d imagined.
This wasn’t the inspiring homestead launch video.
This was the messy middle — the part no one glamorizes.

But maybe this is the part that matters most.

It’s the part where you decide:
Do we give in to the cold? Or do we get clever?

And we chose clever.
Blankets stacked like walls.
Candle heat and can heat and body heat.
Eggshell steps through a camper overflowing with every worldly possession we own.
Laughter in the kitchen, between the shivers.

We texted an RV tech — a long shot on a stormy Saturday. To our surprise, he wrote back. He said he might have the parts. He’s checking. It could happen. We’re holding on to that.

We don’t know what it’ll cost. We’re still scrambling for footing — financially, emotionally, logistically. But we’re safe, we’re together and we’re still here.


—

If you’re reading this, thank you.
Thank you for showing up for the parts of the journey that aren’t polished or pretty.
Thank you for the comments, the kindness, the PayPal help, the words that reminded us we’re not alone out here.

And if you’re dreaming of a life like this — know this:
It’s worth it.
Even when it’s hard.
Even when it’s freezing.
Even when you’re counting time in 5-minute bursts of warmth.

Because what we’re building out here — is real.
And real things take guts.

Thanks for walking beside us.

Until next time,
Des & Sandy

This post is related to the following YouTube video: