Notes for my sister

“Wouldn’t it be so fun to buy a cabin and have a place of our own, out in the woods?”   Three years ago we tossed this question around, and decided the answer was yes.   We wanted to teach our city kids to live off the land.   We wanted a remote getaway, where we could enjoy quiet and serenity.   We wanted to make memories.   The drive there was inspiring, through beautiful mountains.   It took just over an hour, so we thought we could go up on weekends, no big deal.   The land had a beautiful house with a well, a generator, propane tank, electrical, everything.   It was passive solar, so the windows got tons of sunlight.   The thick log walls kept heat in during winter, and kept it cool in summer.   There were even bat houses around the house itself.   I learned that bats are friends because they eat pesky bugs.   It was perfect. But in the end, it took too much time, money and effort to maintain it.   Last month we sold it.   I’m condensing a three year journey into