Some Stuff to Like About Living Remotely

Hi All

We get a lot of confused looks when we tell people where we live.  In this area, most folks that live on the lake also have a city home.  Or their lake building is accessible 12 months of the year.  Frankly, at some point, I am sure we will get a city place too, but for now living here has its advantages.

Our lake first thing in the morning

Cottage life in Ontario is mostly associated with vacation time and weekend fun.  It creates a refuge from the rest of the week and the rest of your life.  A place to recharge.  The amazing natural environment is a major draw – it feels like there is more oxygen in the air here, and the beauty is soothing on such a primal level.  But for many cottagers boating, water skiing, wake-boarding, and drinks on the dock are a huge part of the enjoyment.  But our place is a bit different – it is quiet, very dark at night (no one has wired in power), the lake is not busy (few people and power restrictions), and all properties are large so no one is very close to each other. 

The drinks on the dock thing?  Well okay – that one we like!

So – what are some of the things we find as positives that might not immediately come to mind

Effect on one’s waistline – living here helps us stay on track eating wise.  As long as we do not buy non-healthy food on the weekly grocery run, it is not here, available to eat.  And since we are 30 minutes from the nearest store we won’t be stopping in because of a quick urge to eat XXXXX  (enter you preferred indulgence).  So we really only need to be disciplined for one hour a week – and I can do that.

Another effect on the waistline – ordinary life here is more physical than life in the city.  Whether it is walking the 140 m to the garage or stacking firewood, everyday activities here involve more effort.  We once strapped on step counters and just lived here as we normally do, with no attempt at exercise, and found that we passed the magical 10,000 step marker every day.  Cool! Plus we have the time (we are retired after all) and after a life spent largely behind a desk this is energizing.

Gardening success - mini hosta in an old decaying stump

Being Off Grid – no power bills (Yay!).  After the upfront cost of putting in the solar system we power our life for free from the sun.  We have only slightly compromised on our standard of living.  We have an electric refrigerator (low energy usage), I use my hair dryer regularly, we use LED lights and ceiling fans rather than A/C.  But for the most part there is no compromise with life here.  We are not roughing it.  But every time the provincial power company is in the news, or the government who attempts to manage or mismanage it – we can sit back and know that it has no impact on us.  Beyond that – with no wires, and no link to the grid we are also protected from outages.  How very comfortable.  That wind, the ice storms, those falling trees … no issue for us.

One bank of our solar panels

A fall out from the off grid is that this is a situation shared by all the other people at our lake.  The nearest power pole is about 5 km away so no one is hooked to the grid.  What results from this is that the nights are wonderfully dark – and the stars – oh so brilliant.  And depending on the phase of the moon and the cloud cover, the moon can be so bright that it casts great shadows around the cottage (as we hum the iconic Cat Stevens tune)

Another fall out is the quiet – in the daytime we might hear a boat motor, or maybe a chainsaw – but at night silence reigns, once you get used to the whippoorwills cries.  In the morning, all is quiet except for the wind in the trees.  Sleeping in the morning – just fine….

Textbook perfect beaver dam

Meeting different people - Our neighbours at the lake are a wider mix of folks than we would likely meet in our city life.  Prior to moving here the people we mainly interacted with were our neighbours in the city (so all of the same economic situation), people from work, people met through schools – either our own or our children’s, and people sharing the same hobbies.  The people that have chosen to be here are a wider mix and this lake is pretty much the only place our lives would have intersected.  This exposes us to a wider range of opinions and lifestyles.  This has proven to be immensely interesting and broadening

Garbage day - Huh?  Our garbage is picked up, but it is picked up at the highway which is a 5 km drive from our cottage.  The issue is that it must be there by 7 am, and cannot be put out the night before to avoid setting a buffet for the various creatures that share our area.  So after we drop off our bag and recycling we are standing at the side of the highway at 7 am.  Do you go back to bed?  Do you get a start on the day?  Nope!  You head into the city and treat yourself to a lovely breakfast out!  Our early morning garbage day assures us of a regular breakfast out (well it did prior to Covid-19) – which is a treat we thoroughly enjoy.  And of course since we are already in the city we work our way down a list of errands and tasks that we need to do there.  But it all starts with the breakfast (or the garbage I guess).

Garbage strewn about by the local bear

The Well - We get our water from a dug well, fairly near the shoreline.  This is opposed to a drilled well which quite a few people near here have.  There is no city water (of course).  Once the water is drawn from the well we treat it with an ozone system.  The result?  Absolutely wonderful tasting water, pure, and with no hint of chlorine or chemicals.  A treat every day.

There are probably more advantages that you wouldn’t think of – but these are the first that came to mind.  That said – those drinks on the dock …..