I’ve recently learned that people like us are referred to as “OTG” – for Off The Grid. Good to know that you can apply a simple abbreviation to our peculiar type of eccentricity. Almost sanitizes us!
Most of our adventure so far has been pretty much just us doing our thing. We do have neighbours, and we certainly visit with them occasionally. They’ve helped us out a few times when we really needed more than two bodies to get a job done. But most of the rest of the time, we are pretty isolated. This isn’t to say that we don’t enjoy being out here by ourselves – that is one of the primary benefits of being way “out back” – the quiet, the solitude, the peace, being able to wok at our own pace. Sometimes, however, it is good to reach out and make contact with others who are equally as eccentric as we are. It gives us a bit of cross fertilization, new ideas, a sense that we are not alone in our choice of life style.
I do a lot of research on the internet. It is essential to our planning. With just the two of us, and often no help in sight, we have to get things figured out so that each step of a project is within our capabilities and strengths. Often our decisions are based on our abilities and whether or not we can get materials to our site. My research takes me a lot of places “out there”, from company websites to personal blogs. Any information I can garner is useful in some way, whether as strong support for an idea that worked well for someone else, or as an example of what not to do.
I have browsed the blogs of a number of “off-gridders”, with particular interest in those who have made life style choices similar to ours, or who are living in regions close to our site. Recently, I have made the decision to try to contact some of these off-gridders personally. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I am sure it will vary from individual to individual, but so far, I have been positively delighted by the response I have received. People are actually interested in what we are doing, want to exchange ideas, and, strangest of all, are willing to meet with us in person at some point, if our schedules can coincide. While we have been happy in our solitude, finding like-minded others who are supportive is also a joy. I am happy to have made contact.