24 Things I Learned Living in the Mountains
By Cal Orey
Back in the summer of 1999, I left the fast-paced San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Lake Tahoe. I knew it would be a different lifestyle than being a city girl. But wow, little did I get that being self reliant is part of survival. So, today I made a list of things I've learned to do that if you told me it would happen two decades ago--I wouldn't have believed it. At all. So, here is my short list of things you have to do for yourself for self-preservation.
24 DIY Things for Surviving Lake Tahoe
1. I became an online shopping addict before the Amazon Prime era. (Yep, they snagged me, too.)
2. I ditched my waterbed for comfort and enjoy an amazing bed layered with comforters, a heated blanket to love during the cold months to endure minus 10 temperatures.
3. I learned how to make a perfect crackling fire in an old rock fireplace fit for a tom boy-type princess.
4. I made a faux garden in the short summers; it is rustic and fits in with summer vacation homeowners. Read: solar lights, river rock, solar lit umbrellas with wrought iron chairs and a table.
5. I planted trees and they lived...
6. ... I called authorities and complained about newbie mountain people who killed healthy pine trees for more space.
7. I allowed a battered woman in my home and called the police for help because nobody else wanted to get involved.
8. I evacuated the Angora Wildfire and took two dogs and one cat; lost two beloved fish and Tahoe trees.
9. I experienced a 4.8 and two strong 5.7 earthquakes and lived to tell my stories of predicting these shakers on national radio; I went on a West Coast book tour with the man who predicts earthquakes.
10. I survived a three day power outage with two dogs and was okay. (I lost 200 bucks worth of food; no burying perishables in snow doesn't work.)
11. I didn't melt and die living without a man for 20 years...and I feel like I am still a sexy, vibrant woman of God.
12. I loved and lost three warmhearted Brittany spaniels (I thought I was going to depart Earth with a broken heart when I lost number three); not to forget Alex and Kerouac, two cats, and a variety of fish...
13. ...My heart healed thanks to a loving and fluffy Australian Shepherd and sensitive rescue Siamese kitty.
14. I learned to use my intuition and work two psychic networks; one in the U.K. (I have mastered the art of understanding the accents and countless dialects.)
15. I survived the Great Recession in 2008; I worked for a luxury real estate firm similar to the film "The Devil Wears Prada"--then my publisher rescued me. (Karma for the cat.)
16. I was a magazine journalist; now I am the author of a book series which ignited in 2000...
17. ...I landed number nine book on V-Day and in love with my eight books who are like human children I forgot to make.
18. I can shovel snow, sort of and make trails on the deck and yards. But I'm not a real mountain woman. Read: I still scream when I break a nail.
19. I learned to love thunderstorms in the summer; and taught my dog and cat to go with the flow and tune out loud noises and the novelty of Fourth of July.
20. I revived my natural girl cooking and baking skills; and I am the author of a food column in the local newspaper.
21. I found my wanderlust spirit; I have gone to British Columbia (Vancouver and Victoria), Washington, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, and will be going to Eastern Canada--if Mother Nature chills or should I say warms up.
22. I swam in the snow outdoors and indoors--and loved it.
23. I won 2000 bucks playing the dollar slot machines and sensed I would win that day that convinced me I really am psychic.
24. I learned that living in a small town of 21,000 people is bliss if you get off the hill to another region and come back to enjoy nature's paradise and solitude.
Back in the summer of 1999, I left the fast-paced San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Lake Tahoe. I knew it would be a different lifestyle than being a city girl. But wow, little did I get that being self reliant is part of survival. So, today I made a list of things I've learned to do that if you told me it would happen two decades ago--I wouldn't have believed it. At all. So, here is my short list of things you have to do for yourself for self-preservation.
24 DIY Things for Surviving Lake Tahoe
1. I became an online shopping addict before the Amazon Prime era. (Yep, they snagged me, too.)
2. I ditched my waterbed for comfort and enjoy an amazing bed layered with comforters, a heated blanket to love during the cold months to endure minus 10 temperatures.
3. I learned how to make a perfect crackling fire in an old rock fireplace fit for a tom boy-type princess.
4. I made a faux garden in the short summers; it is rustic and fits in with summer vacation homeowners. Read: solar lights, river rock, solar lit umbrellas with wrought iron chairs and a table.
5. I planted trees and they lived...
6. ... I called authorities and complained about newbie mountain people who killed healthy pine trees for more space.
7. I allowed a battered woman in my home and called the police for help because nobody else wanted to get involved.
8. I evacuated the Angora Wildfire and took two dogs and one cat; lost two beloved fish and Tahoe trees.
9. I experienced a 4.8 and two strong 5.7 earthquakes and lived to tell my stories of predicting these shakers on national radio; I went on a West Coast book tour with the man who predicts earthquakes.
10. I survived a three day power outage with two dogs and was okay. (I lost 200 bucks worth of food; no burying perishables in snow doesn't work.)
11. I didn't melt and die living without a man for 20 years...and I feel like I am still a sexy, vibrant woman of God.
12. I loved and lost three warmhearted Brittany spaniels (I thought I was going to depart Earth with a broken heart when I lost number three); not to forget Alex and Kerouac, two cats, and a variety of fish...
13. ...My heart healed thanks to a loving and fluffy Australian Shepherd and sensitive rescue Siamese kitty.
14. I learned to use my intuition and work two psychic networks; one in the U.K. (I have mastered the art of understanding the accents and countless dialects.)
15. I survived the Great Recession in 2008; I worked for a luxury real estate firm similar to the film "The Devil Wears Prada"--then my publisher rescued me. (Karma for the cat.)
16. I was a magazine journalist; now I am the author of a book series which ignited in 2000...
17. ...I landed number nine book on V-Day and in love with my eight books who are like human children I forgot to make.
18. I can shovel snow, sort of and make trails on the deck and yards. But I'm not a real mountain woman. Read: I still scream when I break a nail.
19. I learned to love thunderstorms in the summer; and taught my dog and cat to go with the flow and tune out loud noises and the novelty of Fourth of July.
20. I revived my natural girl cooking and baking skills; and I am the author of a food column in the local newspaper.
21. I found my wanderlust spirit; I have gone to British Columbia (Vancouver and Victoria), Washington, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, and will be going to Eastern Canada--if Mother Nature chills or should I say warms up.
22. I swam in the snow outdoors and indoors--and loved it.
23. I won 2000 bucks playing the dollar slot machines and sensed I would win that day that convinced me I really am psychic.
24. I learned that living in a small town of 21,000 people is bliss if you get off the hill to another region and come back to enjoy nature's paradise and solitude.
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