Rebuilding,
one off-grid
decision at a time.
After leaving a small ranch in southeastern Colorado, I’m rebuilding life in southeastern Arizona—one off-grid decision, one project, and one lesson at a time. A shipping container and an RV mark the beginning. Dementia caregiving for a parent, dogs underfoot, a beloved horse, and cat in memory. The honest record of starting over in your 50s, no fluff, no filter.
This isn’t a lifestyle brand.
It’s a logbook.
I caregive, I build and create. Sometimes, I sell what I find (and make), and I try to write down what actually happens out here — the costs, the mistakes, the small wins. If you’re rebuilding something too, you’ll probably recognize the terrain.
From the journal
No. 001 — 014
What rural Arizona actually costs you
The real numbers behind water hauling, propane, and the bills nobody warns you about before you move out here.
Money & land
Why a shipping container before a house
The logic, the regrets, and the part of the plan I’d absolutely do again.
Off-grid build
Four years into caregiving, what burnout actually looks like
What’s changed since 2022, and the one boundary that finally made it sustainable.
Real talk
What 20 years of rural living taught me about dogs & other 4 leggeds.
Cholla, heat, coyotes, and the instincts that come from growing up out here, not learning it the hard way.
Pack life
Things I’d change about the rig
A running list of fixes, upgrades, and lessons learned the expensive way.
Lessons learned
Small income streams that actually helped
No course to sell — just what’s brought in real money since I started over.
Making it work
Pick your trail
Everything’s filed under one of these. Start wherever your life looks most like mine right now.
Desert Life
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Dogs
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Caregiving
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Rebuilding
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