swimmingly.

[swim-ing-lee]

adverb

1. without difficulty; with great success; effortlessly.

Falling in love with Idaho has gone swimmingly; it’s seamless and easy. It happens with each new turn in the road or a smile from a stranger. What has not gone swimmingly in this moving process is the actual moving process. I cannot find the right, affordable place to live. I have a place to sleep every night because the people here are exceptional…even customers offer their guest rooms to me.

A new paper comes out each Wednesday, so I mosey to a coffee shop and aggressively peruse the Classifieds. If there are two ads for roommates wanted, I call them both. They have both already found roommates. I had coffee with a gal who might need a roommate, but then she got into flight school and is heading out.

Today I decided to respond to an ad to live by myself in a small cabin because the ad said, “if you want your closest neighbor to be an elk!” I wrote the fella an email and said that that’s exactly what I want.

The price isn’t crazy and there is a loft bed as well, so I figured if money got tight, I could open it up for another Florida girl who might be coming through.

Here’s the response I just received:

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Hi Beth,

Yes, it’s pretty special, but paradise comes with a price…

The cabin is in an ideal setting (I can, and have, fished from my back door) and i’m sure you may have noted from the add that it is a “RUSTIC” cabin…i.e., due to that setting (too close to the water) we can’t put in a septic system and, as such, have no running water.  I fill 5-gal bottles in town for drinking, cooking and cleaning (sometimes use the creek water for the latter).  For bathing in the summer I swim in the creek (warmest water in Blaine Co.), go out to Frenchman’s Hot Springs (five mins. away), or use my 5-gal solar camp shower.  In the winter the hot springs is the best, but barring that I’ll heat water on the stove and do a sponge bath or fill up the camp shower.  Periodically I’ll hit the YMCA or friends in town for a “real” bath.

I Have a grey water sink i’ve set-up for doing dishes with hot water from the stove, which work great.

In the spring/summer/fall I use the outhouse, but in the winter there is an Incinolet Toilet that does a marvelous job of incinerating your business.

Also, the add mentioned that i was looking for a “HEARTY” tenant, for not only is there no running water (beside the stream flowing by), the driveway out to the cabin off of Sandy Lane is roughly 100 yards long, and of course needs to be snow-blown in the winter.  I provide an extremely powerful 12-horsepower snow blower, but it is a heavy machine and a good 1+ hour job after each snowfall.  Periodically you may need to help with snow removal on Sandy Lane as well, as all of the neighbors pitch-in.

In addition it would be recommended, but not a requirement, to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  Sandy Lane (the Upper Board Ranch) is a neighborhood of about a dozen turn-of-the-century cabins (not this century, the last one…) and is 3.5 miles past the end of the pavement going W. on Warm Spring Rd.  99% of the time the road is better in the winter than summer, and Sandy Lane is town-side of the avalanche chutes, but the road can become difficult depending on recent snows and temperature.

The main cabin was built in 1917 and has been completely remodeled.  The other 1/2 of the cabin (bedroom/loft) was built in the ’80’s and has been partially remodeled…between the two rooms is a storage area that will become the bathroom once we can get water to the property (currently in the process to buy additional land that will allow for a septic system)

There is no cell tower coverage, but I have had a land-line in the past and service could be reinstated with a phone call.  There is also satellite internet, so email/Facebook messaging/etc. works great.

The only other utility would be electrical (besides the propane for both the 4-burner cooking stove/oven (super cool antique/period piece) and the new stainless, 5-burner outdoor grill).  The primary heat is the wood stove (which keeps the elec bills down to $20/mo or so).  I have a stack of wood here, but would expect that to be replaced.  Depending on how warm you like your house, you will probably go through 3-5 cords of wood from fall-spring.  I have felled some 100ft+ trees on the hill above and you would be welcome to buck that up and roll it down to the cabin, or hire someone to get some wood delivered.

I’m looking for a 7+ month lease, probably starting about mid-Oct and ending around May 31.  That said, I may be inclined to renew the lease at that time for a full year after seeing how things go.

If you still have a serious interest in renting (I hope i’ve accurately described the situation) please respond and we will set-up an appointment!

Thanks!

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I wish I could respond to him and say, “I’m your girl!” but I am decidedly not his girl and the search continues!