First night in the yurt

Last night was Eden's and my first night sleeping in the yurt, made possible by the loft Joe built and the newly installed and functioning wood stove ( see photos below ). Joe has been sleeping in the yurt for a while, unheated because he's tough like that. Apparently he gets a better night's sleep alone in the freezing cold than he does sharing a little double bed with Eden and me. We've been looking forward to the larger bed out in the yurt, but I'm a pansy and wanted a little heat on these winter nights as well.

After what seemed like endless obstacles, we finally got all the parts and pieces necessary to get our cook stove installed, just in time for some visiting friends to be our first overnight guests. They were coming from balmy LA, but they're also seasoned world travelers, so they did just fine.

Anyway, my first night in the yurt was a somewhat sleepless temperature rollercoaster. We lit a fire in the stove a few hours before bedtime. There's still a lot to learn about how to efficiently operate the stove as well as how the yurt heats up as well. By the time we went to bed, I was guessing it was in the upper 50's in the yurt, though Joe was guessing 60's. For my comfort level I was happy to keep my socks on and burrow into the mounds of blankets Joe has been using out there. I was glad I'd put Eden in fleecy pjs. The windows and plexiglass dome were clouded with condensation, but I could still make out the stars just over my head. Somewhere in the night, I woke up in a puddle of sweat. Eden's pjs were also damp with sweat, so we kicked the blankets off. I remember thinking "yay, so it can get really warm in here". Due to the way I sleep on my side to be able to nurse Eden with minimal wakefulness, I always have one arm that is out from under the covers and often falls asleep. The next time I woke up during the night, that arm was a numb popsicle! I could tell that the fire had died out in the stove, though I have no idea for how long. So, back under the blankets we went.

Overall, I think it was an OK night's sleep, but I remember waking up a lot and being glad when it was time to get up, and very happy that Joe (who'd gotten up at 5:30 to meditate) had built a fire in the cabin so it was nice and warm when we came in. To add to the restless night was the fact that we'd watched the "Hatfields and McCoys" movie just before bed so my dres were full of shoot outs. I'm also a much lighter sleeper when sleeping with both Joe and Eden as I'm conscious about every twitch Eden makes so I can tend to her and minimize any disturbance for Joe. We'll get it all straightened out with time I'm sure.

Next step on the yurt project is putting a finish on the floors and then finishing out the kitchen!