A classically brisk Northern Minnesota winter finally set in this week. After an abnormally warm December, I might have been among a minority glad to feel the sharp chill of extreme cold when I walked out the door last night. Then again, easy for me to say; I don’t live in a tent.
Minnesota Public Radio’s John Enger profiled a Bemidji-area couple who live in a “Yurt,” a sort of hearty, round tent suitable for daily living.
Enger asks:
Why would two employed people with three master’s degrees between them choose to live with only a quarter-inch of material between themselves and the elements? And how do they stay warm?
Enger proceeds to interview Grace Brogan and John Kamman about surviving winter with a wood furnace, a fancy tent, and a toilet seat that builds up a solid layer of frost on the cold days.
They are not hermits. They drive into town when they need to, and even flew to Mexico on business. “I don’t want us to operate under the delusion that we’re saving the planet by living in a yurt,” John said. “For me, it’s just fun to problem-solve our daily lives.”
The story is worth a read — especially if you’re in a warm house, sipping coffee.
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