“Have a Nice Day at the Office, Dear!”

The other day when Michelle geared up to hike out for her part time job, I had to take a couple of pictures. She works an office job! But, living as we do, the term “dressed for success” holds an entirely different emphasis for us.

homestead commuter

Michelle, off to work (Photo: Mark Zeiger).

Sometimes she packs office attire to change into after she arrives. Ironically, she’s not under any kind of strict dress code—they all dress “Haines nice/casual.” But her 1¼-mile hike to the road and a 7-mile drive that starts before the snow plows reach our end of the road requires her to dress for the trail, not the office.

This day was one of extremes, of course. She carried a pack load of laundry to do in town (in the winter, our drying line freezes too much). The tide was bad for crossing in time for work, so she wore hip waders to make it. She’d worn them over the trail home the night before because it was too cold to hassle with transferring her ice cleats from the waders to her hiking shoes. The trail has been one long, slopping sheet of ice, so cleats are definitely necessary. She also had to wear her headlamp, because she left early for the tide. Usually she carries it to use on the way home in the evening. She dislikes wearing the camo jacket to town, but it’s a good wind breaker, and regulates her heat well.

Still, I felt a little guilty kissing her “goodbye,” while still in my jammies, fuzzy robe and bunny slippers, a cup of coffee in my hand, and my hair still up in curlers . . . .

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7 Responses to “Have a Nice Day at the Office, Dear!”

  1. Russ says:

    Ha, next time make sure she takes a picture of you! I want to see the bunny slipper and curlers!

  2. Mark Zeiger says:

    As you well know, he who controls the camera controls the narrative.

  3. Valerie says:

    What a tough lady! Living here in the South, I honestly cannot imagine that hike. God bless! Valerie in SC

  4. Jim Luckhurst says:

    My wife and I were rolling on the floor after reading that post! Michelle is a real trooper. Reminds you of the old stories about having to walk 5 miles to school every day in the rain/snow. She must really love her job!

  5. Mark Zeiger says:

    Jim, Michelle appreciates your comments. She says it’s a lot safer than a highway commute. And, she does love her job. We were just discussing that this morning, as the weather forecast calls for 3 days of storm force 50-55 knot winds starting the day she goes back to work.

  6. Linn Hartman says:

    Love the picture. Our dryer went out the day before Christmas – still trying to navigate the Home Depot repair system. Don’t mind line drying but right now the weather won’t cooperate. Showed picture to my wife, but she wasn’t too keen on packing up and going to the Rub-A-Dub. Ha
    Having to catch the tide right and crossing the bay has to be an experience. Was following a girls blog as she kyaked up the inside passage this past summer, but did not realize all that I should when she was talking about catching the tide right. That is something.
    To have any internet service here you have to have satellite also. I have Hughes-Nets new high speed service. It will be a long time if ever before cable, DSL or any adequate phone type service gets in this area.
    I have the ideal location for a wind and solar setup and have investigated the possibilities, but at this point and time the up-front cost to too much. No lease type programs avail here.
    Being retired and on SS is great, but you either do alot of little things or a limited amount of big things. Guess I am content with the little thing rout.
    Keep enjoying the good life. Will continue to check in on you.

  7. Mark Zeiger says:

    Hi Linn,

    The tides really rule our day here and throughout most of Southeast Alaska. We have some of the biggest tide changes on earth, and they’re especially demanding if traveling on the water.

    I urge you to look into used solar panels. Their efficiency drops a little over time, but unless they’re actually damaged, they don’t seem to go bad. If you can find someone who demands optimum power, and likes to upgrade their cars and other tools, you might find a perfectly serviceable solar array at bargain prices.

    It won’t be too much longer before people are making them at home, too. Despite what the media tells us, the advancements in solar power lately have been fantastic!

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