What Does Nicole Do?

Sometimes people wonder what it is I do out here in the woods while Mike tends to all things building related. So I thought I would craft a blog post about it, in case you, dear friend, are also curious about such things. 

Most recently, when Mike was asked by someone what it is I do out here at Empty Mountain, he shared with me that he replied to them by saying: Without Nicole, I’d be curled up in a ball crying. A classic Mike humor response. While of course that isn’t true and I feel confident he’d still be alive - though maybe a little worse for wear - I do tend to all matters of cooking and household upkeep, which for sure helps the guy out. And anyone who feeds them self, and/or others, knows full well the amount of time it takes to figure out, shop for, prepare, cook and clean up after each & every meal each & every day.

On the EM logistic front, I manage all things internet related. I am our content creator on YouTube, web designer, blog writer, social media poster, and I craft and send our monthly EM emails. I am also our program director (click here to see what events we have planned coming up!). 

I am our primary water hauler & caretaker and our primary wood gatherer. I keep an eye on the water levels of our two-bucket pump sink and our indoor potable water jug, filling them as needed, which amount to approximately every 2-3 days. For our cabin’s heat source/woodstove, I collect kindling, chop wood, and carry wood from once place to another. I also help move our two 200-watt solar panels, which Mike installed on a wooden rack with wheels, to angle them throughout the day to face the sun. And Mike & I tag-team the upkeep related to our humanure composting toilet set up.

I work remotely part-time for Deer Park Monastery as an assistant in the registration office. I volunteer with hospice (though that’s something I leave the woods to do). I play music, sing, go on walkabouts, read books, practice sitting meditation, and drink tea. I take daily naps and prioritize rest. Sometimes I simply sit and watch the trees and the birds.

But if someone were to ask me to whittle it down, highlighting what I felt most defined me, I would say that I am a writer and a poet. I spend a lot of time writing. I pen poems; craft blog posts, both for Empty Mountain and on my personal practice blog (click here if you’d like to check that out); write bi-monthly articles for Montana Woman magazine; and I journal. I also enjoy spending time keeping the art of letter writing alive - ya know, the kind with envelopes and stamps that you send in the mail, old-school style. And because I value staying in touch with my tribe of loved ones, I do my best to respond to texts & emails in a timely manner, and also send them in order to reach out & connect, which I think counts in the writing realm of things too. It all takes time and applied effort. 

It’s also not an insignificant amount of time that I spend looking for Mike’s misplaced water bottles, tools, and other such items that could be, well, anywhere in all the woods he traverses. Additionally, I’m sometimes a cleaner-upper of the messes that Mike understandably needs to make in order to build and fix and do all the awesome & wonderful things he does. And once in a while I’m an okay second-hand for something Mike is doing in the field. 

So, basically what I’m saying is: I don’t do much (classic Nicole sarcasm response!).