When you live out in the boondocks something like what this man did, is not all that uncommon.

I remember when I first moved out to the boondocks in Iowa I found out about Inez, a little old lady who had to be in her late 60's. Inez lived in a hut about a mile as the crow flies from me. The hut didn't have a door, and actually it was several pieces of sheet metal, some railroad ties and whatever else Inez could find. Her home was actually on the edge of a road ditch, where years ago she claimed squatters rights.

Across the road, her brother Eli did the same thing. His hut was a little bigger, he actually sectioned off rooms being the excellent handyman that he was. His daughter lived with him, who was actually in high school when I first met them.

The county electrical company out of the kindness of their hearts ran them a drop line off a light pole. Inez had one big lightbulb to lighten up her hut. Now Eli had a door on, so I'm not quite sure how he rigged his up.

Inez and Eli always had a huge garden, but other than that, I have no clue what they survived on. Inez was quite chunky, so she obviously had food. Inez lived in her hut for about 3 years after I moved up there until one day her brother found her collapsed. She went to the hospital and straight to the nursing home from there. She didn't survive much longer after that.

As soon as she was admitted to the nursing home, the county came and tore down Inez's hut. Not much longer after that I noticed that Eli had his own light pole with a meter on it. Civilization at it's finest.

Now 20 years later Eli and his daughter still live in that very same hut. Last time I was home I drove by there and they even have a truck and direct TV now. It sits right up on top where the same railroad ties and cement bricks hold the plywood and metal sheeting down for a few decades now. Next time I go back to Iowa I'll take a picture of it.

I never have been able to understand how they survive, Iowa winters are a bitch. People complain about Michigan winters ..hell I'll take them anytime. I remember one winter it was -29 degrees. That's not the windchill. The winds were 40-50 mph that night. Don't believe that BS that when it's that cold it won't snow. Yes it will. We lived in an old farmhouse at that time, and with a wood burner going and a the furnace we couldn't get the temperature above 45 degrees in there.

Inez and Eli survived it in their shacks. Inez was one tough woman.