You have it right. The peace and quite never get old for me. And I do have the trusty Lab at my feet. I should add that my mantra is that I didn’t move out here to rough it.... I have a flushing toilet, washer and dryer, dishwasher, although its not plumbed yet, and I’m working on Dish TV. I don’t have it rough.. I just have it good.
I was in an 8x12 shack with no indoor plumbing and no running water. I did have solar for electricity. Of course, NM is somewhat warmer than Alaska, and the lowest temp I ever saw was -18F.
I didn't mind rustic. It taught me a lot of things. It turns out that my once-a-month shopping list matched pretty well with mid 1800s shopping lists. Flour, coffee, salt, tobacco etc...
/johnny