Rural accommodations: Living on a ranch

I spent the past week living in an apartment above Kremmling Memorial Hospital. I had my own room and bathroom with a shared living room, dining room, and kitchen. There are two other bedrooms up there for various doctors rotating through the hospital, staying for one or two nights to avoid a long commute. There was usually only one doctor staying there at a time.

These accommodations worked just fine, except for the fact that Kremmling is 30 miles away from Granby where I work. I was placed in housing so far away from work because of the short notice due to some technology and communication snafus. AHEC typically tries to place students in rural housing such that their commute is no farther than 30 miles, so I was right at the upper limit. Over this past week, the AHEC coordinator bent over backwards to find me housing closer to Granby.

My new home for the next few weeks is a mountain paradise. I get to wake up to this idyllic view every morning:


I’m living on a working ranch, and the family who’s hosting me is incredibly nice. As a housewarming present, the mother gave me a dozen eggs fresh from her hens. The rooster crows in the morning just like in the children’s books, the donkeys look at me indifferently when I drive past them on my way to work, and a pair of farm dogs welcome me back to the ranch in the evening.

I’m situated in an apartment above the garage. It has a full kitchen (including a dishwasher), bathroom, washer/dryer, plenty of drawer and closet space, and a private entrance so I don’t have to bother my hosts when I come and go.

I know how fortunate I am. Can I stay here forever?