The young know the rules, but the old know the exceptions...

Every so often I am hit with a eureka moment. There is a term for it, like a shower spark or whatever, but essentially it is a theory that a certain part of your brain can kick into high gear when you are predisposed with something else ie in the shower or driving a long distance. I am cursed with these all the time and I say cursed because I have forgotten more profound ideas and theories than I'd like to admit. Mostly because I don't write them down and by the time I get to the blog it's been replaced with day to day clutter, either way it's frustrating. Every so often I'll remember one and try to casually slip it in but if I could remember them, my blog would be way more enlightening. You'll have to make due with my inane babble until I can get a tape recorder that floats around my head.

Anyway, it's Christmas day and we are relaxing after a couple days of whirlwind family visits. D and I decided to host this year for a few reasons. My side of the family has no real room for formal visits, her brother is hunting photo ops in Africa while on a not deserved/overpriced honeymoon, and except for her mother, all her family lives in Quebec. We are happy to do it honestly. I'm not a fan of driving long distances, I prefer to be in my comfort zone and frankly we have the room. Everything went without a hitch, everyone was on time, no one aired their festering grievances and there were plenty of cookies. All in all it was a classic old school xmas dinner and I must admit, one of the best holiday meals I have ever eaten. D really went above and beyond and worked her a$$ off. How she can work a fulltime corporate job and even have the inclination to pull a meal stream like that one is amazing and solidifies reason # 344 why I married her. I'll thank her with a foot rub later.

The farm is prepped and ready for next season, Phase 1 is complete. We were hit with a week of very warm weather and after a patented eureka moment, I was able to finalize a plan of attack, finagle my cousin into coming over to clear the rest of the Montego plot and move around some top soil. The neighbour had helped a lot previously but some key things were still nagging me.

• How to get the soil back to real growing potential without wasting so much money and time on rehab. 
• Where to get the soil from to even get the grading back to normal.
• How much real workable space will we have considering the hazardous waste and trees.
• How will be spread the soil without damaging the substrate and using up too much favour credit. 

Auditioning for scarecrow job on next years plot

 The final resolution is to clear and grade the first plot, which finally grew to a mere 100ft x 60ft. All the good clean top soil, which was left over from a parking pad the previous owner created nearby, would be moved to the side until needed next spring. The base now is a relatively clean spot lacking in an overabundance of healthy nutrients but good grading and tons of natural sunlight.

Our move for the space next year is to build small plots within this larger one. 3 ft by 15 ft each which will be perimeter lined with landscape/interlock stones and useful pieces left on site or skids of over stock stone my uncle's business can't use. An ultimate example in reduce reuse recycle, the hippies would be happy. The stones will surround each plot essentially just to keep in the dirt we'll be adding, in turn creating a pseudo raised bed style. Between each plot will be 2 - 3ft wide walkways topped with soy ink based newspapers/cardboard covered with hay we snagged from some locals. Each plot will then be filled with the rich topsoil we have piled in the corners and then a few inches of this GardenMax super soil a local garden company sells. At that point we will adapt each plot to what we need in terms of pH levels, porosity etc. From then on, those plots will stay there and just be rejuvenated each season in whatever way works best. In total there may be approximately 40-50 plots, but we'll see...

Not sure how the future plots (adjacent to Montego) will be done, but we aren't a huge fan of the row style of farming so if this works we may just buckle down and do the mini plot style for each addition, then just maintain them. Now that the snow has set in and land manipulation is at a stand still this will be an ultimate too be continued/stay tuned. The GardenProPlanner App discussed previously is on sale for $9.99 and worth every penny. The final seed details will be added at a later post. A friends uncle sent us a care package full of some pretty interesting seeds to mess around with. Some including, I think, a few psychotropic cactus seeds from the peyote lose your mind genus family. But you didn't hear that from me... 

Cooper at 16 weeks

Cooper update coming next blog but I will say this, which you can add to my Eureka File (EF): I am positive, not unlike greeting card/chocolate companies creating holidays like St.Valentines Day, there is a conspiracy to be uncovered where paper towel companies are perpetuating the idea of people adopting puppies... you heard it here first...

Finally, from our family here at Homestead U and Keltic Kreek Farm, we want to wish you a safe and happy (insert holiday here). May your best days of 2012 be your worst of 2013. We hope to share another year of progress and please feel free just to leave a hello below to let us know if/who  someone out there is sharing our trials and triumphs up to now.
(D and I have a bet as an over/under as to # of replies) 


Life Lesson #701: Best Xmas movies to watch Xmas day in order:

1. Christmas Vacation   
2. A Christmas Story
3. Scrooged
4. Elf
5. Die Hard
6. Gremlins
7. It's a Wonderful Life

The irony wouldn't be lost on Dr. Pavlov...

Meanwhile, back at the farm... Christmas is approaching quickly and we've just passed 2 months since we moved in. We thought this would be a good time for a catch up as to how things are going in general. not sure how much detail to put in, I always battle with having so much to share but not writing just to read my own words. The last post about Jamaica could've been 3 times the length with what happened but... 

|Great time of day for a tea/coffee...

In terms of the farm; things are progressing as much as can be expected. Montego has been cleared and graded for water run off. The amount of contamination from the previous owner is more than we hoped for but basically what we expected. If this was the 70's, a Native Indian would be standing on my back plot with a tear running down his cheek. It'll be constant battle over the next couple years to get that plot 'clean', but I get the impression the rest of the land should be relatively clear of garbage and what is there, is large chunks of stone and old interlock bricks so nothing poisonous or radioactive. I had a neighbour skim off the topsoil of next years plot and pile it in the corner. We'll either have it screened or just add it to the 'get to it later' pile located over near the 'some day I'll deal with that' stack.

We've started looking for the seeds for our first years harvest. It will be a menagerie of test items and general interest edibles. The choice of seed suppliers is a little over whelming and somehow not unlike mattress stores. They all seem just different enough in what they offer, it's difficult to truly compare. In the end we've decided to choose our suppliers based on a very elaborate scientific equation including factors of:

• zone location
• variety offered (heritage, heirloom, non gmo, organic)
• quality of review 
• bulk price enticements 
• bell curving for specialization of specific items grown.         

We'll end up ordering from 7 or 8 different suppliers at least, most within southern Ontario and all within Canada. Our sweet potato supplier will be on the east coast, and our asparagus is coming in from the Niagara area. We are getting potatoes from a couple different places. Just gotta make sure we can keep them organized for when it's time to reorder. We already have some from last years test growing and family gifts. Total variety count so far even before we have ordered anything: 32. We'll post a full seed list once the final orders are in.

There are 2 ponds just behind our house, between us and the farm plot. One is fed by a culvert running from our neighbour to the north and the other, the larger one, is only fed by only rain and animal sweat. D is a great figure skater, training kids in her past and a brush with an Olympic dream which was dashed after the great Canadian figure skating scandal. That's when they started testing for steroids and licorice. She had to retire before the media got word of her need for Twizzlers. The point is, she loves to skate, so I put a sump pump in the culvert fed pond to fill the larger one which will almost double its surface area when done. Plus it will drowned out the amazon of bull rushes the owners let grow over the past few years. I'll let you know if anyone falls through the thin ice, unless it's a neighbours kid...

In terms of Cooper things are ok. He's still a pain with the nipping and house training is proving to be a continual challenge. I'm sure the issue is us not him, and we just aren't getting the right tricks down to get in the proper rhythm. The bonus is he learns very quickly everything else and we have signed him up for some basic training. It's with the local Petsmart, which I'm not too happy with after the first class, but these are just for the basic tips. I'll get into a full review after a couple more classes. If it comes down to it I will ship his a$$ off to a boot camp for a couple weeks to have him reprogrammed, but I don't think that will be necessary. He comes when called 90% of the time, knows the basic tricks and we recently taught him to ring a bell hanging at the door when he wants to go out. The issue being he only rings it when he can see us. He hasn't figured out we can hear it even when we aren't looking at it, but its a start. Dr. Pavlov would probably find it amusing the dog is ringing a bell for us to react. If I start to salivate the dog is out of here...

Life Lesson #82: If you're always trying to be like someone else, who's ever going to try to be like you...  
 

  

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery...

To our legion of fans who have waited on bated breath for the next installment, we want to say thank you for your patience and our apologies for the delay. The fact that our legion is most likely 2 people doesn't remove the sincerity of the statement.

It has been a while since our last post, and I promise you short of a foreign invasion we will never be away that long again. The reality is you can count on it happening within the next 6 months, but we will try not to. I could go on in this post for awhile to catch up but I will most likely cut it into 2 or 3 mini ones. Mostly just because we all have short attention spans and I like to keep everyone on point.

So in our last post we were heading away to Jamaica. The trip overall as great. Weather was perfect, the food was great, the booze was top notch and everything was smooth and painless. As mentioned before we have been a to Jamaica a couple times so we knew what to expect. The fact language is not a factor and that most of the laws are pretty loose is always a plus for us. I just don't feel as comfortable when there are military personal on every corner or I'm the in situations where I'm not sure if I ordered a beer or traded my wife for a mango. It could happen...

We ended up going to a place that was a little on the plus star side and I couldn't have been happier with how things ended up. Fact of the matter is I let D take care of it all. I show up and get in line like 3rd grader on a local museum trip. If you gave me a fruit drink in a box I'd probably nap while doing a thumb suck.

What made the place really great was how laid back most of the rules were. Usually we go to places where you have to line up in the morning for special dinner reservations and the beach towels are treated like royal jewels. This place was open season in every way and it was just what we needed. No reservations for dinners, the room bars were stocked with everything you could need and if you wanted 10 beach towels to build a fort, all the power to you.

Our room was the best on the whole resort. We came to this conclusion after doing a recon and taking everything into consideration.

• Distance from main lobby and loud entertainment stage
• Distance from food and prime beach location
• Height off the ground in terms of bugs avoidance vs total stairs 
• Fact it had a hammock (only 1 of 12 on entire resort) 
• It over looked the nude beach section of the resort adding to the entertainment

In the end, we had a great time. Retrospectively I wish we had done more things. It seemed by the time we had rested up and were ready for some free water-skiing, the wind picked up a little and the trip was over. I blame myself, as always. D is very accommodating to my boisterous and sometimes laid back personality. I fear she accepts more of my crap than she should but I'm working on that
not happening.

What tips do I have when traveling you ask? Well let's see...

1. Make sure you know the currency situation. We met a young couple who had exchanged a boat load of money into local and also unneeded currency. US dollars worked very well. 
2. Bring your own thermos mug for the hotel bars. Small plastic cups are a pain. 
3. Bring your own toilet paper. Enough said... 
4. Chat up the front desk people, they can get you interesting deals on trips you may not know about. 
5. Save yourself the hassle, no one cares about what your wearing. Bring one pair of sandels and a pair of runners, that's it. 

Actually surfing the net here...

When we got back home all was well. Cooper had chewed a couple chair legs but overall the place hadn't burned down and all the animals remembered us. We looked forward to coming home for sure. The road ahead is so exciting on the new farm. How could we not be just as happy to be home as we were on a beach surfing the net in a hammock...



Life Lesson #559: Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out...

You never count your farm equipment while sitting at the table...

The other night I was invited to a poker game held by a friend of mine who lives locally. I'm not much of a drinker and have little patience for when people are overly drunk. In no way would I be classified as a prude or preacher, I drink from time to time. However my tolerance for idiocy is very minimal. That being said, if you choose to play a game for money and you also get loaded and lose your shirt to me, so be it. So just as the night is wrapping up, a couple of the guys were a little low on funds and the betting turned interesting. During a game of Hold em, I flopped a King high straight and totally played another guy into a classic limping trap. Once all was said and done, I cleaned him out and walked away with $$ and a new fertilizer spreader. Isn't it funny how life goes, I never thought I'd be happy to win farm equipment in a game of poker but there it is...

Been a year already??

D and I are leaving day after tomorrow for a 'honeymoon'/anniversary back to Jamaica. We were married there this time last year but with the 30+ guests and stress up the ying yang it wasn't much of  a relaxing time. With the new house, farm work, Cooper: the super pain in the a$$, and just all around bad things happening around here, it will be a very welcome break. Coop is still pretty young and we should be here for him but the trip was booked a while ago, and as mentioned before is very badly needed. A family friend is gong to stay here to watch the homestead and take are of our menagerie of animals.

I'm going to try and leave a few neighbours with jobs to do on the property while we are gone. Why? Because they're mostly retired and have offered, or they want some of our trees to trade so it may actually get done by the time we're back. Most likely we'll come back and nothing will have changed. If I don't get that back Montego plot prepped by winter it will be a tough season of growing next year. I'll let you know how it turns out.   

And although it is a day late, and no one really reads this blog, I want to say thank you to all those who have served our country locally and abroad to keep us safe. Remembrance Day is an important day in our family, both my grandfathers served in WWII and the Korean War. Years ago I was walking through a school yard and a home whose fence backed onto the school had an older man working on his garden. We struck up a conversation through the fence and after a few minutes he had briefly mentioned serving in WWII. I gave him a sincere thanks for his service and he started to tear up a little. It was a great moment I try to recreate any chance I get. So anyways... thanks.

Life Lesson #3: Being born in Canada is winning the human race lottery. Appreciate and take advantage of it...

Tomorrow is promised to no one...

In some ways I wonder if the idea of starting a 'homestead' blog was a little premature considering we are just entering into the throws of winter. What I mean is, there isn't really much to discuss in terms of self sufficient living when you haven't really planted anything and aren't going to for another few months. On a personal level there are things to share but how interesting is that to anyone who aren't family and friends, and they don't even read this blog. We can keep you up to date with renovation or dog training progress, maybe just a blog like variety show of what's happening on the farm. Read if you wish, comments are always welcome but the true farm angle of things will be in low key until spring.  

To make things worse in terms of content this week, we were basically kept indoors because of the

Cooper: Cutest dog ever...

remnants of Hurricane Sandy. It was a lot of wind and rain for us but nothing over the top damage wise. It set us back a bit with the puppy Cooper, he wasn't a fan of the rain and the house training has been hit or miss. Thankfully we are planning on changing the flooring soon so he can do his worst with his ninja like poop bombs. There are some nipping issues with D, and because of coyotes we are going to need to keep and eye on him until he's big enough. Locals keep telling me to get a donkey for the farm to keep the coyotes away from the chickens etc but not sure D would be on board for that. Plus a donkey breaks the farm rule of no animals so big we can't bury it or stuff in a neighbours mailbox if it dies...

So far no sprouts on the garlic patch yet, a minor disappointment. We have all the leaves piled up and ready to cover it after a couple good frosts. The next week is suppose to be decent weather so I'll keep an eye on it and hold off on the mulch cover as of yet. No progress on the Montego plot yet, the 5 days of rain have put everyone on hold. I'll be buggin' the neighbours for sure to get things moving before the winter sets in. The trampoline has been taken apart and moved to the shop for transformation, hopefully have that up for spring. And for whatever reason I ordered some seeds off Ebay as well. In the grand scheme of things not a lot, $40 worth of what would cost us $80 online at seed stores. Overall a good investment/source if they germinate, it's the tunnel vision thing at work again mostly...

All in all things are going well, we are still happy and progressing enough. We're leaving for our honeymoon next week and none of the locals have left a burning scarecrow on our lawn, so we are doing well so far. We've noticed a few things since living on the farm vs the city, some good some bad...

Wormzilla

1. Everyone seems to smile a little more. It sounds cliche but it's true.
2. The stars at night are mesmerizing and because we live on a slight hill, the sun rises are very intence.
3. Stringent deadlines seem like more of a suggestion to locals.
4. A lot of things are closed on Sundays, a fact I don't mind really. I appreciate the old days of everything being shut on the holy day.
5. Things which are gospel in the city, ie anti monsanto and non-GMO seem shrugged off to most here. One neighbour actually told me it was 'safe' to drink Monsanto's Roundup weed killer.
6. Worms grow very large. I thought someone lost a finger while digging the garlic patch. 
7. Morning tea tastes better. 
8. Raking the yard is an all day ordeal. May be time to cut down some trees.
9. It takes the same time to get to and from Tim Horton's here vs in the city.
10. Mouse bait seems to be a staple in decorating. 

Life Lesson #876: Better to have people think you're an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt...

It's never too late to catch up with old friends... unless you owe them money...

When you start doing a blog it's not uncommon to psych yourself up to be a Hemingway of sorts. You anticipate that your poetic ramblings will be quickly adored by thousands and it will be nothing at all to rip off poignant thought rivers daily. The fact of the matter is unless you put tons of time into pumping your blog, very few read it and the daily thing is a pipe dream for anyone over 25 with any kind of life. I will do my best and appreciate your patience. Not sure who that is directed to but if you read it, than it's you...

It's been a few days since the last post, my longest hiatus I think. If you were going through withdrawal I apologize but I'm sure it will be fine, this post may be a long one.

The garlic patch is in and growing. Things didn't really turn out like I had planned but hopefully it all works out. I borrowed my uncles dump truck and he gave me a few cubic yards of quality top soil to drop off at my place. I had wanted this "Max-gro" stuff from a local topsoil provider but ended up with one a step down (in my ignorant opinion). However it was much cheaper and I added a bunch of quality compost etc. so hopefully it works out. We'll know next fall if you can hang in there. Oh, I also planted a couple dozen bulbils but I'm not expecting much. If the whole thing craps out I won't be surprised. It's a first shot and I will be working right next to the garlic plot over the next couple weeks prepping Montego for next spring. 

Good to have great neighbours

Big side note bonus, when I pulled in with the dump truck, my neighbour, the old guy with all the tools, was in my yard mowing down my 5 foot hayfield of weeds in Montego. The whole thing was laid out flat from his industrial mower. It was a such a great lift, even D gasped when she saw it all cleared. In a way it took a mountain and made it a large annoying hill you'd hate to have to climb but can... oh he also had a bucket on the mower and dropped all my soil right into the garlic hole. Saving me about 3 hours of lugging a lame wheelbarrow back n forth. Country neighbours, so far, are great. Another neighbour, a young silver spooned kid a few doors south came over to say hi and offered a barter of some of our trees for some excavation work via his company. We do have too many trees which I will have to get rid of for planting but if we can sell some or at least trade them off for man hours/items than all the better. We still haven't sold our condo yet so money is tighter than (insert hillbilly one liner here)

The puppy, although cute as hell and full of life, has been a handful. In hindsight not sure it was the best idea to get him this quickly but I may say that at anytime. Once he's house trained and a loyal companion I'm sure it will be all great. He already knows how to sit and comes when his name is called. When he can use an abacus I'll call the media. By the way for those of you out there betting, we named the puppy Cooper. 

Future Greenhouse

All in all we love it so far. The property is huge which makes it all the better. We're still finding out new things about the house, hidden passageways and perks here and there. Something not so nice is the cost of everything. Things we need to buy for the farm business, things we need to buy to maintain/fix the house and everything in between. Most importantly D is happy and always has a little pep in her step regardless of what's going on. It's nice that we can be getting into our groove so quickly. I am however getting a little worried about pulling this whole things off. Just the small amount of work involved in getting the garlic patch going was a little tough. What am I going to do with a 60 x 80 plot, or even 4 acres. Hopefully by then aliens will have sold us slave robots that run off carbon monoxide or Twinkies... 
   
Life Lesson #17: To master your 9 X multiplication table hold up both hands palms up, fingers fanned out. Always starting with the number 9 in your head, try 9 x 3. The 3 being the 3rd finger on your left hand, put it down. The number represented by your fingers still up is the answer to 9 x 3  (2 and 7) 27. Try it with 9 x 5, the 5 being your pinkie finger on your left hand. Once you roll that down, the 4 fingers remaining on your left hand and the 5 on your right is the answer. 9 x 5 = (4 and 5) 45   
    

Call it what you wish, it's still home...

Week 1 of the move is now complete and we have started work on the first planting bed for next season. An advantage of the fall move is plenty of prep time for the growing season. On the other hand its a full winter of busy work which may or may not become a Shining situation. We have no red rum in the house at the moment.

We have decided to name our planting locations based on different places we have been to, or would like to visit. So far we only have two,

1. Montego: Name significance: First place we ever met while on vacation. Farm Significance: the initial planting location for next years first crops. It's a 60 ft-ish by 80 ft-ish plot of land right on the front corner of our overall garden lot, closest to the house and the only spot without a forest of trees and stumps.  
2. Eden: Name significance: The place everyone would want to live. Farm Significance: the back 2.5ish or so acres of our property separated from the front section by a creek and some trees. Ultimately it will be where we plant an orchard of various fruit trees. Probably 2+ each of apples, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches etc etc. Anything we can get our hands on will be grown and tested there. Most likely also the beehive hangout...

 Why name them you may be wondering?

• A just for fun 
• B for easy reference when discussing any given location
• C in case one has to look for the other it would be an easy find 

After 1 hr with a shovel? really...?

Anyway, we will have a heck of a struggle trying to get Montego ready for food planting. As mentioned before we were happy that the previous owner ran a landscaping company. Now we're seeing a negative side effect of that, tons of debris and stones mixed into the soil. After an hour of plain shovel digging I found way too much garbage to be optimistic about the whole ordeal. So for the time being we are focusing on the garlic patch. We have about 180+ cloves consisting of 8 different strains and a handful of garlic bulbils as a test. The bulbils won't pay off for about 3 years but economically it much better than plain bulbs.

Semi Interesting Factoid: Bulbils are small garlic seeds that grow in the flower of a mature garlic scape. A scape can have 60 to 400 bulbils, the average garlic bulb has 6-8 cloves.    

 

Garlic slave at work

On to the planting. The old owners still have some items left here he has yet to clean up. We're being patient with them for various reasons. So after my hour long wrestling match with their garbage in Montego, I flagged down one of the workers he has cleaning up the mess. Following a quick chat, I picked a spot at the NW corner of the Montego plot and he drove his bobcat over and cleared me a 6 inch deep plot 5ft wide and about 15 ft long. Just enough space for the garlic patch. It's got full sun and it's enough out of the way I can prep the rest of the plot over the next couple weeks for next year. As you can see from the pic on the right, it's all a nightmare of weeds, but the potential is there. Main priority is getting the garlic in the ground and once I have the 3 yards of special soil dropped tomorrow, Sunday becomes planting day. And not a moment too soon. Good thing D got me the farmer overalls with leather knees...

Life Lesson # 104: Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.

Oh we get puppy tomorrow too... can't wait. Overheard a helpful clerk at the TSC Store saying for a puppy you need a ticking clock and hot water bottle in their bed to help with mommy separation. Got one for puppy and for myself. I'll let you know how it goes. 

Wish I didn't know now, what I didn't know then...

So it's been a couple full days since we moved in and things have so far been great. D is over the top happy, telling me every 10 mins or so. I don't mind it really, as they say "happy wife, happy life."and the alternative would be a nightmare. We hit the ground running and have basically all the important stuff set up. The kitchen is functional, the office is up and downloading movies, the shower is hot but the garage is still full of boxes and that's ok for now.

In terms of farm work we bought a few key tools, mostly shovels and rakes, I've located the spot for the garlic to go and cleared much of the overgrown vegetation around our deck. Halfway through my battle on the deck jungle I thought for a minute Jane Goodall was studying me, but it was just a shadow.

Weepin' Willow

Our twin 50ft willows are now trimmed and no longer sagging to the ground. Some may think the willows could have waited but the trimming had ulterior motives since we needed some sort of ground cover for the garlic bed once they are planted and after a couple light frosts have it. Covering them with 4-6 inches of straw or leaves helps to regulate the ground temp and stops the bulbs from being dislodged during frost heaving. See there are things to learn here... Once we plant the garlic we are trying different combinations of additives and soil enhancements to see what benefits work. I'll let you know the final choices and ultimately the outcome in a later blog(s).. so stay tuned...

We pick up the puppy in 5 days, he'll be 8 weeks and ready for a new home, the cats will not be thrilled but they'll live. They haven't really adapted to the bigger house yet, both them and D are pretty jittery with the new noises. I sleep through anything, literally. In our old condo, the fire alarm would go off right outside our bedroom and it wouldn't even phase me. Hope that's true when the puppy (and kids) are whining/crying... I may fake it anyway... 
  
Life Lesson #76: What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s...










      

I love it when a plan comes together...

The move into Shanghai-La couldn't have worked out better. Originally it was scheduled for 830 am with the movers, but because the garlic festival didn't open til 1pm, I postponed the movers till 10 am. The idea was to line things up so no time was wasted waiting around for the festival to start and the movers would be on sight dropping things in the wrong place or running over the neighbours dog. The resched worked out perfectly, truck was loaded by 11:30. By the time I loaded my truck and cleaned a bit it was 12:30. The movers were already heading up to the farm with D in tow to make sure it was handled properly.

Got to the festival at 12:50, found parking right out front, even tho it was an illegal parking spot, it was so packed I knew I could get in and out. The festival was good. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I guess even with garlic there are only so many farmers and specialty chefs going around. There was maybe 10 farmers tables, 10 general items sales places, like sauces and garlic presses etc. A few informational places about health and beauty and a camera crew from a local tv place meandering around. Knowing I was parked illegally and that my home was awaiting I rushed in, met with the farmers I had contacted previously, scooped my items, visited a couple others for a few different strains of bulbs and a pack of bulbils and scrammed.

Yep, that's a loonie next to the bulbs...

I know what you're wondering, did my idea of pre-contacting the farmers for speed and special treatment in terms of better product pay off? Boy did it! Not only was I in and out in 10 mins, but the bulbs this one farmer gave me, luckily the one I was getting the most product from, set us up with the biggest bulbs I saw in the whole festival. Not only were they super nice and helpful, but we bought 4 bulbs each x 5 strains of garlic weighing 5.5lbs costs us 40$. When growing garlic (and finding a husband), size matters. The bigger they are when you plant them, the bigger the next harvest will be. I'm sure as time goes on we will find cheaper sources, but for this crop now, I was satisfied with the price and farmer supplying it. Maybe in the spring we will get some asparagus from them as well. I'll give them a plug Cobblestone Farm

So I ran like a bat outta hell from the fest with no ticket on my window and the traffic was clear. By the time I got to the farm, the movers were done, the furniture we ordered was delivered and the satellite TV was installed. To top it off, some of my family had stopped by to visit and were waiting with cookies and baked goods as a move in treat. It was a great scenario all around and we are very happy. The previous owner is going to take the time to walk us around the property to catch us up on all the things two virgin farmers would need to know to keep the house from imploding. Because he was a pretty decent landscaper, he has done tons of things to make the place farmer friendly including an irrigation system, pond pumps and electrical outlets hidden all around the property. Think I may try to scoop a trampoline they have sitting out there to make a hoop style greenhouse, but that's another blog...

So far so good and we cant wait for what's next...

Life Lesson #914: Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself...

Be careful with your actions, you never know when you're creating a memory...

Tomorrow is the day it all begins. We did our final inspection today to make sure the farm wasn't burned down or rented out to hippies with a grow-op. The place itself was still standing but the homeowner has not lived up to her agreement to get a list of issues taken care of. Let this be a lesson to anyone buying a house from a bitter old curmudgeon. Get the price to where you want it regardless of the issues with the idea you're fixing it. When it comes time to sign and get the keys, if things aren't done, you're pretty much out of luck unless you want to cancel the deal and sue in court for a year or two.

Well, even with a grow-op we'd be taking the farm but the hassles we are now faced with have just added a few more posts in the future blog file. Including but ot restricted to a new AC unit, oil tank replacement and garbage removal from 10 years of bad landscaping jobs. All in all, it's better to have us do it, at least it will be done right. This will be a constant theme in the future. You want something done right, do it yourself or at least watch the person doing it and figure it out for next time, unless of course it's a root canal or colonoscopy.   

We drop off the cats tomorrow and await the pods we filled a few weeks ago. Everything will be on site for Saturday so when the movers show up we can have it done ASAP. At $150/hr we'll do anything we can to speed things up including oil up the driveway with PAM. We ended up finding a good moving company on the website www.homestars.com , it's the same place we found our home inspector and that worked out great for us so I'll let you know how this one goes.

Rules change after 30...

"Don't you have friends to help you move?" you're asking?

Of course we do, however we are trying to live by a new rule of thumb. Once you ask someone to help you move, you're on the hook to help them. So let's say you ask 4 buddies to help you move once. You now have to help 4 people move, and if your friends are like some of mine, they drift around like plastic in the ocean, it could be every year or so. Not to mention, you shouldn't ask people to help you move after you're 30. Add that to the list of things to not do after 30, including using "party" as a verb and men having piercings.



Life Lesson #888: People will forget what you said and what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel, so be kind.

If you've never been in over your head, how do you know how tall you are...

With only 4 days left before we move into our farm and start our adventure, we happened to catch a documentary this morning on the CBC. Sometimes coincidence has a way to give you a little nudge in the right direction or at least to give your head a shake to reality. If you ever get a chance to, see the film To Make a Farm

Basically it follows 3 sets of young farmers in Canada who have chosen to grow and sell their own food. Each at a different stage and financial support situation, the film was not only moving but inspirational, scary and in many ways enlightening. Horticultural classes are now on the horizon, style of greenhouse and seed starting has been altered and even the way in which we'll offer our products has been improved. You have to be able to adapt to survive and an expert I am not, so if I can stand on the shoulders of genius before me, I can see that much better.

I have to be honest, the film scared me a little. Not so much the workload, that I can handle. I worked carpentry outdoors in January so I'm no stranger to pain, it's more the unpredictability of nature. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that no matter what you do to prepare for any circumstance, nature can at anytime drop and say, "na, I don't think you have enough heartache" then blamo, rain, pest, drought, sickness etc. If not for the fact D is going to keep working while we get this off the ground, I'm not sure going from 0 to 100 would be a smart move. Only time will tell, and it starts in 4 days...

Oh and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family... not that anyone is reading this... ;o)

Life Lesson #761:  Life is not fair -- get used to it...

One thing vampire children are taught early on is, don't run with wooden stakes...

In preparation for the coming move and fall planting season we are planning to hit the Toronto Garlic Festival which, turns out, is happening on our moving day next Saturday. In any other circumstance we would skip the garlic fest but because it's literally 2 mins. off the highway on our way up, we are going to make it happen. After we're packed up and loaded, D will head on to the Farm and I will make a slight detour for the cloves.

Better have a mint...

The 2nd annual Toronto Garlic Fest is a mix of food and farm suppliers with anything from oils and dried garlic to roasters and seed for planting. We have no interest in the food aspect at this point of course, but I have been doing some research as to who is going to be selling seed garlic there. Over the past few days I have taken the time to contact them, find out what strains they are bringing and in some cases asked them to set up a package for me to pickup. The reason for this is two fold. First, the obvious time constraint, if I can just pick it up and go all the better. Second, and more importantly, I'm hoping that the direct contact will edge them to perhaps include a better quality of seed vs a person just walking in off the street. I'll let you know how that one goes.

One of the hottest around...

The odd thing is, and this is a trait of mine I'm trying to dissect, I could care less about garlic. Not that I don't like it, but do I like it enough to go through all this hassle and energy? Not really, however it's a popular food, and if we want to have a solid hold on what people are going to eat/order then my own personal feeling don't come into the mix. Another example of this is the peppers we grew up on our balcony as a pre-test for out green thumb abilities. Along with a couple sweet peppers, we grew some habanero and a ghost pepper plant from seeds we bought on Craigslist. Ghost peppers being one of the hottest in the world if you didn't know. Again, I don't like spicy foods at all but many people do and if nothing else it's an added value addition people may appreciate just to try, or at least contemplate. I tend to be more on the side of diaper wearing when it comes to testing my spice resistance. D's brother ate one and said his eyes sweated... wished he got it on video. We've decided we will have a few odd things like this peppered (lame pun intended) throughout our growing stocks.

I guess the point is, we are trying to be prepared regardless of convenience and personal preference. Many books say to grow what you like to eat yourself, but god hasn't invented a cookie tree so... We will be prepared with the garlic for future growing seasons and prepared with a variety of unique items to offer to our customers as a way to stand out. Well that, along with quality organically grown products of course...

Life Lesson # 51: Never wear anything that advertises a company, unless they're paying you...

Be prepared, and careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching...

There's only 9 days left until we finally move in and the anticipation is taxing. We haven't even sold our condo yet, it was bad timing in August supposedly so until we sell, we are carrying 2 houses. D is so stressed her stress is palpable, I tend to lean more on the side of things will work itself out. Plus we have tons of positive karma in the bank. The place looks great and we only just listed 5 days ago. Either way, once its gone it will be a huge relief obviously.

So in preparation for the big move I've got the design for the chicken coop all set.

Chicken Coop for a King

Doesn't even matter that I wont be getting any chickens until spring time. I try to think ahead and give myself time to adapt any given project if needed. Also, knowing the design gives me time to gather things on the cheap from stores, garage sales, friends and neighbours. I probably won't even build the thing til march, but once I'm ready, we are good to go. It will be a winterised and 'ingenious' modification of this one here: Cooptopia Version 1.0

Another project I've have worked on is within an Apple app. Used with the iPad, it lays out a garden for you up to 5 acres. The details on the app are incredible. From every kind of fruit and vegetable you can think of, and all their planting/harvesting details. To succession planting, and warning you about duplicate planting issues, ie not planting tomatoes in the same spot as peppers the previous year. Easy to use and handy tutorials. Gardening App for iPad  It's the kind of thing you can lose yourself in for a few hours but I'm hoping once it's set up, it will be a irreplaceable tool. No more pen and paper graphs. I should mention it's 20$, but I feel worth it, and I think it goes on sale once in a while.

However, the top priority and first project to work on once we move is an in-law suite for D's mother. I'll make sure it's soundproof and a complete separate entrance. I'll keep you up to date on the progress because I know you're interested. Nothing over the top, new entry door, separation door, install new floors, electric fireplace and a kitchen. Perhaps a small deck and sliding glass doors off a guest bedroom. All this is second nature to me having worked in construction for 15 years. If you are a fan of HGtv you can see me as a lead contractor 1st season on the show Design Inc. But that will be our little secret...

Life Lesson #198: Everyone's got a story that could break your heart. Be patient and don't judge too quickly... 
 

Just a filler to try and do a blog per day...

It never ceases to amaze me the degree in which most people will go out of there way to help a virtual stranger when you are starting off in farming. It's like a brotherhood I never even knew existed but now that I do we are very appreciative. The value of books as a quick and in most ways substantiated form of information has it's value for sure, but the information super highway definitely lives up to its name. Any subject pertaining to a hobby farm has its own dedicated message board, and most likely one located either within Canada or even better Ontario. Even if it's just a general one it's still priceless in terms of information, its just a little less concrete.

Just within the last few weeks of researching a variety of Hobby Farm topics we have come across some valuable user generated information resources:

• www.backyardchickens.com  user generated information website/message board for raising chickens
• www.canadiangunnutz.com  user generated information website/message board for safe handling of firearms
• www.beesource.com  user generated information website/message board about beekeeping
• www.gardenweb.com user generated information website/message board about everything garden related. 

These are just some examples of useful sites of course. These sites in particular we have joined, tossed out a few questions here and there and the responses were quick, informative and first hand from someone we know was in our position not too long ago. Some have even gone out of there way to contact us outside the message board via email to offer advice for locations for good chicken/bee stocks or anything else we may be looking for. The time and money saved utilizing these type of sites are incalculable. Of course it has to be said to always use common sense before trusting anything anyone says right off the bat. We probably wouldn't meet someone in a dark alley while being lured with a candy or a baby chick, but in general everything has been nothing but positive.

Life Lesson #212: Success nowadays is 10% Inspiration, 50% Perspiration and 40% Nepotism.
  

Jack of all trades, master of some... (Pt.II)

The springtime will be 'off the hook' in terms of things going on, as it is for most who own a farm I'm sure. More so for us this year because it will be our first and we're setting up everything ASAP so we can hit the ground running. It may end up being too much and we'll implode buy at least it will be intriguing to watch. 

Another project I worked on in preparation for the Green Acres maneuver was to build a beehive. 

1. If we are growing fruits and veggies it would make sense for optimal pollination to have a few bees scurrying about. 
2. We want to do our part to help the ailing bee population thrive.
3. We love honey.  

After reading a few books on the subject it turns out trying the traditional 'Langstroth' hive may be the way to go when starting out. For those who are not sure, it's the stacked square box hives you usually see in pics and on the side of the road. Research points to them possibly being more susceptible to the C.C.D, Colony Collapse Disease we have been hearing so much about, but I guess for a beginner it's the way to go. 
Despite this information, my first attempt at building a beehive was the 'Top Bar' design, popular in some poorer countries around the world. There are pluses and minuses for both designs according to experts. If nothing else, the top bar designs look a lot better, however when we do start a hive in the spring, it will be in the 'Langstroth' for the first year. If the bees survive we may attempt to split the colony and use my 'Top Bar' as well. (I will post better pics in the future, it's in storage)

What's a farm without Liquid Gold?

2nd project was a Top Bar Beehive

A design made from:

Exterior of the Buzztropolis

•  Select Pine 1" x 10" x 8ft
•  Select Pine 2" x 4" x 8ft
•  Select Pine 1" x 3" x 8ft
•  3/4" good 1 side plywood
•  Metal Roofing
•  Plexiglass for a viewing window
•  Mesh for a open bottom (unseen)
  

We are planning to take a beginners course at a local Apiary (Bee  Place) in the springtime as well. That way we can get a little more hands on and perhaps even purchase some decent local bees. If you're planning to read any books on the subject of Bees, which I have done to more than a half dozen so far, a good starter,

Interior Shot to Show Frames

as cliche as it sounds, is Beekeeping for Dummies. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/product/9780470430651-item.html?ref=google:sayt 
In fact, I have read a few of these 'Dummies' books pertaining to the Hobby Farm themes and as a solid starting overview, they are handy and easy to understand. In Ontario, you have to register your bees and open yourself up to inspection from Gov't officials. This is fine by us, why not have another person to pick their brain. Plus after a few emails the guy seemed nice enough. I'll let you know if they show up with a SWAT team...

Life Lesson #654: Anything you do in life should only benefit nature. There's another generation who needs to use it...

Now just have to make sure I don't buy any Africanized honey bees.
 

T-Minus 11 days until Shangri-La move in.

Families are like fudge, mostly sweet but there's a few nuts...

When I was in grade school, we lived with my grandmother for a few years. She lived down the road from the same school my mom and most of her 11 brothers and sisters went to growing up. My brother was 4 years older so he went to school by himself without his snot-nose little brother tagging along. That was fine by me because I had my own companion to walk me. Our dog Kelly was a Border Collie mix and pretty much the reincarnation of Einstein. Every day he'd walk me to school a couple kms. through traffic lights, over a bridge and passed numerous other dogs, cats and scrambling animals and then, at lunch, he'd come back by himself, get me and walk me home. Twice a day he did this, he was never late, never forgot and never complained.

For whatever reason we moved to an apartment and had to give Kelly away. I had no vote in that decision and was devastated, but I never forgot how great that dog was. I vowed to one day get another Border Collie mix and they'd watch over my kids too. (This was reinforced by an article I read recently about BC mixes being best dogs to own) D and I presently live with 2 cats in our condo, both are rescues. Mojo would be mine and BiBi (aka Scarface) would be hers. Take a guess as to which one is the cuddly genius and which one is basically a rug we feed and clean up after...

Bibi "relaxin"

Mojo "chillaxin"

So when D and I were midway through our courtship I casually let her know that one day we would have a BC mix. The idea was to wait til our kids were 5ish and then find a pup. D has had dogs before but we both knew this condo was no place for a K9 so I shelved the idea but brought it up here and there to ensure it worked it's way in like a bad jingle. Again, D takes the bragging rights when she comes home a couple weeks ago and she found a guy who has BC and Blue Heeler cross puppies 2 hours north of us. This is the kind of thing that makes me love her more. I had no idea she was even scouring the net watching for this. 

Obviously when you're just buying a farm and starting a family, throwing a dog into the mix is just a bad idea. However sometimes if you're going to mix it up in life, you might as well get it all over with at once, especially when it carries with it the trifecta of positive points:

1. This guy up north had a fresh a litter of 11, which is important to me. I like to have a choice of many. I'd do a fancy whistle or kissing sound to see which one responds, runs over and ends up being the lucky winner of our family unit. 
2. His price was reasonable compared to most we've seen around. (see previous post about saving $$) 
3. Because of the puppies birth date, we can't even have the dog til 2 weeks after we move into Keltic Kreek, giving us time to settle in before he/she craps all over the place. 

Short story long, we drove up today and went to find our newest family member. The guy was a nice enough older gentlemen farmer type with ducks running wild and a few cows gnawing the fence line here and there. He had the pups all caged up with the parents watching closely nearby. Overall we were pleased that it didn't seem like a puppy mill but my attempt at an ultra primal link with one specific puppy via whistle or kissing sound went out the door because they were all constantly chewing at my jean pants and growling playfully. We ended up deciding we wanted a male which narrowed our choices from 11 to 3. Next I wanted one that stood out in terms of markings and didn't seem too runty. And if they could look like a pirate or little rascals dog that would be a bonus.

And then there were 5... We are happy to announce, to our 3 readers, the newest member of our family, we pick him up in 4 weeks.
**(Name Withheld for Security/Indecision Reasons)

Future Chicken Wrangler

Life Lesson #112: Children aren't that different from puppies. When it comes to raising good ones, start early, be firm and stay consistent.
 







 

A full wallet is not as good as an empty one is bad...

Part of what will help make us successful is our ability to stretch a dime, and making $10 do the work of $25. Saving money is like losing weight, it's all about priorities. I'm 6 ft tall and never been over 199lbs and it's not about a regimented diet and killing myself at the gym, it's priorities and common sense. Statistically artists and musicians live longer than marathon runners and triathletes. You'd expect that to be reversed but the numbers don't lie. Money can do the same thing, if you're creative, do your research and shop right, you can make it seem like you spent a ton but you'll have more in the reserves for the long haul. All of this will not be easy to do this first year because we will be hemorrhaging money trying to get the ball rolling the right way. If I make a big score I let you know... 

We try to buy Canadian

One of the websites I like to visit daily is www.redflagdeals.com. Completely Canadian based and monitored by a group of rabid fans, we can pretty much trust what we read here as being the gospel in terms of best deals on an item/service. There is a rolling, up to the minute 'deal banner' and the usual forum sections for discussions. If you haven't already, bookmark it. We also watch www.dell.ca for their periodic deals, great for computers and electronics. Of course Google is our friend when looking for a coupon code. Anytime we're buying something online we do a quick check for any coupons hiding around the net. Usually www.retailmenot.com comes up with a few choices. Point is don't be afraid to poke around before buying anything. Amazon is great for reviews of almost any items.
Edit: New addition which is right down our alley is www.tscstores.com their flyer comes out online every Thursday at midnight, so we'll be there early Friday mornings to ensure good stock. 

Sometimes, the best way to save a dollar is to be patient young grasshopper. Know what it is we want, find the one that is the best combo of quality, warranty, usefulness and of course final sale price. No point in paying 10$ for a rake that'll be rusty toothpicks in a season or two. Watch the local places that sell both the quality ones and the lame ones, like Canadian Tire. When they good ones go on sale for 25$ we strike. Buying 3 crappy rakes over 5 years or 1 really good one only makes positive treehugger sense. Of course auctions, craigslist and kijiji are always an option but as always, buyer beware. As a general rule, we rarely buy tools or electronics used, we prefer to know what they've been through.

Life Lesson #811: Never buy a tool, product or services of a company that has a notation of quality in their name.


   




 

Jack of all trades, master of some....

So as we were looking for the new house, I've been hanging out at my friend Paul's house 1 night a week. Not only for socializing with a good friend and mentor, but to use his carpentry shop. This guy taught me a good chunk of what I know in terms of skilled trades. To be honest, a lot of what I learned was what 'not to do'. He's a great carpenter and if he didn't love the beer so much, he'd probably be retired by now or at least have a crew of minions doing his grunt work. Life Lesson #65: Everyone you meet in life will teach you something, and sometimes it's what not to do, you just have to pay attention.
 
First time I picked up a hammer to build something was in front of him 15 years ago. I lived in his basement for a few years, helped him build it in fact, and moved from there in with D when things got serious. In preparation for farm living I've built a few items which will come in handy I hope. My process to making something is simple. I do tons of research reading, youtubing etc. Get multiple examples of an item I want to make, take all the best features of each of them based on my needs, and then execute the project with intensity, sometimes even tunnel vision but we'll see examples of that later I'm sure. 

What's a garden without black gold! 

Interior Worm farm sans worms

The first project was a worm farm.
(aka vermicomposting)

A design made from:
1) 2 large Rubbermaid containers
2) Vent caps of a couple sizes 1" and 2" from Home Hardware
3) 1/8 in plastic mesh screen
4) Pantyhose.
(I can elaborate on design if anyone requests it)

They'll pay dearly to live here

So far the thing works great. We bring it inside during the winter (we've had it for over a year now) and have never once had an issue with smell or mess. Trust me, if D smelt anything it would have been dumped a long time ago. A key move I find is to freeze the food you are feeding the worms first. When you are planning to feed them, nuke it in a microwave for a few minutes, let it cool and dump it in with the worms. Pretty simple and effective for cutting down waste and adding some useful black gold to the plants we have on our patio. Anyone, even with a small condo space could do it this way and not have an issue.  
 
*Note: This completed farm bin (above) goes inside an untouched duplicate (or shorter) bin to catch any water or liquid gold which might seep out.

Feel free to be yourself, everyone else is already taken...

It's interesting when I think about people's initial reactions to news about making a move like we are. The older people all moan about the workload, wondering why you'd do such a thing. The people our age all moan about the commute or distance to the 'action' and younger people (pre 25) could care less, just shrugging with a light moan of indifference. What makes it interesting is as the time approaches, every one of them seems almost as excited as we are. No one we know lives in a situation like we're moving into, and yet I can almost tell that in some way, many of them seem to wish they were. Everyone is welcome to come by and hang out/help on the farm, but I'll assume the draw of that will wear off within a few weeks. 

When we first started dating, D and I had zero intentions on moving to farm country or starting a business based on anything to do with Mother Nature. As time passed, our discussions about food quality, EotW scenarios, the zompocalypse and other interesting pillow chat started to make us think differently. The push to move into the country and be self sufficient happened organically. Just through osmosis we one day looked at each other and agreed which direction was best for us as a family. Once we started down that path, we've never looked back. Life Lesson #343 - When it comes to your better half, always be yourself and speak your mind honestly.

So the initial plan, as it stands, is to build the farm to a stage of feeding our family, our extended families and any local neighbours who are interested in quality and sometimes unique foods. We'll do this without pesticides, hybrids or damage to our ecosystem. In the end, we don't care about what other people think or moan about. It's not just about the money obviously, it's not about the in-laws all accepting it. It's about a unified dream and as D says 'Team Us' (usually followed by a Wonder Twins fist pump)

Everyone can have their own dream but this one is taken. We have plans to start a festival for a certain veggie we feel is being neglected and perhaps a cook-off contest of some kind. But none of this can happen without us building various projects.  These are including but not restricted to the following. This blog will share them all in some capacity and if you have any questions feel free to ask, I assume no one will read this but D and I.

8 ft Patio Sunflower

• Massive Greenhouse
• Chicken Coop  (aka Cooptopia)
• Beehive(s)  (aka Buzztropolis)
• Worm Farm
• Root Cellar  (aka Root Cellar)
• Carpentry Shop
• Solar Heater
• Solar Power Unit
• Solar Dehydrator   
• Canning Station
• Composting Station
• Fruit Orchard
• Vegetable Garden
• Mushroom Farm 
• Gunsmith Station
• Herb Garden
• Water Collection Unit (grey?)

 





  

Our very own Shangri-La, but with kids.. and chickens...

So the night we get back from our weekend away, we both hopped on our respective computers and starting searching to see if any new houses came online. Somehow even tho I'm sure we search the same sites and criteria, D always seems to find things I can't. We always have a little rivalry over who found the best restaurant for butter chicken or the best deal at a garage sale so finding our family homestead would hold tons of bragging rights.

D bounces upstairs and tells me to look up a realty listing number online. At first the house didn't seem like anything we'd be over the top about. And after searching some Google maps, the listing didn't really fit what we were looking at via online satellite images. It save tons of time to be able to check an overhead view for a real perspective on neighbours, distance to major towns, even just the basics of the property.

We booked a viewing immediately with our agent, The Dragon Lady, as my friend who suggested her calls her. He's kind of old school so the fact she is Asian and it could be a little insensitive, is lost on him. Regardless, we went for a viewing, and fell in love. As it turns out the place had been on sale for over 6 months, and the sale was a result of a bad divorce. Not sure how we didn't see it before but we didn't want to lose another place like last time. So with the the Dragon Lady unleashed, we battled it out and happily ended up getting the property for 40% under original asking.
As a side note, Life Lesson #621: Make sure you get a pro inspection when purchasing a home. The bitter homeowner was less than truthful about almost everything but we found out and were compensated nicely in terms of a price drop.

You have to understand tho, this place had basically been untouched for years. To say the vegetation is  overgrown, is an understatement. I'm positive an Ewok swung by during our first visit. The interior is a cheesy Cali Santa Fe motif and needs to be updated top to bottom including replacing anything that runs off power. The important thing is, the place has very solid bones and even better, we have the skills to make this place an incredible home(stead) and hobby farm.

Inspection Day

Our family farm, tentatively coined Keltic Kreek Farm, is located on 10 acres, with 2 ponds, a creek cutting through it, a detached workshop, and less than 45 mins. from the city. I will keep you up on all the projects and various milestones once we move in, 2 weeks from now. The excitement level is like 10 Christmas' mixed with a dozen first kisses and topped with a few last days of school before summer vacation. Ya, we're pumped and the wait is torturous...





     

Life's a journey, not a destination...

I would like to start off by giving credit to a person who inspired this blog. His name is Jason and he has a blog Modern Pioneer based in the USA. We've never met, never spoken and never emailed, but his story isn't that different from my own and I liked how he went about sharing it. He is more of a 'pioneer' tho, hunting animals, tanning hides, canning beef and veggies alike. For the time being, we are not killing anything except in self-defense. I'm not a hunter of anything but cookies, and more of a soft heart ultimately, so when it comes time to cull a chicken, I'll hire a local guy probably. We are trying to be self sufficient while still keeping a toe in society. Oh and as far as canning goes, it's fruit and veggies only. There's something unnaturally odd about bacon in a jar. If for nothing else this blog may inspire/entertain others but its also to share with our children the chronicle of our journey. So, Jason... thanks...
Modern Pioneer Blog

Pic Off Condo Balcony

At present, my wife Danielle (D) and I live in a small condo within the downtown core of Canada's largest city. The area offers everything a young couple could ask for in terms of distractions. Walking distance to everything that happens in the big city and to some degree we took advantage of it. I spent too much of my youth 'partying' so I was more of a worker bee while living here, D however rode the wave and enjoyed the city life to its fullest. By the way, party should not be used as a verb after 30.                           
                                                    

Luckiest man alive...

Anyways, I have always lived near the city, D on the other hand was born and raised in small town Ontario. We met in Jamaica 5 years ago and were married there last year as well. She is a great woman who understands the meaning of team. I love her with all my heart and truly am lucky to have met her. Coming up to our 1st anniversary we have decided not only do we want to be responsible for our own food, but in our opinion, the city is no place to raise a family. Some may call it homesteading, others hobby farming, I'm not really sure what we're calling it. Ultimately, we want to depend on others as little as possible in as many aspects as possible. It was also some point between the 10th disease awareness marathon and the 5th religion based protest march that closed our area that year which told us we've had enough. Deep down we aren't city people anymore.


We started looking for a new home 6 months ago, criteria in mind and budget firm, we began the hunt. This new place is going to be our family home, something where roots will run deep and a true heritage can be established for our children and hopefully grandchildren. I will dig into my Irish genetics, channel my forefathers who came to Canada after the potato famine and farmed the land for family and neighbour. D is French Canadian and Eastern European, she can't choose if it's Ukrainian or Polish but I'll let you know when she decides. Either way she makes a mean perogie.

Family Roots

Family heritage was never a big thing in my house. Being raised by a single mother of 2, it left little room for anything but the basics. That being said, we never went without, and it wasn't until I got older than I appreciate what she gave up for us. My mother tells of her childhood on a farm in eastern Ontario but they had moved to the city long before I came along. Throughout my childhood I spent many a summer day working on a friend's grandparent's farm, I have an incredible memory and learned as much as I could. But honestly, if I learned anything at that time, it was a love of fresh food and a respect for nature. As is true with most parents, I want to make sure my children have what I didn't, but for us, that also means understanding who you are and how we fit into the world as a whole, with an emphasis on self sufficiency.  

After a short home search, D and I found a great place just north of the city. Sometimes when you have a dream, you can get blinded but what you don't want to see. Long story short we didn't get that house. We were crushed to lose that first house by $1000, but in hind sight I'm glad we did. I'll tell that educational story another time.

We kept looking but hope was low because what we needed was pretty specific. 5+ acre utopian dream home close enough to the city to commute and flexible enough to have freedom to do what we want to. D will keep working at her job while I get Keltic Kreek Farm up and running. Did I mention I have little experience homesteading? So what, I have read countless books and websites already on various subjects from beekeeping, chicken raising, alternate views on food cultivation, solar energy and grey water usage. Perhaps my memory will come in handy for once. Either way, we'll take the journey together and one day you'll come to our farm for great food or to learn how to be more self sufficient. Well that's the general plan anyway.

Months of disappointed searching past and we went away for a weekend to relax. One night we finished dinner and were having a discussion with an older couple next door about our future plans. Older couples love talking with newlyweds and dispensing words of wisdom, and this was no exception. The man in the equation turned to us after hearing our obvious dismay about losing that first house, and said "No matter how great a deal is, there's always a better one around the corner, you just gotta be ready..." I know it seems very simplistic, everyone else was moaning about 'fate' and 'meant to be', which always seems like the cry of the loser to me, but this, for whatever reason hung with us in terms of making us feel optimistic. The next day we went home to real life and everything changed...