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...  
 

  

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.