Random Photo Entry

I was looking through some of my older photos, and came across two interesting ones taken in 2008. They were taken during a trip to McGregor Provincial Park, in Ontario Canada. I started noticing beautiful old farmhouses, abandoned and decaying along the highway and rural roads. Such a shame, I'm sure some were very old... and all had such amazing character. You have to wonder when you see things like that, about the lives lived within them, who the people were, how long they were there, and why they're gone...

Personally, they're a bit too large for my taste when it comes to their design. My homestead "cottage/cabin" is much smaller and far more practical for heating in the winter. Just right for one lady and her dogs 'n other pets... and maybe one day the right man too.  ;)

Anyway, these are just two of the houses I managed to take pictures of... hopefully I'll be able to find more and share them. I find them rather inspiring.

Always learning~

Things I've learned in the past six months:

-Rabbit is tasty, and easier to raise than chicken. Go figure. But store-bought is way too expensive. Raising your own is definitely the way to go. I hope to get some New Zelands sometime soon. Haven't decided on if I'm going with the Whites, or maybe if I can find them... broken Reds. I've learned how to slaughter (but haven't done it yet), butcher, and cook rabbit... and I'm proud of it!

-Baking bread isn't as hard as I thought, but does require being patient as well as having the right ingredients. I've never been a baker, so baking is definitely new territory for me.

-Making soap isn't that hard. All you need is wood ash, water, and tallow to make the most basic form. And now I know how to make laundry detergent for next to nothing too! You just need a bar of solid laundry soap, borax, and laundry soda (and I guess a natural scent extract if you wanna get fancy)!

-You can make butter from goat's milk (it's not just good for cheese!). I'm pretty much sold on getting at least two dairy goat x's, when I have room for a goat shed and a nice area to fence off for them that is.

-Canning can be fun (I remember spending summer days making jam with my mother growing up, didn't seem that much fun back then). *laughs*

-True cast iron cookware is hard to find... and I really want a 5 quart dutch oven. Might have to look into buying online.

-Getting a fishing license is easy, and affordable! Next year I will be getting a sportsman one so I can keep and eat a few of what I catch. Assuming I get good enough to catch anything! *laughs*

I'm sure there's more but it's late and I'm exhausted!
G'night!

Memory Lane

Ah yes, the tradition that many of us growing up had to endure. The annual/bi-annual visit with relatives that includes the infamous "Home Movies" and/or "Slide Show"....

I recently endured two such visits. Full of awkward moments and sad realizations.

But something interesting did come up as a result. Memories of a farm, far from where I currently live. And a family who have been friends with ours for half a century or more. In the foothills of Bavaria, a family who's owned land for generations runs a small farm. As a young girl, I visited that magical place during a lengthy family trip to see where my Father's side was from.

The farm had a barn full of cows, who I spent hours with. Feeding them handfuls of  hay when not distracted by chasing the big green grasshoppers that too were enjoying the roughage. I can still faintly remember the sounds and smells in that barn. And the big pink noses shoved into their troughs.... munching away.

I just found it fascinating that my exposure to such things happened so early. And it's sort of nice to know that the "farm bug" existed in a way, on my Father's side as well as my Mother's. My Mother's being more something I was aware of however. Her and her sisters (my two Aunts) grew up on farms after they immigrated from Denmark, they used to share random stories, like the one of the partially blind horse only my one Aunt could ride or even go near without risk of serious injury.

It's a shame my two Aunts don't communicate with me anymore. Ever since they had their falling out with my Mother. I'm sure they'd have plenty of stories of their time on the Farm, that maybe weren't worth repeating to me as a child...


One day maybe I'll ask my Father where his family's roots are... how far back they go... and if there were any farmers. It'd be interesting to find out.

In the Beginning...

I've always been drawn to the wilderness.

To rural places with fields and meadows that seem to go on forever. As a young girl, I found myself climbing trees, bushwhacking in parks, observing wildlife, playing in the mud, growing things in our tiny urban garden. Instead of doing what other girls my age were doing. Like going to the Mall, or the nightclubs, driving expensive cars and wringing up credit card bills.

Being born and raised in Canada's largest metropolitan area, doesn't itself make you a "city girl". Sometimes a Soul comes into the world that's just meant to do things differently. Well, that's what I believe anyway.

As long as I can remember, I was the "odd one". A social outcast in many ways. Never one to hang out with other girls, I preferred the company of other outcasts (nerds/geeks), most being boys.

I could defiantly roll with the best of 'em and was often the one kicking the snot out of bullies growing up.

I was the most ungirl-like girl in school. I also didn't partake in many of the vices that other kids in my school experimented in. I didn't smoke, do drugs, or even drink (though with European parents, the occasional sip of beer or wine was unavoidable). I didn't see a point to what I saw as time-wasting pursuits, when I'd rather be by the creek watching trout spawning, or be in the woods identifying animal tracks.

The beauty and calm of  life outside the city-driven hysteria which we seem to unquestioningly assume is "normal", was what I craved.

As I got older, interests changed. Goals evolved.  But my love for the soil, nature, open spaces, and the hatred of uncontrolled urbanization and over-development remained a constant.



I've been interested in prepping, homesteading, self-reliance, hunting and fishing, as well as raising animals like chickens, ducks, goats, and rabbits for as long as I can remember... despite the fact that my parents are not (though they do have an affinity for nature). Like I've said, I've always been the odd one.


I hope, as I write this blog, I'll be able to explore more of my inner-self, both strengths and weaknesses.... and find out what's driving me. As I work towards my ultimate goal. Living on the land, far from the city. Sustaining myself through my artistic talents (I'm a painter and crafter), and good ol' hard work.



Who knows. Maybe we'll all learn a little something along the way...