Spring Garden Planning!

Winter still has an iron grip here. There's still a few feet of white stuff on the ground.

It's been quite the season, we haven't had a winter like this for at least thirty years! It's snowed almost every week. We got nailed with a horrific Ice Storm in December that had us in the dark for four days. All in all, a lousy winter...

But thoughts are now turning to warmer days, and greener things!

  

Things are going to be fun this year. I've been granted the use of a large outdoor terrace-style balcony at a relative's place. Far bigger than any space I currently have access too. I'll be purchasing half a dozen large pots, and maybe a few smaller ones, and filling them with the best soil mix I can get my hands on.

On the list this year is as follows: Dill, Thyme, Parsley, and Lemon Basil for the Herbs (most of which I'll air dry to store for winter). Homesteader Peas and Golden Wax Beans (which have been awesome in the past). Bantam Corn (for the first time ever)! Swiss Chard (which I love like crazy). Both Green and Yellow Zucchini. And for fun, Birdhouse Gourds! I also might pick up some Kale seedlings when the Garden Centers start selling the cell packs, and depending on how many of the huge pots I have ready once things are truly warm and threats of frosts have passed.

Anyway, that's the plan right now. Here's hoping everything goes as I hope, but we know how gardening can be... one big unpredictable adventure. *laughs*

Butternut Squash Soup! (Just in time for Autumn)

Oh jeeze... I've sort of been neglecting this poor blog lately. Things here have been very busy and I had no choice but to take a break! But I'm back (sort of)!

And in honor of the soon-to-come Changing of the Seasons.... I give you, my Butternut Squash Soup Recipe!

I'm no gourmet cook, I can admit that. But I know what I like, and the recipe is SUPER flexible! So here goes! (This can give you two to four bowls of soup depending on how thick/thin you like your soup.)

Ingredients:

-One small to medium sized Butternut Squash (about three to five pounds).
-One small Onion (whichever kind you prefer).
-One large Carrot.
-Three Cups of Chicken stock.
-Milk/Cream
-Olive Oil.
-Sea Salt
-Pepper
-Nutmeg
-Cinnamon
-Garlic powder

Directions:

Cube up the squash, and cut up the onion and carrots. Put some olive oil in the bottom of your pot and bring your stove top up to a heat sufficient enough to saute the onions. Once the onions are caramelized to your liking (or not, depending on your tastes), toss in the carrots and squash! If you like a deeper flavor, let the squash caramelize a bit too. Once things start softening up, pour in the chicken stock (should be enough to just cover the squash, carrots, and onions). Let it all simmer lightly until everything is fork tender. Then strain out the veggies (save the stock!), and toss 'em in a food processor or blender (or you can do it by hand with a big spoon in a large bowl), blend/process/mash until smooth (or not, if you like some texture). Pour the stock and veggies back into the pot together, and stir in however much salt and pepper you like, a pinch of garlic power, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste (I did about half a teaspoon of cinnamon, and about a half tablespoon of nutmeg for mine but I love both... so it's up to you how much you add).  Then add however much milk or cream you desire to get the texture you're looking for (I used about a cup of milk). Bam! You're done!

It's that easy! Super flexible, and FAST (only takes an hour or so to make). And I personally think it tastes great. :)

Golden Wax Beans.... Indoors???

Golden Wax Beans!

I am SO surprised! I didn't think the beans would produce indoors, given how small the flowers are, and how difficult they are to hand pollinate! But the vines are covered in developing pods now (not to mention flowers).

I'm so pleased! Now to see if they actually mature and are edible.

Tragedy on the Windowsill...

Unfortunately one of the pots of basil fell to it's doom this morning. :(

Thankfully, the pot that fell was the one not doing that well, so I still have the one flourishing pot remaining. I've been harvesting the basil one snip here, one snip there, for the past week or two from that pot. Storing the snipped tips in the fridge (in a ziplock bag) until they can be used or dried. It's so much fun watching something grow from a seed to something that ends up in your fridge!

I lost the rosemary last month as well. It did really well for a while, then suddenly died and dried up. So no rosemary this year (unless I buy a plant at a nursery or something). I'm thinking of replacing it with some Lemon Thyme if I can find any. It's my absolute favorite herb of them all. It's just hard to predict who'll have it from one year to the next.

Oh well. That's the way gardening goes. Ya win some, ya loose some.

The Surviving Basil

Oh, and in other news. The Golden Wax Beans I planted two months ago are growing well. Three out of five beans sprouted (actually it was four out of five but one was all weird and I pulled it out). When it starts flowering, I'll hand pollinate and see what happens. :)

Golden Wax Beans!

Lastly, I recently picked up an old Oil Lamp for FREE at a garage sale. It's got no glass on top, needs a new wick, needs a bit of a scrub, but otherwise looks to be in great shape. There are at least five "antique" shops across from where I live, as well as stores that sell lamp oil, so I'm sure I'll be able to replace the glass easy enough. So exciting!

First Oil Lamp!

Book Review: The Backyard Homestead (Edited by Carleen Madigan)

Here's my brief review of  The Backyard Homestead.

Few of us will ever attain our ultimate goal of living on 50+ acres, it's just fact. Between rising land prices, bigger acreages being subdivided into smaller lots, and a plain old lack of inventory, many of us will end up on acreage much smaller in size than many of us would probably like. And this book may just be for those of us who end up in such a position. Or, those of us who frankly, end up staying/being stuck in the city or suburbs with tiny properties.

Basically this book shows how much can be produced on land as small as a quarter of an acre! Which is great, especially for "Urban" homesteading.

It goes into everything from vegetables, grain, fruit and nut trees, to poultry, goats, rabbits and even cattle. What I really like is how it shows how to do everything from trimming fruit trees, to making cheese. A little of everything is covered in this book. It's pretty well written, and straight-forward. Has enough drawn diagrams to keep you interested, and get the point across.

I would have liked to have seen more colored images, or even photos. And more covering the vast varieties of livestock like breeds of chickens, ducks, and rabbits would have been nice. Seems like many were omitted, perhaps to fill the companion book "The Backyard Homestead: Guide to Raising Farm Animals" (which I haven't read yet).

Otherwise, it's a nice book. Overall, I'm giving it a B+.

Feel free to pick it up if you're new to homesteading, or want ideas what to do with your urban or suburban property. It may be a bit too "basic" for experienced homesteaders, but for people just getting into it, it'd be a good addition to the library.

Two Tails (of Basil).

The Basil is continuing to do well. Though interestingly enough I've found there's a stark contrast between the pot growing in the living room, and the pot in my bedroom. I sowed two pots, just in case one failed for some reason, I'd have a back-up.

The plants in the bedroom (the one photographed the most) are larger, fuller, and generally look better. The ones in the living room are smaller, leggier, and fewer sprouts matured to this point. I'm thinking it's because early on in their growth, their soil was disturbed accidentally, and many died off and the survivors were stunted due to stress. It'll be interesting to see if they ever catch up to the other group in the bedroom at any point. Or if they'll remain small and leggy...

Beware the Garlic Mustard!!!

Such an innocuous looking little plant isn't it?

What is it?
Truth is, it's a deadly invader. It's called Garlic Mustard, and it was brought over from Europe when North America was colonized. It was grown as a herb by settlers, but quickly naturalized and started spreading. It's a bi-annual, meaning it sprouts and grows one year, then flowers the next before dying. It's roots kill native good bacteria in the soil that native plants need to survive. The leaves shade and choke out native plants like Trilliums, and even baby trees. They spread like wildfire, creating thousands of seeds that are viable up to FIVE YEARS after the parent plant is gone. Native animals do NOT eat it, at all! You CANNOT compost it once it's flowered because it will go to seed even after being pulled from the ground, and the heat of the compost pile will not destroy the viability of the seeds.

How can you tell if the weed in the garden is Garlic Mustard?
The leaves are very distinct, and it has a slight garlic smell when you crush a leaf between your fingers. Here's a good youtube video about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSYZA979odU

So what can you do?
Pull it out in early spring before it bolts, then:

A)Eat it yourself.
B)Burn it. (Though I have heard it can make the smoke smell nasty.)
C)Feed it to your Chickens! (I have friends who's chickens love the stuff!)

Just get rid of it! Before it turns your garden/property/land, into a wasteland lacking bio-diversity....

Here comes the Basil! (Windowsill Garden Update)

Look how big it's gotten in just five days! First true leaves are getting big, and the plants seem to be thriving!

The green onions! You can even see the volunteer leaf lettuce that started growing in the pot. lol

Speaking of Lettuce.... BAM. Lettuce Jungle! Yes, I deliberately seeded the pot a bit thick. ;)


And that's it for this update! I may be planting some "Pioneer" Peas in the next little while. They did really well last year, and were delicious. Will post photos if/when I get around to it.

Spring? Finally!

Well, it finally looks like the last blast of winter has passed. Temperatures are slowly creeping up to what would be considered "normal", it just took an extra month to get there!

My windowsill seedlings are doing very well. The Lettuce especially. The Radishes have been slow in sprouting for some reason, but given how poorly they did last year I'm not hoping for much. I plan on using the greens more than anything. The Basil is doing great! Excellent germination rate and fast growth, they've already sprouted their first set of true leaves (for the most part).

Interestingly, this spring has shown me something I never would have thought of when it comes to the whole "search for land" front. This winter, with it's excessive snow and then the major rain during the melt, there has been a major amount of flooding in the areas where I was looking at land. I guess that's the drawback at looking at land with good access to potable water sources... unless you build on high ground, there's a real risk of your cabin/cottage/house ending up looking like a boat! Especially if you want "waterfront views" from your porch! Yikes. So I guess the lesson in that is to look for land with a an area elevated high enough, in case of spring flooding. Somewhere to build the cabin, out buildings, and off grid power system where it won't all end up underwater (and you won't end up in an inflatable dingy with emergency personnel taking you to safety).

Spring 2013

Well slowly but surely, it's looking and feeling more like spring around here. We've had a long winter this year, and even now there is still snow on the ground in places... Quite the contrast from last year when we had temperatures around 25c (77f) in March!

Now's the time when all the seeds start coming out in stores. And people's thoughts turn to warmer days and green gardens. Everyone is prepping their seeds, getting ready for this year's gardening season. I love this time of year.

As for what I've been up to...

My green onions did very well over the winter. I'm very happy with how they performed! Even the ones that were cut and used have grown back so fast you can hardly tell them from the ones I haven't harvested yet! I give them an A+! I'll definitely be planting more in the future.

I've also  rooted some Rosemary cuttings for this year. Since the one I had last year didn't make it over winter. It got attacked pretty bad by powdery mildew...

As for my plans for this year. I've already seeded some more leaf lettuce, and will be planting the rest of my Radish seeds even though I failed to get Radishes last year. I eat the greens so it's still worth planting them. I also planted new seeds recently, a heirloom variety of Basil! I LOVE Basil... so this will be quite a treat if it works out.

Winter Downtime...

Well, Winter has truly arrived here. The leaves are down. The wind has cooled. And the cloudy days outnumber the sunny ones.

As far as the indoor garden experiment goes...

The watermelon did very well, but unfortunately got powdery mildew and eventually I had to pull it. Maybe next spring I'll try again, with a bigger pot and better soil.

Four out of five squash plants also got powdery mildew, and eventually had to get pulled. However, a single plant did not get it, and is still alive. Not thriving, but IS alive.

The lettuce AND green onions are doing extremely well. Just on the windowsill, with no supplemental lighting!

I've started saving up seeds for next year. I've got an interesting Bantam sweet corn I can't wait to try out. Pumpkin seeds, and many more. I'll list them all later. :)

Rabbit Hutch Design

Based of the awesome Rabbit Hutch I saw on Youtube! It's designed for four individual rabbits, three Does and a Buck, or whatever configuration is needed... The two cages on top have pans under where the mesh floor is to catch poop and urine. Though it'd be easy enough to put toilet trays in there if the rabbits are potty-trained.

I used Google Sketchup to draw these! I'm rather proud of  them.

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I fully plan on building one or two of these units, as well as at least one large Rabbit Tractor to use as a grow-out pen for the bunnies. I also want to build alternative housing for the rabbits inside a small barn or large shed for when the weather gets extreme in the winter.

Rabbits!

Well I guess it's about time for me to write about Rabbits....

                                                                New Zealand Whites



Why rabbits?

Because they're amazingly versatile, and a perfect addition to the homestead. They're relatively easy to keep, their poop is amazing natural fertilizer, they're fairly good as "pets", they reproduce quickly, they're robust with few diseases, and of course you can ultimately eat them.

I can hear the gasps now...

Especially from people in North America who recoil at the thought of wrapping poor little "Thumper" in bacon, and cooking him like a roasting chicken. But the truth of it is, rabbits originally were domesticated to be raised food, and for fur. Not pets (that came later).

Much of the "old world" still consumes a fair amount of rabbit. And in truth, rabbit is better for you. It has more protein than any other animal-based food source, and it has almost no fat or cholesterol. It's texture is identical to chicken, thus rabbit can be substituted in pretty much any recipe that calls for chicken. Domestic rabbit has a very mild flavor, not "gamey" at all, and is pretty much entirely "white meat" (like Duck is entirely "dark meat"). Because domestic rabbits are often fed a diet of commercial pellets, fresh greens and vegetables, garden weeds, etc, and don't have to "work" to get it, they are "fatty" compared to their wild cousins. So the famed "rabbit starvation" is not a concern if you're producing rabbits for consumption on your homestead.

Now, what about breeds?

Well, there are quite a few "Meat breeds". Californian rabbits. New Zealand Whites, Reds, etc. Standard Rex rabbits. Silver Fox rabbits. American Chinchilla rabbits. And Champagne d'Argent, among a few others. Generally, they're rabbits that can weigh up to12 pounds.


There are three breeds which I plan on breeding once I have the space...

                                   New Zealand (Reds, Broken Reds, and Blues) Rabbits.

                                                           American Silver Fox Rabbits.

                                                       American Chinchilla Rabbits.



All are great meat producers, and have beautiful fur. There's also a possibility that if I can find them, I may try out Standard Rex rabbits as well. (Mini Rex pet rabbits are far more common due to their pet popularity, but they are far too small to be meat producers.)


Why? Why raise rabbits for food?

Because ultimately... in this day and age, full of toxins, excessive antibiotics, and inhumane factory farming practices. Wouldn't you prefer knowing how your food was raised and treated while it was alive? With compassion and respect, instead of fear and abuse. What it ate, what it drank, and how it was housed. Think about it.

I sure would. And that's why I plan on raising my own rabbits, along with other homestead livestock.

Indoor Garden Update -Squash and Watermelons!

To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how well this experiment would go... But so far, so good! Just look at the little watermelon that's growing in my window! Actually, the plant has produced a number of them now and is almost always covered in flowers.

And yes, even the Butternut Squash is doing relatively well. Though so far no fruit has been produced. Frankly, I'm just happy to see that the plants haven't just withered away to nothing. They're actually doing really well! So time will tell whether or not any of them produce. Regardless, it thrills me to see plants you'd think of as outdoor-only, actually doing well indoors.

Eventually this knowledge will come in handy when I either build a four-season greenhouse, or find another way to grow plants over the winter (grow lights and large pots perhaps?).


I think it's an important thing to learn....especially now given how bad food prices are getting.

The Hunt for Land...

Recently I started "browsing" through the "Land for Sale" ads. Just to see what's out there. There's a really wide variety of land here. A variety of soil types, trees, and micro-climates. Something to suit pretty much anyone! There are tons of books and online articles on the subject, and I'd recommend anyone thinking of investing in land, to start doing some serious reading!

So, what do you do when you're looking for land to live on? I guess it depends on your end goals... a Cottage get away, a Bug Out Location, a Hobby farm or Homestead. In my case, I have a rather particular Wish List.

1. Water. There's got to be easily accessible sources of water. A creek, a river, a pond or small lake. Wells are great, but Wells can run dry. Having another source of water as a backup is important. Especially if you have animals to worry about, as well as yourself.

2. Size. For me, anything smaller than 10 acres is not big enough. 50 would be ideal, but I'm willing to go smaller if I have to. Why? I need the buffer between me and neighboring properties for privacy. So raising animals isn't an issue among other things. Nobody wants to have to deal with neighbors complaining about the sounds and smells your animals make on a daily basis. And frankly, I don't need to have people watch me go about my life. I've had enough of that growing up in the city where everyone's in your business no matter what.

3.Not Visible From/Near a major Highway. Very important to me is not to have the property right off of a highway that gets a lot of traffic. Firstly, for safety of my animals and myself from fast moving vehicles. Secondly, security from Trespassers. Thirdly, noise. I mean, c'mon... you move to the country for peace and quiet, not to listen to the constant "Vrrroommm~whoosh" of trucks and cars blowing by at all hours. Not to mention the annoying flash of headlights in your windows all night long.

4. Varied Topography. I'd like to have a piece of property that's got a little of everything. A nice amount of mature trees, either actual forest or a large woodlot or two. With a nice mix of softwoods and hardwoods throughout. Open areas, either natural meadows or cleared areas that have been allowed to go fallow for a long while. And something that's a little bit rolling and not completely flat.

5.Full Ownership, of Timber Rights/Mineral Rights. Including NO Right-of-Ways or Hydro/Gas/Roadway Easements.  I do not want to buy land unless I get everything on it. Period. I don't want Big Brother suddenly showing up and clear-cutting my land or telling me I have no rights to the trees on my property. Or turning it into a giant hole if they suddenly decide there's some kind of metal or mineral under it they want. Or cutting huge lines through it to put down gas pipelines, hydro towers, or god forbid a road.

My ideal piece of land would be something10 acres or larger, near a four-season Town, but not IN it. Where I have access to main roadways but not next to or within sight of it. It would have a small creek or river, running into a small pond or lake with fish in it, and a mix of forest/woodlots and meadows/open areas where goat pasture and gardens could be put in without having to cut down too many trees. It would also have a rise or ridge, where the cabin could be built overlooking the area. And as a bonus, some pre-existing architecture would be nice too... like a small barn, sheds, small greenhouse, or even a travel-tailor/camper would be nice.

Now, if I could just find something like that, that doesn't cost so much it'd take the next 20 years to save up for it... that would be nice. *laughs*

Indoor Garden Update

Wow, it's been a while since I was able to update this blog.

Well, so far the Autumn crop of Lettuce I planted is doing well. As are the green Onions I started.

But most surprisingly, it's the Watermelon and Butternut Squash that are doing really well! The Watermelon in particular has been absolutely covered in flowers (both male and female).

I really wasn't sure how the Butternut Squash would behave when grown indoors, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised. I had a brief scare with spider-mites but cutting off the effected leaves right away seems to have solved the issue. The oldest of the vines is covered in flower-buds, including a pretty obvious Female (the swelling under the bud itself looks like a squash in super-miniature!). It's fascinating watching how things are progressing...

Things here have been crazy busy the last month, so unfortunately I haven't been able to photograph the plants, but I will try to get a few shots in the next week or so to share.


Here's hoping things continue to do well!

Makin' a Living while Living the Dream.

Many friends and family members of mine have asked me, if and when I make the big move to a more rural life, how I'm going to make money... Which is a valid concern even when you plan to live off grid and mortgage free.

There will still be the need to buy animal feed; like rabbit food and hay for goats/chickens, dog food, etc. Not to mention vet bills. There's also the costs of maintaining tools and the house itself.

Let's face it, you can't make or grow everything you'll need on the homestead. There will be times where you have to spend money. So you need ways to make money.

So, how do you make money without having to go off and rejoin the rat race?

Well, for me it's more straightforward than with some people.  I don't really have to invent a business or move out of my current career path. I'm not an office worker, or in some specialized field dependent on the urban lifestyle.

Firstly, I'm an Artist.
I paint, draw, sculpt, and also craft. I plan on having a studio space in the cabin OR something built separately as a studio, and to sell through both an internet-based business as well as locally via a gallery or craft fairs. I also make "stick/rustic furniture"!

Secondly, I'm also a Dog Groomer.
A portable, flexible job, that I can do pretty much anywhere. It'd be pretty easy for me to convert a large shed into a grooming "studio" (I could work in a space as small as 10'x12'), and it would be pretty straight-forward to attract work from people who flood "cottage country" from spring through autumn. And if my land happens to be near a town with a good four-season population, all the better.

I also plan to make soap and cheese from my goat's milk (selling the occasional goat kid too naturally), and perhaps sell some of my excess meat rabbits from time to time. And there's always the possibility of selling fresh chicken eggs depending on how many hens I end up with.

Ultimately, I should be able to do alright being self-employed. Given the biggest bills will probably just be for wireless internet and phone services. (And perhaps the hydro required for my grooming "shed" IF it requires more hydro than I can provide via solar/wind/generator).

This is all fluid of course. We can't be putting the cart before the horse after all!  It'll be a few years before I'm in a position to have to seriously consider what I'll do for money. I need to buy my land first! And build the cabin AND drill the well. Then we'll see what's what. ;)

Goats!

I've been considering what Goats I'd like to get when I get my land and am all settled in. Given that I'd need hardy animals, able to handle cold winters and warm summers (that seem to be getting warmer!).

I think I've narrowed it down to the following:

-Alpine /French-Alpine.
-Hardy, erect ears, nice coat patterns, good milk production, easy kidders and good mothers who often have twins or triplets. Moderate size (130-170lbs).

-LaMancha.
-Hardy, nice coat patterns, interesting appearance with very small ears, are supposedly very friendly with people. Moderate size (130-160lbs).

-Nigerian Dwarf.

-Not a true "dwarf", but a small goat from Africa. Can be used to produce "minis" by crossing Nigerian Bucks to other types of Does (never the other way around).
-High butter fat content to the milk, erect ears, nice variety of coat patterns, small size (average 75lbs), easy kidders and natural mothers, friendly.

 I do also like Kiko goats for their hardiness, ease of care, and resistance to disease and parasites. They're also a bit smaller in size. I have seen some nice Kiko x's that make good dual purpose animals,  giving good milk and meaty carcasses. Having one in the herd would be interesting!


I can't wait to get my property so I can start actually posting about MY animals and how I raise 'em!

"Unorthodox" is the name of the game here!

Indoor "farm" update!

Yes, you read that right. I'm growing edible plants INDOORS right now. Seeing as I'm dealing with a serious lack of outdoor space currently (thus why I'm working towards my move to the Rural homestead). And honestly, I'm curious as to what does well grown inside with minimal care... this is something I've been experimenting with since January.



Radishes all got pulled today. Not a single one produced (other than the edible greens), so I give them a D rating. I don't know if it's the variety or what, but they didn't produce any "bulbs", so I got no radishes out of the deal. Only reason why they don't get an F is because the greens are edible and tasty.

Lettuce is about finished. Some of it started bolting, so it all got cut and fed to the Rat and the Canary. (If I had my New Zealand rabbits already, I would have given it all to them.) Got a lot of good greens out of the deal, once we got the aphid problem handled. So I'd give 'em a B+ rating. Will plant more once the weather cools off a bit. It's way to hot even indoors for lettuce right now.

Peas are still going strong. I've had two mini "harvests" so far and the plants are workin' on a third. Even though I have to hand-pollinate (which is easier than I thought), since they're inside and have no insects to pollinate them. I'd give 'em a B rating.

My little baby Watermelon is growing. Which honestly is shocking to me. Given that it came from a seed inside a watermelon bought in a grocery store (only one of two I found in the whole melon!). I've also planted three butternut squash seeds, out of a bunch I have stored away. I want to see if they'll germinate. They look viable... so we'll see. Dunno what I'll do with 'em if they DO germinate...guess I'll let them grow until they decide to die on their own... given the pot is far too small for long term growth. If the seeds are good, I'll get a big pot and plant new ones. So we'll see how this goes. I LOVE butternut squash and it'd make me SO happy if I could get them to grow inside (I have no issue hand pollinating squash flowers).

Hooray for unusual experimentation in weird homesteading horticulture. lol

Book Review: Get Your Pitchfork On! By Kristy Athens

http://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Pitchfork-Country-Self-reliance/dp/1934170348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343265412&sr=1-1&keywords=get+your+pitchfork+on


I recently purchased (and read) this book. Picked up at my local Indigo book store.

Well written, straight-forward, and entertaining. I really appreciated all the small things the author included that I don't think many people would consider during their move from Urban/Sub-urban living, to Rural life... I found the first chapter, about selecting land and what to watch out for, especially useful and insightful.As well as the chapter about dogs/pets in the country.

I'd say this book works best as a companion to the more detailed, or specialized literature that's out there. Like the Encyclopedia of Country Living, and other useful homesteading books. The author talks briefly about many things (from small town politics and etiquette, to Hunting and small town social practices), but doesn't go into particular details about things like animal husbandry or growing vegetables. Instead, directing people to read other books, or look up particular subjects online.

I will point out however that a lot of the content of the book is written (obviously) from an American point of view. Being that I'm in Canada, things are a bit different here (though I'm sure there are places outside my Province that may behave more like the rural USA in regards to their conservative nature, economic focus, religious and even racial leanings). Thankfully, where I am, much of that is tempered.

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase. Definitely one to add to the library.. and if you can find one used, or on sale... all the better. ;)

Grade: B