Our Lifestyle Blog as We Create a Homestead in Northern Ontario
Crunching the numbers and economy of mixing my own concrete led me to the realization that there is a reason why so many people opt for ready-mix solutions. Not only do they save you a load of hard work schlepping gravel, sand, portland and water, which you then have to mix and pour. They can … Read more
With the trench dug between my two structures, Grandpa was chomping at the bit to get the lines between both footings laid in and the trench filled in. We had a few rains which filled in the trench, requiring either bailing, or, in my lazy case, a siphon line with two garden hoses. At its … Read more
With the block wall in place, it was time to start actually assembling beams for the sauna. Originally my plan had been for three inch thick walls at the sauna, and five inch thick walls for the cabin. When I found a source for much larger white pine, I upgraded the cabin walls to six … Read more
Continuing briefly on the theme of reviewing our latest purchases, here’s our thoughts on the Zodi Instant Hot Shower. Now that the warmer weather is here again, we find ourselves breaking a sweat much more often than in winter. Luckily, I found and broke out the good old “solar shower”. As I remembered, it was … Read more
As exciting as it was to move from buckets, to oddjob, to our own apartment sized washing machine, all good things must come to an end. As such, I was unimpressed the morning when we switched on the machine, it agitated briefly, and then died. Apparently agitation is contagious, as it spread to me immediately. … Read more
A few nights ago I tried to saw up a spindly tree that had fallen across the driveway. It was really warm, so I put on the bug shirt and no shirt underneath. By the time I finished, I ran back inside, itching like mad from the bites I received THROUGH THE SHIRT. Ack! Now … Read more
After the broken pin on the front axle of the Yanmar, I hadn’t been able to get the toe-in quite proper. This seemed to put lots of stress on the front end of the tractor, and the tires were beginning to show some evidence for this. As is my habit, I tried to ignore it. … Read more
Now I’ve had the chance to lay some more blocks, and I have noticed a few things. Please jump in (in the comments) to set me straight if you know more than I do (which is likely, trust me…). The directions on the mortar mix bags must be taken with a grain of salt (NOT … Read more
Well, after Grandpa and I poured all the concrete I had left, there was still some time in the day to tackle another task, so I decided to try my hand at the concrete blocks. I followed the directions on the package of Mortar Mix, but it sure seemed way too dry for me, so … Read more
It’s funny how quickly you can forget important details when you are an adult, but little things from your childhood are lifetime memories. My vacation Bible school teachers will all be tickled to know that when Grandpa wasn’t talking to me, I spent much of the time working on the footings with “The Wise Man … Read more