CONTEST - FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Can you believe it? It seems like we were just celebrating 10,000 page views and now we're almost at 20,000. That's tiny for a blog but still pretty cool to us. Especially since our life is boring at the moment. So we are giving away a copy of Nancy Kopoulos's book "The Long Bridge" to a randomly selected person who makes a comment in the next 48 hours. Starting now and ending Saturday at 2pm. Just make a comment, tell us what we can do to improve, give us some feedback or just say hello and introduce yourself. I'll enter every name into a draw to be held on Saturday afternoon and announce the winner then. If you leave a comment and it's marked as Anonymous then please let me know your first name and I'll post the winner on this page on Saturday.

I wrote a book review about this novel last week if you want to read it. And if you don't win but would still like to have a copy of this charming look at Valley life in the 1930's just let me know and we'll get one into the mail for you. (There are 1800 copies in my house still)

Major Snowfall

Well it turns out the weather man was right for once...sort of. The Heavy Snowfall Warning said that the Annapolis Valley would get up to 30 cm of snow compared to 10-15 cm everywhere else. Well we did get more snow than anywhere else it's true. In fact we have officially 44 cm or 17 inches and because of the wind some has blown and drifted. In my driveway and the road in front of our house the snow is up over my knee caps. Boy am I glad I bought winter boots yesterday!

Steve and I were out this morning using the snow blower to clear the driveway. It took 20 minutes just too get it from the shed to the driveway. Then the fun began. The snow is wet and heavy, not a light 17 inches, so the blower doesn't really like it very much. It was heavy going. Steve got our driveway down to about 4 inches of snow and headed over to our neighbour's house to do hers but the blower died after 5 minutes. The engine was running but there was no power to the wheels. It turns out that 2 bolts that maintain the drive chain in the correct place had sheared off at some point due to metal fatigue so no we'll have to go get new ones. But Steve can fix it so that's good. The boys are out right now shoveling and the girls have come inside to warm up because they've spent the morning building huge snowmen and sledding down the neighbour's hill. Pea soup with ha and fresh baked white and multi-grain bread with butter. Yum!

Oh No! Here comes the snow plow...DON'T DO IT!!! Too late, he just plowed in the neighbours driveway again. Time to grab the shovels and dig her out once more. It's days like these I'm glad to have teenage sons.

The boys are back now from digging her out. They wouldn't take any money so she came over with a ham bone and some cookies. I'm baking her bread right now too, it's a very neighbourly day today. I thought I just heard a truck spinning it's wheels and was planning to go help push but when I looked out the window it's a tractor plowing the sidewalks. The snow is so heavy and deep though that he has to back up and get a run at it. He can push about 10 feet before his giant wheels spin and he has to back up and take another run at it. Very interesting. But hey, it barely stopped snowing and already the roads are becoming passable. Which is good because Steve has to get to work tomorrow. The thermometer is showing 4 degrees so everything is starting to melt and making avalanches of all the snow off roofs and vehicles. The trees are fine because most of them are leafless now thanks to the recent wind. So all in all it wasn't too bad of a snowstorm and we never had to worry about losing power. We are toasty warm and have the windows open a bit because it's almost too warm in here with the fire going and the oven going too. And the bread is delicious. So we all have full and warm bellies.

We'll give it a while and then see if the roads are good enough to drive. We need dog food, bolts for the snowblower and some veggies. Nothing major. We have to also order tires. I got hold of Canadian Tire and they haven't even ordered the tires we need yet and said we need to come into the store. So it looks like it will still be another week yet. But at least we know they're on their way.

Anyways, I hope you're all having a good day today wherever you are. I'll post some interesting articles in a couple of hours after I take the bread out of the pans and get some chores done around the house.

Elizabeth

Snow Day!!

We're under a snowfall warning and the whole valley is going to get over a foot of snow apparently. So Steve is staying home today and we can go pay bills, open a bank account and other great stuff we don't ever get to do. It's starting to snow quite a bit so we should get going.



Hi again. Well, actually we did manage to get both out and back again on our bald tyres thanks to the fact the the only hill is right at the end of our driveway and with a run at it, Steve got the van into the driveway again. There is currently 14 inches of snow in most places with some drifts upto 3 feet. But it's not cold, just below freezing. This is the first major snowfall of the year and so I imagine there will be a big line-up for snow tyres now. I'm still waiting for Canadian Tire to get mine in that I ordered 2 weeks ago. I did manage to get some boots though which will be nice seeing as how I spent today walking around in my sandals.

The kids are thrilled of course because there was no school today and probably won't be any tomorrow either so they have nothing to do but play and toboggan... it's such a hard life! lol

It's been quiet today, people seem to be hunkered down enjoying their warm houses. The mall was quiet and so were the roads. We did get to finally open a bank account which was nice. Right now the sky is orangey from the reflected street lights and the snow is muffling all the sounds of people and cars. It' makes me want to turn on the Christmas lights and get some hot apple cider brewing while I sing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". I've got my nativity sets up already but we're going to get a fresh Christmas tree this year so we'll hold off on that for a few weeks yet I think. It depends on how much the kids nag me. Since we didn't bring any ornaments we're opting for edible decorations again. They're yummy and you don't have to pack them.

If you want to see the traffic cameras for Nova Scotia look here. One thing though, most of the intersections are not lit so at night they're useless.

Hope you are all snug and warm. I've got some interesting things to post tomorrow but for right now I'm going to hang out with my honey and watch a movie on Netflix.

It's Illegal to eat what you grow

Thank goodness, that's not actually true. Or is it? What if you hired a chef, had friends over for dinner and then a health inspector showed up, told you that your food wasn't fit to serve and called the police on you? This was food from your own farm/garden and these are your private guests? Sound far fetched? Well, it recently happened to an organic CSA farm in Nevada, USA (Land of the Free?) and it's not the first time I've heard of similar things happening.

Here's the story. in print, written as a letter from the farmer to her guests.

And here's the youtube video that was taken by some guests.



I'm all about following the rule of law and being accountable to public health regulations, but this is a situation that should never have happened.

Just because you grow your own organic food doesn't automatically make it unsafe to eat. Yikes! If this is how growers are treated it's no wonder so many self-sufficient people are doing it on the quiet. Less government interference and no seizure of equipment or fines for growing food. It's happening everywhere. This CSA, Compassion Farm in Lantzville, and many many others being bullied into quitting by local governments and regulations that support the factory farming model where only one giant supplier provides a product. Isn't that a monopoly? To beat the little guys out of business? It's not competition when the playing field isn't fair to all involved. People like to have alternatives such as great customer service, good warranties, organic and fair trade options, that's why little independent businesses can stay in business compared to the WalMarts of the world. But it's becoming harder and harder for farmers to make a decent living. Sigh. Just one more reason why being self-reliant is important I guess.

First Hard Frost

We woke up this morning to a silvery frost over everything. Actually, it didn't come as a surprise because it was -4c when we went to bed and the big pile of firewood in our driveway was starting to sparkle. It's -7c now. The whole rest of the country seems to be under a deep freeze with Alberta recording temps in the low -30's Brrr! That's cold for November. Just because they're used to it (we lived there for years) doesn't mean they have to like it. That's cold! Even Vancouver Island where it rarely snows has a nice white blanket. So all things considered we're doing good. It's been 15 degrees a couple of days over the weekend and sunny, but we know that winter is inevitable. So Steve winterized the motorhome last night, draining the water systems and putting RV anti-freeze in the plumbing and regular anti-freeze in the engine. It should be ready to move to Sackville this week, just waiting on a moving permit.

We've been very busy finishing stocking up with firewood. A massive pile of cut and split logs is on the driveway (about 2 cords) with the exception of the oak we cut, we need a log splitter for those massive rounds. Once it's all cut we're loading it into the garage and into the basement to help get it nice and dry. It's really important that the moisture has somewhere to go and we have 2 extractor fans in the basement, one right by the woodpile. The basement currently contains almost a cord of very very dry wood and another half cord that's drying. So we should be good now for the winter with a total of about 6 cords of hardwood. All in all with scrounging, cutting ourselves, donations and $350 cash paid out, we've got our winter supply. And with any luck there will be some left over to go towards next year. We couldn't have done it without our friends too, you guys are terrific!

It's 64 degrees in the house right now, or 17 celcius, so I lit a fire to take off the chill. We're still getting acclimatized to the damp cold here and so keeping the hose a bit warmer than we usually would. Outside it's sunny and there's a nice wintery blue sky. It's -7c (19f) so the kids dressed up warmly when they headed out for the bus today. The low pressure system we've been watching over the last few days has moved up the Atlantic seaboard and is now lying to the southwest of Nova Scotia so we have a snowfall warning that we could get upto a foot (30cm) of snow tonight. As soon as I see the clouds coming I'm pulling that trailer of wood inside! Hopefully I can get the other pile moved or tarped as well. It's no fun to have to try and dry wet wood before you can stack it. And if it gets snowed on and then melts it's going to wet the outside of every log. Not a disaster on seasoned wood, but it's less efficient to burn. What we want are logs with check marks (small cracks) on the ends indicating that it's dry.

Tonight I'm teaching a class at church for the women about emerency preparedness. We're going to discuss a 72 hour kit, fuel storage, water storage and we're having a basic first aid class too. As important as it is to learn these things...I'm just glad for a chance to hang out and get to know them better. Guess that means I should take some snacks too...maybe cookies and hot apple cider? I'll think about it.

So what's in your 72 hour kit? Can you carry it in a backpack or is it in totes? Ours is partly in the motorhome and we're working on backpacks for everyone too. We have a lot of camping gear and use it fairly regularly during the warmer weather, but now that we live where it gets colder int he winter I think we should reassess the thermal ratings of our sleeping bags. Another thing to add to the 'to do' list. Also have to stock up on fuel again too for our camping stove. It's never ending isn't it?

Well I've got to go print up supply lists and other emergency info stuff for tonight. Hope you're all keeping warm. And a big cold hug to those readers who live where it's warm!

Elizabeth

Snow! Well, sort of.

There was a light rain when I went to bed and upon waking this morning there's a very light skiff of crystaly (yes I know that's not a word) snow. Most of it's gone already as it's above freezing but the kids were excited to throw snowballs at each other though it didn't really work out. We checked the weather and see it's actually colder everywhere else in Canada than here. The prairies are downright nasty with blowing snow and freezing cold temps. Even Victoria BC. This cold snap is due to be gone tomorrow again but it is a sign of things to come so don't worry, all our friends on Vancouver Island can still laugh at us when we have snow and you have daffodils. We won't mind. It's a lovely blue skied day today and so I'm not complaining. Currently our thermometer at home is reading 2 degrees outside and 16-17 inside depending on the room. The kids rooms are filled with sunlight and so they'll warm up quickly. I also lit a small fire again to take the chill off the house. Just 3 pieces of wood should do it I'd think. I just want it a degree or two warmer so that I'm more comfy when sitting at my desk typing away. It's the sitting still that makes me feel chilly. Now I know why older people have lap quilts and fuzzy slippers.

I'm working on a post for the budget challenged in regards to cheap meals. Hopefully have that on here later today. But for now I've got to run. Have a fantastic day. Elizabeth

Pedal Power

What if this was how you did laundry?

Pedal power is not a new idea, in fact I remember this being big in Europe in the 70's and early 80's but it never really took off due to the expense and human effort involved. But did you know that right now, NGO's the world over are producing these power transforming bikes into useful tools for remote and impoverished people to serve a variety of uses? It's true. These people have even set up their own generating systems where people pedal for hours to charge a battery bank used collectively. How is that possible you ask? Well simply put, they draw very little power. Less demand requires less production. Anyone who lives with a solar system or in fact any system with limited storage (even a well) knows to pay attention to their consumption. Electrical appliances that generate heat are used judiciously or not at all, light bulbs are as efficient as possible, some people use 12v DC in place of AC like in a motor home or boat. There are lots of different ways of making a system that works for you.

The following article is great and I LOVE Low-tech! But I'm warning you...it's very long. If you make it all the way through, read the comments for more info. Follow the link and happy reading. If I post the article in it's entirety then it'll take up a tremendous amount of space so the link is my recommendation.

So what do you think? Could you pedal for an hour to watch your favourite show or to wash clothes? Is this the fitness method of the future?