Out here on the Ninth Concession, burglars are at work every week among the “view” properties along the top of the hill to the west. Break-ins and car thefts are so common that police no longer visit … [Read more...]
Curiosity House Books: A Reader Profile
On the Farm with Dan Needles Photo by Jon Tamlin Edited by Rina Barone I remember the first time I met Dan Needles. He came into the bookstore and within minutes he had engaged the few of us there … [Read more...]
When The Spirit Moves
The chief purpose of a country property is to be looked after. I knew this as a young man, long before I bought my own place. When I was a student, my friends often invited me to join them for a … [Read more...]
Trying to be More Like Dexter
In the first few days after the order to shelter in place, our two sons returned home and prepared to ride out the pandemic with us. Our new normal included regular sit-down family meals with the two … [Read more...]
An apology for milk
Thirty-five years ago when my wife and I started out on this little farm, I milked a dear old nanny goat named Mrs. Trotter twice a day. All four kids were weaned from their mother onto Mrs. T. and … [Read more...]
A Halfway Henhouse
Every time there’s a divorce in the neighbourhood, I get more chickens. Anyone who owns a pickup truck knows that whenever a friend is going through a transition, they always ask you to help them … [Read more...]
A One-Horse Open Sleigh
My great-uncle Bob was the first member of our family to leave the rat race and seek the simple life on a hundred-acre hill farm north of the city. In the 1930s, he found a secluded property that … [Read more...]
If you have livestock, you will have dead stock
It’s been a tough week here at the farm. Bobcat Ransier made several trips out with his backhoe to plant three members of the sheep flock. One expired as a result of misadventure and two others … [Read more...]
