I was just reading a piece in the New York Times about how people have been fleeing the city in droves this past year to find freedom from the pandemic. The same thing is happening in our … [Read more...]
No Cause for Alarm
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...]
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...]
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...]
Keeping the Mind Free of Reptiles
I’ve always felt like a bit of a rebel, living as I have for nearly 40 years as a back-to-the-lander and filling the freezer every fall with food I produce myself. But to the bearded hobbits in my … [Read more...]
Retirement Advice for the Self-employed Landowner
As a country person ages, there is a temptation to imagine the approach of a quiet and graceful retirement – long, dreamy summer afternoons napping on the porch swing while grandchildren romp in the … [Read more...]
