So...how do we get by?

I'd like to clear the air a little before I keep going with this blog.

First of all, I'd like to thank all the people who have been reading.  It brings me hope and inspiration to know that you care about what we're doing here and the ideals that we are striving to achieve.

Secondly, amongst the readers, I hope that we have caught the interest of families living a similar lifestyle.
I'd like to be candid with those families for a moment and talk about finances.
You might be wondering how we do it.
How we can both be home working on the homestead and still be able to pay the bills.
Here's the truth.

I have been a boat and motor mechanic for ten years.  Most years I was able to work throughout the year.
When I was eligible, I took parental leave during the Winter.  Once for Auren and once for Fern.
In the latter part of my career, my gross income was roughly $50 000 a year.  That meant that I received the maximum allowable benefit for parental leave, which is $450 per week.  Kira has been at home since Auren was born and so our family income has come solely from my job and tax credits.
Even as a single income family we would gross about $54 000 per year.
Compared to many families, I believe that income to be quite high.  I have a great deal of respect for the families who can get by on the wages that are paid these days.  Minimum wage is much higher nowadays, but it sure doesn't make ends meet.
I am currently on parental leave for Meer and that is how we can both be home.  We live on the tax credits and the $450 per week which is well above what a single income family on minimum wage would bring in.
We are in an enviable position right now.
However, I will not be returning to my former job.
Not only does the occupation clash with our ideals, but ten years of the same thing was crushing my spirit and  the need for change was overdue.

Now we face the reality that so many of you already live.
The parental benefit will run out.
We don't live in an area of good employment opportunities.
But then, most places where you might build a homestead won't be good for jobs.
That is the problem.
How do you go back to the land when the banker owns it and the township wants the taxes?
How do you build and farm when the government wants over 20% of what you make?
You need fuel.  You need equipment.  You need investment capital. You need materials.  You need feed.  You need to insure yourself against litigation.  You need the phone line.
You might not need the hydro line but if you don't then you'll need some kind of electricity.
Like or not you need money.
The economy is easy enough to negotiate if you have no aspirations for life.
If all you want to do is pay your bills, buy some stuff, and shop at the grocery store then it's relatively straightforward.

Once upon a time, homesteading was supported as a way of building a country.
I look around me and I see a country that is not done being built.
Why the complacency?  Why the stagnancy?
Progress has become the latest consumer demand.
What happened to feeding everyone?  What happened to building communities based on strong ties of family and friendship?
Fed on cheap toxic food, and propaganda.  Greenwashed into thinking that we're making a difference.
We've gone off track and badly.

Here at home we are struggling to plan for the future.
Torn between doing what we believe is right, and what is actually attainable.
Yes, I'm idealistic.  But damn it! Things have got to change!
The left wing has been working on these problems for decades with little success.
How can you have hope for change in the face of a world that so desperately resists it?

Yet we hope.
But, in order to foster change, we need to keep doing what we are doing.
I just need to build money-making into the homesteading model.
The combination makes me feel unclean.  It makes me feel like a hypocrite.  It makes me feel like I have no integrity.  But without money we will fail.

Part of the purpose of this blog is to determine how much willingness there is out there to participate in change.
I hope I haven't made you feel used.  My intentions are altruistic and genuine.

Part of our homestead plan includes offering educational experiences in exchange for money.
That is how I hope to keep going.
I don't believe that education is something that should be paid for.
Just like I don't believe that information should cost money.


I am working on my first educational workshop.  We would like to do both online and in-person experiences.  There is a lot to share here and I feel passionate about doing so.
I wish I could do it for free.  But I am inextricably linked to this economy as much as anyone else and so I will be charging for the workshops that we offer.

If you think that you might be interested in what we have to offer, then consider what I have said and know that our goals lay beyond wealth acquisition.
If you are a family trying your best to homestead, then I wish you well and I hope that you succeed.

Struggling for Green

Part of the original plan for this blog was to do a little weather talk and update on a regular basis.
Most of us like to talk about the weather, especially during that uncomfortable lull between meaningful discussions.  And so I've left it out so far because we don't really share the weather, as we're spread out all over.
I don't know what it's been like where you are, but my oh my has it ever been grey here.  
Soul numbing grey.
There's some clear sky in the forecast, but I don't know if I'll make it.
I'm not alone, though, and that's what keeps me from feeling too sorry for myself.


Kira is feeling the heavy grey too.  This bunch of Kale has been the center of attention since it arrived in the house.  It's almost a shame to eat it.  You see, we don't keep house plants for a couple of reasons.  Kids and cats.  If you have either then you know what they do to plants, so we don't try anymore.  Maybe if we had some more room then it would be different.  

Kira started some sprouts to give us some fresh vegetation.
The miracle of life seems all that much more profound in the dead of Winter.

Even the pigs seem desperate.
A large branch broke off of the pine tree in their yard during a windstorm.
I doubt they would eat pine during the Summer, but that's what they're doing now.
I just hope that the added flavour is an improvement.

We are beginning to make our seed and plant list for the Spring.  This year has been a reminder to be careful about cultivar selection.  We are in zone 4a.  4b is not that far away from us.  It's  less than an hour's drive but makes for a difference of two weeks between a cold night and a killing frost.  We have a good snow pack though, so the Spring shouldn't be too dry.









So, that's the weather report here.
I've spent some time in northern Europe and I would rather take my chances here.  I remember a ten week stretch of seeing no sun whatsoever.  And to those in the north who barely see sunlight at all, my complaints must seem trite.


I might sit and stare at the kale for a while to see if that helps me at all.
I could also take over-exposed pictures and dress them up to fool myself into seeing through the overcast.

Kira made some pitas for hummus.
Stew is great to take the chill out of Winter but summer fare can awaken senses that have been dulled by the darkness.
There's that Kale again!

What is 'Routine'?

Did you know that the length of the day is proportional to the number of children you have?


We have three children now.  The days are now much shorter.


I thought at first that it was just Winter hours.  But I've done the math and it works out the same, Summer or Winter.


Now please don't misunderstand me. 
Time flies when you're having fun, and children are fun.
Unfortunately, the time it takes to get things that aren't fun done diminishes.  
That's ok if you want to skip your chores, but skipping chores around here leads to confusion, disaster, and tears.


Meer is now almost three months old and, as babies go, she is pretty darned easygoing.  You might believe that there would be a solid routine around here by now.We've tried that.  Routines are for schools, inspections, and gymnasts.  We have one written out, but that's as far as it went.


So we just keep our heads down and do what needs doing when it needs done.
Basically it boils down to keeping everyone fed, and giving everyone the love and attention they need.
Speaking of love and attention.  Co-sleepers do it in the bathroom while the kids are playing.

Reclaiming Hardware

There are many projects on the table right now so we're trying our best to get them underway, despite the apparent turmoil.

Many of the projects are simply finishing the ones up that were left with loose ends.  

When the kids need you, you just put the tools down and go; no question.  The same applies when your spouse calls you for supper.  That second one is especially important.

Auren is old enough to help me with many of the projects.
Well, maybe not help, but he can be there with me and feel part of what's going on.
That way I can accomplish a task while, at the same time, giving him some attention.

I know that someday he will be able to help in earnest.
I am in no hurry for that, lest I hurry him growing up.

Lighting project in Limbo

Before you know it, though, it's time to get dinner going.
Being late with dinner means being late getting to bed.
They need some down time after supper to relax before bed.
Some reading and some LEGO helps them go to sleep feeling
loved and played out.

We have taken the challenge to create 'from scratch' meals that are
wholesome, quick, and affordable.
Succeeding means healthy children who eat their supper and go to bed on time.
That is a routine to shoot for.

Keep it Alive!

Here is a little salad for you to try.  Kira put this together off the cuff and I think it's worth sharing.

Most salad greens have serious drawbacks at this time of year, but we still try to eat some green when we can.  Kale is a tough little number that we have been eating steamed.
This time, Kira thought we'd try it raw in a salad.
What you see here is just Kale leaves, chopped stems, carrots, and toasted sunflower seeds.
The dressing is oil a vinegar.  Ours was sesame oil and rice vinegar.

Now that's Winter fare!

I have big plans for tomorrow.

It's seldom that I don't.

It's not up to me, of course.

So there's a good chance that I won't.