Category: Uncategorized

ICE STORM OF SPRING 2023
(With the hopes that there won’t be another for a while…)

Welcome back!

Well, that was interesting and by ‘interesting,’ I mean absolutely wild.
A huge swath of Ontario and Quebec were hit by an ice storm beginning in the early hours of April 5 and it went on for close to 24 hours.

We woke to a veritable winter wonderland of nature’s beauty with ice covered branches glistening in the morning light. While beautiful, it tested the limits of many trees, some of which could not manage the weight of the ice. As a result, many branches and in some cases, entire trees collapsed.

Roads were blocked. Houses, cars, and fences were damaged or destroyed. (No houses were destroyed, but there was significant damage in some cases.)
Power was lost because either branches fell and downed the wires, or relay stations shorted out from the accumulation of ice, and some transformers exploded.

The blackouts were widespread.

The freezing rain turned to straight rain and that, my friends, is when all hell broke loose.

The blackouts, combined with the heavy rains, were a recipe for disaster.

Creeks overflowed their banks and damaged roads.

My driveway, which crosses a creek, had almost 30 cm (1 foot) of water running over it. I didn’t dare take my car out for fear that it would stall out in the water, or worse, be swept off the driveway. Truth be told, there were very few places to go anyway.

As this was once an off-grid building, I had an 8 kW propane generator. I tested it the day before to make sure everything worked as expected, so when my power went out, all I needed to do was fire it up. The generator supplied everything I needed except water. As it turns out, the electricians who brought power to the building had not connected all the circuits, one of which was the well pump. (This will be fixed as soon as another electrician is available.)
This meant no showers and the toilets had to be flushed with buckets of water, of which there was an abundance.

My stove runs on propane, so that was not an issue. My fridge and freezers have run as normal, so I lost nothing. My pellet stove flawlessly supplied heat. So even though I have been without power for approximately 30 hours now, things are relatively normal.

When I woke this morning, the floods waters had receded, and the driveway was once again passable. The trees and grass were still covered in ice, which made for a beautiful sight.

I have willows lining my driveway and they, true to the legend, bent but did not break, even with a 2-3 mm (1/8th of an inch) of ice.

I realize how fortunate this makes me and I thank the ancestors for protecting the homestead. Not a single tree was damaged or lost.

Before I forget, I want to give a HUGE shout-out to the Hydro crews working their tails off to restore power. I really appreciate all your efforts. According to the website, I should have my power back sometime before morning (April 7), fingers crossed.

If you want to get a glimpse of the homestead after the storm passed, I shot a short video that features still pictures that show a mix of beauty and sheer force of nature. You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/ZHVXuU7YNto
I will have to do is a complete maintenance of the generator once things return to normal. This means new oil, filter, and spark plug. I estimate 1 ½ hours of work, but given the help it’s been, that is a very small investment of time and money.

That’s it for now; more than enough excitement for a while…

If you were impacted by the storm and would like to share your photos, please put them in the comments or email them to me.

Stay safe everyone. Remember not to overexert and if you are able, help your neighbours.

Until next time, keep your shovel in the ground, the sun at your back, and a smile on your face.
___________________________________________________________

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead that you can find at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYhZ1s_14TaPZvGkd6qiauA
If you could, please stop in, view the videos, select ‘Like,’ subscribe, and share the link. These things will really help the channel get off the ground.
Please visit my farm’s Facebook page for more: https://www.facebook.com/BlueGypsyHomestead

May 30 was Bi-Polar awareness day, so I started thinking about it. I reached a conclusion that I feel comfortable with. Of course, this is just my theory as it applies to me, but indulge me…

There is a huge difference between being depressed and being sad.

Since I embarked on my treatment regimen, my life has changed incredibly; my overall behaviour has improved significantly. I no longer experience the incredible highs and lows that I used to.

That said, sometimes, I still feel down. I’ve realized that being sad or unhappy is very different from being depressed.

While there are times that could be classified as depressive, I am more likely to feel sad about things in the past and the impact on my life.

The way I see it, “sad” is not “depressed.”

I have given myself permission to be sad on occasion, but that’s where I’ve decided to draw the line. This is mainly because I realize that being sad is perfectly normal and is a sign that I’m making progress.

I no longer deal with depression because I’ve decided to see BAD moments as SAD moments.

Now that I’ve reached that conclusion, I feel that I can move ahead with my life; learning to accept what has happened in my ‘untreated’ years. This doesn’t mean that I have forgotten them, nor does it mean I’ve forgiven myself, but it definitely gives me direction.

Case in pooint: I enquired about accelerating the payments on my mortgage so that they will be less of a burden and provide me the opportunity to retire relatively comfortably. This required me to create a new budget, both for me and for my company. I am investing in equipment now, while I have a generous income so that it will be paid by the time I’m ready to stop working full-time. (Creating the budget was actually quite liberating and I now feel that I have the tools to stick to it.)

I am going to ramp up my efforts to launch and promote my farm’s YouTube channel with the hopes of monetizing it sooner than later and thus, provide me with a supplemental income stream that I can deposit directly into my RRSP (equivalent to a 401K in the US).

I am actively working to turn my farm into a market garden where I can grow what I need and sell the extra. (I already rent out a portion of the land that I don’t use at the moment.)

My freeze dryer will be paid off in May.

My eye surgery will be paid off in January 2024.

My car is paid for, but still has occasional repairs and maintenance.

I repair most of the farm machinery myself.

I do my own home renovations; slowly and as I can afford it.

I put money aside every month for my annual vacation to the Dominican Republic.

I put money aside every month in my TFSA (equivalent to the ROTH IRA in the US).

I put money in my RRSP every month to lower my tax burden and build some retirement savings.

I’m playing the long (money) game now instead of making rash and impulsive decisions.

It’s a process, but one I follow with pleasure. I have created structure in my life.

I am happy.

Until next time.

_____________________________________________________________________

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead that you can find at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYhZ1s_14TaPZvGkd6qiauA
If you could, please stop in, view the video, select ‘Like,’ subscribe, and share the link.  These things will really help the channel get off the ground.

Please visit my farm’s Facebook page for more: https://www.facebook.com/BlueGypsyHomestead