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How COVID Changed Everything for Small Farms (And What I Learned Along the Way) – BLOG 2026/04/10

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Let’s be real—no one saw 2020 coming. One minute, we were setting up our usual booth at the Saturday farmers market, chatting with familiar faces about the weather and which tomatoes were doing best that season. The next… everything shut down. Just like that.
And suddenly, we were all left asking the same question: Now what?
If you’re a small farmer, you probably lived your own version of this. And if you’re just curious about how farms adapted during that time, well… it was a wild ride.
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When Everything Changed Overnight
Before the pandemic, most of us had a rhythm. Full-time job. Markets on weekends. Maybe a small farm stand during the week. Pick-your-own in the busy season. I knew our customers, remembered their favorites, and built real relationships—one conversation at a time.
Then all of that disappeared.
No more chatting over baskets of strawberries. No more kids running through the fields. No more “try this, it’s the best one I picked this morning.”
But here’s the surprising part…
While I was worrying about how to sell our food, people were suddenly very interested in where their food was coming from. With supply chains getting shaky, buying local didn’t just feel nice—it felt necessary.
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What Actually Worked (From One Farmer to Another)
1. Getting Online (Even If It Felt Awkward at First)
I’ll be honest—unlike me, most of us didn’t sign up to be tech experts. Even I had a learning curve and I’ve been in the IT field for over 33 years, but I figured it out, little by little.
Nothing fancy. Just simple, practical steps:
• Learning to use AI to edit and review my posts before they went up
• Create a basic website so people knew what I had (Using AI can make this easier)
• Posting photos on Facebook or Instagram (nothing polished—just real farm life)
• Sending a weekly email update
• Letting customers pre-order for pickup
That was it.
And guess what? People didn’t care about fancy graphics. They just wanted to feel connected. Your story—the real, messy, everyday version of it—mattered more than anything.
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2. CSA Programs
Not in my current, short-term plan, but if you’ve ever considered starting a CSA, this was the moment they really proved their value.
CSAs are basically a group of customers who pay upfront for a weekly box of whatever your farm is producing.
During all that uncertainty? That upfront income made a huge difference.
For many, CSAs went beyond the money, something else happened—people felt invested. They were excited. Curious. Genuinely part of the farm.
Honestly, it turned customers into a community.
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3. Working Together Instead of Competing
This was a big shift.
Instead of seeing other farms as competition, we started teaming up. And instead of just thinking about selling to restaurants, we sought to partner with them.
Some of the best ideas came out of that:
• Sharing products across farms to create mixed boxes
• Supplying local restaurants adapting to takeout
• Working with small grocery stores to highlight local food
• Even putting together deliveries for workplaces
It stopped being “every farm for itself” and became something much more collaborative.
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4. The Rise of “No Contact” Sales
This one surprised me the most.
I went from face-to-face everything… to barely interacting at all. And somehow—it worked.
Simple setups made all the difference:
• Driveway stands
• Scheduled pickups
• Delivery routes
• Honor-system payments
And here’s the kicker—people loved the convenience. Many still do.
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What I Really Learned
Looking back, the biggest lesson? Don’t rely on just one way of doing things.
The farms that adapted quickest were the ones willing to try, fail, adjust, and try again.
A few things really stood out:
• People care about who grows their food
• Convenience matters—but connection still counts
• Customers genuinely want to support local farms
• Technology isn’t the enemy—it’s just another tool
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Moving Forward (And Why It’s Actually Exciting)
I won’t pretend it was easy. It wasn’t.
But in a strange way, that period pushed us to grow—not just crops, but how I run our farms.
Now, it’s not one or the other. It’s everything working together:
• Online ordering and in-person pickup
• CSA boxes and farmers markets
• Restaurant partnerships and direct sales
And the result? Farms that are more connected to their communities than ever.
If you’re just starting out—or thinking about making changes—keep this in mind:
• People want real food from real people.
• They want your story. They want to support you. They want to feel good about what they’re feeding their families.
And that connection? It’s stronger now than ever.
So wherever you’re at—start there. Use what you have. Try something new.
Because every farm that made it through this started the same way: someone was willing to change their way of thinking and figure it out as they went.

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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Last year… the chickens escaped – BLOG 2026/04/9

Chickens running away
Homestead version of ‘Chicken Run’

Today, I offer you a real-life Homestead story about chickens escaping and calmly walking away for good. An actual backyard chicken experience about free-ranging, homestead challenges, and lessons learned raising chickens.

There was no chaos.
No frantic flapping.
No dramatic chase.

They just… walked away.

One by one, they crossed the yard like they had quietly agreed on a plan. Past the garden. Past the fence. Toward the trees. I folloId behind them, expecting they’d stop, scratch around, and let us guide them back.

But they didn’t.

They kept going.
Slowly. Calmly.
Without ever looking back.

I stood there waiting for them to turn around… but they never did.
$50 in chicks and another $30 in feed… gone.

No feathers.
No noise.
No obvious predators.
No return at dusk.

Just an empty coop that evening and a strange silence where their clucking used to be.

Homesteading has a way of humbling you. Sometimes you prepare, you build, you plan… and sometimes the chickens simply decide they’re done and walk off into the woods.

I still laugh about it now — but I also double-check the gate every single time.

Anyone else ever lose animals in the most unexpectedly calm way?

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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Converting a Winery to a Market Garden

The Evolution of Blue Gypsy Wines & Blue Gypsy Homestead

From 2011 to 2019, I founded and operated Blue Gypsy Wines, an off-grid winery south of Ottawa. While it began as a venture into fruit wine production and LCBO distribution, it became an intensive masterclass in business administration, law, and grit.

Business Foundations & Resilience

– Strategic Planning: Secured bank financing in under 24 hours thanks to a comprehensive 57-page business plan—a rarity for small businesses that set the stage for years of growth.

– Operations & Infrastructure: Built a 3,000-sq-ft Quonset steel structure from the ground up, managing everything from land development to 100% off-grid systems.

– Regulatory Excellence: Maintained meticulous records for Provincial and Federal audits. My systems were so efficient that standard multi-hour audits were completed in under 90 minutes.

– Pivoting for Profit: When faced with product spoilage, I pivoted to wine vinegar production, bypassing certain taxes and increasing profit margins by 46%.

The Evolution: From Winery to Homestead

Operating a winery while holding full-time contracts taught me the reality of “carrying” a passion project. In 2019, I made the strategic decision to close the business. Following significant life changes in 2020, I renovated that same off-grid building into my home by bringing in Hydro and Heat, then rebranded the property as a homestead.

Today, I’ve traded wine for self-sufficiency — raising rabbits and growing my own produce. This journey has offered a deeper education than any college course, proving that resilience isn’t just about what you build, but how you adapt when the landscape changes. I am still interested in contracting, so I will continue to pursue that course of action.

I have invested a lot of time and money in the farm with the hope that it will sell for a good price when I finally decide to pack it all in.

I guess my point is that I minimized what I had achieved, the experience I gained, and the peace I find living outside the city. Perhaps this may serve to tell more of a story than I can fit into a 4-page CV. Only time will tell.

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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Victoria Day Weekend in Canada BLOG – 2023/MAY/20

SPRING CHORES AND SETUP

So much to do…

Welcome back!

It’s Victoria Day Weekend here in Canada, what we affectionately call May 2-4 weekend because it happens around the 24 of May… also, it just sounds cool.  As I remember from my time working in the US, it is Memorial Day there.

The snow has been gone for quite a while, but I only swapped out the snowblower for the mower deck a week ago.  I don’t know why, but that swap should have taken about 2 hours at the most.  It didn’t work out that way; a 2-hour job somehow became 4 1/2 hours.

I also needed to change the oil in my car.  I’d never done it on this model, but there were some incredibly well-done videos on YouTube that walked me through every step in great detail, right down to telling me what socket I needed.  That could not have gone better… you need to take your wins when they come.

With the mower deck installed, I had to mow the orchard.  Before I did that though, I bought 13 ½ Kg (30 lbs.) of bulk red clover seed, which I spread just before we got a rather long stretch of rainy weather.  The red clover is excellent at capturing and holding nitrogen.  The goal there is to let it grow to roughly 30 cm (1 foot) tall and then mow it down as mulch.  That way, the nitrogen could seep back into the soil.

With the grass around the trees carefully mowed, I can finally see the trees when I walk past them.

With that chore done, I could concentrate on refitting the chicken coop.  Naturally, I ended up doing this while it was pouring rain.  (I do hope that we’re not in for another incredibly wet summer.)

I had to change out the bottom of the coop altogether, as it was in terrible shape after last year.  (I made the mistake of having ducks in with my chickens.  Ducks weigh more than chickens, so they broke through the bottom.)

The day-old meat chicks arrived this week and will spend the first 3 weeks indoors in a brooder.  Day-old chicks are cute, little yellow balls of feathers.  If they outgrow the brooder sooner and the weather is warm at night, I’ll move them out a bit sooner.  If need be, I can add supplemental heat, but only if necessary.

I also purchased an enclosure that will give the chickens the ability to roam around, safe from aerial predators.  That meant that I needed to build the enclosure around the coop.  As an extra layer of safety, there will be an electric fence around the enclosure in case a ground predator decides to go after them.  It will also help keep the Wonder Twins (the 2 rescue Miniature Pinschers that live with me) from bothering the poor chickens.

All that remains to do on the coop is to put the roof back on.  Once that’s done, I can finish building the enclosure.

The next big chore will be to get the garden ready for planting.  I built support frames for the tomatoes and cukes (I’ll be showing those in the next video.)

My tomato and pepper seedlings failed, but I started another batch.  This is no different from last year when a late frost killed the plants after they were in the ground.  I still managed a strong harvest late in the season.  My goal is to grow 70 Kg (150 lbs.) of tomatoes and at least 2 bushels of peppers, along with a lot of other veggies which I will can and/or freeze dry for next winter.

Speaking of freeze drying, as of this month, my freeze dryer is officially paid off.  One less financial burden.  (Now if I could pay off the mortgage, maybe I could farm full-time for half the year.)

The sweet potato slips are growing wonderfully.  Those, as well as regular potatoes and onions will be in grow bags this year because they were less than successful last year in the ground.

The garlic has come up beautifully.

The horseradish is already showing signs of leafing out.  The horseradish I harvested last year went into the food processor, then the freeze dryer, and back into the food processor.  (Interesting trivia for lovers of sushi: most of the wasabi we buy in North America is actually horseradish that has been dyed green.  Apparently, real wasabi is so rare and expensive that only very high-end restaurants in Japan are able to source it.)

The asparagus is popping up as well.  That will need to be harvested this weekend.

As I mentioned earlier, there is much to do still, but considering that we’ve had 2 nights of frost last week, planting is not one of them.

That’s it for the moment.  Back to editing videos and piecing together more for the page.  As always, you can drop by the Blue Gypsy Homestead Facebook page (see below for a direct link) for more recent information.

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

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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 end up in the algorithm and get off the ground.

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

 

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ICE STORM OF SPRING 2023 – BLOG – 2023/APR/06

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.
___________________________________________________________

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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Difference between being depressed and being sad – BLOG post for 2023/Mar/30

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 point: 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.

_____________________________________________________________________

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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YouTube channel is off to a slow, but steady start

Welcome back!

Sorry it took so long to get back into blogging, but it’s been quite the emotional rollercoaster as you can imagine if you read the post from February 18.

On to focus on the positive.

    • I turned 60 at the beginning of March.
    • The snow is melting, albeit slowly, south of Ottawa.
    • I have ordered at least $125 worth of seeds, as well as another $250 in sprouting equipment. The peppers have been started, as have several flowers.
    • Tomatoes and eggplant will be next, likely next weekend.

The YouTube channel is off to a slow, but steady start.  To be honest, there’s not a lot to VLOG in the winter, so content trickles in.

My drones arrived in the mail on Thursday last.  They are charged up and ready to test out when the winds are not gale force…

Once they get up in the air (or at least one of them does) I’ll start adding that footage in with my VLOGS.

In my mind, Spring has always been a time of hope and rebirth.  I look forward to being able to start getting the gardens ready, even if it’s too soon to plant.

The chicken coop needs a good cleaning and the electric fence needs to be set up by the time the chicks arrive in May.

I am still enjoying the chicken I raw packed in the fall/winter, mostly as an addition to dishes I’m cooking.  I even used one jar as part of a chicken fajita night.

I experimented with adding some canned chicken drumsticks to a batch of chicken paprikas.  Since the chicken was fully cooked already, I added it at the end, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  This gave the chicken the chance to absorb some of the flavour from the base sauce.  I make nokedli (a pasta very similar to spaetzle) and serve the paprikas over it.

This year, one of the peppers I planted are the type from which Szegedi Paprika is made.  In all, I think I have roughly 180 individual pepper seedlings in the tray.  Peppers are notoriously slow to sprout.

I also started a few seeds that had sprouted from the Ambrosia apples I recently bought.  They won’t produce the same type of apple, but apples they will, and I LOVE apples.  Worst case, in 5 years when it starts producing, I’ll have the ingredients I need for a wonderful apple sauce.

I’ve been experimenting with regrowing romaine lettuce from the base that I saved after making a salad.  So far, they are coming along nicely.  I’ll show the progress in an upcoming video #short.

Another thing I’ve signed up for is an Amazon affiliate link that will basically give me a tiny commission on any purchases made by following the links in the description of the videos.

My goal is to reach the magic number of subscribers (1000) so that I can start monetizing the videos.  It’s all part of the greater business plan to become self-sufficient and hopefully, allow me to retire (to full-time farming) in the next 5 years.

I am so grateful to those who watch the videos, select the like (thumbs up) button and, share the video link with friends.

I’ve also created my catchphrase:
“Keep your shovel in the ground, the sun at your back, and a smile on your face.”  I should probably add “wear sunscreen” but I’m sure you are already hearing that often enough.

In any case, enjoy the season of rebirth.

Until next time.

_____________________________________________________________________

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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TRIGGER WARNING: THIS POST DEALS WITH DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE – BLOG – 2023/Feb/18

Blue Gypsy Homestead

BLOG – 2023/Feb/18

Welcome back!

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS POST DEALS WITH DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE

I wish I didn’t have to write a post like this, but reality hits fast and it hits hard.

I made a promise to openly discuss, with the intention of helping to normalize, the concept of reaching out for help when you are in crisis.
Over the years, I’ve lost a number of friends to suicide. Every one of them had their reasons. It still hurts.

Here are some statistics in Canada.

An average of 10 people die by suicide each day in Canada

Of the approx. 4000 deaths by suicide each year, more than 90% were living with a mental health problem or illness.

Across the life span:

Children and youth (10 to 19 years)
Suicide 2nd leading cause of death
Males account for 41% of 10-14 year old suicides, increasing to 70% of 15-19 year olds
Self-harm hospitalizations 72% females

Young adults (20 to 29 years)
Suicide 2nd leading cause of death
Males account for 75% of suicides
Self-harm hospitalizations 58% females

Adults (30 to 44 years)
Suicide 3rd leading cause of death
Males account for 75% of suicides
Self-harm hospitalizations 56% females

Adults (45 to 64 years)
Suicide 7th leading cause of death
Males account for 73% of suicides
Highest suicide rate across lifespan observed among males 45 to 59 years
Self-harm hospitalizations 56% females

Seniors (65+ years)
Suicide 12th leading cause of death
Males account for 80% of suicides
Males aged 85+ experience the highest rate of suicides among seniors
Self-harm hospitalizations 52% females
For every 1 suicide death there are:
– 5 self-inflicted injury hospitalizations
– 25-30 attempts
– 7-10 people profoundly affected by suicide loss

Source:
Public Health Agency of Canada analysis of Statistics Canada Vital Statistics Death Database and Canadian Institute for Health Information Hospital Morbidity Database.

Mental health issues have always carried a certain amount of stigma and that needs to end.

We, as a society need to be more open and accepting of people who are ‘on the edge’ because they are important.

These statistics tell me that we need to do more to normalize mental health issues.

I myself am no stranger to depression. For many years, I suffered massive highs and deep, deep lows. The depression could last weeks. Impulse control was difficult, if not impossible. It was not until 4 or 5 years ago that I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and ADHD. In fact, it was a contributing factor to the end of my 30-year marriage.
Although the thought of taking my own life did not enter my thoughts, I can understand completely how so many lose the battle every day.

I have made a promise to bring up the uncomfortable subject of mental health, long before I lost friends.

The number of suicides among people at my high school was unbelievable. Every one of them broke my heart.

The entire point of this blog is to reiterate that it is nothing to be ashamed of if you’re struggling, whether you are an armed forces veteran or a person struggling to get out of bed every day. It IS NOT a sign of weakness to seek out help and I for one encourage anyone facing the ‘black dog’ to reach out and get the help you need.

It took my (now ex-) wife tearing into me to realize that something was wrong with me. I walked into a mental out-patient clinic and broke down; I had finally realized that something was wrong with me. The counsellor listened to me and immediately knew what was going on. He sent me to my GP with instructions to repeat exactly what I had told him. I received an appointment the same day and did as I was told. My doctor looked at me and asked me what I wanted. All I could get out was “I want to be stable.” He handed me a prescription for mood stabilizers but warned me that the process had only just begun. I honestly was oblivious to what I was doing and now that I know and I am on the correct medication, I deal with the guilt of my past actions and the hurt I caused her. Although I was moving in the right direction, it was too little, too late to save my marriage. I still deal with the guilt, but fortunately, my ex-wife is still in my life. We are friends and I am grateful that she has let me back in to that extent. She is in another relationship now and seems to be very happy; this makes me happy.

I can’t go back in time and reverse everything, as much as I wish I could, but I can move forward and live my best life. I can honestly say that I am getting better every day.

Thanks for following me. I really do appreciate the support.

Until next time
Louis

PS: If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression or other forms of mental illness, I BEG of you to reach out to them and help them find the resources they need. Please PLEASE reach out… someone really does care and most of all, YOU MATTER.
Talk Suicide Canada
Hours: Available 24/7/365 for calls; 4 PM—12 AM ET for texts; Languages: English, French
Tel: 1-833-456-4566
SMS: 45645

https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/what-we-do/suicide-prevention/

United States
https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/index.html

How to help a friend – Video
https://emmresourcecenter.org/resources/how-help-friend-video

Suicide Prevention Resource Center
https://www.sprc.org/
_____________________________________________________________________

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More

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A hobby of mine that brings me joy: photography – BLOG – 2023/Feb/5

Welcome back!

It’s been an interesting week, weatherwise here in the Great White North.  I swear, we are either wearing 15 layers of clothing, or running around in shorts.  (Confidentially, after 2 or 3 straight weeks of -20 to -30 Celsius, even +1 feels like suntanning weather.)

I wanted to discuss a hobby of mine that brings me joy: photography.

I started taking photographs as a child, using a Kodak camera with 110 film.  The thing about film is that you would shoot a roll and then, wait a week to see whether you got even ONE good picture.

Soon, I received a Kodak 126 camera.  Again, I’d shoot a roll, send it off to be developed and hope for the best.

I saved my money from odd jobs and bought my first 35mm camera, a Canon AE-1.  I shot a lot of film with this one, but the difference was that I had learned to develop my own film and pictures.  In elementary school, a buddy and I were tasked with building a darkroom in a bathroom.  We did as much of the work as we could during lunch and after school.

I advanced my skills by shooting, developing, and printing hundreds of rolls of film.

Eventually, I started buying film in bulk and rolling custom cartridges for my own use.  Often, I’d roll 12s because that way, I could focus on one subject.

In high school, I joined the photography club and saved enough money to buy my own second-hand darkroom equipment.  I shot landscapes, sports, 1 wedding (never again), wildlife, and some portraits.  I worked primarily in black and white.

I started collecting cameras and at the time of writing this, I owned over 50 different models.

Life got busy and I put my camera down for a few years.  On my 50th birthday, people gave me cash as gifts, and I put that toward my first digital camera, a Nikon D3100 that I still own.  I rediscovered my love of photography and I have been shooting since.  I’ve expanded my repertoire to include work with professional models.

I often take pictures with my camera, mostly because it’s easier to carry than my full camera bag.

Still, when I work a shoot with a model, I always go back to the Nikon, but now I have a portable studio, including backgrounds, lights, and some outfits.

I will also be using the D3100, along with some wireless microphones, as my primary VLOG camera.  (Keep an eye out for the launch of my YouTube channel.)

I love to take pictures, capture moments in time, and share with whomever wants to see them.

Photos will make up a good part of my content, at least until the snow melts again.

Thanks for following me.  I really do appreciate the support.

Until next time

Louis

_____________________________________________________________________

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I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

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Ordering my meat chickens – BLOG – 2023/Jan/29

Welcome back!

In the midst of what is supposed to be the biggest snowstorm this season, I chose to order my meat chickens.

I have 15-day-old White Rock Pullets (female chicks) arriving on May 18.  I order pullets because I have an inherent dislike for roosters.  They are loud.  They are bullies.  They are nasty.

Clearly, I don’t like them.

I choose white rock chicks because they grow quickly and go to the freezer after roughly 8 weeks.

I had ducks as well last year, but I discovered that the ducks ate the food and left the chickens with little to none.  If I want to eat duck that badly, I’ll buy one.

I picked May 18 as the date of arrival because it’s warm enough (generally) to take the brooder box outdoors during the day if I really wanted.

A brooder box is simply a large storage container that I line with newspaper and cover the bottom with wood shavings.  There is a heater that they can go under to stay warm until their full feathers grow in.  They have a feeder and a water trough.  I keep them indoors for now because I have yet to build a real chicken brooder.  They can be noisy, but they settle down at night when the lights go out.

I feed them starter mix which is finer ground and has extra nutrition.  As soon as that bag is done, I switch them to a grower mix which is formulated to give them more of what they need.  By the time I’m feeding grower mix, they are outside, scratching up worms and bugs as snacks.

After 8 weeks (give or take a week), I process them.

NOTE: ‘Process’ is the term used to describe sending them to freezer camp.

Why do I do this? The reason is simple.  I am a meat eater.  I have worked for a Government agency that was responsible for inspecting animal processing plants.  What I saw in the chicken plant sickened me.  I didn’t eat chicken for a while after that.

When I started homesteading, I made a promise to myself that I would raise at least half of the chicken I consumed.  That way, I can give them the best life possible, sun, wind, bugs, worms, etc.  They are not medicated or given growth hormones.  That means they are as close to being organic as possible, without having to call them organic.

I honour the chickens by talking to them and thanking them for the meal they were going to provide.  I believe that if you are going to take the life of an animal, it must be done humanely, quickly, and with reverence.

I take no joy in the act of butchering.  Perhaps that makes me soft, but I would rather be soft than heartless and cruel.

I will be making room in my freezer by raw canning whatever chicken is still in there.  Once they are hot-packed, the chicken is fully cooked and preserved for up to 2 years.  Having precooked chicken is a great way to throw a meal together in a hurry, when you’re tired or unexpected guests show up.  (Fajitas are your friend.)

After I’ve taken the meat off the bones, I roast the carcasses and boil them with carrots, onions, celery, and spices to make chicken broth.  I pressure can the broth so that I have it ready at any point.

I’ve not yet reached self-sufficiency, but I’m working on it.

Thanks for following me.  I really do appreciate the support.

Until next time

Louis

___________________________________________________________________

Come Follow Along!

I’ve launched a YouTube channel for the homestead.
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.

👉 YouTube Channel

Ready to Start Your Own Journey?

If you’re thinking about starting your own homestead, check this out:
👉 Learn More