Airing our not-so-dirty laundry

When we moved into this house I swore I was going to put in a clothesline. It might have taken us three years, but we finally did it! Clotheslines were actually illegal in Toronto until 2008, when the province voided all municipal bylaws that outlawed the practice of air drying clothes from ground-level dwellings (hello…

The big dig

On our way home from the cottage last weekend we stopped into the new house and low and behold the deck, she was gone! The exterior waterproofing is underway and going very quickly. We were sad to see the awesome huge deck go, but it was a necessary evil, and we’ll be able to build…

Fresh, locally milled flour

As part of developing my sourdough bread baking skills I wanted to try to find a local source of high quality, fresh wheat flour that was as unaltered as possible. Last fall my Dad was in the hospital in London, Ontario and Chris and I drove there to see him from Toronto. During the drive…

My new ride

I’m very excited to be starting off this spring with a new set of wheels! I looked online for something used, but I couldn’t quite find what I wanted. And in the end, Canadian Tire had exactly what I was looking for within a very reasonable price range: a multiple-speed cruiser-style bike that let’s me…

Hot off the presses!

I’m very excited to be one of the very first recipients of my pal Adria’s newest book, Ecoholic Body! Based on her popular column in NOW magazine, this is the third Canadian book in her series (she also has an Ecoholic US edition). The book will be available in stores across Canada on April 17….

Welcome NOW readers!

How flattered I am to be ‘consulted’ by my pal Adria Vasil over at Ecoholic about getting your seedlings started for the upcoming season! There are certainly many more experts out there with greater knowledge than I, but to build on the story in this week’s NOW magazine, here are some additional tips and tricks….

Farming in the urban shadow in Waterloo, Ontario

Urban farm pressure. A combine harvests wheat off Fischer-Hallman Road in Kitchener. As Kitchener’s suburbs have grown outward, the once-quiet countryside has become a busy suburb. Photo by David Bebee. “Urbanization forces farmers to become land speculators, even the ones that don’t want to be,” By Greg Mercer, Record staff Jan 06 2012 Excerpt: Flourishing…

The Bottom Line

I’ve recently tuned into this podcast by environmental hero David Suzuki, called The Bottom Line, on CBC. According to the website, The Bottom Line “explores the disconnect between our modern values and our relationship with the Earth. It is a celebration of our biological makeup that dictates our most basic human needs – the real…

Finally… warmth!

We finally got ‘er done! Yesterday was attic insulation day! Chris did the prep up in the attic a couple weeks ago; installed the baffles along the edges (allows for proper airflow around the roof line, above the insulation) and did some wiring we needed for a light fixture. We had such a hard time…

Welcome Ecoholic readers!

Thanks to NOW magazine’s Ecoholic, Adria Vasil, and her story this week about canning foods using BPA-free products. At the end of Adria’s article she mentions my Pear Butter recipe. I hope to make some this week actually, if this cold I’ve gotten doesn’t keep me down for too long. I picked up some pears…