“Come see what I built!”

It was an invitation from my then almost-9-year-old son to visit the space he had built for himself to ‘get away from it all’.   He led me carefully through one of the many patches of undergrowth near our little cabin, thick with salmon berries just starting to bud with bright green leaves (and sticky thorns).  Then we came upon it – a tiny little hut, built with intricate layers of windfall branches and ferns, its entrance hidden by a particularly dense spray of hemlock.

“It’s where I can lie and listen to the sounds of the forest, and the songs of the birds.”

And right then I knew my decision to leave our city life behind was the right one.

Our Journey from Subdivision to Townhouse to Log Cabin in the Woods

I always thought I'd move out of the city when I children joined my life.  I just didn't realize what a huge difference it would make to my son - or myself.

I grew up in a rural community – in a subdivision, mind you, but in a district where only 20,000 people lived along a narrow strip of land stretching 70 miles along the rocky coast.  Bears visited our backyard regularly, and we spent our weekends in the mountains, exploring abandoned logging camps and old First Nations villages, hiking to extinct volcanic craters, and riding dirt bikes in the empty lots down the street.  We learned all the native edible and medicinal plants, the names of all the trees towering above, and which wild birds like which sorts of native berries.  We fished, rode motorbikes, and got dirty.  In other words, we spent most of our waking hours outside.

When my son was born in 2003 and we ended up in a townhouse on a busy road in the city, all those amazing childhood experiences came flooding back - and I realized, sadly, that his life was going to be very different.  His school days would be interrupted by sirens and construction projects, he'd have to sidestep doggy doo (and other nasties) every time he went for a walk in the forest, and he'd never really know the joys of silence.  For his own memories' sake, I wanted him to know a summer day where all you can hear is crickets, the rustling of the wind in dry, tall grass, and the distant hum of a float plane buzzing to some far flung island.  The chance of experiencing any of that living in a townhouse?  Nada.

I loved so many things about our city, nestled between sea and mountain, but getting my little guy out into 'nature' was an more of an effort than I was able to pull off most days.  During my maternity leave, we'd hop on the bus and spend our days in the forest (with him on my back in a carrier) but once I went back to work, there just never seemed to be enough time.  Moving closer to the nature was out of the question - real estate in our part of the world is crazy at best - the average home price at the time was somewhere around $800K.  Decent townhouses closer to the forest on a quiet street?  About $600K.  So it was either noisy townhouse or the alternative - moving - and  I struggled with it every single day.

It was when he got a little older and I'd find him entranced by the comings and goings of ants and wood bugs that I decided that this child was born to be in the country.  He just oozed it.  His first word wasn't 'cat' or 'juice', but 'moon'.  So I started planning for a very different life... a life somewhere quieter where he could become who he was meant to be, without distraction.

Now, we could have moved anywhere, but it was important that my guy be close to his grandparents.  In other words, our choice was pretty simple - we moved back to my hometown, only a 40 minute ferry ride, but what felt like a world, away.  It was 2008, and I had no idea how I was going to make it work, but I'd been building my skill set for years and studying everything I could get my hands on that had anything to do with rural living, homesteading and the transition from city to country living.  Was I terrified?  Um... yeah.  But terror slowly turned to 'I can do this!', and we never looked back.

So here we are, just over 4 years later, well ensconced into a new/old life in the forest.  My son attends a Waldorf School surrounded by trees and streams, and right across a quiet country road from the beach.  He gets to see his grandparents pretty much every day - something I never experienced in my own childhood - and spends his non-school time listening to the wind in the trees, collecting and studying bugs and other critters, and communing with our flock of 20 chickens (17 hens and three roosters, to be exact).  And now that we've been here awhile, the benefits of the move are becoming clearer every single day.

The Benefits

First off, please know that I'm no child development expert and I can't tell you conclusively that living in the country is any 'better' than living in the city, as they both clearly have their pros and cons, but there are a few things I've observed over the past 4 years that I think are worth noting:

1. Room to Run – This one goes without saying.  Children need to move and run and stretch their limbs in order for their physical and mental capacities to develop in a healthy way, and that's pretty difficult in a 1000 square foot apartment with a tiny rooftop deck.  They don't need a lot of space, but the simple joy of being able to move freely when the impulse strikes is a real treat to watch.  If my son wants to run across the yard on all fours, he can do that - without crashing into anything or stepping into anyone else's space (but chicken poop, maybe).
2. Quiet for the Imagination – A big reason why we decided on Waldorf Education, and moved to a rural community, was this - the preservation, and development of, my child's imagination.  Not that imagination can't develop in the city, of course - some of our most brilliant people were raised in urban environments - but there's something about quiet, being in nature, that just invites creative thinking and problem-solving, especially for children who are sensitive.  With the challenges we're facing in the world, we need creative people, unencumbered by rigid or stunted thought processes and the distraction of 24/7 noise.
3. Exposure to the Natural World – As you know, our planet is in somewhat of a crisis on the environmental front.  Species extinctions, systemic pollution, habitat loss... our children need to be connected to the natural world now more than ever.  If they don't feel like they're a part of the world around them, how can we expect them to care about it?  So your child spending quiet, extended time in nature benefits us all, and will for generations.  I simply can't see how my son would care anywhere near as much about the creatures of the world and its natural systems as he does if he didn't get to see and feel and touch them every day.
4. No Billboards or In-Your-Face Marketing - This one is HUGE for me - there simply isn't anywhere near the bombardment of visual marketing as there is in the city, where every surface is covered with images talking our children into 'needing' things they don't really need at all, and doing things they really have no business doing.  Think about the effects of mainstream media and marketing on children, and then imagine what it would be like to not have that in your child's face every day.  It's liberating, and so much better because kids are left alone to be just that - kids.
5. Time to be Together – I'm blessed to work from home, and I'm incredibly busy with my business, but I'm able to spend a lot more time with my son than I did when we lived in the city and I worked in an office, mostly by nature of the fact that we aren't spending hours in traffic every day, nor are we signed up for umpteen lessons and activities.  It's been incredibly freeing, and rewarding, to be able to spend time with him - even when I'm working and serving clients and he's just hanging out with the chickens or drawing pictures of trolls and eagles.  Child development expert Gordon Neufeld talks extensively about the importance of children being 'attached' to their caregivers and not their peers - it's much easier to do this when you can actually spend a lot of time together.

Of course, as with anything worth exploring, there are downsides, but in our experience, the great things that have come from our move out of the city far outweigh the negatives, which are, well, pretty much non-existent.  Sure sometimes it's a struggle to get everything done, the power goes out a lot, and we don't have any neighbours at all, let alone with children, so spontaneous play with other kids is sort of out of the question, but even with all that, I can't imagine living anywhere else.  I'll let Jonah wrap it up:  Why I Like Living in the Country

Are you planning a move to the country with your children?  Do you have any concerns or worries?  If so, leave us a comment on the blog or on Facebook to hear from others who've made the move and are loving it... it's a super supportive group and we love sharing what we've learned.  See you there!

If you can count on me for anything, it's to give you the straight goods on country living.   No fluff.

You're not going to find me waxing poetic about how la-de-da wonderful everything is every moment of every day - especially when it comes to the real benefits and challenges of living in the country.

Let me kick this off by making it super clear that I LOVE living in the woods.  I've been back here for 3-and-a-half years (after growing up in the area many moons ago), and I can honestly say that (at this point anyway) I never want to live in the city again.  Visit, for sure.  But to live full-time?  Absolutely not. 

But I can't help but feel for people who are seduced by books and articles and sometimes friends and acquaintances painting a ridiculously rosy picture of the rural life.  I'm sure we've all heard the stories of the city-dwellers who packed up everything and moved to the country, assuming they'd done their research, only to find they couldn't make friends, hated the neighbor's wayward cows, and spent too many hours commuting to their jobs, completely blowing their new found 'quality of life' right out of the water.

So today, I wanted to get my own list of challenges of rural living down 'on paper' (pros/benefits to follow in my next post).  If it helps even one person considering a move from the city to ensure their decision is the right one for them, I'll be happy!  Country living is amazing, but it's definitely not for everyone.  I definitely don't have all the answers - far from it - and I've made a very LONG list of my own mistakes.  That said, I hope this helps:

The Cons/Challenges/Drawbacks to Living in a Rural Community

This list is really hard for me to write, because I don't want to sound ungrateful (or like I know it all - I SO don't), but the truth is that for many folks used to city living, country living is a really foreign thing.  Very foreign!  Sometimes so foreign it drives them more than a little bonkers - or leaves them in tears.  Or divorced.

So without further ado, here are a few things I've found personally, and heard from others, about the things they found most challenging the first year or two after moving from city to country:

1. Feeling like part of a community - Social circles in many small communities can be notoriously hard to break into.  I've met a lot of people who have moved to our community from the city who have said it was really challenging to make friends here.  The 'old-timers' can be suspicious of newcomers (sometimes with good reason), and a small group of recent transplants want to pull up the drawbridge behind them, shooting resentful rhetoric and angry glances to anyone who moves in after them.  I've also heard this is one of the big fears of many considering moving to a rural community.  The best way to get through this?  Volunteer.  Once you're settled, get out there and start donating a portion of your time and services to local social agencies, your children's school, or a food security group.  There's no better way to show you want to be part of a community than getting involved.
2. Getting used to the quiet - and the new sounds - If you've lived in the city for any amount of time, and especially if you've never lived anywhere else, the relative quiet of the country can be enough to make you want to break out the white noise machine.  Say what you want about loud conversations and honking horns, but there's something reassuring about knowing there are other people about.  Those first few nights are going to be painful - don't count on sleeping much.  I spent my first few weeks here in a very sleep-deprived state thanks to all the unfamiliar thumps, bumps and 'woos' out in the black woods.  There's really no way to avoid this - your city nervous system will need some time to mellow out.  And mellow out it will!  Eventually, you'll be able to relax and enjoy the peace.
3. Not being able to sleep in anymore (or go away for the weekend) once you have livestock - I have to be honest and say that this one kept us from adding chickens to our little homestead sooner than we did.  The idea of having to find someone to care for them every time we wanted to go away for more than a few hours sort of put the kaibosh on my self-reliance plans for awhile.  But then we found a solution - co-parenting!  I guess you could call it co-op livestock.  We found friends who wanted to share in the cost and responsibility and voila, we were egg farmers!  OK, it wasn't quite that easy, but knowing we've got built-in chicken sitters made the decision a whole lot easier.  My parents also help out since my Dad's sawmill is just down the road from us and he's there pretty much every day.  We all share in the eggs, and sell the excess to pay for the feed.  Win-win all around.  Now if we were talking cows or goats, the story  might be different, but I can't see why it wouldn't work with the right mix of people and critters.
4. Distance from medical facilities - This is something a lot of people don't think about.  Unless you're a master herbalist, aromatherapist, paramedic, doctor or trained in the military (or maybe even if you are), you're likely going to need a doctor every once in awhile.  And if you've got children, elderly parents, or a medical condition that requires regular care, you'll want to ensure you have access to appropriate medical facilities.  Every day I read about people complaining about lack of medical facilities in the communities they've recently moved to.  This is something you'll absolutely want to check out ahead of time.
5. Much reduced entertainment opportunities - We're so lucky - we're close enough to the city to have world-class musicians, theatre and other arts performances make their way across the water to play here.  We've even got a number of the super famous who actually live in our communities (not that we see them often - they come here to get away from their flocks of admirers... it's a great place for that, disappearing).  We've got two movie theatres (in two different communities), a couple of video rental places (because the internet speed can be far too slow - or throttled - to watch streaming video), poetry readings, dances, art shows, galleries, sports teams, studios, top-notch restaurants - there's no shortage of things to do.  I remember when we first arrived, thinking, "What on earth are we going to do here?"  But that's never, ever been a problem.  Smaller communities may not have the huge variety of opportunities, but even the tiniest town has dances and social events, touring musicians and farmers' markets.  And if there is nothing - there's your opportunity to start something!
6. Bugs - I lived in the city for 22 years.  And in that time, I forgot what mosquitoes were.  There just weren't any buzzing around the townhouse.  And then I came back here.  Holy moly, those suckers are big!  And they're nothing here compared to some parts of the country.  What does this mean?  We can't eat dinner outside in summer without a screen tent - or some sort of bug zapper that we haven't yet invested in.  Great for the chickens and bats, not so great for our social life.  Good thing we've got our essential oils now to ward of the blood sucking beasts!
7. Power outages - It goes without saying that country life means power outages.  More trees means more potential for downed or shorted out lines.  And less population means fewer available staff, and let's face it, lower priority, when a big storm blows through the region.  You can plan for this with alternate power and/or light and heat sources, emergency food stores, and knowing what parts of the area are less likely to experience power outages.  Here, we just happen to be on the trunk that goes out every time the wind blows.  And no, I didn't check that out before we moved.  Wish I would have!
8. Fending off wildlife - Some areas have more of an issue with this than others, but most rural homesteads will experience run-ins with wildlife.  Add livestock, and the ante is upped.  Here we have birds of prey (hawks, mostly), black bear, coyotes, weasels, mountain lion and apparently wolves moving back into their historic ranges.  Then there are the marauding elk, and the deer (which all of the other predators are feeding on), and the smaller critters like mice and squirrels that can do incredible damage if left unchecked.  My own feeling on this is that the wildlife has as much right to be here as we do, and that my plunking ourselves down in amongst them, with yummy-smelling livestock penned and fenced and sitting 'ducks', and warm homes for the smaller creatures to nest in, we're taking on a huge responsibility to keep everyone safe.  I know a lot of people will just shoot any predator or pest on their property, rather than work through deterrence programs and securing their livestock properly.  I know it won't make me popular to say this, but when you put your family and livestock on a rural property, it's your job to keep everyone safe - and that includes the indigenous creatures (unless they are creatures you can add to your food stores, of course - that's different...).  If you keep finding wild snakes in your henhouse, it's time to secure the henhouse, not keep shooting the snakes.  Native snakes have an important place in the ecology of your local area.  Just sayin'...
9. Lack of rural living skills - I think it's pretty clear that if you can't split firewood, have a black thumb, or have trouble dispatching a chicken if it's mortally injured or on it's last legs, then homesteading can prove pretty challenging.  I say this as someone who still has very few rural living skills, at least compared to someone who has been doing this for years.  Sure I can split shakes, pile firewood, wash clothes without electricity, know the habits of our local predators and am taking a Permaculture Design Course - but there's so, so much to learn!  I haven't yet had to dispatch a chicken (the coyote did that for me, unplanned, of course), and I've yet to put away a full winter's worth of food in a root cellar, but I fully intend to learn how - and soon.  But let's not despair and think it all hopeless - the great news is that there are literally thousands of books, magazines, YouTube videos and websites devoted to exactly this - teaching rural living skills to newbies.  I've had the pleasure of experiencing many of them, and I know will be connecting with many more.  But the best teacher, I have to say, is experience.  We just need to get out there and do it, no matter how freaky it is to our urban sensibilities.
10. Making a living - When I talk to prospective 'modern homesteaders', this is the challenge that comes up most often.  How to do it and not starve.  Or without having to give up some of our favorite things.  Personally, I've been able to do this in a way that works for us (though I'm still working out the kinks), putting my corporate experience to work in my own web and design business, run via satellite internet from my little cabin in the woods.  Others have one partner commuting to a 'regular' job while the other gets the homestead under way.  The key here is to be open to new ideas, take an inventory of your skills, and continually invest in your future.  If you choose to start your own business, get an experienced mentor, try to do it without too much (or any) debt, but most of all - set the fear aside and go for it!

The Wrap-up

Moving to the country is a huge step on the way to a more self-reliant life.  And it's absolutely not for everyone.  But those of us with 'the bug', it's a dream we just can't shake.  With this list, we can make sure we've poked and prodded the decision from every angle, so we know in our hearts it's the right one when we do put that down payment on that dream property.

Next time we'll get to the good stuff - the benefits of rural living!

Did we miss any challenges?  Do you know anyone who moved to the country but just couldn't take it?  We'd love to hear your stories in the comments below - your experiences might just help someone avoid a HUGE mistake!  Or better yet, encourage them to finally make the move...

It's getting cold here.  The ground is rock solid frozen and we've gone full into 'winter mode'.  Now that we've got livestock (chickens), it adds a whole new dimension to preparing our rural property to keep everyone (and everything) safe and secure through the chilly months.  But it's not just in the winter when things can go wrong.

When you live on a rural property, there are a lot of situations that can put you and your family at risk of injury - or even death.  A pretty dark topic, I know.  But it's my mission to provide information that will really make a positive difference as you make the transition to a rural lifestyle, and sometimes the discussion gets downright serious.  It has to to keep everyone safe.

All that said, most dangerous situations on your journey to the rural life can be avoided, or at least mitigated, by choosing the 'right' property to purchase or rent in the first place.  Here are five things to seriously consider, and questions to ask and analyze, before you purchase a property down by that gorgeous river, or decide on a rental home in the mountains:

Emergency Services

1. Do you have a medical condition that requires regular care?  Obviously if this is the case you'll need to have medical facilities close by.  In the event of any sort of major widespread emergency, it's pretty much guaranteed that larger centers would be priority for getting back up and running quickly.  As it is, many rural health facilities are sort of hanging by a thread, or find it difficult to staff their emergency medical teams adequately.   I know in parts of our province, small communities are lucky if they can find enough experienced paramedics to staff their ambulance crews - and at that many of them are on call and take time to get to the station, then out to your call.  Something to keep in mind if it's at all likely you may need to call on emergency medical services for a pre-existing condition.
2. How far away is a trauma center or emergency room? If your new home is way out in the sticks and it takes an hour to get there from anywhere, your life may be on the line in an emergency.  Living that far away from medical facilities requires you to:  a) be extremely careful; and b) learn emergency first aid so you can increase your or your family member's chance of survival.
3. How long would it take an ambulance take to get to your house?  You can find this out by calling your local health authority - they should be able to give you a rough estimate.
4. Are local doctors taking new patients?  In our community, most of the regular doctors haven't been taking new patients for years.  Not having a consistent healthcare provider means that your doctor doesn't know you at all and can't tell whether or not you're looking 'well' or not compared to 'normal'.  Now, that's not saying having a new doctor isn't valuable - I've heard many stories of people with serious medical conditions that weren't diagnosed until they somehow ended up with a new doctor who immediately saw the problem and began treatment.  But if you can manage to find a regular, client-focussed doctor, hang on to them!
5. How far away is the closest emergency clinic?  Same as noted above, having a clinic reasonably close means you have at least somewhere to go should you get a deep gash while installing your fencing.

The first time you whack your leg with the firewood axe or the chickens scratch the dickens out of your arms, you’ll want to know that medical help is close by.

Weather and Road Maintenance

1. Is the road servicing your property maintained by local government, private contractor or the landowners themselves?  The answer to this question will (usually) dictate how well your roads are maintained.  Of course, with many jurisdictions facing tough economic times, road maintenance budgets have been reduced, so you'll want to know that before making the move.
2. What is the official priority for road clearing in winter or after storms?  You’ll want to know this.  Our road is fairly remote and not a critical route, but it does lead to two rather large employers here, so I think they make sure things are cleared fairly quickly.  But if we’d lived here two winters ago, we’d have been locked in the snow for days, as the road was pretty low on the clearing priority list.  We could walk up to the highway and have someone collect us from there, but I drive a tiny little car, which of course, isn't so smart for the snow.  Why not just buy a truck?  First fuel prices, and second, I’m not willing to impact the environment by driving a truck full time.  So I keep my fingers crossed – and have good snow tires... plus we have access to a truck should we really need it.
3. What is the schedule for maintenance on the roads leading to your property?  If the road to your new or dream property is in rough shape, find out what the schedule is for repair.  Rough roads will increase the wear and tear on your vehicle, will be hazardous in extreme weather, and will increase the time any trips to town will take (not to mention emergency vehicle access).

Electrical Outages

1. How often does the power go out in the area?  Call your local power company and get the stats on outages.  This may or may not be an issue for you, depending on your set-up for dealing with it, but if you plan on working from your homestead with an internet access, or your well pump runs on electricity, you'll need to know this and plan accordingly.
2. How long does it take to get back running, on average? 
3. Is your new property on a priority trunk?  Our property is on a long, strung-out trunk that is prone to outages due to the number of trees overhanging the lines.  I didn't realize this when we moved here, but it's definitely been an issue considering my business requires electrical power to run.  It means I have to go 'out' to work, which is fine, but can have its own challenges.

You can have all sorts of back-up electrical systems in place, but continual power outages are hard on your electronics, your pocketbook and depending on your set-up, potentially your health and safety.  Now, if you plan to set up completely off-grid electrical systems, you can obviously ignore this one!  But you’ll still need to know how to fix and maintain your systems, or at least who to call should you need help.

Natural or Industrial Hazards

1. Does your desired property sit on a floodplain (near a river)?  At the bottom of a hill?   As our weather becomes more erratic, with heavier rain and snowfall, we've seen more flooding, often with catastrophic effects.  Something to keep in  mind as you're scouting properties.  No one needs that sort of stress in their lives.
2. Near a factory or mill?  Check out the area around your property thoroughly.  Note any industrial facilities and find out what they do there, what kind of chemicals and substances they use in their processes, and their emergency protocols.  We've got a dryland log sort, a log homebuilder, and another wood-based company down the road - none of which operate with any hazardous substances, meaning I have no concerns with their operations.  There is also a paper mill a few miles down the inlet that used to use chlorine in their manufacturing process, which during a major earthquake event could have been a serious issue depending on which way the winds were blowing.  They no longer use chlorine, but I have to admit I know very little about their operations.  I need to get on that!

All of these things will determine the potential for catastrophe.  And your insurance costs (or if insurance would even be available).  So often we hear of properties being wiped out by floods along rivers with an active flood history.  Don’t be one of those people, no matter how gorgeous the property might be.  The flood might only happen once every 100 years, but you don’t want to be there when it does.

Zoning, Planning & Services

1. Is there an official community plan in the area?  Visit the local municipal hall or county offices to find out what the plans are for the area around your potential property.  You don't want to buy a property and then find out a big industrial facility is planned next door in five years.  People do this all the time - they don't do their research, then bring out the protest signs when someone puts a business next door.  Don't be one of those people!
2. Are there plans for industrial or residential development nearby?  This may bother you, or it might not, depending on the nature of the business.  But definitely find out all the details so you can save yourself the stress of living next door to a business that drives you crazy.
3. If the property is serviced by the municipality, town or county, are there plans for upgrading water or sewer systems?  This will dictate your tax and utility rates for years to come, so it's critical to know what the plans are.  Our nearest big city regional district has to upgrade their entire water and sewer infrastructure in the next few years because they let it go without major upgrades for so long.  They've already spent hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, with much more to come.   These services are not free, and they require maintenance
4. Is there garbage collection?  This will be a cost, for sure, but it will save you from having to haul any garbage you might have to the local landfill.  If there is no garbage collection, which is often the case in far-flung rural communities (particularly of big items) some people will dump their garbage in the bush - make sure one of these illegal dumps hasn't found its way to some obscure corner of your property, as you'll be footing the bill for clean-up.

Over and over we hear about city people moving to the country and then wanting it to either be just like the city (services), or they don’t want anything to ever change again, ever (development), or they don’t want to pay for changes already in the pipe.  Ask questions first and be comfortable with the answers you get.  Make sure you’re not one of those folk that rural people love to complain about.

The Wrap-up

So there you have it - five things to consider seriously before committing to a property purchase or rental.  I'm sure some of these things will be obvious to you, but maybe one or two are things you might not have thought of.  I know that I'll be asking a lot more questions should I purchase a rural property in the future.

Do you have any tips or stories to share about purchasing or renting a rural property?  Questions?  Please share them in the comments - there are countless people who can benefit from your wisdom! 

Well, we had an exciting afternoon recently! 

When you live in the forest, you get used to falling trees and branches flying around when the wind picks up, but we recently had a day that was a bit more dramatic than usual.

A storm blew through one afternoon last week from the north - a very unusual direction for our little protected hollow tucked between two hills.  Needless to say, our trees aren't really used to a breeze from that direction, and one showed a particular weakness. 

I was inside working and kept hearing a loud "CRACK", every 30 seconds or so when the wind gusted. 

Then it got louder. 

And louder.

Thinking I should probably identify the tree so I could figure out what direction it might fall (and if we should be hightailing it out of there), we opened the front door just in time to see it fall in slow motion (as falling trees are wont to do), shattering into pieces across the driveway and a section of our split rail fence.

A bit of a mess?  Absolutely.  But little damage, thank goodness.

Click here to see the video of the aftermath...  

In this part of the world, we have a lot of western hemlock, red alder and broadleaf maple - three species notorious for falling on unsuspecting homesteads and their assorted outbuildings!  The alders and maples tend to rot at a relatively young age, and the hemlocks have extremely shallow root systems that give way in the combination of heavy rain and wild winds.  And as you are probably assuming by this point, our little cabin is surrounded by all three.

Hazard Tree Assessment for Your Rural Property

First off, let me say that I have a big space in my heart for big, old, deciduous trees (maples, oaks, a lot of the exotic street trees, and even our local alder).  They're so beautiful and poetic - an invitation to go sit underneath with a good book and while the afternoon away.  A place for kids to climb and play.  A gorgeous addition to the landscape, providing shade in the summer and windbreaks in the winter.  Before we moved to the country, I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to cut one down.

Now, after being here in the forest going on 3 years, I get it.

Around here, deciduous tend to rot out or become unstable at a fairly young age, so having a specimen of advanced age anywhere near a building is just asking for trouble.  So how do we attempt to stay safe and not end up a statistic at worst, or with a crushed roof, car, chicken house or other outbuilding?

So far we've been extremely lucky.  In the summer of 2010 we had a maple just about take my son and I out when we were playing catch on the lawn.  It actually fell on the roof of the cabin, but I guess the angle of the tree and roof (or something) meant only minor dents to the metal chimney cap and the rain gutter on that side of the building.  So as you can imagine, we quickly called in the local licensed tree guy to do some 'trimming'. 

Apparently, we didn't ask him to go far enough.

So here's what the experts recommend looking for in trees around our home and outbuildings in order to assess safety for the winter winds (preferably before winter!):

• Dead tops and branches - These are the ones that can skewer you and your livestock if they break off in a windstorm, and are the signs of possible disease and instability.  They are incredibly dangerous and should be removed, not only for immediate safety reasons, but because removing  it allows for a clean, solid layer of natural bark to form.  What does natural bark do for a tree?  It acts as a barrier and protects the tree from insect infestation and rot. This means the tree is less susceptible to disease, is less of a fire hazard, and, well, it looks better!
• Species that commonly fall in windstorms in your area -  Each region will have a different tree that's well known for danger.  Keep an eye on these ones.  Often they'll be sound for a long, long time - but other times, not so much.
• Heavy branches or trees hanging over utility lines or right over your house or outbuildings - These should be removed or seriously trimmed.
• Heavily branched trees with a lot of 'windsail' - Consider having all trees around buildings trimmed out to reduce 'windsail', which is the effect of branches providing resistance against winds and creating a perfect storm (no pun intended!) for trees crashing to the ground... or on your roof.
• Signs of disease or instability- Of course, this will vary from region to region and species to species, so it's good to learn at least a little bit about the trees in your area and what a healthy one looks like versus one that's seen better days.  Some things to look for are (Source: savatree.com): 
• cavities or rotten wood along the trunk or major branches
• mushrooms around the base
• cracks or splits in the trunk
• dead or dying trees nearby
• a noticeable lean to the trunk
• broken or damaged roots
• construction or projects nearby that may have altered the roots
• removal of adjacent trees
• heavy topping or pruning
• Storm damage - After each wind storm, check all your trees again.  High winds can create brand new hazards to contend with.

As with anything to do with rural living, it really does pay to spend a bit of time learning about your surroundings and what is 'normal' versus what might constitute a hazard.  While your chances of being killed or injured by a falling tree or branches is really low, the same can't be said for your outbuildings, vehicles and equipment.  You've made a big investment in your dream life - it's worth spending a few minutes a few times a year to make sure it's protected.

Now, as for getting the job done, please don't borrow your neighbour's chainsaw and tackle the job yourself (unless you're a trained tree maintenance specialist with all the proper equipment).  Tree maintenance and removal is a very dangerous business, even for the professionals, and really should be left to the people who know what they're doing.  My dad is an ex-logger, and even he won't touch some of the ones around our place  (though he's been very helpful and generous in coming down and cleaning up the fallen trees for us!).

So yes, we'll be calling in the tree service contractor shortly...  that or just waiting for the trees to fall down on their own.  Kidding - not recommended.  At all.

How to Find a Tree Removal and Maintenance Service

For this job, you want someone who knows what they are doing. There are good tree service companies and really bad tree service companies (tree butchers, really).  The good ones are well trained and leave your trees healthy, safe and visually attractive.   The butchers?  Well, you've probably seen their work - they're the ones who come in and your property either looks like a moonscape when they're done, or the trees are so messed up there's no way they'll ever be healthy again and actually constitute more of a hazard than they were before the work was done.  And you're out a few hundred bucks to boot.

So, what should you look for in a contractor?   

• References from friends and neighbours - This is bar none the best way to get the most professional and expert service in a rural area.  Your neighbours will know which contractors will actually show up when they say they're going to (a big problem in many rural communities - they run on a different time scale, I think), and who know what they're doing.  Much better than checking online (many companies in rural communities still don't have websites, though the bigger, more well organized ones will - I guess that's something else to look for!), or the Yellow Pages.
• Licences, training and insurance - Depending on where you live, this will obviously vary, but you want to make sure whoever is doing the job is trained and insured.  Should something happen to the worker on your property as a result of maintaining your trees, you don't want to be held responsible from a legal perspective.
• Visibly well maintained equipment - Obviously if you're not familiar with these things, this will be a bit difficult, but the guy who shows up to fall or trim your trees in a rusty old truck with no markings, no safety equipment and running shoes is likely not your guy.
• And of course, great customer relations -  You can learn a lot from a good tree service professional that will help protect your property for years to come.

The Wrap-up

So, a few times a year (once at the beginning of each season is a good rule of thumb), and again after a big storm, check the trees around your buildings for damage or potential problems.  If you simply don't need one more thing on your to-do list, call one of the companies you've sussed out using the checklist above - many will come out and do an assessment for free or minimal cost.  Whatever you do, just get it done - your investments are worth it!

And once you've finished all that, you can relax for the winter.  Until the power goes out and your water lines freeze, of course...

Do you have any experiences with crashing trees that others might learn from?  If so, we'd love to hear from you!  Share it in the comments section... 

If there's one thing I hear over and over from readers who have a dream of rural living, is that it's their spouse, family or friends who are keeping them from their modern homesteading dream.

Let's face it – while the number of people desiring a rural lifestyle is growing, most of North American society thinks we're either dreamers and 'not being very practical', or we're flat out bonkers.  So if you have a burning desire to get out of the city or suburbs and into the wide open country and you've got loved ones raining on your parade, what do you do?  How do you convince them that you're onto something important?

I was fairly lucky when I announced my plan to return to the country and live in a little cabin in the woods.  Most of my friends either wished they could do the same, or were at least supportive.  My spouse, on the other hand (a born and bred city boy) had no interest in packing up and moving.  Truth be told, it was just one more difference that we weren't able to overcome, and the relationship was really long 'over' by that point (we've got a much better relationship now - go figure).  So no, I'm not a success story in that department, but if I had been in solid relationship, you bet your booty I'd have pulled out all the stops to convince him that moving to the country was a good idea.  I'd have done everything I could to prove to him that living a rural life would be better for our family and our relationship.

So at this point, all I can tell you is what we have gained and learned by pursuing our dream, and touching on what's going on in the world right now that makes rural living a very valid, and dare I say wise choice. 

Benefit #1 - Stress Levels Go WAY Down

There's something about all the background noise in the city that seems to keep us all jacked up, even if we don't know it.  At least it was that way with me.  Between the sirens and the noisy neighbours, sleep was something that eluded me more often than was healthy.  But here, I've stopped grinding my teeth at night and overall feel way less stressed, even though my workload has probably tripled.  There's  just something about waking up to birds and not screeching tires that soothes the soul. 

And with all the work required on a homestead, even a teensy tiny one, we're in better shape, even without going to the gym.  With all the wood chopping and piling, mowing, gardening, building and other chores necessary to keep a modern homestead functioning, our muscles never lack for things to do.  While I'm hardly an example of fitness any more because I spend so much time in front of the computer for my business (and researching homesteading skills and topics!), I know that I'm much healthier now than I was then - even when I was running 3 miles a day and biking to work.

Less stress means we're happier overall... and healthier.  Now there's a selling feature!

Benefit #2 - We're Less Reliant on the Industrial Food System 

With all that's going on today - droughts, floods, climate shifts, crop failures, topsoil loss, civil unrest, GMOs, food recalls, pesticides, complete economic restructuring, loss of nutrients in conventionally grown crops, and everything else we see in the news - it only makes sense to try to wean ourselves away from the industrial food system as much as possible.  Many 'in the know' are saying that we may see basic food prices double - or more - over the coming year. 

So, the more food we can grow, raise or glean ourselves, or buy from local growers and producers, the better off our families will be:  our food sources will be more secure and less reliant on transportation and big agriculture, and unless we're using raw sewage or something on our veggies, it will be safer because you'll know what's gone into and onto it. 

While it's possible to grow vast amounts of fruits, vegetables and poultry on a suburban property, it's pretty clear that it's a tad easier to be self sufficient when we've got more space.

Benefit #3 - We'll Avoid Much of the Craziness
the Next Few Years May Bring

As the economy continues it's dramatic shift and families and individuals are affected in so many ways, we're seeing a lot of fear rising up.  And what happens when people get fearful?  They do crazy things.

I remember a few years ago in Vancouver when we had heavy, heavy rains and a landslide washed into the mountain water supply.  It was muddy from the tap, and there was a region-wide boil water advisory affecting about 2 million people - most particularly, the advisory was directed at those with compromised immune systems.  Well, you'd have thought someone had dropped 12 tonnes of raw sewage into the lake - the line-ups for bottled water began almost immediately, and there were actual fist-fights among store customers as the supplies dwindled.  This when all we had to do was boil our drinking water (we just filtered ours with a bio-filter and suffered no ill effects)

If a simple boiled water advisory creates that kind of panic, I honestly have no interest in seeing what will happen should we be faced with an actual disaster in an urban area.  For some reason, rural towns seem to fare much better with these sorts of situations, as their residents are pretty much used to things like power outages, muddy water and the inconveniences that come with living away from big city centers.  You learn to make do and not whine and complain.  Well, most of the time, anyway...

So as the economy continues its shift and food prices rise as a result of drought, floods and everything else affecting big agriculture this year, I think we'll sadly see more and more people doing more and more desperate things.  For those who live in a community that's working on becoming more food secure (city or country, doesn't matter - there's good people doing great work everywhere), they'll be far more comfortable, and less stressed, than those who ignore all the warning signs and just take their chances that 'the government will look after them'.  

The bottom line is this - without prepping in some way, whether it be just getting a few weeks to a few months of food put away either by purchasing freeze dried meals or learning how to can and dehydrate food, we'll all be paying more for food a year from now (likely a lot more). Now what's that going to do for our stress levels?

Benefit #4 - Our Children Are More In Touch With the Natural World

My little guy has been a nature nut since before he could walk.  I remember watching him in the courtyard of our townhouse, where the only wildlife to be found were pillbugs and the odd ant.  I also remember thinking how sad it would be for a child this in love with nature to grow up surrounded by concrete and steel.  It was one of the big reasons I wanted to move to the country, and I'm so glad we did.  Seeing him now, surrounded by all sorts of critters (and now our chickens) and revelling in everything the natural world has to offer, I know I made the right decision.

Even his school is surrounded by trees and water, and is right across the street from the beach.  There's a creek running through the property, and they regularly see eagles and hawks, vultures and bears, right on the school grounds (you might not think bears at school is a good idea, but everyone is safe... ;o)  What a way to grow up!  I had a bit of that when I was little, but we lived in a subdivision (albeit a small town subdivision) and our school was the typical flat building surrounded by gravel and playing fields.  Not a creek in sight... 

Now, not all children are nature nuts, obviously, but spending time outdoors is good for everyone.  Getting in touch with the cycles of life, getting dirty and wet, understanding what it's like to be cold and feeling the sun on your face, exploring the edges of your capabilities - that's what childhood should be about, and it's so much more accessible in a rural community.  And for their self-esteem, sense of adventure and imagination?  There's nothing like it.

Of course, small towns have their drawbacks as well - but in our community, at least, we've got access to brilliant music teachers, fabulous teachers and a tonne of activities... even some we wouldn't find in the city.  And not to mention that with all the hard work involved in keeping a homestead running, they'll keep their bodies limber and their minds active.  It's pretty hard to be bored and get in trouble when there's just so much stuff to do!    

Benefit #5 -  We're Part of a Community

It's pretty much impossible to 'do' this homesteading thing without connecting with others in a big way.  And while it's easy to be anonymous in the city, it's not quite so in the country.  Sure, you could go hide away in the bush and never see anyone (personally, I'm quite happy hanging out at home), but I've had enough experience now to know that I can't do this thing alone.  Nor would I want to, not that I've met all the wonderful people that seem to surround us.  

Asking for help, by its very nature, builds community.  And that's a very good thing should we face the kind of food price increases and job losses that are looking likely - we're going to need each other like we haven't in decades.  Thing is, most small communities have never forgotten what it's like to be dependent on neighbours - especially those that have lived through a natural disaster or other calamity.  It's only those of us from the city who find it easy to disconnect from everyone around us and just do our own thing - until we realize that that's just dumb (speaking for myself, of course!).

I'll tell you, there's just something really comforting about knowing that other people have got your back. 

The Wrap-up

If you're facing doubters in your own life, hopefully this has been helpful.  Whether they think you've gone completely off the rail or just can't imagine why you'd want to leave the comfort of the city for an uncertain future on a homestead, maybe this will provide a bit of food for thought to pass along.  It goes without saying that this life is not for the faint of heart, and there are many times I wonder what the heck I'm doing here. But at the end of the day, I rest well knowing I've made the best choice for my family.  Of course, there are other serious questions that need to be considered, and lots more to discuss on this topic, but if it's your dream, I say go for it!  Life is supposed to be an adventure, right?  

I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's article. If you've got experience with moving your family to the country, or have any stats or great reasons to make the move that you'd be willing to share, we'd love to hear from you in the comments below!  We're all learning from each other, and the more we put out there, the more we get back... ;)  

There’s this affliction that’s been going around for a few years now – it plants this really vivid dream in your head of escaping the rat race and moving to the country.  Of growing your own food, collecting your own eggs and of your children being raised under the influence of nature instead of video games.

It’s a niggly bug that buries itself in your psyche and won’t let go. With every city siren, rude neighbour and complaining customer at work, it gets louder and more in your face. And it’s infecting millions.

I know. I used to be a victim. But I found the cure: I just did it.

Well, OK. Truth be told it wasn’t quite that easy, but ultimately, that really was the answer.

So what is this mysterious affliction?  I call it the ‘modern homesteading’ bug, but it also goes by ‘the back to the land’ movement, rural living, and a number of other monikers.

I caught it more than a decade ago, when I spent a week at a cool little hostel in the backwoods of Powell River, British Columbia.

Fiddlehead Farm was an original West Coast homestead, carved out of the thick forest by pioneers more than a hundred years ago.  What would possess anyone to put themselves through that kind of torture to make a life for themselves, I’ll never know (if you’ve ever hacked through rainforest underbrush, you’ll know what I’m talking about – it’s virtually impenetrable, and they carved out entire productive farms from it).  But they did, and by the time I visited it was a quiet, cool little oasis of sustainability that welcomed visitors from around the world.  And it infected me with the bug.

Sadly, Fiddlehead Farm no longer exists, razed to the ground by new landowners because it was a safety liability.  But I do know that its spirit of self-sufficiency (and sheer funkiness – in a good way) lives on in many of us who were lucky enough to spend time there.

So this affliction, this modern homesteading bug – how do you know you have it?  Here are 5 ways to tell for sure:

Sign #1:  You find yourself reading every gardening and rural living magazine you can get your hands on.

Grit, Mother Earth News, and so many others... they’re superb resources for anyone thinking of moving to the country – and even for those of us who already have.  Some hardcore and experienced homesteaders find these magazines too rudimentary for their tastes (crazy, isn't it?  I know!!!), but as someone who is a relative newbie at this rural living gig, I’ve found (and still find) them all invaluable and very enjoyable reading.  There's definitely a place for the more technical (and dare I say, harder for the average person to read) journals, but these magazines fill a necessary niche, and I for one am really glad they're available so readily.

Well worth checking out if you’re just starting our your research into modern homesteading and rural living.

Sign #2: You find store-bought factory farm eggs totally inedible.

This starts to happen as you get introduced to ‘real food’.  And once you’ve had a farm fresh, free range egg, there’s absolutely no going back.  The difference is so distinct, so HUGE, there’s actually no comparison between them and their factory counterparts. I don’t even think they’re in the same food group (though many nutritionists would beg to disagree… and that’s OK – we know the truth).  The thought of eggs produced by happy hens who you’ve cared for yourself is something that just oozes self-sufficiency.

Of course there are issues with some commercial feed (think GMO corn and soy), but even at that, hens that have a chance to scratch grass and dirt, eat bugs and greens, and actually run around and spread their wings (as compared to living their lives in a couple square feet of cage and never once feeling the ground on their feet), are going to produce superior nutrition in their eggs.  To believe otherwise just seems bizarre to me.

Sign #3: Your teeth are wearing out from clenching your jaw.

This is actually kind of serious – I was actually wearing down my teeth from gritting them together while I slept – and probably during the day, too – to the point where my dentist ordered me a ‘nightguard’.  Since moving to our rural home, it’s no longer an issue and I threw the nightguard away.  Enough said?

Sign #4: You find yourself vacationing on working farms, at vineyards and in quaint, rural towns – and checking out real estate while you’re there. 

Oh, and you don’t want to go home.

Ever.

I always knew I’d end up back in a small town (I grew up in one – the one I live close to now, actually!), and always found myself visiting other small towns when I went on holiday. The bottom line is that once you’ve got the rural living bug, it’s pretty hard to get rid of – especially when you spend your holidays basking in the quiet of a small community.  The only cure is to actually move to one and see how you fare.

Sign #5: You’re reading this blog.

Now, I don’t want to make any assumptions, but if you’re still reading this, it’s quite likely you’ve thought about moving to the country at least once.  I’m honoured that you’re here, and taking time out of your busy day to read my post.  My goal is to provide both inspiration and a reality check to those seeking a rural lifestyle – it’s not always easy, but it IS always rewarding.  At least so far!

So, have you been bitten?

If you answered yes to 3 or more of the above questions, I’m happy to tell you that you’re probably totally done for!  If you’re still dreaming and haven’t started doing the research, what are you waiting for?  There has been no better time in our history to make the move:  countless superb online resources to make the transition easier, lots of products and materials to take out the guesswork, and a tonne of support via this blog and other rural living forums!  If you want it, you can absolutely do it – there is always a way.  I spent years planning our move, and finally, when the time was right, we took the plunge.  Risky?  Sure, maybe from the outside.  But the proof is in the pudding, as they say: it’s worked out better than I could have ever imagined – just as I knew it would.  And it can be the same for you…

So What Now?

If you’re thinking of making the move, we’ve got a some resources we think you’ll find super useful:

• 5 Mistakes Newbie Homesteaders Make – Don’t Let This be You! is a 45 minute audio interview with modern homesteading guru Robin Wheeler – and it’s information I think everyone who moves from the city to the country needs to have in their research arsenal.  Trust me, you don’t want to show up as one of those ‘city people’ who drive the locals crazy – at least not one who thinks they know it all.  Because we don’t… at least not compared to those who’ve been doing it for years and years and years.  It’s well worth a listen – it’s downloadable, and it’s free.  Get the audio here:  5 Mistakes Newbie Homesteaders Make 
• Our Facebook page is a great place to connect with others who are living the modern homesteading lifestyle, or just pondering the possibility.  ’Like’ the page today and I promise I’ll do my best to make it worth your while!  You can find us on Facebook here:  facebook.com/modernhomesteading 

Do you pine for a rural lifestyle, or have you recently made the move from city to country?  We’d love to hear about it!  Please share in the comments below – your stories might just help others make that decision to take the plunge and live out their dream…

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Designed with comfort in mind for farmers, landowners, tree farmers, firewood cutters and tree service ground crews, the STIHL MS 271 utilizes a compact, ergonomic design with an advanced anti-vibration system to help reduce operator fatigue while providing optimum control. A side-access chain tensioner makes for easy chain adjustment, and the pre-separation air filtration system offers greater cleaning efficiency and longer filter life.

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 This press release is presented without editing for your information. GRIT does not recommend, approve or endorse the products and/or services offered. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase. 

This week marks 6 months that I've been making a living full time from our little piece of heaven in the forest. As I've mentioned in previous posts, it was a long held dream of mine to bring my work home and spend more time with my son. Of course, as is so often the case, dreams have a funny way of turning out not quite how we expect. It's been amazing, and I wouldn't change anything – until now.

Now, to say the transition from full time employment to full time self-employment was smooth would be a disservice to everyone reading this.  I didn't know right off the bat how to make a living in the country.

And to say I've completely sorted out the myriad challenges of working for myself would be a lie.

But now, barely six months into this venture, I have a thriving web design and support business serving a small group of exclusive (and amazing!) clients, and am having a blast developing my modern homesteading site.  I'm able to pick my son up from school and attend his plays and concerts, I can take time off in the middle of the day to have coffee with a friend, my office window looks out over a lush green forest, and I'm serenaded all day long by birdsong.

So yes, I'm happy.  And super busy!

But it hasn't come without a LOT of lessons.  Here are my top 5 tips for working successfully from your homestead (a couple of which I'm still working on!):

Tip #1:  There's always something to do - so keep a list, prioritize it and time your tasks.

Personally, I have this really bad habit of taking on more work than I can realistically handle at any given amount of time.  "Oh sure, I can do that!"  Right.

I've struggled with this for a very long time.  Chalk it up to my perfectionist personality, I guess, and the fact that I can actually do most things I attempt!  But what I've learned the last six months is that there's absolutely no room in a truly successful home based business for this form of self-sabotage.  It's not fair to the client, to me, to my family... no one.  And honestly, even though I can do a lot of technical tasks doesn't mean it's the best use of my time to actually do so.

So how do you get this under control?  I started with a detailed to-do list that I rewrite and prioritize every day, Basecamp, and when I'm really 'with it', using a timer.  I always time my work for billing purposes, but haven't really used the tool to keep me on track with multiple projects from a time management perspective.  Use a countdown timer on your smartphone, or something like e.ggtimer.  I learned this trick from my business coach and when I remember to use it, it works beautifully to keep me focussed and not so likely to go wandering off on Facebook...  And man I get a lot done!

So, yes, I'm still actively working on prioritizing my to-do list and giving myself time constraints for tasks, but am finding it easier every day to be at least somewhat realistic about my ability to deliver a product on time.  The result?  I'm feeling WAY less stressed and am enjoying my work so much more.  Kind of a nice perk, don't you think?

Tip #2:  Use a project management tool like Basecamp to keep yourself organized.

As mentioned above, I use Basecamp to keep my projects organized and to allow clients to check in on their projects at any time of day without having to contact me.  I'm currently managing 29 projects with this tool - without Basecamp, I can't imagine how I'd stay sane.  It shows all my milestones in calendar format, features to-do lists and writeboards, file uploads and messages.  And the Basecamp app on my iPhone keeps me on track when I'm away from the computer.

This tip alone has reduced my stress level dramatically - I no longer have to burn through email messages to find client instructions.  Can't tell you how good that feels - not to mention how much more productive.  Definitely worth taking for a test drive...

Tip #3:  Keep regular working hours.

It's my goal to work 6 hours a day, Monday to Friday, with specific days designated for my web design clients and the modern homesteading site.  I definitely haven't got anywhere close to this sort of time management, but I'm working on it.  Far too often I'm still working at 7:30 at night after being in front of the computer off and on since 8:30 am, but I have stopped working late into the evening.  With carpooling for school, looking after the homestead and other stuff that just 'comes up', I'm finding it challenging to set regular working hours and stick to them, so I've pretty much given up on that – it was creating more stress than it was solving.  But I still end up working far more than 6 hours a day, and that's where I need to buckle down and start outsourcing some tasks.

The whole point of moving to our homestead was so I could do more fun things with my family.  So far, I've really done nothing much but work on building my business.  I have a gorgeous wooden rowboat we've taken out once, I live steps from the beach and haven't been there in weeks, and I have mountains right outside my door and haven't been on a hike in years.  Don't get me wrong – I'm incredibly grateful for my business, and I love serving my clients – but I'd love it even more if I could spend more time enjoying our beautiful part of the world with friends and family.

Not an unfamiliar feeling to anyone who works for him or herself, I'm sure...

Tip #4:  Don't try to do it alone.

I've tried doing it all myself, and I'm here to tell you that while it's possible, it's definitely not advisable.  I don't make any money spending six hours trying to figure out a Joomla component – I just get frustrated.  So now I go to the people in the know, and I'm so much happier.  I've been fortunate to have been recently introduced to a whole group of superbly capable, talented business owners to whom I'm now in the process of outsourcing specific tasks that they love, but I, I've only recently admitted, do not.

Other platforms for outsourcing include elance.com, odesk.com, and other services where you can find talented people to help you grow your business.  My only word of advice would be to know exactly who you're looking for, and exactly what you expect from a virtual assistant, designer or other professional.  As a designer, I've seen too many clients (not my own, thank goodness – my clients rock!) who really don't know what they want, and expect 5-star work for a 1-star pricetag.  That's not fair to anyone.  But if you've done the research, you're realistic about what virtual assistance can provide you, and you know what you want and who you want to work with, you're golden!  This also applies to hiring help around your homestead to take care of some of the tasks you maybe don't enjoy so much, and could be a blessing to someone in your community – mowing the lawn, weeding the vegetable beds, helping construct chicken houses and outbuildings ... your dislike of a task or lack of time, and your willingness to pay someone else fairly to do that work for you is such a gift.  Don't forget to give it!  It will open up a whole new world ...

Tip #5:  Get a mentor.

This should actually be Tip #1, it's that important.

As a person who used to think I didn't need help with anything, this was huge for me.  In fact, I resisted the idea for years.  And, of course, for years I dreamed about working from home and having an online business, but never actually got it off the ground.  I learned a lot and spent a lot of time in workshops and reading manuals (and spent a tonne of money), but working for myself remained a dream – until I found a mentor.  For me, it was someone who wasn't scared to kick my butt, who could be honest with me about where I was wasting time and energy, and who knew exactly what I needed to hear to motivate me to finally make my dream a reality.  That person is Sandi Krakowski.

For you, it might be someone local you can meet with regularly, but it definitely doesn't have to be.  My mentor lives 3800 km away, and I only met her for the first time in early June after working with her for almost a year.  I started out with copywriting coaching in August 2010, then took the plunge into a 6 month coaching program in January 2011.  And during that short time, I went from the modern homesteading site being just a sparkle of a dream to what you see today – a work in progress that has opened up a whole new world for me, and that's been the vehicle for me to meet some of the most inspiring people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.  I've also launched my web design business that's been so successful I've had to keep it on the down-low so as not to succumb to the temptation to take on more work than I can handle ...

So there you have it – finding a suitable mentor who you resonate with, who will give you tough love, and who leads with integrity and honour, is a huge component of a successful home based business ... especially for those of use who are living on properties that also require a lot of our time and attention.  For us, it's even more critical that we first get, then remain, focussed and productive.  Without it, we're doomed to late nights in front of the computer, or hours away from our families.

I don't know about you, but that's definitely not the life I want.

The Wrap-up

Most of these are pretty basic business tips, but I can't tell you how many new entrepreneurs I've spoken to recently who find themselves overwhelmed, overcommitted and overly stressed!  By implementing these five tips, you'll be well on your way to having a homestead-based business that not only provides you with abundance financial rewards, but you'll reap countless benefits in the form of work that you love, and clients that you love to serve.

Now how can it get any better than that?

Do you have tips to share on making a living from your country home?  We'd love to hear!  Please share in the comments below ...

Decorating a heritage log cabin in a modern, chic kind of way is challenging, to say the least.

That fact became clear when my big, gorgeous distressed brown leather couch refused to fit through the narrower-than-standard door.

Then the matching chair didn't fit either.

As you can imagine, moving the contents of an urban townhouse into an 80-year old log cabin wasn't exactly easy.  For the most part, the furniture just didn't match the new environment - at all. A few pieces made the transition, but most ended up in storage.

So how do you decorate a funky old house – a tiny, 650 square foot log cabin at that – with a great sense of style, and without breaking the bank buying all new furniture?

I'm no interior decorator, but I do think I have a pretty good eye for design.  And for making the best of a few basic pieces.  So when we moved into our little cabin in the woods (almost wrote 'weeds', but that would be true too!), it was 'game on'.  I was up for the challenge and loved the fact that I had so many pieces to work with that had such a rich history.

Setting the Stage

To set the stage, or the 'palette' of the decor, there was the house itself.

Built around an 80-plus year old homesteader's log cabin that we disassembled, reassembled and restored (with the addition of a loft and a lean-to kitchen and bathroom), the cabin is really a marvel of 'do-it-yourself' ingenuity.  To think a lone man hand-hewed all of these heavy fir logs himself (and they are HEAVY) is remarkable.  I can't imagine the effort that must have gone into building it.  But as lovely and full of life as logs are, they definitely limit the decor options.  So I took this all into account and decided to go with a sort of modern country, clean-lined shabby chic sort of look.

In the interior of the house, we used theoriginal front door from the old cabin 'pre-restoration' as the new bathroom door, and the old homesteader's single kitchen cupboard as our shoe and boot cabinet on the porch.  I love the fact we were able to use some of these items as features in the 'new' house.  You can see the initials of the man I purchased the cabin from poked into the old door (he spent a lot of time in the cabin when he was a child, as his family owned the property it sat on). I love that sense of history.

The Bathroom

There were a few pieces that 'came with' the cabin that worked perfectly with my new ideas.  One was a hand-made cabinet that we turned into a vanity in the bathroom.  We added a modern new sink and an antique picture frame-turned-medicine cabinet, along with the clawfoot tub, white shower curtains, silver surrounds and a big nickel rainshower shower head to turn the bathroom into a tiny oasis of heritage and modern convenience.

The Kitchen

Before the renovation, the kitchen was pretty rustic.  Coming from a sleek white and stainless steel kitchen in the city, I was at a bit of a loss for what to do with this galley-shaped space.  But we're lucky enough to have a very talented carpenter renting on our property and he built us a set of kitchen cabinets out of scrap wood and old louvered doors that could not better match the cabin's decor.  He added a hand-built spruce countertop and the antique cast iron sink and drainboard... and I love it.

Furniture and Decor

We had a lot of fun finding furniture and decor items to pull the whole look together.  Some of the furniture was already in the cabin (it had been a rental for a few years).  So we bought some new slipcovers and voila!  A whole new look.  We painted the dark oak table and bookshelf with glossy white paint, installed white tabbed curtains throughout that we found at the thrift store and painted the armoire trim black to match the curtain rods, dark beams and metal.

The only new items we purchased were the baker's rack hangers from Ikea to use as hangers for our art wall, a beautiful black purpose-built armoire for our coat closet, and a gorgeous black timber platform bed for the loft that has the same hand-hewn look as the timbers that support the entire building.

So as you can see, log cabin decor doesn't have to be dark, frilly or boring.  With a bit of imagination, a good eye, and a few nice pieces, you can bring an old heritage cabin into the 21st century without losing its hand-hewn charm.  In our next post, I'll show you the heirloom items that put the finishing touches on the cabin decor.

I’m a lucky duck.  When I decided it was time to pack up city life and settle onto a rural property, I had land to come to – a homestead site purchased by my family probably 15 years prior.

But what if you don’t have that plot to escape to and the economy has taken the wind out of your property purchasing sails?  Here are a few ideas to ponder that just might get you from city lot to rural acreage faster than you think:

Group Purchase

I considered this for years before we actually moved, as the property we’re currently on isn’t exactly my ‘dream’ land (though it’s getting closer as time passes).  Do you have friends with a similar dream of rural bliss?  Maybe relatives looking to invest in rural real estate?  Or maybe look into the rural land co-ops that are forming all over (though co-ops are not for everyone).  Start by making a list of everyone you know who might be interested in such an arrangement, then figure out what you would want out of the deal and what you could offer your ‘investors’, and go for it!

For us, group purchase wasn’t the right solution, but for you it just might be ideal.

Renting

I would recommend this for anyone – rent a home in the town you’ve chosen to settle into before you actually buy.  And not just for a couple of months, but for six months to a year.  There’s nothing like having your romantic visions of rural life shattered by neighbours engaging in illegal activity or finding out your well water is contaminated with arsenic.  Bottom line?  There are things about a community you simply can’t learn by visiting on weekends or even talking to the locals.  When we arrived in the town we currently live in, I’d been gone for 22 years and really hadn’t a clue how things ‘worked’.  And honestly, I couldn’t imagine what we’d do with ourselves to keep busy.

Now, two and a half years later, I can’t imagine living anywhere else, but I’m still discovering the depths and breadth of the community.  I haven’t even begun to tap into it, really.  But I’ve heard of many others who bought homes here, then discovered after a year or two that rural living just wasn’t for them.  Unfortunately, at that point they were stuck with houses they couldn’t sell and had to stay in a town they weren’t happy with until the real estate market turned around.  In other words, lots of stress that could have been avoided by taking time to figure out if it really was the ‘right place’ for them before making the financial investment.  If they’d rented, they could have just packed up and left.

Property Caretaking

This is a world I knew absolutely nothing about until I ran into a gentleman in a coffee shop one morning and started chatting.  Turns out there’s a whole group of men and women (often couples) who live in amazing locales, looking after the stunning vacation homes of the very wealthy.  Apparently many of these folks only visit their properties a couple of times per year, so the caretakers are essentially left with an amazing property all to themselves much of the year.  Of course, there are certain skills required, from carpentry and landscaping to business management and security, but for the right people, it’s an ideal way to have both your expenses covered AND learn about your potential new community.  You can find out more about caretaking here:  Top 10 Websites to Find a Property Caretaking Job 

Settling Recreational Property

Maybe you have friends or family with recreational property sitting unused?  Ponder coming up with some sort of agreement with them for you to put up a temporary structure (yurt, kit home on a platform, etc. – something you could move to a new property later, or sell them when you leave in exchange for rent) for a specific period of time, with options to extend your stay if everything works out.  There’s countless acres of land and untold numbers of buildings sitting unused most of the year throughout North America, I can’t believe more people don’t do this.  Of course you need to find owners open enough for such an arrangement, but it could easily work out well for everyone – you get to live in the country, and they have someone keeping an eye on things.

The Wrap-up

Of course, there are tax and legal implications for all of the above scenarios, but none of them are insurmountable.  The idea is to get creative with your thinking – there’s always, always a way to live the life you want!  Maybe not as easy as purchasing your own property, but in some cases, you may be better off ‘testing the waters’ first.  Then you’ll know you made the right decision and can settle into your new life with the knowledge that you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Then again, no matter how much preparation you do, it’s always an adventure.  But your dream life is within grasp – you just need to get out there and grab it.

Do you have any other ideas for getting onto a rural property without a big investment?  If so, please share them in the comments below! 

I'll admit it - I'm a neat freak.

And having a dislike of house dirt while living in the country is, let's say, a bit of a challenge.

Dirt sitting in places it shouldn't be drives me crazy (dirt outside where it grows lovely things does not, fortunately!).  Same goes for clutter.  And I'm not ashamed of it, much to the chagrin of those around me who enjoy a more, shall we say 'lived in' approach to home care.  There's just something that feels right to me about a clean, uncluttered house.  Not everyone has the same obsession, and that's OK.  I'm comfortable with my need for clean!

Now, living in a country house while building a self-sufficient lifestyle can invite a lot of dirt, muck and clutter - not so comfortable for someone who likes things orderly.  Where we live on the west coast of Canada, it rains 1300 mm (51 inches) a year, more or less... mostly it feels like 'more'.  That means a lot of mud and crud.  Add to that my parents' dog (I do love you Katie!) bursting through the door looking for her favourite buddy, bringing sand and muddy paws in with her, and you've got a recipe for constant cleaning.  Then there's the biggest challenge of living in a small rural home - the lack of 'space'.  All those beekeeping books, Mother Earth News and Grit magazines have to go somewhere... not to mention all my son's dragons and dinosaurs.  Without some attention paid to storage and organizing, the house could get incredibly cluttered incredibly quickly.

So how does a neat freak stay sane living in a country home, without spending hours a day cleaning or completely giving up, living in filth and tripping endlessly over stray tyrannosaurs?

There are definitely a few tricks, and I'd love to share a few of them with you.  I've arranged them by topic based on the things I find myself cleaning and organizing most often in our cabin in the woods:

Floor Dirt

It goes without saying that a house surrounded by gardens and gravel will end up with dirt inside.  But there is a way to keep it in check without having to haul out the vacuum every day.  I've got a simple Asian broom (since I have no broom closet, this looks nicer in the corner than the plastic variety) I use to do a daily sweep, and have a few colorful cotton and hemp rugs in strategic spots on the floor that I can easily shake outside, then throw in the wash when they get dirty.  I love wool rugs - I've got a few gorgeous ones in storage - but they're just not practical... unless you have a penchant for dry cleaning bills.  And it goes without saying that shoes stay outside or go in the armoire - they're definitely not worn in the house, nor left strewn about by the front door.  We'd be tripping over them, and the dirt would be everywhere.  Finally, an effective, attractive doormat outside the front door - one that can be washed - makes a huge difference to the amount of dirt that ends up inside the house.  With these tactics in place, I'm not constantly washing the floor, which is great, because there are so many other things I'd rather do with my time!

Cobwebs

If there's one thing that shocked me about moving to a house in the country, it was the cobwebs.  They seem to spring up instantaneously after vacuuming.  In fact, last fall, we really didn't need Halloween decorations.  The cobwebs appeared so quickly and so fiercely that it was all I could do to keep them from weaving themselves into new drapes.  Leave the 'clearing' for two days and I was living on the set of a horror movie.  So how does one battle the webs of armies of spiders you can't see?  I guess you could get rid of the spiders, but I kind of like the fact they're on patrol, catching all the other bugs that could actually do damage (ants, moths, wood bugs).  I won't use toxic insecticides, anyway, so I'm sort of stuck with them.  The best way I've found to deal with the cobweb draperies is with one of those cylindrical dusters (wool or polyester) attached to a telescoping handle you can buy at most hardware stores.  This allows me to reach up to the peak of the cathedral ceiling - way beyond where the vacuum can reach.  Then I just vacuum the duster off after each clearing.  The cylindrical duster works great for flat walls, but no so well on rough, hand-hewn logs, so for the walls I use the flat floor attachment on the vacuum.  This keeps us pretty well cobweb free for most of the year - in the fall, I just have to do double duty... or pretend we live on a movie set.

Bugs

Creepy crawlies creep a lot of people out.  When we first moved into our cabin, we were finding cave crickets in the oddest places, and there were wood bugs everywhere.  Maybe it was a 'spring' thing, but after living here for awhile, and allowing the spiders to do what spiders do, we seem to have less and less bugs.  We do, however, get big brown house spiders that give me the willies.  They have a habit of crawling on the ceiling right above the bed as we're going to sleep at night.  Needless to say, I've become a bit of a spider wrangler - into a plastic bucket with a piece of cardstock to keep them from escaping and outside they go.  Sealing up any insect access points, keeping food secure and ensuring there is no rot in your home will go a long way in keeping the bugs at bay.  Finally, screen doors are critical in our mosquito infested corner of the world, and they keep out the flies and other flying bugs.  I purchased some cheap wood screen doors that fit with the look of the cabin, and they've been more than adequate for the job.  Living in the city, we just didn't have many bugs.  Flies, and the odd ant, but that was about it.  In the country, it's a whole other story.

Mice

I've written previously about mice in the house, so won't expand on it (you can read the original article Reducing Your Kitchen's Attraction Factor here).  That said, do know that mice are ubiquitous in the country, and that they're actually sort of cute.  Messy, but cute.  Best way to keep them from making a mess in your house is to ensure anything edible is sealed up, vacuum regularly, check drawers and other places they might try to nest, and don't discourage predators like owls, hawks and other animals who like mouse snacks.  Of course, if you have chickens, some of those predators may not be welcome, but that's a balancing act for another article.  Some have suggested peppermint in sachets or peppermint essential oil in the corners mice frequent, but I haven't tried that yet.

Clutter

If you're lucky enough to have a larger home in the country, this won't be as much of an issue, but even still, living on a homestead can mean collecting books, storing food, and keeping your toolshed stocked with extra handles and equipment.  If you're a neat-freak like me, you need a plan and a method of keeping it all organized.  Inside the cabin, we use baskets, armoires, and under-stair storage to keep small items both concealed and easily accessible.  Outside, we built a new storage shed complete with hangers, racks and shelves for food and tool storage.  Bottom line - the more stuff you have, the more time and energy it takes to look after it.  I actually find it a blessing to live in a tiny home, as it keeps me from collecting stuff I don't need.  That said, I do have some lovely furniture in storage I'd love to have room for...  One day.

____________________
 

Even though keeping a country house clean and organized is a bit of a challenge, especially when storage space is at a premium, it's well worth the effort.  And by following some of the tips listed above, it's easier than you might imagine.

Now, time for me to go remove the cobweb drapery from the ceiling fan.