This & that...

Wow May 1st folks!

We're hoping that this day with it's pouring rain will melt away any remaining pockets of snow. Back in Ontario, I used to declare April the 2nd as the first day of the Spring. Hummmm....it seems May 1st is the first day of the Spring here, lol.

We had to halt the forest-management team due to extremely wet & muddy grounds + selective cutting/managing means slower labour. Slower labour = well you know.

This brings me to my next segment, money, sigh.

I was contacted by a young couple the other day looking to move here, in particular the Land-trust. They were hoping I could help them with accommodations. Although we do have accommodations available right now on the Ecovillage side, it may be less than ideal for most folks.

So here again are what I call my "stress-test" for any hopeful/future residents here or folks looking to trade their current city lives for a rural, sustainable-ones.

1. Are you tough, resilient & hardy?

What does that mean? You are tough & hardy if you can live in a tent for months with no running water, out in the pouring rain, wind, the cold, the relentless bugs, no toilet,... You are resilient if you can deal with whatever life throws at you. (delays due to the weather, lack of tradespersons, delivery, unexpected illness,...)

2. Are super-handy?

Preferably a seasoned carpenter but also handy enough to be able to do plumbing & electrical work. This will enable you to not only save a considerable amount of money(though not 100% as you would still need assistance at times), but also be able to earn a possible decent & steady income working for others.

3. Are you able to work from home?

Sorry I'm not referring to what you may have read or watched on-line on "small but profitable scale farming", selling herbs/soap/.... from home. Those are all nice IF it happens & even then, it may not provide much of an income, sadly.

So here I'm talking about coding, writing apps, etc.

Alternatively if you are a physician, a nurse or any other such in demand trained individual. You can find decent paying work that would in-tern enable you to cover your construction, insurance, vehicle,....costs.

4. Are you independently wealthy?

Ok just kidding but perhaps not really. As recently as about a month ago, we heard from a real estate broker in the family who had just sold a 1 bedroom house in Hamilton for $470,000?..????

Now while that is absolutely insane(though I love it!), that is about what our main-building that is about 2,500 sqft. with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, completely off-grid with $15,000+ in solar assembly, another $15,000+ in insulation, in-ground radiant floor heating, solar positioned, on acreage...... cost.

The point is that although our main-building cost oh a fifth that of a comparable property in Hamilton, construction is not cheap anywhere! Certainly not free, even if you are able to find free land.

Is this all bad news? Absolutely not! This is all realistic news with hopes that your reality-cheque does not bounce due to unpreparedness.

Let's end end on a happier note.

The little green shoots, the longer days, the fast running steams & brooks, the chirping birds, the