Monthly Archives: July, 2010
Giant Tiger, Hidden Dragon
By Cam Mather My wife Michelle is amazing. I know all husbands say this, but my wife is really fantastic. She is the greatest mother on the planet, does the accounting and much of the fulfillment and marketing side of Aztext Press, is a fabulous cook, an exceptional gardener, and as I’ve just learned, she …
Feeling Guilty on a Day Off
By Cam Mather I took the day off on Thursday and I was racked with guilt. Okay, maybe not “racked with guilt” but I was definitely feeling kind of guilty. Our youngest daughter came home for a long weekend so we picked her up at the train station in Belleville. We then headed to “Sandbanks …
The End of Cheap Energy
By Cam Mather I recently had the chance to talk to one of my daughter’s housemates at her University of Toronto Co-op house. He had just written his Masters paper for Political Science on Peak Oil. I’ve tried to keep all this peak oil stuff from my daughters, but apparently they are exposed to it …
Dirt – It’s the New Prozac
By Cam Mather Eat my dirt! Or any dirt for that matter. It’s good for you. I was reminded of this talking to my neighbor Corky Corkum. He was over checking out the Dexter cows that my neighbor Alyce was boarding at my place. She rents the paddock and I get paid in horse manure. …
Summer Scenes from Sunflower Farm
By Michelle Mather It’s been a busy and stressful week around here as we juggle the demands of trying to earn a living and keep up with all that needs doing in the garden and around the house. Instead of a usual post, I’ll let some photos tell the stories…. Meanwhile, around the farm…. Hope …
Thousands of Solar Trackers
By Cam Mather When we first moved to this off-the-electricity grid house, the existing solar panels were situated on the ground in a fixed position. We adjusted them twice a year to make the angle flatter so that they could take advantage of the different positions of the sun during the year, but it was …
Canada’s Most Enthusiastic Postal Employee
By Cam Mather I love living in a small town. I love knowing who my neighbors are. I love knowing all of the merchants in town where I choose to spend my money. There’s Kim and Larry at the grocery store, Tim at the video store, Kulwant at the hardware store, Marg in the Tea …
Under Attack from the Sky
By Cam Mather When you move to the bush and your nearest neighbors are 4 kilometers away, you expect peace and quiet. This is what we have here. It’s divine. Just the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees and occasionally when the wind is coming from the south we can hear a …
The Divisive Effect of A/C
By Cam Mather I don’t have air conditioning and I’m not sure I ever will. Air conditioning is a major electrical load and I’m not sure if I have the juice to power it in our off-grid home. It’s a possibility since heat waves are generally accompanied by sunny skies (not always though – we’ve …
Super Solar Man Rides Again!
By Cam Mather Our local village celebrated Canada Day in the usual ways, beginning with a parade through town. Super Solar Man made an appearance too. It seemed more important than ever for Super Solar Man to show that he still has a sense of humour, especially after the local paper published a 1/2 page …
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