I have decided to buy a house ... well obviously not this exact moment! Within the next 6-12 months I am going to buy a house. There are a pile of "handy-man Special" house for sale here in New Brunswick and in Nova Scotia with several acres of land for $20,000-$40,000. I can totally afford that and I love a big old handyman special.
So, I need to come up with 10-15% down payment, that's not horrible, I am aiming for a $5000 down payment. I think this is do-able in a year or less; I'm just going to have to put out an extra big effort and work a little harder. To increase revenue, I started selling nudie photos, dance videos and panties. All the money I make from my new business ventures is going into a special "downpayment" bank account :)
I really want a place where we can do lots of rescue work, not just with dogs and cats, but with some other animals too. I'd love to help a horse or two and rescue a few battery hens! I want a place where we can grow enough vegetables to last the year, and have hens and duck for eggs. I also want to have to mini goats for milk. I'm hoping for about 10 acres, hopefully with lots of maple trees (for maple syrup!).
I have really never considered buying a house before, but as the prices here are so amazingly cheap, and I would really like to have the land to increase the animal rescue work I do.
Have a great day all! Hugs!
Monday, March 28, 2016
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Rats
Jo, one of my cats, caught and killed a RAT last night IN the house! EEEK! As you can imagine, there was much screaming (On my part!).
I was headed for bed and Jo ran in front on me and squeezed in behind the fridge, I heard a bunch of noise, and boom, one dead rat. Jo did not want to give up the rat and there was much running, growling and yelling to get the horrible thing outside.I ended up staying up about two hours extra cause you know ... yuck a rat!
So, here's a few yucky photos ...
Most cats will not kill rats, thankfully, I have barn cats that are Bengal crosses. They are tough cats (I have two brothers, Mo and Jo). They have chased off a Fisher and multiple foxes, and will hunt anything smaller than themselves.
I hope this one rat is all of them! I have to admit, I am a little freaked out about a rat in the house; rats are way worse than mice! Yuck! I have never had a rat in the house before, only mice.
So, thankful for good tough cats!
Hugs!
Monday, March 21, 2016
Three Weeks in New Brunswick
I have been living in New Brunswick for three weeks now, so far, I like it. I have been slowly learning my way around and meeting people. Workwise things have been going very well. Its been two full work weeks (I didn't have internet for my first week, so couldn't work) and I have been getting a good amount of dances. I have noticed that there are more half an hour dances here than in Ontario (instead of hour long dances); I would assume that has to do with the lower economy here. Overall, work gets a thumbs up.
Most things are cheaper here than Ontario; rent, hydro, internet are all less expensive in New Brunswick than Ontario. Food seems to be a bit more expensive (By just a dime or two) compared to prices at a large city grocery store in Ontario. However, compared to prices in Coe Hill or even Bancroft, food prices are equal or cheaper here (The variety store down the street is less expensive than the grocery store in Coe Hill!). I am told that come late spring, seafood prices here will drop significantly, and we'll be able to enjoy inexpensive seafood till fall. I am looking forward to that! I have also noticed that the grocery stores here stock more local items from local bakeries, greenhouses etc, than what the grocery stores in Ontario do (and I'm talking chain stores like grocery stores like Sobey's/Foodland) and I have noticed piles of micro-breweries around here.
I came to New Brunswick thinking that their job market was really horrible. Honestly, its not as bad as us Ontarians think. I have been checking Kijiji daily for a part time job for my son and there are quite a few jobs available. There are definitely not jobs available for every profession here, but heck, that's true for Ontario too! The unemployment rate for New Brunswick is about 9%, the unemployment rate for Ontario is 6-7%. Certainly a difference, but not as much as most Ontarians believe; most people, including myself, seem to think the unemployment here in New Brunswick is soooo bad 50% of the people are out of work! Its funny how we exaggerate things :)
There are lots of cool things to do here in New Brunswick that cannot be done in Ontario. I am excited to get to go out on a whale watching tour and go on a tour to see the Puffins. I also look forward to being able to go to the fish market and buy fish seafood. There is lots of wonderful hiking trails here and of course loads of great fishing (I can fish the St. John's river which is a ten minute walk away!) A fishing license is about $20 for residents (it's an extra $15 is you want to fish salmon too). I definitely will be doing some fishing this summer!
I look forward to experiencing all that New Brunswick has to offer! It seems like a great province!
Hugs and love!
Most things are cheaper here than Ontario; rent, hydro, internet are all less expensive in New Brunswick than Ontario. Food seems to be a bit more expensive (By just a dime or two) compared to prices at a large city grocery store in Ontario. However, compared to prices in Coe Hill or even Bancroft, food prices are equal or cheaper here (The variety store down the street is less expensive than the grocery store in Coe Hill!). I am told that come late spring, seafood prices here will drop significantly, and we'll be able to enjoy inexpensive seafood till fall. I am looking forward to that! I have also noticed that the grocery stores here stock more local items from local bakeries, greenhouses etc, than what the grocery stores in Ontario do (and I'm talking chain stores like grocery stores like Sobey's/Foodland) and I have noticed piles of micro-breweries around here.
I came to New Brunswick thinking that their job market was really horrible. Honestly, its not as bad as us Ontarians think. I have been checking Kijiji daily for a part time job for my son and there are quite a few jobs available. There are definitely not jobs available for every profession here, but heck, that's true for Ontario too! The unemployment rate for New Brunswick is about 9%, the unemployment rate for Ontario is 6-7%. Certainly a difference, but not as much as most Ontarians believe; most people, including myself, seem to think the unemployment here in New Brunswick is soooo bad 50% of the people are out of work! Its funny how we exaggerate things :)
There are lots of cool things to do here in New Brunswick that cannot be done in Ontario. I am excited to get to go out on a whale watching tour and go on a tour to see the Puffins. I also look forward to being able to go to the fish market and buy fish seafood. There is lots of wonderful hiking trails here and of course loads of great fishing (I can fish the St. John's river which is a ten minute walk away!) A fishing license is about $20 for residents (it's an extra $15 is you want to fish salmon too). I definitely will be doing some fishing this summer!
I look forward to experiencing all that New Brunswick has to offer! It seems like a great province!
Hugs and love!
Friday, March 18, 2016
New Brunswick Weather
When I got here to New Brunswick three weeks ago, there was basically no snow, and for the last two weeks there has basically been no snow. There has been lots of rain, clouds and wind, but not much for snow. Until this week ....
This week, Mother Nature decided we needed some snow before spring kicked in. Over the last three days, we've only gotten about five inches of snow (so nothing horrible!), but its enough to cover everything in a snowy white blanket.
Compared to south western Ontario (during the last three weeks), New Brunswick has been considerably colder, wetter and snowier. However, compared to where I was living in central Ontario (in Coe Hill), the weather has been pretty well the same (maybe a tiny bit colder, but not much). The last three weeks in Coe Hill would of been horrible with all the near freezing temperature rain; in Coe Hill, rain with near freezing temps means tons of ice. The driveway in Coe Hill would of been brutal! At least here, my driveway only take 15 minutes to shovel and its not a sheet of ice!
I am looking forward to experiencing all four seasons here in New Brunswick! From what I understand, New Brunswick does not get the humidity during the summer the way ontario does, which should make it much more enjoyable!
Here are a couple of pics I took on Wednesday. The first one is taking from my front porch and the second one is of my back yard.
Privacy vs Convenience
Well, I have been living in New Brunswick almost three weeks now ... so far, so good. The province seems nice enough. However, I am just not sure about this whole neighbour thing.
For seven years I have not had a neighbour and honestly I loved it. No neighbours is a darn nice thing! Now, I have two neighbours, one on each side of me. Not liking it much.
Neighbours make me feel uncomfortable. It makes me feel like I am constantly being watched. It makes me feel like I have to be extra quiet. I feel like I should dress properly and brush my hair before going outside. It makes me feel judged.
My neighbours also suck when it comes to pets. My one neighbour complained about my hens as they went on his property, so now I have them locked in the barn till I can get fencing up for them. That sucks hugely! I don't want to fence my hens. :( I like them free ranging. The other neighbour has an old dog that they just let wander freely, which means the dog is walking and pooping all over my lawn, and upsetting my dogs. Not fun. The neighbour that complained about my hens is also coming on to my lawn to tap my maple trees! Really? I had planned on tapping them! He had them tapped when I got here, but didn't even ask me if it was ok to come onto my property daily to gather the sap. So, he freaks when my hens step foot on his lawn, but he thinks its ok to come into my yard daily ... I'm not a fan.
However, as much as I am disliking the neighbours, I am enjoying the convenience of living here. I have a variety store a ten minute walk from home, which is really nice; for the last seven years the nearest variety store has been 1-3 hour walk away. I get garbage pick up here; have had to take my own garbage to the dump for the last seen years. The nearest large city, Fredericton, is only a 15 minute drive away; for the last seven year they nearest big city was 30 minutes to one hour away.
I gotta admit, I am loving the convenience of living here! It's be prefect ... if I didn't have neighbours.
So what's better privacy or convenience?
For me privacy. As much as I like the convenience of living here, the neighbours ruin it. I have already started checking Kijiji daily to find a different house to rent, one with no neighbours and lots of privacy. One where my sweet hens can free range, one where my dogs are not being constantly upset by another dog in their space, one where I can go outside looking like a complete idiot and not have to worry about anyone seeing me.
I will definitely be staying in New Brunswick (at least for a couple of years). I look forward to exploring this great province!
Hugs and kisses!
For seven years I have not had a neighbour and honestly I loved it. No neighbours is a darn nice thing! Now, I have two neighbours, one on each side of me. Not liking it much.
Neighbours make me feel uncomfortable. It makes me feel like I am constantly being watched. It makes me feel like I have to be extra quiet. I feel like I should dress properly and brush my hair before going outside. It makes me feel judged.
My neighbours also suck when it comes to pets. My one neighbour complained about my hens as they went on his property, so now I have them locked in the barn till I can get fencing up for them. That sucks hugely! I don't want to fence my hens. :( I like them free ranging. The other neighbour has an old dog that they just let wander freely, which means the dog is walking and pooping all over my lawn, and upsetting my dogs. Not fun. The neighbour that complained about my hens is also coming on to my lawn to tap my maple trees! Really? I had planned on tapping them! He had them tapped when I got here, but didn't even ask me if it was ok to come onto my property daily to gather the sap. So, he freaks when my hens step foot on his lawn, but he thinks its ok to come into my yard daily ... I'm not a fan.
However, as much as I am disliking the neighbours, I am enjoying the convenience of living here. I have a variety store a ten minute walk from home, which is really nice; for the last seven years the nearest variety store has been 1-3 hour walk away. I get garbage pick up here; have had to take my own garbage to the dump for the last seen years. The nearest large city, Fredericton, is only a 15 minute drive away; for the last seven year they nearest big city was 30 minutes to one hour away.
I gotta admit, I am loving the convenience of living here! It's be prefect ... if I didn't have neighbours.
So what's better privacy or convenience?
For me privacy. As much as I like the convenience of living here, the neighbours ruin it. I have already started checking Kijiji daily to find a different house to rent, one with no neighbours and lots of privacy. One where my sweet hens can free range, one where my dogs are not being constantly upset by another dog in their space, one where I can go outside looking like a complete idiot and not have to worry about anyone seeing me.
I will definitely be staying in New Brunswick (at least for a couple of years). I look forward to exploring this great province!
Hugs and kisses!
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Refections of Off-Grid Living
Well, its been two weeks since I moved from the off-grid home in Coe Hilll and I have had some time to reflect back and think about my experence ...
Gods, I am so very very happy to have normal hydro and heat again!
Overall, I really disliked living off-grid. Not my cup of tea at all. I have no problem with hard work, but seriously, why would anyone want to work that hard to live when its not necessary?!
Worst yet, it was expensive ... why would anyone want o work that hard to live and have such high bills? It makes no sense at all to me! If I at least saved money, than it would at least make sense, but at least where I was living it was costing me more than where I previously lived.
I hated the limit hydro. I hated that I couldn't do my normal online work for three months straight. I hated that I couldn't work on my dream of becomng a successful artist and writer.
I hated the constant noise; the noise of the generator, the noise of the inverter, the noise when the water is used. I hated that if I couldn't sleep I felt horribe just to turn on a light. I hated that I had to use a flashlight just to read a book in bed, that I had to use a flashlight to walk through the house to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I hated haing to buy batteries weekly.
I had a love/hate relationship with the woodstove. I loved the "free" heat, but the constant care of the woodstove was hard. I didn't sleep through a night for three months! The woodstove is also far from free heat, when you consider the hours and hours and hours of hard work that goes into cutting/stacking/splitting/carrying the wood. Honestly, the dances I lost while doing wood would have easily paid for heat for the year. As you know, the woodstove also made me sick (lung infections and severe eye irritation) and it left a film of ash dust over everything. The woodstove was also messy, not only ash all over everything, I was sweeping the floor 5-6 times a day (Wood chips, bark ect)
I am told by experienced off-gridders that I would of had an easier time if things had been set up better. The solar panels were in a horrible location and went weeks without getting any sun during the winter, and there certainly wouldn't of been enough solar panels come winter (I moved in on the aggreement that more solar panels would be added before winter, which sadly never happened). I was also told that the woodstove didn't have a long enoug chimeny and needed a fan hence why it didn't work extremely well and put a lot of smoke/ash into the house. The generator the house came with was also a pice of crap, which didn't help matters.
So, overall, the solar panels weren't horrible (Until December, when they basically became useless), bt its really important that off-gridders have enough! I would not recommend off-grid living for anyone who works online/from home.
The woodstove was ok, but couldn't keep the place even close to warm in temperatures below -10. However, I am told the house I was living in was more of a three season home than a four season home, so I am sure that didn't help much. I would not recommend anyone with asthma or any type of lung problem have a woodstove as their primary heat source. I also wouldn't recommend it for families with small children. Additionaly, I found the woodstove nerve racking, I was always worried about a fire starting as sparks would sometimes fly out of the stove when you put wood in. One nice thing about the woodstove was being able to cook soups and stews on it.
The well water was great, no real complaints about it. Like most well water, it gave everyone in the house a bit of a bad belly for the first couple of weeks, but we all adjusted. Filling the water tank in the house was ok, but you ad to use the generator to do so, which of course is loud and expensive to run. I also didn't like the loud ""growl" like sound the water made everytime you turned on a tap or flushed the toliet.
I have nothing nice to say about the generator. It was loud, expensive and nerve racking. To make about 10% of the hydro I once used cost me about $200 a month during December/Jan/Feb. (It cost about $120 a month August/September/October/November). That was pretty well my normal hydro bill. The generator was also stressful, I was also freaking out that it would break down (the generator that came with the house, broke down several times and caused me huge upset, once I bought my own in December, my stress levels dropped a bit as it was a much better generator)
In addition to having to pay for gas/oil for the generator and batteries for flashlights, I also had the joy of paying for propane. It cost me $600 for enough propane for almost seven months, so that's about $80 a month. The propane was for the fridge, stove and hot water (all things that use to be included on my hydro bill). I didn't like the propane stove at all, as I hated lighting it when it went out and found I burnt things a lot, and the propane fridge was horribly small and didn't keep things very cold.
Overall, I thought off-grid living sucked. I did learn some new skills which is awesome and I am glad I was able to experience it, but unless zombies attack, I will happily stick to city utilities.
I do believe here in North America we are way too spoiled and take luxuries like hydro and heat for granted. We are so lucky to live in a country where with a flck of a switch we have lights, heat, TV etc. Perhaps everyone should spend a few months (in the winter!) living off-grid so we lean a lesson about appreciating what we have. I know it worked for me! Everytime I hit a switch, turn on an electronic, turn on the heat, I feel blessed. I will never again take such luxuries for granted.
I am not a fan of off-grid living; however, there is a great feeling of empowerment to it. It feels good to take care of yourself, to not depend on others for your basic needs. Myself, I prefer to focus my energies on enjoying life and doing things like vegtable gardening, raising hens, making wine/mead/maple syrup etc. That's more my pace. I am all for hard work, but its gotta be worth it ... I just didn't find off-grid living worth all the hard work and sacrifices. Maybe if I had owned the place it woud of been worth the hard work and sacrifice, but as a tenant, not a chance.
Hugs!
Gods, I am so very very happy to have normal hydro and heat again!
Overall, I really disliked living off-grid. Not my cup of tea at all. I have no problem with hard work, but seriously, why would anyone want to work that hard to live when its not necessary?!
Worst yet, it was expensive ... why would anyone want o work that hard to live and have such high bills? It makes no sense at all to me! If I at least saved money, than it would at least make sense, but at least where I was living it was costing me more than where I previously lived.
I hated the limit hydro. I hated that I couldn't do my normal online work for three months straight. I hated that I couldn't work on my dream of becomng a successful artist and writer.
I hated the constant noise; the noise of the generator, the noise of the inverter, the noise when the water is used. I hated that if I couldn't sleep I felt horribe just to turn on a light. I hated that I had to use a flashlight just to read a book in bed, that I had to use a flashlight to walk through the house to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I hated haing to buy batteries weekly.
I had a love/hate relationship with the woodstove. I loved the "free" heat, but the constant care of the woodstove was hard. I didn't sleep through a night for three months! The woodstove is also far from free heat, when you consider the hours and hours and hours of hard work that goes into cutting/stacking/splitting/carrying the wood. Honestly, the dances I lost while doing wood would have easily paid for heat for the year. As you know, the woodstove also made me sick (lung infections and severe eye irritation) and it left a film of ash dust over everything. The woodstove was also messy, not only ash all over everything, I was sweeping the floor 5-6 times a day (Wood chips, bark ect)
I am told by experienced off-gridders that I would of had an easier time if things had been set up better. The solar panels were in a horrible location and went weeks without getting any sun during the winter, and there certainly wouldn't of been enough solar panels come winter (I moved in on the aggreement that more solar panels would be added before winter, which sadly never happened). I was also told that the woodstove didn't have a long enoug chimeny and needed a fan hence why it didn't work extremely well and put a lot of smoke/ash into the house. The generator the house came with was also a pice of crap, which didn't help matters.
So, overall, the solar panels weren't horrible (Until December, when they basically became useless), bt its really important that off-gridders have enough! I would not recommend off-grid living for anyone who works online/from home.
The woodstove was ok, but couldn't keep the place even close to warm in temperatures below -10. However, I am told the house I was living in was more of a three season home than a four season home, so I am sure that didn't help much. I would not recommend anyone with asthma or any type of lung problem have a woodstove as their primary heat source. I also wouldn't recommend it for families with small children. Additionaly, I found the woodstove nerve racking, I was always worried about a fire starting as sparks would sometimes fly out of the stove when you put wood in. One nice thing about the woodstove was being able to cook soups and stews on it.
The well water was great, no real complaints about it. Like most well water, it gave everyone in the house a bit of a bad belly for the first couple of weeks, but we all adjusted. Filling the water tank in the house was ok, but you ad to use the generator to do so, which of course is loud and expensive to run. I also didn't like the loud ""growl" like sound the water made everytime you turned on a tap or flushed the toliet.
I have nothing nice to say about the generator. It was loud, expensive and nerve racking. To make about 10% of the hydro I once used cost me about $200 a month during December/Jan/Feb. (It cost about $120 a month August/September/October/November). That was pretty well my normal hydro bill. The generator was also stressful, I was also freaking out that it would break down (the generator that came with the house, broke down several times and caused me huge upset, once I bought my own in December, my stress levels dropped a bit as it was a much better generator)
In addition to having to pay for gas/oil for the generator and batteries for flashlights, I also had the joy of paying for propane. It cost me $600 for enough propane for almost seven months, so that's about $80 a month. The propane was for the fridge, stove and hot water (all things that use to be included on my hydro bill). I didn't like the propane stove at all, as I hated lighting it when it went out and found I burnt things a lot, and the propane fridge was horribly small and didn't keep things very cold.
Overall, I thought off-grid living sucked. I did learn some new skills which is awesome and I am glad I was able to experience it, but unless zombies attack, I will happily stick to city utilities.
I do believe here in North America we are way too spoiled and take luxuries like hydro and heat for granted. We are so lucky to live in a country where with a flck of a switch we have lights, heat, TV etc. Perhaps everyone should spend a few months (in the winter!) living off-grid so we lean a lesson about appreciating what we have. I know it worked for me! Everytime I hit a switch, turn on an electronic, turn on the heat, I feel blessed. I will never again take such luxuries for granted.
I am not a fan of off-grid living; however, there is a great feeling of empowerment to it. It feels good to take care of yourself, to not depend on others for your basic needs. Myself, I prefer to focus my energies on enjoying life and doing things like vegtable gardening, raising hens, making wine/mead/maple syrup etc. That's more my pace. I am all for hard work, but its gotta be worth it ... I just didn't find off-grid living worth all the hard work and sacrifices. Maybe if I had owned the place it woud of been worth the hard work and sacrifice, but as a tenant, not a chance.
Hugs!
Friday, March 11, 2016
New Place
Hi! Here are some pics of my new home. It needs some work, but I am good with that :) New curtains, paint and an area carpet are on my "want" list.
So this is my livingroom (I also need some more furniture, a nice couch and loveseat/chair are on my "want" list too.
Kitchen
Downstairs bathroom (and there is a bathroom upstairs)
The view from my front porch- I can see the St John river and the Dam
The baby barn and the backyard. The backyard is about 3 acres. My neighbor on the one side has already complained about the hens going on his property, so sadly my beloved hens are locked in the barn right now till I get some fencing put up next week. Not sure if this neighbor thing is going to work out ... we'll see.
Monday, March 7, 2016
New Brunswick
Well, I made it to New Brunswick! It was one hell of a long trip, but we all made it here safely, even the hens!
We got here a week and a half ago, on Saturday Feb. 27, around 11am. The internet was suppose to be hooked up on the Monday, but yet it wan't .... it finally got hooked up today, a week and a half after my arrival.
I am super glad to be here, to have real hydro, to finally have internet. I still haven't been able to get a keyboard for my desktop computer so am still stuck on my tablet. Honestly, I am stupid broke. Moving here cost me every penny I had and a week off work was not what I needed. I don't even hae enough money to buy some Coca Cola and chips for tonight ... how sad. I was hoping the internet would be hooked up quick enough today that I could get some work, but sadly not. Tomorrow will be a better day!
I will be so glad when all these money problems are over! They suck hugely!
Our new house is nice and there is even a baby barn for the hens. The yard isn't great, but workable. Overall, its great and best of all it has real hydro! and I can work again!!
Unfortunately, I have no pics of the my new place yet, as I need my desktop computer for that. As soon as I make some money I will get a keyboard and show you some pics of my new digs :)
Again, thank you so much everyone who helped me through this past seven months, it was a really rough ride. I am overjoyed to get my ife back to the more happy productive place it normally is!
Hugs and love!
We got here a week and a half ago, on Saturday Feb. 27, around 11am. The internet was suppose to be hooked up on the Monday, but yet it wan't .... it finally got hooked up today, a week and a half after my arrival.
I am super glad to be here, to have real hydro, to finally have internet. I still haven't been able to get a keyboard for my desktop computer so am still stuck on my tablet. Honestly, I am stupid broke. Moving here cost me every penny I had and a week off work was not what I needed. I don't even hae enough money to buy some Coca Cola and chips for tonight ... how sad. I was hoping the internet would be hooked up quick enough today that I could get some work, but sadly not. Tomorrow will be a better day!
I will be so glad when all these money problems are over! They suck hugely!
Our new house is nice and there is even a baby barn for the hens. The yard isn't great, but workable. Overall, its great and best of all it has real hydro! and I can work again!!
Unfortunately, I have no pics of the my new place yet, as I need my desktop computer for that. As soon as I make some money I will get a keyboard and show you some pics of my new digs :)
Again, thank you so much everyone who helped me through this past seven months, it was a really rough ride. I am overjoyed to get my ife back to the more happy productive place it normally is!
Hugs and love!
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