If you don’t have a workbench somewhere around your home, you should get one. You’ll never find a simpler, more economical source of mental health and household well-being. Fewer and fewer people have home workbenches these days, and maybe that’s […]
Continue ReadingTHE BAILEY LINE ROAD CHRONICLES: Chapter 11 – Tractor, Stones & Social Scenes
This is chapter 11 in my book The Bailey Line Road Chronicles, the 30-year story about moving from the city to live a modern homestead life deep in the country on Manitoulin Island, Canada. Missed Chapter 10? Click here to […]
Continue ReadingFROST SEEDING: See How to Plant in Winter and Why
Frost seeding is the practice of broadcasting certain kinds of seeds on frozen ground near the end of winter. It’s an effective way to improve the species makeup of pastures without plowing, discing and reseeding bare ground. Why bother? More […]
Continue ReadingGLOVES GALORE: Canadian Company Celebrates 100 Years of Great Gloves
I’ve used work gloves every week for more than 30 years, so I was surprised to find that it took me until late 2017 to discover the story of Canada’s largest, oldest and most interesting work glove company. In April […]
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TABLESAW TOUR: See Why I Heartily Recommend This Model
I often get asked for advice about choosing a portable tablesaw, and if I had to choose the best, safest and most widely available model, it would have to be a unit from Bosch. To understand why, you need some […]
Continue ReadingTECH TUTORIAL: Easier Ways to Build With Timbers
Read Steve’s three unconventional methods for incorporating timbers into home renovation and building projects.
Continue ReadingWhat’s It Like to Move From City to Country?
The website you’re on now – BaileyLineRoad.com – is named after the little country road where my wife, Mary, and I live and are raising our kids. When people find out both Mary and I grew up in the city […]
Continue ReadingQ&A: Young Man Seeks Advice on First Home
This past week I got an email from a young man who reads my newspaper column regularly and visits BaileyLineRoad.com. His name is Caleb and he’s looking for advice about a sane and sensible approach to getting into his own […]
Continue ReadingPICKUP TRUCK VIDEO: Watch the Story of 30 Years & Two Trucks
Part of the family for 15 years and counting.
Continue ReadingSANE & SUSTAINABLE HOMESTEADING PART 1: How to Thrive Without Burnout, Despair & Failure
Many people in the world long for a life in the country, lived on their own terms, close to nature, honest and hands-on. A few of these people take this feeling far enough to make the leap, leaving the city, […]
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