Do you remember beef tasting better years ago than it does today? I do, and I don’t think it’s my imagination. It took me a couple of decades of searching, but now I know why beef really did taste better when I…
I sometimes help seniors decide exactly how to renovate their home so they can age well in place, with no need to ever move into a nursing home. One of the first things we often look at is something called a…
In this week’s video episode, learn how a hydraulic wood splitter works; see safe methods for using a wood splitter properly; learn how the best hydraulic splitters work both horizontally & vertically; understand proper storage procedures for maintaining your wood splitter.
I was 22 years old when I decided to move from the suburbs of Toronto to make a life for myself on a 90 acre patch of rural Ontario. That’s me below, in 1990, installing the main electrical cables into the…
What would it be like if your main reading material was one monthly newspaper? Read Steve’s account of a tiny publication that serves people who choose to live differently in most ways, including the information they choose to take in.
The power tool scene is improving so fast, you might not realize the advances. Click to read three things that matter for homeowners who who renovate or build things around the house.
According to Steve Maxwell wood heating makes sense on several levels; cost savings, cleanliness of combustion and the aesthetics of well-piled firewood.
It’s a frustrating feeling. You walk into your kitchen ready to cook, only to be met with crowded benchtops, overstuffed drawers, and that nagging sense that there’s simply not enough space. Yet when you look closer, you realise most of…
Our world has become entirely dependent on centrally supplied electricity, and this has brought a lot of good to humanity. That said, there’s good reason to believe that the reliability of this electrical supply isn’t as solid as it might…
Sooner or later, in more ways than one, staying sane in this life involves mastering mental strategies. If you’re a hands-on person who values quality, there’s also a chance you battle with perfectionism on a physical, hands-on level. I used…
My oldest son, Robert, heats his small place with a unique stove made especially to burn anthracite coal. The stove looks old but is made new now in New England. Although this stove can burn wood, watch the video above…
There’s something special about getting your water from a hand pump. Somehow water tastes a little bit better when it comes as a result of some exercise. Even if you do have an electric well pump at your place, as…