Lifestyle
Sometimes ideas are the most valuable things of all, and this is where you’ll find inspiration and ideas on living well
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EASY-KEEPER COTTAGE: Don’t Build Or Renovate To Make Work For Yourself
Thousands of people who own beautiful lakeside cottages will tell you that owning the place is fun, but a ton…
DEEP WELL HAND PUMP: See How We Installed One Alongside Our Electric Pump
Click above to watch lesson#10 in my online video course KEEP IT FLOWING. This video shows a Bison deep well hand pump being installed…
MONEY: Thoughts on Financial Success Wherever You Want to Live
Question: How can my wife and I earn a living in the country so we can move out of the…
PHILOSOPHY: The Art of Loving in an Impermanent World
Too few kids these days get to grow up wearing nothing but a swim suit all summer long. Country life…
LIVING WISELY: How to Make the Discipline of Details Work For You
One of the strangest things in life is how the most important skills are definitely not taught at school. Many…
DRY AGED BEEF: The End of My 20+ Year Search for a Great Steak
Do you remember beef tasting better years ago than it does today? I do, and I don’t think it’s my imagination. It…
GOOD FOOD: Watch Me Make Flour By Hand
In this week’s video episode, see home-grown hard spring wheat, planted & harvested by hand, watch a 35 year-old hand-operated…
AGING AT HOME: Boosting Household Accessibility With a Porch Lift
I sometimes help seniors decide exactly how to renovate their home so they can age well in place, with no…
OUTDOOR WORK: Learn to safely & Effectively Use a Firewood Splitter
In this week’s video episode, learn how a hydraulic wood splitter works; see safe methods for using a wood splitter…
SMALL TOWN LIFE: Ordinary People, Beautiful Music
I was 22 years old when I decided to move from the suburbs of Toronto to make a life for…
AN UNPLUGGED PEOPLE: Take a Peek At What The Amish Read
What would it be like if your main reading material was one monthly newspaper? Read Steve’s account of a tiny…
POWER TOOLS: Three Surprising Need-to-Know Facts
The power tool scene is improving so fast, you might not realize the advances. Click to read three things that…
HEATING WITH FIREWOOD: Three Reasons It Makes Sense
According to Steve Maxwell wood heating makes sense on several levels; cost savings, cleanliness of combustion and the aesthetics of…
Why Your Kitchen Feels Cluttered (And How to Fix It Without Throwing Everything Out)
It’s a frustrating feeling. You walk into your kitchen ready to cook, only to be met with crowded benchtops, overstuffed…
PREPAREDNESS: Why The Electricity Grid Could Go Down for Months (and what you can do about it)
Our world has become entirely dependent on centrally supplied electricity, and this has brought a lot of good to humanity…
PHILOSOPHY: How to Avoid Perfectionism & Embrace Excellence
Sooner or later, in more ways than one, staying sane in this life involves mastering mental strategies. If you’re a…
HOME HEATING: How to Light an Anthracite Stove
My oldest son, Robert, heats his small place with a unique stove made especially to burn anthracite coal. The stove…
RURAL WATER SYSTEMS: Watch Us Install a Deep Well Hand Pump
There’s something special about getting your water from a hand pump. Somehow water tastes a little bit better when it…
VEHICLES: How I got My Pickup Truck to Last 35 Years and Counting
Some people manage their vehicles like tubes of caulking – use them up and throw them away. Not me. I…
PHILOSOPHY: Leaving a Legacy With Your Handiwork
Leonard Lee, famous Canadian and founder of Lee Valley Tools, died on July 7, 2016 and when that happened it…
HOMEBUILDING: Watch Last Stone Being Laid After 31 Years
On July 4, 1987, I laid the first stone in what would be the basement of my homestead house on…
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Sometimes ideas are the most valuable things of all, and this is where you’ll find inspiration and ideas on living well.