At the end of April, our solar panels turned 10. We celebrated the occasion with a sunny day and the inverters humming along (they actually hum as they convert the power). We also celebrated because over the course of the last year, the solar panels finally earned as much money as it cost to install them.
Here is my annual review of how much we’ve earned and how it compares to previous years.
If you need to get caught up, here are all of the previous updates and other details:
Let’s start with the big number. Ten years ago, we paid $40,727.46 to install our 40 panels. Since then, the government has paid us a grand total of $44,515.57 for the electricity the panels have produced (our rate with the province is $0.396 per kWh). So we are now $3,788.11 ahead. It took us 9 years and 2 months to fully “pay off” the panels, a bit longer than my original estimate of 8 1/2 years.
This past year the panels generated $4,311.71. This is a slight increase over last year, but I made an accounting change this year to reinstate HST on our payments, so the total reflects that more than any change in electricity generation. We’re just under our annual average of $4,451.56.
As usual, we made more than we consumed. We spent $2,661.31 on electricity over the same time period, giving us a profit of $1,650.40. (It always feels good to cover our hydro bills.)
Ten years also marks the halfway point of our 20 year contract.
For now, I’m content to let the panels hum along and see how this all plays out. Hopefully someday we can upgrade the panels, generate our own power and disconnect from the grid.
Regardless, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and the choice that we made to go solar.
As I look back over April, I feel like it was a full, good month for us. Seeing the eclipse at the farm was a super cool experience. We also had our first patio dinner of the year, five family birthdays, some progress in the gardens, some progress on the coop, a little project in the house, an Earth Day double tree planting, and watched (virtually) my sister run the Boston Marathon.
Oh, and I also wrapped up my first year teaching. Teaching has been a great experience, and I’m looking forward to going back in the fall. But for now, I’m savouring a bit of time off before Ellie finishes school and we’re fully into summer.
As long time readers know, I often gauge the progress of spring by when (and whether) our forsythia blooms. This year, the forsythia was loaded with blooms by mid-April. This is in line with last year, but still later than our first year at the farm when it bloomed by April 2. I’m attributing the blossoms to the mild winter, as I assume temperatures weren’t cold enough to kill the flowers. The timing I’ll attribute to spring, which has been a bit cool so far. The handsomes I’ll attribute to Cigo.
I managed to sew this sweater while it’s still cold enough to wear it (I had hoped it would be ready for Christmas… then Valentine’s Day. It turned out spring was the deadline.)
I’m finishing off the month by reconnecting with a long-time friend and some more progress on the coop. I’m also going to kick off a big barn cleanout project that I am not excited about. Though it will be nice when it’s done.
What was the highlight of April for you? Did you watch the eclipse? Or the Boston Marathon? What projects are you working on at your house? What signs of spring do you watch for?
I’ve been trying to think of something philosophical and profound to say about Earth Day, but this year the words aren’t coming (so forgive what may be a disjointed post). This year, my world feels small. I don’t know how to save the world, so I focus on my own family and my own home. I want to say I’m doing what I can or doing my best, but I don’t feel like I am.
Living on a farm brings me closer to the environment and I’m learning more about how much potential this land has to help. We have our wetlands, grasslands and forests, but what should we be doing with them to make them healthier?
The need is urgent. Our potential to help, given this property, is larger than many people. I want to regenerate our land, diversify our grasses, rebuild our soil, dig out invasive species, plant native species, grow our own food. Though I think about tackling one field or one stand of trees or one section of phragmites along the creek or the pond, I don’t.
Not doing enough.
So I think even smaller. I should be eating locally grown produce, free range eggs, pasture-raised chickens, grass fed meat. The farmers are all around us, and they need support. We should be zero waste, palm oil free, off-grid. But we’re not.
Not doing enough.
Yes, we recycle, compost, reuse, try not to buy too many things, thrift when we need things, have geothermal and solar panels, vote for (hopefully) progressive politicians. But none of it feels like enough given the scale of the disaster we are in.
But I keep trying.
Sometimes, my not enough looks like picking up a battery charger someone dumped at the side of the hiking trail and carry it out of the woods.
Our fieldstone fireplace is a huge feature in our home. Often through the winter, I would set up in the living room for the day and work in front of the fire. Ellie has come to love the fire as much as me. If it wasn’t going when she came home from school, she would usually want to start one (and she’s become very good at lighting it herself–with supervision).
(Flashback to fluffy baby hair. She still loves to line her toys up on the hearth.)
Our fireplace is just for atmosphere. It puts out a bit of warmth, but our geothermal heats the house. We usually only have fires in the winter. Fire season for me is November to Easter.
This year we didn’t quite make it to Easter because we ran out of wood. I didn’t think this would ever happen. Before we redid the fireplace we had a huge stockpile of firewood (starting just one month into owning the farm and added to again and again).
Moving the wood pile so we could build the garage took two days. Restacking it was also a big job. I think that made me cautious about adding to the woodpile, so I haven’t for the last few years. Matt’s Dad would come out, cut trees, ask if I wanted any wood, and I always said we had enough.
Well, we could have used one extra trailer load this spring.
As of a few weeks ago, we had a small pile of apple wood too fresh to burn and a bunch of punky logs. So this year’s fire season ended for us.
Now we are onto rebuild-the-woodpile season. Matt’s Dad came out last weekend to start spring clean up–trees always come down over the winter, and I want to clear them out of the fields before the grass starts to grow. The first trailer load stayed at the farm. The second went to his house.
When Matt’s Dad came for Easter lunch, he brought his splitter with him and he chopped all of our new firewood with an assist from my nephew. Isn’t he a great person to have around?
(In my journey through the archives as I was writing this post it appears that previous Easters have also been about firewood.)
We’ll need to do this a few more times–I estimate we’ll need three or four more trailer loads to get to my ideal state of three rows–but tree maintenance on the farm is ongoing. We’re on our way to a new fire season later this fall.
How did you spend your Easter? Anyone else maintain a woodpile? Have you started spring clean up yet? Who loves a wood burning fire? Who are your helpful family members?
Anyone know where March went? I don’t know whether it was March Break, the time change, spring coming (and then going), being in a fog because I had a cold most of the month, looking ahead to Easter, or what happened, but this month seemed to disappear.
March Break was a lot of fun. We did small little things around home. Went out for a few meals. Saw some family. Our usual lowkey, fun time together.
Being sick is obviously not as much. But it’s been an opportunity for me to practice rest and go to bed early.
In the blur that was March, here are a few things that caught my attention…
Ellie is deep into Greek myths (this book is still a favourite, so much so that I bought Ellie her own copy for her birthday so the library could have theirs back). This podcast retells kid friendly versions of many classic stories including numerous myths, which has been a huge hit.
We’re also deep into BBC nature documentaries. This one was our gateway and this one has been the best so far. We’re working through the first Planet Earth series currently.
This week I have a field trip with my students, a trade show with one of my clients and then Easter. Easter is my favourite holiday, so we will be rounding out the month with egg hunts, dinners, lunches and family.
How was March for you? Anyone else feel time flying by? How are you celebrating Easter?
The highlight of this month (as in every February) is Ellie’s birthday. Our girl is six. I am so proud of what a smart, kind, enthusiastic, giving, curious person she is. It’s amazing to watch her grow and learn and see who she is becoming.
We celebrated with treats at school, a trip to a butterfly conservatory, a party with friends here at the farm and dinners (yes, plural) with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. It’s been a big birthday month.
Online, it’s easy to present a “highlight reel.” Only those moments that are shiny and idyllic. We have lots of those in our life. But there’s also reality. A sixth birthday is exciting. It’s also exhausting, and there are lots of big feelings to go with that.
Baking cakes, finding the right presents, planning special outings, designing an epic scavenger hunt, and coordinating everything all take a lot of energy too. (Though it’s worth it for all of the fun things I was able to do with our girl.) While my mood swings have been less than Ellie’s, I’m ending this month pretty tired.
But it’s winter break for the college, so I will be taking advantage of not teaching to regroup this week. My to-do list is a bit ambitious, but hopefully I can find some rest too.
Amongst the busy birthday-ness of the month, here are some things that caught my attention.
Beyonce’s new song has been stuck in my head since the Super Bowl. It’s certainly catchy, but I wouldn’t mind some peace and quiet. (Anyone want to learn the dance with me?)
Anything can be listified. Ellie got this book for Christmas and it’s been so interesting to read together. (It is great for “stumble upon” learning.)
My book of the month. (I’ve ordered book two in the hopes that I’ve found a new mystery series to read.)
I will be finishing February with marking, lesson planning, catching up with some clients, income tax prep, sap boiling, a trip to the dentist, lunch with my Mom and hopefully meeting up with another friend. My big hope is that I’ll have time to work on the finishing touches for Ellie’s room, so I can share a reveal of that soon. It’s a leap year. Maybe that extra day will do the trick.
Have you had any special celebrations in February? How are you spending your leap year?
In case it’s not clear, I like having plans and goals. The blog is a great way to hold myself accountable. Whether it’s home goals or the One Room Challenge, saying publicly, “I’m going to do something” gives me extra motivation to follow through.
(BTW, if productivity, discipline, focus and motivation are among your goals for 2024, this podcast has some good tips.)
Tracking progress is also motivating. As I was setting new home goals for 2024 and looking back at how I did in 2023, I started thinking about some other things I tracked last year. So in the spirit of motivation and accountability, I’m going to share them here.
Walking
Hiking with Cigo is one of my favourite things to do. Last year, we hiked 466.3km. (I use the Map My Walk app.) This is about 39km a month. I’d like to see if we can make it 42km a month this year (the distance of a marathon). To be honest, we’re probably already there, as I don’t track walks we do around the farm or hikes with Ellie. But I’ll continue to skip those and try to find an extra 3km in my month. Hiking is pretty much my only exercise (aside from working around the farm), so increasing this would not be a bad thing.
Monkey Bars
I have one “workout” that I added to my routine last summer. The route I walk on Sundays includes a small set of monkey bars. So since the summer (after hearing on the 1,000 Hours Outside podcast about the benefits of different types of movement and hanging), I have been trying to do the monkey bars. At first, I fell off every time. But by December, I made it to the end–eight monkey bars. Yesterday, I turned around and did them twice. What else should I try? A chin up?
Reading
Last year I tracked the books I read for the first time. Reading is a huge part of my life (and I’m still a paper-reading, library-visiting bibliophile). In 2023, I read 63 books (plus 2 that I didn’t finish). Finishing Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series accounted for a 13 of those books. Another 15 were non-fiction. To Speak For The Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger (please consider reading any of her books–she is amazing on nature and climate change) and Outlive by Peter Attia were standouts. I’m hoping I’ll make it to 50 books in 2024.
1,000 Hours Outside
This will be our fourth year doing the 1,000 Hours Outside challenge. I love this movement and have come to believe strongly in the value of free play, unstructured time, and time outside. Last year, we spent 1,108 hours outside and made it to 1,000 on Nov. 3. I’m curious how we’ll do this year. This is a challenge that even when you lose, you win.
Family Albums
I started making a yearly family photobook when Ellie was born, but I’ve missed a few years. I recently made our 2023 album, and it’s so lovely to have all of those memories in one convenient place. (I use Blurb.) I’m motivated to go back and make the missing books.
Rest
My word of the year. Rest is truly a challenge for me. My goal in January (and continuing) was to be in bed around 11 two nights a week. Coming up with a strategy (finish work at 10, take Cigo out, brush teeth, read for a few minutes to try to turn off my brain) and a target (2 nights a week) is very helpful. I also instituted a rule that I can’t start anything new after 11, so on those nights I don’t shut down by 11, I’m trying to be not too many hours beyond it. I’ve also started plugging my phone in to charge in the mudroom by 10, which helps to remove one source of distraction and delay. So far I’m doing not too bad. I also downloaded a habit tracking sheet from Passion Planner so I can note the nights that I achieve my goal.
Speaking of Passion Planner, it is a really good goal setting, task prioritizing tool. I’ve used this planner for more than 5 years. I also tried “time boxing” recently, a technique recommended by Nir Eyal on the podcast I mentioned above, and it’s helped me to plan my time and feel more focused.
Writing this post, I found it interesting that so many of my goals are about well-being. Making good use of my time, getting outside, spending time together, relaxing, being healthier, and holding onto memories are all part of the overall quality of our life. It’s worthwhile to spend some time thinking–and writing–about them.
What activities do you track? Do you have any goals that are more personal this year?
How has the beginning of 2024 been for you? Ours has been up and down. We had some birthdays and get-togethers, and we had some lows. We sledded in the fields and skated on the pond, and then watched the water level rise in a big thaw.
Friday was Matt’s and my 16th wedding anniversary. The day hurts less, but it’s still hard that he’s not here for it. As I was heading out to pick up Ellie from school, I turned on my music in the car, and the first song that came on (when I picked a random shuffle) was the song we danced to at our wedding.
At first, I wasn’t really in the mood. I believe I said something like, “Really? You think I can handle this right now?” But then I quickly switched to being grateful. Matt, my Dad, his Mom, the universe, whoever was sending me a message, and it was coming from a place of love.
Some people would say that moments like this are just coincidence. But I don’t agree. For me, they’re a sign that the universe is on my side. That Matt is still with me. That there is so much love.
So I turned off shuffle and put the song on repeat. Once from Matt to me, and the second time from me to him. Because while I receive what the universe gives me, I also want to send goodness out.
Here is some more giving and receiving, from me to you.
These mystery day trips were my favourite gift to give this Christmas–and they worked for kids and adults
“joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life… you can only be ready when she appears and hug her with meaning because in this very moment joy chose you”
This is the song (“Through the good times and the bad, I’ll be standing there by you”)
This week, I’m finishing off the month with something new. I’m donating blood today, which I haven’t done in many years. I’m also hoping to make a few tweaks in Ellie’s room or mine… or both if the universe is on my side.
How was January for you? Does anyone else see signs from the universe? What are you hoping to accomplish this week?
I’ve been musing about what word I want to choose (last year’s word) as my guide for this year. One word keeps coming to mind, but I’ve been resisting it.
Rest.
Rest is something I’m not good at. As I’ve reflected on my words of the year, I’ve realized past words have not really been stretches for me. (Balance … Slow … Resolve … Focus … Content … Choose.)
It’s not difficult for me to focus on Ellie, Cigo, the farm. I love the life we make and I’m pretty content overall.
Rest, though. That feels hard.
Then last night, as I scrolled through my phone after Ellie went to bed, I saw this quote:
“If busyness is your drug, rest will feel like stress.”
Oh, I can identify with that.
Then another quote from the same post:
“Every single human function is improved or enhanced with sleep.”
I’ve been thinking about sleep a lot this past year. Once I go to bed, I sleep. But making myself go there is hard. Busyness wins most of the time. I can always find something else to do. Part of it is the season of life that I’m in where working til 3am sometimes feels needed. Part of it is choice.
But I’ve read about how important sleep is for long-term health, and I know I need to better.
So as I stay up later than I should tonight to write a blog post I had decided earlier today to put off, I feel like the universe is speaking to me. The word that has been floating around in my head for the last few weeks came out into the world and appeared in front of my eyes. I try to listen to the universe when it speaks. So I’m choosing rest as my word of the year.
This will be a goal for me. I’m going to have to make some changes and come up with some strategies to choose rest. But I think it’s time to stretch myself a bit more and it’s worth the attempt.
Busy is my comfort zone. Rest is not.
But here’s to a more restful 2024.
Happy New Year to you. I hope that 2024 brings goodness, whatever that looks like for you.
I’m trying to think about what to say to wrap up this year. I write often about choosing to live a life of love and joy. That doesn’t mean that life is always easy, and this year represents that for me.
Matt’s Mom’s illness and death is an example of great love. It’s also an example of joy, as odd as that may seem. We put as much joy as possible into our time together, even while she was in the hospital. And now we try to carry on that love and joy by talking about her and including her in what we’re doing. How much she would have enjoyed the castle where we were in Ireland. How Grandma would be the best person to find Christmas pants (a critical wardrobe gap that caused much distress last week).
My teaching job this fall has been a lot of fun–and a lot of work. The feeling when I hook the students and get them arguing, discussing and thinking is awesome. I walk out of my classes energized. But there have been a lot of late nights to pull lessons together, finish marking and communicate with students. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to next term.
As I’m writing this, Ellie is Christmas shopping with my Mom. This sums up love and joy for me–yet it’s not easy. Ellie is an incredibly giving little girl and fills Christmas with so much fun. That my Mom is giving her the experience of Christmas shopping and ensuring that I have some gifts is huge act of love. But it’s hard that Ellie doesn’t get to do this with her Daddy.
At the start of this year, I wrote about how important it is for me to choose. Choose my attitude, how I feel, how I react, how I spend my time. And choose to build my life around what is most important to me.
Life is not always easy, but choosing love and joy helps me to see more good than bad.
For Christmas, I wish you as much love and joy as possible. I will be back in 2024 with more projects, more country living and more love and joy. Merry Christmas.
Home on 129 Acres 