Picking up after the litterbugs

I’ve decided that smoking, drinking and littering should all be added to the list of deadly sins.

Saturday was the annual spring clean up in our area, so I headed out with a roll of garbage bags, two pairs of gloves and, of course, my usual sidekick.

Litter clean up

Most of the litter that we picked up was cigarette packages, paper coffee cups and beer cans. Given that most of the trash was thrown out of the windows of passing cars, I’m concerned that so much of it consisted of empty containers that formerly contained alcoholic beverages.

So perhaps to clarify, the deadly sin should be drinking and driving, not just drinking.

The annual litter clean up invariably leaves me feeling disgusted with humanity.

Not all of humanity, though. This year we had professional help from 1-800-Got-Junk. The team was driving around the concessions, picking up the bags that had been left on the roadside.

1-800-Got-Junk team

Baxter was also his usual helpful self. He appreciated the opportunity to spend as much time as he wanted wading in the ditch.

Baxter wading in the ditch

When he tired of getting muddy, he returned to sniffing and sunbathing.

Baxter

Here are a few highlights of this year’s clean up:

Various car parts–headlights, bumpers, hubcaps, a license plate. Our ditches are very deep, and apparently the stop sign across from the east field is invisible.

Car parts

SPB, I have your gloves… Well, two of them. The third odd one went in the trash.

Gloves

We made it approximately halfway around our 2km of roadside. The grand tally over three hours of clean-up was three bags of garbage, three bins of recycling, three hubcaps and three gloves. Oh, and those three new sins.

Have you done a spring clean-up at your house? What’s the weirdest trash you’ve ever come across? What sins would you add to the list if you could?

Summer family

Recently, I’ve started following a few more farm blogs. Even though we live on a farm, I am definitely not a farmer and there’s a lot that I don’t know.

One of the blogs I’ve been reading is Dinner Starts Here.

Dinner Starts Here logo

Contributors to this site are young farmers from Ontario. They write about their lives on the farm and “how they’re producing everything from berries to beef, milk and eggs to wheat, soybeans, potatoes and maple syrup.” The idea is to help people understand what goes into producing the food we eat and get to know the people who make our food.

Last week I came across a post about one of the farmer’s summer family. She wrote about the migrant workers they hire every year to work on their farm. She said, “Our guys are one of the major backbones of the business. They are vital to our operations successes – we quite literally could not exist without them.”

Migrant workers

Photo courtesy of Dinner Starts Here

I realized that after reading her post, I had some misconceptions about migrant workers, so I reached out to the Dinner Starts Here team and asked if I could share her post.

Erin gives a good explanation of the important role migrant workers play on Ontario farms, and it’s a great introduction to the people who produce the food we eat.

Contrary to why a lot of people believe farms hire migrant workers – it’s not cheaper or easier… it’s actually is a lot more expensive and a lot more work for us to hire them than it would be to hire local staff. First – we’re required (as we are required to pay all of our staff) to pay them minimum wage. Some of our guys who have been returning year after year have earned increased wages like all of our staff does when they return year after year. Then – we have to pay for housing, a portion of their utilities, and a portion of their airfare to and from Mexico. We also spend countless hours taking them shopping for anything they need – from groceries to new clothes to take home for their kid… which is a tremendous amount of work, time and effort. But in the end… for us… it’s worth it.

I encourage you to pop over to Dinner Starts Here and read the rest of the post.

A bit of spring

Just a wee peek of spring today. My Mom bought me a beautiful bouquet of these tulips last year, and I’ve been saving the photos–apparently for a moment just like this.

Pink tulips

After about 40 straight days of sub-zero temperatures and the coldest February since 1875, we finally made it to March–the month of spring. Never mind that we had snow and freezing rain all day yesterday, and it still looks like winter outside. Today we’re supposed to hit -1ºC. That’s positively balmy!

Have there been any signs of spring where you live?

How to clean a stainless steel sink

Whoever coined the term “stainless steel” was stretching a wee bit, in my humble opinion. Or else he never lived in the country. Here at the farm, where our water flows through a chemistry set before it ever reaches the taps, stainless steel is definitely not stainless.

Behold the laundry room sink.

How to clean a stainless steel sink (before)

Now, I will admit that I wash more paintbrushes than laundry in this sink. However, beyond the paint spatters, there are watermarks, film and just a general dullness.

In my sparkly new laundry room, this would not do.

I tried various methods to clean it.

Every cleanser I own. Nope.

Every cleanser I own with lotsa, lotsa elbow grease. Nope.

Pinterest remedies like a vinegar-soaked paper towel wrap. Nope.

How to clean a stainless steel sink

Nothing could break through the dullness and bring back the shine.

Then, about a year ago, I saw a tweet from Jordana at White Cabana mentioning Universal Stone. I bought it mainly for my silver, which it polished fairly well. However, as I read the back of the container, one phrase jumped out at me: “stainless steel.”

Might as well give it a try.

Using Universal Stone to clean a stainless steel sink

Gentle readers, the clouds parted, the seas calmed, the heavens shone… and so did my sink. There’s even a reflection!

How to clean a stainless steel sink

Turns out my so-called “stainless” steel sink had some kind of tarnish on it.

How to clean a stainless steel sink

It still took lotsa elbow grease, and the finish still isn’t perfect, but it’s a heckuva lot better than it was before. Oh, and I still don’t believe in stainless steel.

Do you believe in stainless steel? Any cleaning tips to share? Who else washes more paint brushes than laundry?

And a disclaimer: The Universal Stone people have no idea who I am. I bought my own Universal Stone with my own money.

Conversations on a snowy Saturday afternoon

“Jul, it’s me. I’m at the corner in front of your place. I slid off the road. I think I can get it out with the four-wheel drive. Can you come down and direct me?” So said my youngest sister when the phone rang on Saturday afternoon.

Me to Matt as we walked down the road: “There’s no way we’re getting that out.”

Pick up truck stuck in the ditch

Me to the farmer who rents our fields: “Will, it’s Julia from down at the corner. My sister went into the ditch in front of our place. Can you come pull her out?”

His response is garbled, as I can hear he’s already on the move: “The corner? Ditch? Tow? I’ll be right there.”

Numerous drivers, including a patrolling cop: “Is everyone okay?”

The guy at the wheel of a passing snowplow: “I can pull you out.”

Me to the farmer: “Will, it’s Julia. There’s a snowplow here. He’s going to pull her out. Thanks.”

Guy who stopped to help: “What happened? Did you take the turn too fast?”

Matt (offended): “It wasn’t me! It’s my sister-in-law.”

The snowplow driver to my sister: “Put it in neutral and don’t touch anything.”

The motorist who had pulled over to help just happened to know the snowplow driver, so he hooked up the chains to connect my sister’s truck to the back of the plow. Another motorist put on his four-ways and turned his van sideways to block the road.

Snowplow pulling a pick-up truck out of the ditch

With a creak and a shimmy the snowplow pulled the truck up the bank and back onto the road. The chains were unhooked, everyone got into their cars and continued on their way through the snow.

It was a nice example of how helpful people can be.

Tractor tag team

We had a snow day last Monday. A free day. Such a luxury.

Another luxury? Not having to shovel our own snow.

Wiley has his snowblower, but he wasn’t feelin’ it last week. Fortunately, on days when we get a big snowfall our farmer usually comes by to plow us out.

Now I love our little tractor, but I’ve learned that I have an appreciation for true heavy equipment. Any time our farmer comes by is an opportunity to admire a new tractor. On our snow day, it was a huge double-bladed grader.

Grader plowing the driveway

This thing made quick work of the snow. Quick that is until it tried the bend at the end of the turnaround.

Grader stuck in the snow

The curve is deceptively tight and there was an icy layer under the snow. The grader ended up stuck. (No tractors or hydro poles were harmed in the plowing of this driveway).

Grader stuck in the snow

No worries though. This was just an opportunity to admire another tractor. Mr. Front End Loader pushed Mr. Double-Bladed Grader back into alignment, and then FEL finished off the driveway for us.

As of yesterday morning, Wiley is running again. He tidied up the top of the driveway and then pushed back the snowbanks at the bottom of the driveway. We’re all set for the next snow day. There’s another coming, right?

Have you had a snow day yet? How do you handle shoveling at your house?

A different kind of weekend

This was not a big DIYing or blogging weekend. And actually it was pretty nice.

However, because it was a different type of weekend, you get a different type of post today. Get ready for a view into my life outside of renos.

Somehow, Matt and I both arrived home before sunset and at the same time on Friday evening. We headed out with Baxter for a family walk across the fields, which was a lovely way to start the weekend.

Nephew's first birthday

Saturday was lots of family time for my nephew’s first birthday, and then a girls’ night at my friend’s new house. I’ve been friends with some of these women since kindergarten. Our unit of six was solidified before we started counting our ages in double digits. While we don’t see each other as often as we’d like anymore, when we do, it’s as though no time has passed. I am very thankful I have such amazing friends.

Sunday, Baxter and I went for a hike with some of his doggie friends. We’re doing the 21-day dog walking challenge from ThatMutt.com (#ActiveMutts). A two-hour off-leash hike is a good way to get some exercise and training practice. My focus with Baxter this month is “come.” There were some great successes and one epic failure. Baxter abandoned our hiking group to join another group with a Great Dane and two Dobermans. He looooves Great Danes.

Sunday dog hike

Since moving to the farm, I’ve become a huge homebody–and there’s obviously no shortage of things to do. Weekends like this that take me away from the farm are not my favourite. However, it ended up being a very nice time and a good reminder to me that it’s important to make the effort to do something different every so often.

How was your weekend? What did you do? How do you like to spend your weekends?

#Farm365

I’m taking a little side step today. I’ll be back with my 2015 Home Goals next week. Yesterday I came across something that I feel is important, and I wanted to share it with you.

At the end of December, Andrew Campbell, a dairy farmer here in southern Ontario, posted the following tweet.

This blog post explained that “the project’s goal [is] to shed more light on the daily happenings of a farm [and] … to spur on conversations around food production.”

I love the concept. Obviously, Matt and I are not farmers, but we’re supportive of farming, and since buying our own farm, I’ve gained incredible admiration for contributions farmers make.

I feel that #farm365 and social media can raise awareness of farmers and the work that they do.

Here’s Andrew’s first tweet:

Unfortunately, basically as soon as Andrew started posting his pictures, #farm365 was highjacked. Rather than a respectful productive discussion about food production, Andrew and other farmers were attacked with accusations of animal cruelty. It’s very nasty–and I realize by writing this post I may be opening myself up to some of that.

Andrew’s response to the highjacking and to the nastiness was actually the first post I saw. This was the post that introduced me to the rest of the campaign.

I think this is one of the most thoughtful, positive, informative, personal, passionate blog posts I’ve read. I’ve included a few excerpts here, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.

“What started as a simple idea on New Year’s Day based on other photo-a-day challenges, #farm365 on Twitter has turned into something far greater than a few pictures of corn or cows. It’s turned into a great force of farmers sticking up for themselves and consumers getting a better idea of what it takes to send food out of the driveway…

Farmers are compassionate, well-meaning and very proud individuals… Many showed their farms in the moment, sharing their beliefs and systems and they did it with the great passion they work with every day. They are the true heroes of what #farm365 is. A look at what really goes on behind a barn door or in a field.”

Country living–and by association, farming–is something I’ve become passionate about since moving to our own farm. I realize my point of view–and Andrew’s–is not shared by everyone. Even though I’m not a farmer, I’m going to be looking for opportunities to support the #farm365 campaign. This blog post, building awareness in my little corner of the internet and lending my voice to the conversation is step one.