2009 Country Home Decor & Living

in Country Home

Country Decorating News: We've been beefing up the online catalog with special deals and articles geared specifically for you - if you love great prices, country decorating, rustic lighting (i.e. antler chandeliers), or the new French Country trends, click The Country Store.

On the Homestead: I've personally been working away at finishing the rebuild of our family home and writing a book for Skyhorse on Raising Farm Animals - more on that as I put finishing touches on the manuscript and get the publisher's approval. The book is over 50,000 words and covers chickens, goats, pigs, turkeys, sheep and beef.

Readers Write: The majority of visitors to this site have been writing in with comments regarding getting out of the city and getting back to the land. Economic times have been tough on both sides of the border and more people are interested in living on the land and raising their own food than any other time.

Having come from the USA originally I feel for both of us - and both of our countries - during this turbulent economical time. However I am personally happy to see so many considering a return to old-world values. Of working a little harder to 'earn their keep' and affording themselves not just trinkets and gizmos, but time with their families.

As such, we'll be focusing more on ways to get back to the land, expensively, for those of you who have had enough and are ready to say...."Good Bye City Life!"

Country Views and Country Decor

No matter how financially tough life might be, if you have a great view or a room of country decor you can whisk yourself back to a simpler time, if only for a moment's peace on the current state of affairs. 

And, if you are blessed to already be living in the country with a little land around you, you have more of a fighting chance to keep your head above water until the tides of our economy changes.

Life can be more affordable on the outskirts of the city. Mortgages, insurance premiums, and housing costs. You can grow your own food, generate your own electricity, pump your own water (clean and fresh) and even save money by working from home - thanks to the internet. Gas prices don't get you down when your 'to work expense' is a speedy connection to the world wide web.

Regular News and Updates

Regular readers will remember that this summer we enjoyed lakeside living (still in the country), while building a log home on our small hobby farm. That project had been halted due to the change in weather, but we are back at building now so expect to see some updates very soon.

More exciting news is that a book is in the works regarding farm animals, written by yours truly, photographed by my home-schooled daughter, and published by (potentially) Skyhorse Publishing in New York City. I'll provide an update as this progresses - at the moment the project is in negotiations.

If you've followed this site from it's inception (over 10 years ago now), you would have seen many changes - changes that are still in progress as a matter of fact - both online and offline.

For 2009 we'll be bringing a lot more content online to serve those who are following their own dreams of leaving the city behind and moving to greener pastures.

This is largely possible due to tele-commuting, internet technology and the emergence of VOIP. The world has grown smaller and as such has allowed thousands more to realize their dreams of country living.

Country Life in the Springtime

With the onset of spring we're all busy plowing fields, planting gardens and cleaning up the areas we've let go a little bit due to extreme weather.  The horses, sheep, goats and cattle are feeling the warmer air as well - some shedding, most just itching to run and play in the sun again.

Those of us overwhelmed with year round chores (yes, that's me!) are still chopping wood and/or trucking it from one place to another, and throwing it into the basement for our chilly nights.

Don't ever be so busy that you forget yourself though, or those that matter to you. There may be firewood to chop, home renovations on your list, animals to tend to, work to do, but those things will always be there for you to attend to. Your health and your family may not be. My daughter, now 15, is finding that many of her friends have moved on to college and university already. It is only a matter of time before I lose her smiling face in my home every day as well.

"Make the most of it while you still can."

Be good to yourself. Not just your physical self but your mental state as well. No matter how busy, over-worked or stressed you may be, this time of year still warrants a few hours a day, just for you. Watch the sunrise or set, curl up with a great book on a snowy day, or just visit a lonely neighbor. If you don't have a few hours a day, there is always ten minutes or more at the end of each day to dream and contemplate the joys in your life.

Looking Forward into Summer

Although there is always a lot of work on the farm, and my joints and muscles are getting older, I'd still choose this life over any other.

The joys of large windows in the daytime, to gaze upon the grounds and find that the world outside is active and bustling with the local wild birds and wildlife.

Home School - Year Round Learning

It certainly seems that the number of home schooling parents grows every year. Will our school boards or governments ever 'get it'? Something is amiss in the school systems they've created for our children.

If you're home schooling you're used to having your children underfoot and online. I urge you to take precautions and have long chats with your children about their internet use. I'm generally not an alarmist about such things but more and more this is proving to be a serious problem with our trusting children. Please urge them to only accept friend requests from people they actually know. 

Even parents who fought with me tooth and nail over why home schooling isn't good for our children started home schooling their own children last year. And guess what? They're back at this for another year!

Decorating the Log Cabin or Home

Soft and breezy temperatures make me want to redecorate. The arrival of the new season seems to demand it. Something fresh, even just a lamp, a cabin rug, or a new piece of art, brings new life into your home.

Primitive Country Decor has always been my passion - see PrimitiveCountryDecor.com for some great ideas and cheap decor accents for your rustic country style.

GoodByeCityLife Volunteers

This year it's not about cooking breakfasts for the local school children. We've grown enough new volunteers in the community for others to take over the program - so it's time to turn our attention to the older children - young men and women in the high school.

Finding time for this seems to be more challenging than previously conceived. In the meantime it's all about one on one and making yourself available to listen to the children in your life.