The City Mouse in the Country

I feel like an old man as I watch the blustery snow swirl outside my window.  I'm wrapped in a warm sweater, drinking an aromatic herbal tea and I am at peace.  " All I am missing, " I think to myself, " is a pipe and my cranky old man persona would be complete. "  Winter gives me time to think.    I hate the winter, the cold and the dark of it.  I hate the short days, the snow and the cold rain.  I hate the very thought of dealing with it. It was winter that drove me south all those years ago. We have yet to have a harsh winter since moving back to Western Pennsylvania.  We have had cold snaps and snow of course, but the snaps haven't settled in for months and the snow - while heavy at times - has generally melted away quickly.  This has made the winter bearable for me. Winter gives me a break, a moment to stop and catch my breath before the busy seasons begin again.  Lately I've been thinking about work and what I have to do come ...

 If it were up to me, I would let trees go through their natural lifecycle and never cut one down.  Our forests have stood for thousands of years before us, and will outlast us.   They serve as homes for a multitude of birds, insects and little furry friends throughout their life.  Trees not only capture and store carbon from the air but help cool the ground and air around us. Even after a tree falls and begins to rot it provided food and shelter to a variety of different life forms.  The phrase "Tree of Life" is more than just metaphor. Sadly however, I have to take down somewhere between three to five of these beautiful trees because they pose a threat to my property.  Two of them threaten my home while the third threatens my neighbor's barn.  It's on my side of the property line and is therefore my responsibility.   Each windstorm causes them to groan and ache and it's not uncommon for large branches to come crashing down.  ...

      I want to talk about making money on a small homestead.   Yes, it can be done.   Now that being said what the hell do I know about about homesteading or making money?     Actually not much about the first, but quite a bit about the second.   My whole life I've been in banking or financial sales of one sort or another.   Making money really isn't that hard, it's just that what is available is either misunderstood (life insurance for example) or somehow hidden away (ask your banker for rates on a No Penalty CD it's like a savings account but with a higher interest rate).      Sometimes it takes research, sometime it takes time to learn a new skill or just someone to point you in the right direction.     So I thought I would throw out a few ideas that I see mentioned time and time again on various Facebook and Reddit pages dedicated to "homesteading."  How do I make money? ...

           My buddy Aaron and his brother Wes called me early in the morning yesterday and asked if I be interested in splitting some wood with them.   Aaron has done tons of favors for me in the past, from cutting my grass to helping put up ceiling fans.   He's a good guy.   So, of course I said yes.     Being a "city mouse", it should come as no surprise to any of my two or three readers (who are probably family - Hi Steph!) that I have never split wood.  Aaron and Wes heat their home with a older wood burning stove, but increased it's efficiency with some good DIY thinking.  They also sell wood to supplement their income.     The idea behind splitting wood it is pretty simple.   You take a tree and section it down into usable bits.   This is normally done using a chainsaw, which I didn't use - that skill I'll pick up later.   Then take your nice round section of wood, pl...