Two Crows Farm and Recreation

On the last official day of school my kids got off the bus, shimmering with a sugar buzz and the look of children who had been watching Christmas movies for a few too many days...

The official start of the Christmas vacation!

We decided to stay home this year, and to relish in the simple things. Good food, a hot, crackling fire and some cheesy holiday tunes. Besides that, we have kept our expectations relatively in check.

Our tree has been trimmed, our advent calendar hung, and our fridge stocked.

Now, the older I get, the more noticeable the traditions that I held so close to my heart as a child become. My favourite times were my visits to Oma and Opa’s house; where the food, the people and the smells are still so fragrant in my mind.

But, now that we are living so many miles away, and we are a family unit unto ourselves, we are well on our way to creating our own traditions.

So when my daughter hopped off of her school bus asking to make reindeer food, I reminded her that WE leave carrots for the reindeer.  That is just what WE do.

But, after a little coaxing she convinced me that not only was reindeer food fun, it was something that the kids and I could do together.

So, our tradition of making reindeer food began.

First, I rummaged through the pantry to find food suitable for birds… eer, reindeer, and I came out with oats, parsley, coloured sugar and millet. 

The concept behind the reindeer food is that you make it and sprinkle it on your lawn on Christmas Eve to attract reindeer. Pretty cute stuff.

So, here is the recipe, for adult and kid alike. It is a fun craft, and a neat gift for kiddos if you are trying to avoid the sugar highs.

We used craft bags and layered the ingredients- each bag contains about 1 cup of goodies, so depending on how many you would like to make you can just double accordingly. Here is the recipe for 6 bags. 

Ingredients:
2 c Oats
3 c Millet
Food Colouring
1 c Parsley
3 different colours of sugar

Directions:
Divide millet into two bowls. Drip red food colouring into one and green into the other. Start with around 8 drops and mix in. Add more as needed.
In a separate bowl combine oats and parsley.

Once desired colours are reached, simply layer the oat mixture, sugar and millet  alternately until you reach the top of the bag. squeeze out the extra air and voila.

After the bags are made, you can write a little poem to accompany the food and adhere it to the back of the bag. The kids each chose to write their own poem, which really adds a nice touch.

I used some adress labels and a clip art reindeer to make little labels for the front, but the same can be done with hand drawn pictures on a piece of paper. Time to get creative!

As requested, I am posting the letter that was read on CBC this morning.
If you have thoughts, comments, ideas on how to move forward I would love to hear from you.

I have been listening quite intently to your expose on the housing situation in Cape Breton. From the market squeeze, to the deplorable conditions, it seems that CBRM, like many other Canadian municipalities, is experiencing a disconnect between the housing stock and the liveable housing solutions.  
The one subject that has not been covered, and I believe needs to be discussed, is the idea of co-operative housing in Cape Breton.

Non-profit housing co-operatives were started as a response to Canada’s need for affordable housing with resident control.In 1999 there were over 2,000 housing co-ops in Canada with 111,000 members and combined assets of nearly $5.6 billion. 

Co-ops are a long term, secure and affordable solution to many housing conundrums.

Not only do they bridge the gap between socially subsidized housing, they give tenants the opportunity to be part of a community within a supportive environment.

Co-ops are self managed, and because of that members gain knowledge, skills and confidence in managing and maintaining their housing community.

So rather than feeling as though they are getting a hand out, they play a part in maintaining every aspect of their living environment, which builds pride, and in broader social sense- it can improve skills, health and confidence.

Coming from Victoria, B.C., the land of million dollar homes and very un-affordable rental situations, I have first hand experience living in, and being part of a housing Co-op.

At the time I was a single parent, working full time and going to school full time.

The housing co-op I was a part of gave me a chance to get on my feet financially, create a support system of babysitters, children for my kids to play with, adults to talk to and even more importantly, a place to truly call home.

It was a place where upward mobility was possible, and even encourage. It was a place where we felt safe and secure. And it was a place that nurtured people from all walks of life.

I see how important family is to Cape Bretoners, and creating housing co-ops is, in a special way, creating family. It is a way of bringing the community together in a positive, and self sufficient way. And I believe that the CBRM is the perfect place to champion a model housing community.

Let’s take some of the buildings that are vacant in the CBRM and return them to life with a little co-operative TLC.

If anyone is interested in exploring the opportunities that remain, these are the people to call.



Newfoundland, Nova Scotia   CHF Canada (Tim Welch)

twelch1061@rogers.com      1-800-268-2537


Co-op Housing Federation of Canada

http://www.chfcanada.coop/eng/pages2007/home.asp



Guide To Co-op Housing

http://www.cmhc.ca/en/co/buho/gucoho/
 

Nova Scotia Co-operative Council
PO Box 1872
Truro, NS
B2N 6C7
Tel.: 902-893-8966
http://www.nsco-opcouncil.ca/
This is the provincial development arm of the co-operative and credit union system