Two Crows Farm and Recreation

Time to bid farewell to Catalone and Hello to Sydney proper! 

We have our sites set on urban chickens, square foot gardening (and perhaps if we are lucky, enough room to share our green space and gardening tools with a few townies who don't have the land to garden themselves!)

So onto project Sell the Farm: 
 
We are selling the house, and are offering you 1% of the total sale of our house (before HST) if you bring us a buyer.

If we sell it to your people for $265,000 you get $2,650. Not bad hey????

Well, what are you waiting for? Lets get this baby sold!!!

Visit our website: www.cbwaterfrontliving.com For photos and info on the house.
click here to email us for more information. 

When we moved from Victoria B.C. to Cape Breton we had our hearts set on a different way of life. We wanted to leave the house poor and over worked vision of our future behind for a more sustainable life.

Reflecting on the past 3.75 years and counting I am happy to report that we have reached and surpassed our original goals.

I have said it before, and I will say it again- This is the new promise land!
It is a place for young families, immigrants, retirees (as long as you have someone to shovel your driveway in the winter!!) and people from all walks of life to settle.

Though there are whispers of a decline in jobs and population, from my vantage point we are actually on the verge of something very special.

The real future of this island lies in its people and it's history- Be it in experiential tourism, cultural tourism, home grown products or unique small businesses, we are poised for greatness.

All we need now are for people, pioneers if you will, to come forward and create their own future here in Cape Breton.

With surfing, golfing, skiing, bird watching, whale watching, snow-shoeing, sun bathing, cycling, kayaking, boating, sailing, hiking and so many more activities to do when the 9-5 has ended one of our biggest concerns these days is what we get to do next!

Small business BIG impact challenge:
Vote for Two Crows Farm and Rec!!! Share, vote, share, vote!
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR US

Scotiabank, in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, wants to recognize and celebrate the impact small businesses make across Canada.

What does your business do to make your community a better place to live?We have started Cape Breton's first and ONLY Disc Golf Course. We also create and grow healthy food products that sell at our roadside stand, the Cape Breton Farmer's Market and at various businesses through out Cape Breton.

Why have you chosen to take this approach?We are taking a key role in trying to promote healthy living in Cape Breton. Through education and training we are helping our community and the visitors to our area realize a healthier way of living, playing and eating. Introducing Disc Golf, which is an inexpensive, inclusive sport, has created an enthusiasm for alternative sports in Cape Breton.
What advice would you give other business owners who might be considering this idea?Creating outdoor spaces where community members can enjoy with their friends and family, while at the same time playing and staying active is something we support whole heartedly. Making healthy, easy food available to our neighbors and community members is also something we hope that more businesses will make a priority. This area is filled with incredible people, and we want to do our part to make sure that people are living their lives to the best of their abilities.

We couldn't have asked for a better day to venture out on a snow shoeing expedition!
After months of planning to host our first ever disc golf tournament we had to cancel it. Funny, we called it the Holey Snow! Disc Golf Tournament... and had to end up cancelling it, yes, really, due to TOO MUCH SNOW!
So, to make the best of a fluffy, white situation we shifted gears and got ourselves ready to lead a day of snow shoeing tours through our property.

With the help of our friend Wayne and the generosity of a school in Membertou, we got our hands on 18 pairs of snow shoes, so we were more than covered in the loaner department.
Our first tour, at 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning had exactly two participants. I know, I know, what was I thinking planning anything for Sunday morning. 
Luckily Stephen is a trooper, and woke up bright and early to shovel snow, check on conditions and dig the outhouse out of it's winter slumber.
Our next tour, the afternoon variety had a whopping 23 folks eager and ready to follow our lead!

We geared up, clipped in and headed out into the back woods of Catalone Gut.
It was 6 degrees, with a little breeze, and about 3.5 ft of snow beneath our feet. A perfect day if you ask me.
There were a hand full of first time snow shoers... and from the sounds of it, it won't be their last time. phewf. 
The event was part of a larger initiative by the CBRM to get people out, active and enjoying themselves during the winter months. And when you think about the fact that most of Canada (except for my smirking friends on the West Coast) endures at least 5 months of winter, it really is a no brainer. 
We've got to get outside and enjoy our surroundings. Hibernating in this type of weather really does lead to sulking, lethargy and more drinking than one really needs.
So kuddos to all of those smiling faces who made it out on Sunday!

My niece has been asking me for this recipe for months... it is addictive. So addictive that during the holidays people were hunting me down to stock up before the holidays.
For those of you who want to try making your own granola at home, this recipe is a keeper.


Morningstar's Marvelous Granola: Sold under the guise of Groovy Granola!

5 cups rolled oats (not instant)1 cup unsweetened coconut1/4 cup whole flax seeds 1/4 cup grape seed oil1/2 cup warm water
1/2 - 1 cup brown sugar (I use one and it isn't too sweet)1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup almonds
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup sunflower seeds1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1. Mix the oat, flax and coconut in a large bowl.
2. Measure water, oil, vanilla and brown sugar into into the measuring cup and stir it well before pouring into bowl.
3. Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a baking pan or two. I use a cookie sheet with a lip.
4. Bake at 300 degrees, turning it with a spatula every ten minutes or so until everything is golden brown.
5. When it is finished cooking let it cool in the pan and then returned the baked granola to a clean, large mixing bowl and add left over ingredients.
6. Place it in an air tight container. It stores well, but doesn't generally last for too long! 
7. Enjoy!

It seems that everywhere I look these days, there are whispers of resolution. Facebook statuses crying in agony with muscle pain, affirmations to do things differently from guilty parents, partners and children, and smokers staring at their chilly cohorts, while they chew monstrously on their nicotine gum.

Is it just me, or have we lost the whole point of the New Year?

We build ourselves up during the holidays, with wine, rich foods and credit card bills, with the strange admission that we are going balls out because it is the end of the year, it is Christmas, or it is a time for celebration.

Then when all is said and done, we have the bottle blues, the credit card blues, and the hangover of reality looming in our vapours.

Then, we transfer the guilt of gluttony into some strange sort of self inflicted pity party. We look not at the beauty and moments of perfection that have gone by during the past year; instead we look only at our faults and what we need to do better.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I am very into self evaluation and betterment. Many people say that I am too hard on myself actually. The only difference is: I have stopped making the New Year about resolutions.

I refuse to write up a list of all of the things I haven’t done and need to do better, or else.

I refuse to set myself up for failure.

I refuse to spend money on unnecessary memberships, self help books or miracle cures.

I refuse to push my body to within an inch of its life, all in the name of fizzle failure fitness.

Rather, this year I am maintaining a quiet revolutionary status.

I will honour my accomplishments.

I will treat my body with respect.

And even more importantly, I will write out a brand new list of GOALS.

Don’t confuse a list of goals, with a list of resolutions. Goals that are set, with a logical time frame and with a set of simple standards is much easier to accomplish than the list of disillusioned resolutions.

It is time to stop all of this unnecessary unhappiness with our lives. Sometimes there is such a thing as too much introspection.

Yes, if you are living in a gambling, drinking, drug induced coma then perhaps your list of goals will be a bit longer… but come on. All and all, we are too hard on ourselves these days.

A few of my Goals for the Year:

Walk more often

Spend less time working and more time with my children

Think before I speak

Honour my thoughts and listen to my instincts

Buy a bicycle

Have my line of Jewellery in stores from the West Coast all the way to the East

Paint at least one painting

Spend more time in the garden

Will I reach my goals this year? Yes, I believe so. They are simple, they don’t put too much pressure on my lifestyle and most importantly – they don’t make me into someone that I am not.

My hope for this year is that you will be a bit easier on yourself. Join the resolution revolution and leave your guilt at the door.

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