LaMar Alexander grew up in a homesteading family. For him, self-sufficiency, including gardening, raising animals and “doing for ourselves” was normal and necessary. He tried city life after college, but says he felt like a slave to a house, bills and employers. At 35, he made a change. “I had a wake up call,” he explains, “that made me realize …

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause infections that are very difficult to treat, and they may sometimes put a person’s life in danger. However, a creative new approach may offer a potent weapon against these “superbugs.” Bacteriophages (depicted above) are viruses that can infect and destroy bacteria. Could they hold the answer to antibiotic resistance? The recent publication of several scientific reports …

Whether you are trying to reduce your alcohol intake or quit drinking altogether, there are apps to help you succeed. We have searched through apps aplenty to bring you the best stop drinking apps based on their design, usability, user ratings, and ability to help you reach your target. Quit drinking apps are designed to help you reduce your alcohol …

Whether you are prepping for armageddon or prepping your budget, living off the grid can be a dream come true to many. The term ‘off-grid’ has been flying around like wildfire over the past few years. I’m not sure if it’s because of all of the crazy news stories or zombie movies, or if people have just had enough of …

Life is colder in the north. Winter lingers three to five weeks longer than in southern Ontario. This year, ice-out for our area is happening in May, which is not unusual. The melting of the ice marks the end of winter. This is one of the two most miraculous events of the year. The other, of course, is when the water changes …

One day several years ago, I was admiring the fresh fruit at our local farmers’ market.  There were these odd looking cherries that caught my eye.  They weren’t the large dark sweet cherries I’d grown used to; they were small, and sort of translucent pale red.  And they weren’t firm, they were squishy. The farmer saw my puzzled look, and …

When my youngest daughter was around eight years old, a friend suggested I might be interested in a book called Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. My immediate thought was, “I don’t need to read that book, I’m already living with that child!” A few years later I happened to see the book in audio form at our library. I …