Saturday, December 26, 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Heavy Metal Thunder!




Remember that junk I was talking about? Well take a look at this!
Weeks of collecting every scrap piece of metal I could find; Nails, Rims, Old Cans, Bars, Chain...you name it. I brought this full trailer load in to the friendly neighbourhood scrap man last week and made a whopping $90! That's over a tonne people. Woo hoo! Now I can go the dump 3 more times! ...
(Whose life is this?)

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Glorious Treasures Abound!

Remember those 'treasures' I was talking about on the farm. Those hidden jewels buried beneath layers of discarded, decaying refuse? Well Urban Barn is having an ugly furniture contest (uglyfurniturecontest.com) and I think I might have a shot at first prize. What a beauty!
It won't be long til you see knock offs at Inform I bet...

Death Trap 2000.



My neighbour Jim was kind enough to lend me his 3 wheel ATV for a while.
It sure is a lot of fun ... scary, precarious, threatening fun!!

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Rubber!




I have A LOT of junk. Buckets full. Buildings full. Fields and forests full. Probably an entire small town landfill could be filled with the contents. Apparently the man who owned the farm many years ago was a hoarder. A full on A&E don't throw away that newspaper or water bottle cause it has meaning to me hoarder. This presents a great deal of work for me. Oh sure occasionally you'll find the odd treasure like an OV stubby bottle or cracked 8 track player, but most of the time you're up to your neck in black mold and mouse poo. (Yes Mom I'm wearing my SARS mask). This week I've been trying to clean up and make the place a little more respectable for Margot and I. In fact yesterday I dropped off 24 used tires to the Seymour Landfill (and that's only a fraction of what I've found lying about!) A lot of people have been storing, burying or burning their old scrap tires rather than pay a fee for their removal. Luckily the province of Ontario has started a free recycling program to encourage their collection (www.ontariots.ca). Now my old tires can be converted to patio tiles, playground surfaces, roadways or those ugly swings hanging from willow trees. No more West Nile on this farm baby!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

These Colours Don't Run.


You cut me; I bleed green and yellow.

The Wreck Of The Edmund Bunkgerald: Ladies and Gentlemen, Place Your Bets!!

This is my boat.
There are 10,000 squirming mosquito larvae and a frog living in it.
My question is this ... will it float?
STAY TUNED!!
(Feel free to contact me regarding the spread...)

Man Up!! (Fun With Tractors)


Maybe it's re-living my childhood games in the sandbox but there's something exhilarating about driving a tractor. Perhaps even more exciting is using one to destroy a building! It fills the body with adrenaline and wonder. What can I say?! It's no ordinary Thursday for me. I tore apart an old wooden/tin roof drive shed on the farm with the help of my neighbour and friend Jim Spence using his Kubota 3400 tractor. I got to use its front loading bucket as a battering ram and a rusty chain as a winch to bring the 20 x 20 foot structure down in no time! It was AMAZING! Even if I felt a bit guilty for not using a John Deere.


Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Roughing It. (No Gagging Allowed)


Believe it.

My Creature Comforts!








Even though I don't see too many people around the farm (except for my wonderfully helpful and hardworking parents!) I do have a lot of company every single day. Here are pictures of just some of the critters I have encountered thus far, including my favorite Critter of all!!! I'm not able to communicate Doctor Dolittle style but I'm working on it. (Unfortunately these are not my photos but I'll definitely work on capturing them on film personally this month...)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

My New Best Friend (besides Margot of course)!


To go from being on a rock n roll tour for 5 months across Europe, the US and Canada to living in the middle of nowhere in a powerless trailer is ... A BIT of a transition. The only sounds I hear everyday are birds and wind. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful feeling of tranquility but after a week even I need to hear another human voice. This has prompted me to discover a wonderful new medium ... the portable radio. Imagine if you will, being able to take a radio with you anywhere without plugging it in. CBC Radio and AM Country 980 are at the top of my current playlist. Absolutely mindboggling. Forget ipods, nanos and touchs; this, my friends, is a General Electric. Move over Steve Jobs!

Harvest A Plenty! (Canners Unite!)


My Mom planted some seeds just before I went on summer tour with Carpenter and its now harvest time! Reminded me of being a little kid with one of our small backyard gardens. It still amazes me just how much food can come from such a small plot of land. The key appears to be using all of your bounty as it ripens at the same time. I am planning on taking some canning and jarring classes to help survive the winter. Will it be me surrounded by dirty hippies, unibombers and geriatric ladies? Stay tuned!

Burn Baby Burn!! (I Love Fire)!


One of the reasons I want to live on the farm is to have lots of fires (some others include wearing wifebeater tanktops, listening to Pantera, and shooting guns). I know that sounds slightly out of character but I'm trying to expand my horizons and live a little! On the weekend I happily built this new fire grill with some old cinderblocks I found on the farm. Talk about recycling! Now I just need some food to cook on it. One step at a time...

My How Things Change...


Last year at this time I was working on Ed, Edd n' Eddy, making lots of money and eating out at restaurants all the time. Vancouver is known for having a ton of great sushi restaurants that aren't too expensive and we'd hit them up every week if not more.
I was thinking of those times yesterday when I sat down to eat my new everyday meal on the farm.

1.5 Peanut Butter sandwiches (Always Kraft Smooth)
1 Can of CocaCola (Sometimes substituted with Dr. Pepper)

My how things change in a year...

Friday, August 21, 2009

A Man's Home is his Castle?! (I'm Back Baby!)




Well, perhaps not a castle but certainly a dry place to lay my head. Welcome to my new home: a 1977 Master Coach camper trailer complete with wood paneling, striped wallpaper and orange curtains. I actually like the decor, is that odd? I've been on tour with Carpenter and This Is A Standoff since March so the idea of staying in one place (complete with a bed!) is very appealing to me right now. My Dad was lucky enough to find this dream boat from his friendly neighbour Tiny (is it really surprising that he is quite the opposite?). Now it's on the farm and ready for some serious livin'! Now if only I had power. Also, the kitchen table folds down into a bed with a privacy curtain for all of my guests..........c'mon people, live a little! Little House on the Prairie!? Alone in the Wilderness?! The Alaska Experiment?! Get with it.
It's not a Yaletown condo. It's better.