# Property and homestead development.



## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

I'm an old man to start this project. Retired from an information career when I was 50. I was just to stressed out. No we live on a beautiful 23 acres over grown farm that I am redoing. Dreams of been self sufficient and a nice peace way of life is alot harder to achieve then I though it would be. 

My homesteading and land development.


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

I remember seeing your posts....good to see you back.


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## Max Overhead (Feb 22, 2021)

Hope for the best
Expect the worst
Some drink champagne
Some die of thirst
No way of knowing
Which way it's going
Hope for the best, expect the worst!

You're doing right, man. The land is what centers a man and gives a superabundance of reasons for living. The cities are full of life but against nature and hence, life. Long-term they are not healthy places to be in any way, shape, form.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Max Overhead said:


> Hope for the best
> Expect the worst
> Some drink champagne
> Some die of thirst
> ...


Thank god they live in the city and they don't know about our way of life. Lets keep it a secret. lol


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Between yesterday and today I spent 10 hours blowing snow. Here in Nova Scotia the price of diesel is going up 17 cents per litre at midnight. It will be $1.87 per litre tomorrow. I blow snow in my community to make some extra money. I hate to raise the rates because many customers are seniors and can't afford much more. Their driveways are very long and they are already paying $1000 for snow removal. I figure I have to raise the yearly contract by $80.00. So from $1000 to $1080. I guess that is not to bad but still $80 is alot to some seniors. Maybe I will swallow the increase but man it's hard.


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## Digitalis (Aug 20, 2021)

LostCaper said:


> Between yesterday and today I spent 10 hours blowing snow. Here in Nova Scotia the price of diesel is going up 17 cents per litre at midnight. It will be $1.87 per litre tomorrow. I blow snow in my community to make some extra money. I hate to raise the rates because many customers are seniors and can't afford much more. Their driveways are very long and they are already paying $1000 for snow removal. I figure I have to raise the yearly contract by $80.00. So from $1000 to $1080. I guess that is not to bad but still $80 is alot to some seniors. Maybe I will swallow the increase but man it's hard.


You're not doing any favors by undercutting yourself and running yourself out of business. You don't set fuel prices, make sure your standard price has you covered.

You may be able to claim charitable discounts as tax deductions. Ie, raise your rates to $1,100 (remember, the cost of everything is going up, not just fuel). Talk to the seniors that you're worried about that you can give them a discount if they can't afford it, keeping their rate at $1000, and claim the $100 as a deduction. Talk to an accountant and see what's possible.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Max Overhead said:


> Hope for the best
> Expect the worst
> Some drink champagne
> Some die of thirst
> ...


Agree. All the old farmers and lumberjacks around here live til they are 90. With the stress of the city..... I know I done it for 30 years, people are doing at 45 to 70.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Maple syrup would be a great way item to have in storage so I started making some on my 23 acre homestead. This year is more of a test year. There are two different areas on our property that have maples but we are exposed to east wind. An old guy told me that east wind is like turning off your tap in your sink when it comes to sap running. Before I invest in a good evaporator I will see how much sap I can harvest and use my home made stove to do the evaporation. Here is my attempt thus far for harvesting the maple sap.


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## Saskwatcher (6 mo ago)

LostCaper said:


> I'm an old man to start this project. Retired from an information career when I was 50. I was just to stressed out. No we live on a beautiful 23 acres over grown farm that I am redoing. Dreams of been self sufficient and a nice peace way of life is alot harder to achieve then I though it would be.
> 
> My homesteading and land development.


It is hard work, harder than most imagine, but everything you do is for yourself and not someone else's profit.
I was also 50 when I took the plunge, and it is a big step to separate your past life from you new one. 
There is a constant pull to return back to the system, but overtime you realize you need the system less and less.
Learn to adapt your life to what you need to do, a bit like when you had as new boss in your of life and there were new demands...but this time you are the boss and you need to prioritize Al your jobs yourself.
It takes a while, at least a few years, but eventually it a falls into place 
Anyone who thinks that they can homestead with feet up in a rocker on the porch and that things will just work out, will fail.
The option is work harder than you did before knowing it's for yourself...or go back to your old life of working to pay bills.
Now I say I'm working to live, not living to work.
All the best.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

It has been awhile since I posted. Here is a bit of an update.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Great video update. Years ago, as a younger man, I was clearing brush and timber with little more than a homeowner chainsaw and some loppers. The stuff was so thick you could not walk thru it. Last year I bought a mini excavator. I can do now in an afternoon what used to take me a week. Pulling stumps out of the ground with a backhoe or excavator sure beats a grinder.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Once you get it down to a system you can get alot of stuff done. I’m a lover of mini excavator. I use a mini here and there but I own a backhoe that I use the most. Would like to buy a mini someday.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

About a month ago hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc on East Coast Canada. We lost power for a week and we had some blow downs. I have it all cleaned up now. Thanks Hurricane Fiona for the firewood but now I need a wood shed. I needed a shelter for tractor implements anyway so I decided I would make one building to shelter the wood and tractor implements.

I wish I could be starting the cabin but I need the wood/equipment shelter now. I am quickly running out of good weather so I scuffed off and levelled an area for the wood/equipment shelter.

I will post the video later. Having technicial difficulties.

So here is a quick and dirty video of scuffing off and levelling an area for the wood shed.


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

You have your priorities straight. Protect the expensive gear and that which provides you heat.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

I had plans of building a wood shed but the weather took a turn for the worse. I went to visit my daughter for a week as she is moving out west. As luck would have it we got hit with a storm. Not sure how this is going to play out but I guess I will have to take off my backhoe and put on my snowblower. Maybe I’ll take a chance with trying to do the storm with my plow or bucket, leave my backhoe on and dig the holes. If the holes are there and the weather stays good I might get a quick and dirty cover erected for the wood. 

With the except of a bad hurricane about 3 weeks ago, we got lucky here this fall. The weather stayed warm and dry but winter is upon us with blowing snow and wind speeds of 59 mph.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

robin416 said:


> You have your priorities straight. Protect the expensive gear and that which provides you heat.


That surely was the plan. Here is the east coast of canada plans are made to be broken by bad weather.


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