Background
In 1985, Robert and I decided to move to the North Country. Churubusco, NY to be exact. Why? Robert had bought hunting land here a few years earlier and thought the area would be a great place to raise a family—quiet, rural, no traffic, quite idyllic to people who grew up in a very urban and over-populated New Jersey. So we packed all of our belongings, including my dog Lola and headed north. We bought property right on the US/Canadian border, found gainful employment, had our home built, and raised three children: Rob, Liz and Ben. During this time, we learned various skills, including some basic carpentry, animal husbandry, canning and gardening. We raised Scottish Highland cattle for a few years, and dabbled in selling fruit/nut trees and various ornamental bushes.
We have always wanted to become more self-sufficient. A couple of years ago we installed an outside wood furnace,
and have more than enough trees on our property of 64 acres to keep us supplied with wood. We haven't bought fuel oil since then and Robert
can't complain about cost when I inch up the thermostat in the winter.
I also can vegetables from the garden we plant annually as well as make jam from our berries.
Robert hunts and usually puts a deer in the freezer every year.
I learned to make soft cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta from a workshop at the local community college.
Robert also prides himself in his homemade gadgets, such as his wood and wire digital antenna.
We are currently trying to plan out a greenhouse to include raising fish as well as vegetables.
It should be economical to heat because we can run piping from the wood furnace. My latest interest is in wine-making. My first batch of wine
was from a kit and came out better than expected. My friend, Carmen, and I have started a batch of cherry wine with cherries from our orchards.
I also recently started another batch from a kit.
We try to live simply: no cable or satellite dish.
We live in a very rural area. This means that we rely heavily on the Canadian tv stations.
We also are limited to dial-up internet, no down-loading music or streaming movies for us.
But with so much else to do, who needs cable?