Moore from the Farm is Steven’s Column in Kingston Life Magazine, beginning with the article that started it all, City Mice. Also below are his renewable energy articles for Private Power Magazine.
City Mice
Installing an outside faucet for the hose proved to be a bigger job than I wanted.
Lenny’s Girls
I had heard of people raising chicks in their kitchen next to the wood stove for warmth.
To Market, To Market
Autumn was the time to ship our first pigs to the slaughterhouse. This would prove once and for all if I was smarter than a pig.
Woodcutting
“My dad liked to be warm when he ate,” said Ray. “He used to pull the kitchen table over so he could sit with his back up close to the cookstove.”
100 Years of Herefords
I did some research on what to look for in a good beef cow…
Hayin’ Time
I don’t think I had many happier times than those when I was on a tractor raking hay in one sunny field looking at Dad cutting on another one.
Homestead
No one is really sure what happened after Virginia disappeared.
Critters
Summer is the time for encounters with critters. At our place, that includes foxes, beavers, raccoons, fishers, deer, coyotes, bears, snapping turtles, hawks, owls, groundhogs, otters, muskrats, and snakes.
Another Spring
They tell me spring is coming. After the winter we’ve had, you won’t get any complaints from me.
Rat Race
Every spring I get the urge to stop by Ernie Clendening’s to see how the winter treated him.
Preparing for Winter
The best of autumn has come and gone, yet it remains my favourite season on the farm.
Dorval York
“Dorval York died on that tractor,” Jack mentioned casually as I made out the purchase cheque.
Omnivores
I miss Rick Mercer. I especially miss his rants, so I’m going to have one of my own, right here. It’s about food.
Split Rails
I’m getting older and I’m crabby about it.
Winter Power
When we lived in the city, getting ready for winter meant closing the windows. Here on the farm, there’s a bit more to it.
Henhouse Haven
This ambulance has been our best henhouse ever. The only drawback is that the hens keep bugging us for rides to the lake in the summer.
Our Precious Water
I generally like plumbing more than electrical work; a plumbing mistake only gets you wet.
Horses
A Welsh Cob and her son have taught this farmer a thing or two about horses.
Winter Water
Our farmhouse is built on some of the oldest rock on earth. And rock that old is stubborn.
Chariots of Tire
The “ticking clock” is a Hollywood term for a deadline that adds tension to a story. Here’s the screenplay for Chariots of Tire.
Playing Doctor
Living on a farm with animals sometimes means doctoring animals, because most farmers call in the vet only when needed.
Lost !
Autumn is the perfect time for hikes. The air is cool; the fragrance of the leaves is sweet; water levels in wetlands are low, making them easy to traverse.
Cat Tails
Barn cats and farms go together, and we have had our share of barn cats over our twelve years here.