Where do you live and how does that help/hinder self-sufficiency?

[miss_thenorth]

I lived in Ann Arbor Mi and it was cold- not as cold as Traverse City Mi, where I spent one winter. That had frost in June and in August the same year and 13 feet of snow fell in 3 days.in October.
Now it is considered cold where I live by people down the hill. I live at 1500 feet and get snow in winter, usually a couple of weeks or so, occasionally more.
But as I'm 7 miles inland from the Pacific, it never is too bad for too long.
I remember when I moved here from Michigan- I used to laugh at people in their insulated parkas when it was over 40 degrees- what whoosie's I thought. Now I drag out the polar fleece at that temperature too.
Cold is relative but I think that Ontario (anywhere) is cooooooold. Cold cold cold- not artic cold, not even Minnesota cold but still............... Going out to hug my lemon tree....................

Funny... The Traverse City cold is the kinds cold I like. When we first moved up north, I thought I would hate it b/c of the winters. As you can tell from my username, I love the north and MISS it.

Growing up in SW Ont, I always hated the winters here--grey, slushy, not enough snow to do anything, and a damp cold. Up north it did get alot colder, but a drier cold, and so much snow that you could do soo much.... skiing, snowmobiling, icefishing snowshoeing, etc etc.

Ok, now I am missing it even more

 

[BrookValley]

I love this thread...I'm so envious of you guys in Ontario. I would seriously like to relocate there, but sadly the pit bull ban would mean I'd have to leave behind 3 family members. I don't want to move that badly.

I'm in southern Maryland.

Pros:
You can grow something year-round. Not much in the winter, but kale & other greens can be over-wintered.

Increasing amount of awareness of the benefits of buying local. More farmers markets and CSAs sprouting up, and more farmers trying out non-conventional (e.g., organic, growing heirloom varieties) methods.

Extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, etc. are pretty rare.

Rural living, but close to 3 major cities--Washington D.C., Baltimore, Annapolis.

Plenty of jobs--we're a Navy community with a large Navy base and all of the accompaniments, including tons of government contractors.

Close to both the mountains and the ocean.

Lots of opportunity to hunt and fish, if you're so inclined (we're vegetarians, but have plenty of friends and family who take advantage of this).

Cons:
Land is prohibitively expensive. We've become another suburb of D.C., basically. Land has been gobbled up and cut into tiny chunks a la "McMansion" style. $4-5K per acre sounds wonderful (if you're buying)...if the market weren't so bad right now, my 60 acres could probably bring something in the area of 1 million--to a developer who would cut it up into little pieces and sell the lots for $300 or more apiece.

The cost of living is outrageous.

Mindset. This is a personal opinion, and probably not a check in the "con" column for everyone. While the area is getting more and more diverse, the general atmosphere isn't very tolerant. Things are still run by the "good 'ol boy" system. There's a real lack of open-mindedness, and politically things are extremely conservative. I was run off of the road by a truck the other day--with my toddler son in the car--for having a certain candidate's bumper sticker on my car.


Overall, I'd say I'm about 75% satisfied living here. It's nice, it really is. I just have a few hangups--but it could be a lot worse. In general, I'm not complaining!! We have been discussing relocating lately....a lot. I think we're just getting restless here, if that makes sense? I've been here all of my life, and I just keep feeling compelled to drift elsewhere...just not sure where "elsewhere" is yet!

Oh, and Pat-- Yeah, so you're opinionated. Whatever. I like it.

 

[annmarie]

Sorry if I offended anyone in Ontario by assuming it's cold there! I actually have a ton of aunts, uncles and cousins (in the greenhouse business) that live in Ontario. I guess I've always kept my visits to them in the warmer months, as I don't recall any winter trips to see them, ever. I know what you mean about the wind! I have been up to Quebec with my husband in the winter a few times and it was remarkably cold. I'm in Vermont, and it sounds like your growing season is very similar to ours.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Brook, there are several pitts around near where I live. Its the big cities you gotta watch out for. Friends of mine in Sarnia just got a pitt puppy, and no problems.

As for moving here-not unless you like paying taxes. pst is 8% and gst is 5%. so that's another 13 cents on every dollar you spend.

and AnnMarie--no biggie! Where abouts are your relatives? Leamington is a big greehouse area...just wondering...

 

[annmarie]

My aunt and uncle owned (just semi-retired) a greenhouse and perennial business in Milton. I don't know how they could leave their place, it was so beautiful! I have 3 other sets of aunts and uncles who are dairy farmers in other parts of Ontario and for the life of me I can't think of the names of their towns. I'd have to check out my address book at home. They all immigrated to Canada from Holland in the 1970's and early 1980's. Of course, all my cousins have grown up now and own houses all over Ontario too. One of my cousins live in a town called Moffit, I believe. Are these places anywhere near you?

 

[miss_thenorth]

My aunt and uncle owned (just semi-retired) a greenhouse and perennial business in Milton. I don't know how they could leave their place, it was so beautiful! I have 3 other sets of aunts and uncles who are dairy farmers in other parts of Ontario and for the life of me I can't think of the names of their towns. I'd have to check out my address book at home. They all immigrated to Canada from Holland in the 1970's and early 1980's. Of course, all my cousins have grown up now and own houses all over Ontario too. One of my cousins live in a town called Moffit, I believe. Are these places anywhere near you?

Milton is fairly close to Toronto, been through it many times. I'm near Chatham. And I'm dutch too, although my folks families came over after the war.

 

[annmarie]

Ooh! A another Dutch girl like me!

DAG MISS_THENORTH!

I love visiting the Dutch shops when we go visit family in Canada. I always make sure to stock up with a years supply of hagelslaag, and a giant hunk of gouda!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Ooh! A another Dutch girl like me!

DAG MISS_THENORTH!

I love visiting the Dutch shops when we go visit family in Canada. I always make sure to stock up with a years supply of hagelslaag, and a giant hunk of gouda!

Me, it's just the dropjes

 

[BrookValley]

Brook, there are several pitts around near where I live. Its the big cities you gotta watch out for. Friends of mine in Sarnia just got a pitt puppy, and no problems.

As for moving here-not unless you like paying taxes. pst is 8% and gst is 5%. so that's another 13 cents on every dollar you spend.

and AnnMarie--no biggie! Where abouts are your relatives? Leamington is a big greehouse area...just wondering...

Everything I've read about the pit bull ban is really scary. My 3 dogs are mutts, but at least 2 of them definitely have pit in them (and look the part). I've read over the legislation, and apparantly if a dog even looks like it is even just part pit bull, authorities can confiscate (and will euthanize, no other option) the dog for no reason. If you can prove the dog isn't pit bull/part pit bull you're ok, but of course that's impossible with a mixed breed, there's no registration to go by. It is advised not to even drive through the provence with a bully breed dog(s) at all, because if you get stopped your dog can be taken. You have no rights in the situation. Maybe what I've read is over-dramatized, but I'm still too scared to try to bring my dogs up there. Actually, I imagine they wouldn't even let me get them over the border?

Eh, taxes. We pay plenty of those here in MD!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Brook, there are several pitts around near where I live. Its the big cities you gotta watch out for. Friends of mine in Sarnia just got a pitt puppy, and no problems.

As for moving here-not unless you like paying taxes. pst is 8% and gst is 5%. so that's another 13 cents on every dollar you spend.

and AnnMarie--no biggie! Where abouts are your relatives? Leamington is a big greehouse area...just wondering...

Everything I've read about the pit bull ban is really scary. My 3 dogs are mutts, but at least 2 of them definitely have pit in them (and look the part). I've read over the legislation, and apparantly if a dog even looks like it is even just part pit bull, authorities can confiscate (and will euthanize, no other option) the dog for no reason. If you can prove the dog isn't pit bull/part pit bull you're ok, but of course that's impossible with a mixed breed, there's no registration to go by. It is advised not to even drive through the provence with a bully breed dog(s) at all, because if you get stopped your dog can be taken. You have no rights in the situation. Maybe what I've read is over-dramatized, but I'm still too scared to try to bring my dogs up there. Actually, I imagine they wouldn't even let me get them over the border?

Eh, taxes. We pay plenty of those here in MD!

I think it's kinda like the bicycle helmet thing. It's the law, but not one they strictly enforce, (but I don't know), unless they feel like it.

When we take our dogs across the border, they are in their crates at the back of the SUV, and they don't even look at them. they just want to see their vet papers to see if they were vaccinated.