Flight of the Monarch
On Saturday, I attended a demonstration of Monarch butterfly tagging at Dorothy's House Museum in Garden Hill. It was fascinating! I had no idea that butterflies were such hardy souls! Amazingly,...
View ArticleThe Cab Ride
"After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side...
View ArticleSmallbones receives a wonderful testimonial!
When I received this e-mail message from a new website customer, it sure made my day! It's lovely to hear back from people who buy the things I make. I suspect that for people like me, who make the...
View ArticleMother Nature Scratches Her Head
MOTHER NATURE: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want...
View ArticleManufacturers using less salt…the lowdown
Have you noticed the commercials that crow over "less salt" in the soup? They've been listening to all the clamour about people consuming too much salt, leading to health problems. And there's less...
View ArticleHow to Live Sustainably Poster
There are many steps we can each take to reduce our impact on the environment, saving money & our health at the same time. Here are 60 tips: most are free and easy, and they'll all make you feel...
View ArticleWillows, wonderful willows!
First I planted a very small and simple trellis along a part of the front verandah. Then I planted a woven willow 'tree', which I think is just the neatest thing! I have plans for creating lots of...
View ArticleWords of Wisdom for Lovers
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
View ArticleHand-made Soap: What does saponification mean?
Do you use lye-based products to clear clogged drains? Would you put it on your skin? Of course not! You probably remember references from days gone by that lye soap is scary stuff. This is the reason...
View ArticleSidestepping: My Foray into Antique & Vintage Linens & Laces
The new venture was precipitated by many cartons needing to find a place to land in this small house. The cartons were filled with dozens and dozens of beautiful antique linens and laces, a few other...
View ArticleA Look Back at Spring
One of the things I most love is gardens – all kinds of gardens! I've made another vegetable garden where the old drive shed had to come down and plan to steal another bit of ground for a third...
View ArticleAdventure & Misadventure on the Alderville Prairie
The Alderville First Nation Black Oak Savanna is Canada’s easternmost pocket of surviving prairie. It's a beautiful and wondrous place that I discovered shortly after moving here 15 years ago. It...
View ArticleHow I Make Lavender Castile Soap
The first step is to mix the water and lye. I use pure rain water because it's soft, which contributes to the soap's sudsing ability. Many people are afraid of lye, but you can't make soap without...
View ArticleSustainable Living Extends to the Holiday Season, Too!
Since opening my shop on Etsy, I've made many 'Etsian' friends and found many people who are contributing to the environmental ethic by making new things from recycled materials, or selling vintage...
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Smallbones & Me
Leap and the Net Will Appear! I’m Jane Weeks. In 1998, I moved from Toronto, Ontario, Canada to the tiny hamlet of Gore’s Landing, about 1 1/4 hours east of Toronto on the south shore of Rice Lake. I...
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Before making the final decision…Smallbones
Smallbones & Me…cont’d? …about whether or not to delete my Smallbones blog, I thought I’d do one or two quick posts. Since changing my Smallbones website to a simple blog and moving the things I...
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Winter in My Corner of Northumberland County
Enjoying Winter’s Beauty I’m one who would love to hibernate through the winter. Now that I’ve finally reached my ‘fully mature’ years, I understand why many Canadians want to escape to warmer climes...
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Books That Inspire, Part Two
My favourite books, part 2 This list of books adds to my first “books that inspire” post. I’m still a ‘book learner’ and love to share new discoveries. The Humanure Book is the first book I bought...
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Simple Living Progress: The good life continues
It’s Spring, finally. It was actually over 20°C yesterday and the sunshine was glorious – a reminder that simple living really is as simple as enjoying a warm and sunny day! There are Loons on the lake...
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