Now it's there ... maintenant c'est là.

I've launched a new website in French, business matters and should be in French in Quebec. You guys can use google translate it works not that bad:

http://domainecoquelicots.wix.com/domaine#!le-blog-du-domaine/cp10

Nous avons maintenant une page web, tout en français. Nous n'écrirons plus ici:
http://domainecoquelicots.wix.com/domaine#!le-blog-du-domaine/cp10

I know ...

We haven't  been giving news for a decade ... or so.
We are good. Things are growing fast. So fast I can't event think of writing the blog.

I will try to take a moment tomorrow and write down some stuff.

I've been missing you guys. Having thoughts for First man, OctoberFarm Jaz and MaryJane and Wren ... Just to name a few.

We think about you guys. We are hoping all is well for you.

I'll try to write more.

Julie

Martin and I selling our products in a fair in last November.

Message from another (new) life ...

OMG guys! You have no idea what has been going on with my life ... since last summer.

I know, I know I've been very not nice and I never wrote. But I had a marvelous reason...

I gave birth !!!

(counting the number of cardiac arrests)

It's twins !!!!

(checking the number of seizures)

One lil non profit organisation and a small lil business. :)

OMG, I would love to see your face!

Where should I start? Well ... what about by the beginning.

It all started in the same week or so. First event, the crafter's guild expo. The women from the guild were so nice to me and asked me to bring all the things I make (laundry soap, household products bathsalts etc) I was like "well who will buy that really?"

Well I got my answer pretty fast ---- ALMOST EVERYBODY !

I sold tons during the fair, my kiosk was looking like a beehive. People were buying buying buying, I didn't even have the chance to put the stuff on the table and zoom, it was sold.

I was amazed, and pretty encouraged.

The same week, my cousin phoned me. "I had a revelation she said, I've realized  that if the supermarket goes bankrupt I can't even feed myself and my kids. You can. Teach me!"

I was like ohh well ehh ok ... So we build a class ... 9 people came! 9! (that's a lot according to how it started at the beginning.)

Since then we are blooming, expending, like crazy. I work, give classes, sell my products in 4 cities and in around 6 locations. I go and I am invited to fairs and the all. I am so happy.

But that's not all. In August, a man heard about us and said that what we were doing could be amazing for the poor people in our area, so he exposed me the troubles we have in my area and ... 3 days later I served him a plan for a non profit on a plate.

Now we have a workshop in the middle of the town ... have tons of support ...

I am the director, it's just crazy....

I have to go now 'cause I have to prepare for a fair tomorrow.

But if you want to see what's going on:

www.facebook.ca/domainecoquelicots.ca

www.facebook.ca/ecoloviedrummond

Cheers!

"Free" Range Turkeys and Chickens - Engraissement de poulets et de dindons en "liberté"

We finished building a large pen for the Turkeys and the chickens that we are fattening.

I am pretty glad about it because all of it was built out of recycled stuff. The only new material used was the chickenwire. Even the feeders were donated by a friend.

I will post pictures soon as it's been raining for the last two days, but tonight as I'll be a bit free, I'll take some pictures that I'll add here.

It's sad though 'cause if that wasn't just for me, my chickens will be totally free range, but it's illegal in Quebec. Even what I am doing right now (letting them outside without a complete roof in the grass part is illegal. But you know, even breathing is illegal here! hahaha!


Nous avons terminé la construction d'un grand enclos pour les dindes et les poulets qui nous engraissons.

Je suis assez contente de ça parce que tout a été construit avec ​​des trucs recyclés. Le seul nouveau matériau utilisé a été la broche à poule. Même les mangeoires ont été données par un ami.

Je vais poster des photos dès que possible, quand j'avais le temps, soit il pleuvait soit j'étais pas chez moi ... depuis les deux derniers jours, mais ce soir quand je serai un peu libre, je vais prendre quelques photos que je vais ajouter ici.

C'est triste parce que si ce n'était que de moi, mes poulets seraient totalement libres, mais c'est illégal au Québec. Même ce que je fais en ce moment (les laisser dehors sans un toit complet dans la partie volière, est illégal. Mais vous savez, même la respiration est illégal ici! Hahaha!

Visit our sister page - Visitez notre nouvelle page

Go to : http://ooohmycat.blogspot.ca/

It's in construction, but it will be fun! :)
C'est en construction, mais ça va être bien, on vous le jure.

The last straw

I was on my porch, still wondering how I was going to put the sign "fresh eggs for sale." up. Chuck joined us. I wondered how many days remained before he could enter for good in the house. After some mental arithmetic ... 10 days. 10 short days. I looked at Martin and I told him we could let him enter right away. Martin being who he is, said no. Our vet advised us not to do so. Indeed, the vet advised us not to do it ... And Martin always "follow the rules".

I took Chuck back on the terrace, I wanted him far from the street. Normally when I do that, he just go back to the garage or the barn.

Back to front. All cats were in the backyard except Paloma who was lying on a chair on the balcony. She normally does that.

As I was cleaning up my room that is with a view on the street I felt it. Yeah I always feel death, this bitch, when she is there. I felt it. Then I heard the famous knock ...
Then I hear meowed ... Then I saw something "hopping" on the street ...

I told Martin to come quick, that I think Paloma got hit and it was not finished.

It was not Paloma. It was Chuck. And it's over.
My little baby Chuck got hit.

I have boundless respect for my vet. But now that all this happened I say fuck off. Since the death of Paul, I still have the reflex to look up at the street every time a car passes. My heart is jumping each time. I can't sleep, I am always afraid.

Cats, all of them but Eole, who is somewhat aggressive, are now all in the house.

I can already hear the comments. "Are you kidding?" ... You can not have so many cats in the house? This is disgusting and bla bla bla...

I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of bad sleep, I'm tired of being afraid.
At least I know they are all safe.

And people who aren't pleased ...

Moi je le sais ...

J'étais entrain de me demander comment j'allais mettre la pancarte "oeuf frais à vendre" sur mon balcon. Chuck est venu nous rejoindre. Je me demandais combien de jours il restait avant que celui-ci n'entre pour de bon dans la maison. Calcul mental ... 10 jours. 10 petits jours. J'ai regardé Martin et je lui ai dit qu'on pourrait l'entrer tout suite. Martin étant ce qu'il est m'a répondu non. Notre vétérinaire nous a conseillé de ne pas le faire. Effectivement, le véto nous avait conseillé de ne pas le faire ...

J'ai déposé le chat plus loin sur le perron, nous avons une galerie qui fait le tour de la maison, si bien qu'une fois sur la terrasse en arrière.

Retour en avant. Tous les chats sont derrière sauf Paloma qui est assise sur une chaise au coin de la maison.

Je suis entrain de faire mon ménage dans la pièce de devant quand je le sens. Ouais je le sens toujours, la mort, cette conne, quand elle est là. je la sens. Puis j'entend le fameux toc ...
Puis j'entend miaulé ... Puis je vois de quoi qui sautillent dans la rue...

Je dis à Martin de venir vite que je pense que Paloma s'est fait frappée et que ce n'est pas fini.

Ce n'était pas Paloma. C'était Chuck. Et c'est fini.
Mon petit bébé Chuck s'est fait frappé.

J'ai un respect sans bornes pour mon vétérinaire. Mais là, fuck off. Depuis la mort de Paul, j'ai encore le reflexe de lever le regard vers la rue chaque fois qu'une voiture passe. Je ne veux plus vivre ça.
Les chats sont présentement tous dans la maison.

J'entends déjà les commentaires. "Bien là" ... Tu peux pas avoir tant de chats dans la maison "bien là"

Bien oui, bien là, bien là ...

J'en ai marre de pleurer. J'en ai marre de mal dormir, j'en ai marre d'avoir peur.
Au moins, je sais qu'ils sont tous en sécurité.

Si ça ne vous plait pas ...

Next!/Suivant!

I am trying to write bilingual posts now. Each paragraphs will be translated instantly from English to French. I find it easier that way.

Mes posts seront bilingues maintenant, ce sera plus simple comme cela.

So, as you guys know, we have troubles with the zoning of the MRC. We tried everything: talking to people, trying to argue, talk to the politicians, the news, even puppies eyes --- nothing worked. And well, even if in some areas we have made contacts and we raised a warning signal, we can't pretend to stay here, work on that place, invest tons of money if it's to leave. MRC opinion is stuck in a piece of concrete. "urban" zones (I still can believe they call us urban, I am looking at the window right now and the first thing I see is a pick up truck in a cornfield near a John Deere tractor ...) are meant to be urban and odor/noise/animals free.

Donc, comme vous le savez déjà. nous avons de la difficulté avec le zonage absolument ridicule de la MRC. Nous avons tout essayé, on a parlé aux médias, aux politiciens, on a essayé de faire valoir notre point, on a même fait les yeux doux! Rien n'a vraiment fonctionné. Et bon, même si au niveau de la politique on a fait quelques pas en avant, il nous est pratiquement impossible de rester ici. Si on se met à tout rénover à coup de dizaine de milliers de dollars et qu'après coup on se fait dire de partir, c'est pas super. L'opinion de la MRC est coulée dans le béton, les zones urbaines (j'en reviens toujours pas qu'on parle d'urbanisme alors que nous sommes entourés de mais!) doivent être exemptes d'odeurs, de bruits et d'animaux ...

So, we've decided to check for other places. We found one. Here it is : 
http://www.remax-quebec.com/fr/inscription/C/10702516.rmx?source=centris

Alors nous avons décidé de regarder ailleurs et nous avons trouvé, la voici:
http://www.remax-quebec.com/fr/inscription/C/10702516.rmx?source=centris

We are going to move as soon as the house in Drummondville will be sold as our offer has been accepted last Sunday.

Nous allons déménager dès que nous aurons vendu notre maison de Drummondville, notre offre à été accepté dimanche passé.

Twist of fate

I believe at lot that everything happens for a reason.
Today I've got a big big day, tons to do, busy like a bee.
As I was passing by the Ressourcerie (the place where I buy my stuff to rebuild the house) I had a urge to go there. What for? I thought, I mean, the work is in hiatus, we don't even know what would become of the Coquelicots ...

Don't bother my inner voice said, just go there.

So I did, I went there, checked things around and then I heard a man and a woman talking vividly, the man was talking homecanning.
I smiled, someone like us, it exists!!!

Without thinking of it, I said that I too was canning.

We start to talked and suddenly I recognize him. It's  Michel Beauchamp, you know, I talked to you guys about him and his wife who had to fight to keep their front yard garden up and working.
We talked together and with the woman from the Ressourcerie who is a lovely lady. We talked, we shared, I had the rare impression that my word weren't vain.

When I went back to my car, I told myself :

I have the right.

I have the right to fight for what's mine and for what I believe in.

I have the right to be different

I have to stop thinking that we are wrong and that no one will help us in that.

In short, we will fight!

Raise your pitchforks my friends!

Le destin ...

(don't panic dear English friends, the same version of that text will be posted too)

Je crois beaucoup au destin. Comme si parfois un petit ange interne nous guidait.
J'avais une journée de fou aujourd'hui mais vraiment. Je devais faire un tas de choses et j'avais la tête pleine. Par contre, en passant devant la rue Toupin, je me suis dit que je devais aller à la Ressourcerie Transition ... pour y faire quoi pensais-je? Les travaux sont en suspend, on ne sait plus quoi faire de nos vies ou du moins, on ne sait plus ce qui va arriver ...

Pas grave vas-y pareil que ma petite régie interne m'a dit.

J'entre, je farfouine comme je fais tout le temps et soudain j'entends une conversation.
Un homme, discute avec une passion hors du commun de conserves.
Je souris, mon dieu, ça existe.

Spontanément je lui dis que je partage sa bonne humeur vu que moi aussi je canne! :)

Puis soudain je le reconnais, telle une groupie, c'est Michel Beauchamp, vous savez, j'en ai déjà parlé, ces braves gens de St-Charles de Drummond qui ont dû se battre pour leur potager de façade.

On se met à parler, j'entends un écho, un voix commune, ça résonne, c'est beau. Je n'ai pas l'impression de parler dans le vide. Ce que je lui dit, il le sait, il le comprend, il le vit.

Je vous passe détails de la rencontre, qui m'a aussi permis de rencontrer la directrice de la Ressourcerie qui est une femme charmante mais en tous les cas, quand je suis entrée dans mon véhicule je me suis dit:

J'ai le droit.

J'ai le droit de me battre.

J'ai le droit d'être marginale.

Je dois arrêter de penser que j'ai tort de vivre la vie que je mène, si ça se trouve j'ai raison.

En fait, le plus important, je ne suis pas marginale, je vis.

Bref, je vais me battre! Les animaux, la terre, c'est la vie.

D'ici là je vous invite à venir voir la conférence à la ressoucerie transition le 2 juin à 10h00.
Et de lire ceci: http://www.journalexpress.ca/Actualites/2013-05-23/article-3257822/Les-jardiniers-urbains-Josee-Landry-et-Michel-Beauchamp-tres-en-demande/1

À vos fourches! Prêts? Cultivez!

The whole story

We wanted this farm so bad.
It was the perfect place. Close to Martin's work, close to mine. Great neighbours. Of course the place needed major renovations but we bought it for 100K so that was easy to rebuild.
There was 4 acres, great place to farm.
When we bought or some days before we signed, we phoned the town hall to gather info:

"Can we have animals?"
"Of course, you are in an agricultural zoning, you do what you want on that matter"

This weekend I've been offered a Jersey.

As a good citizen, we called the town hall asking them about the legal dimension for our potential new barn.

"why do you want a barn?" they asked
"to put our Jersey in" we said
"but you have no right to have animals" they said.

WHAT ?!!!

We've been to the town hall 4 times since. There is nothing we can do.
In Quebec, there are the town hall laws, and then the MRC laws (MRC stands for Regional county municipality) in the town hall books we are legal, but not in the MRC's ones and of course, the MRC is stronger than the town hall. The MRC says that no one can have new animal raising units in the U zone. The U zone ends on the right side of my property.

So now we are in a dead end.

Our house in town isn't sold yet.
We have a house on the countryside that needs major renovation and can't be sell that way.
But we have to move and have a place for the chickens, rabbits, cats and quails we have asap.

But there is no way the bank will authorize a mortgage with those things in our pockets.

Of course, the girl at the town hall always said she never said that.

I also bought that house though an attorney, never did she mentionned that.

"she must haven't known that law" said the girl at the town hall.






Why us?

We have been refused all ...

Even chickens.
Our dream just gone to dust.

I don't know how I will survive that news.

Track and Field

I feel like we are running on a field of track and field.
Running for our life, trying to make ourselves a life here but with tons of obstacles on the way.

This is what I was trying to explain to my cousin Gabriel this weekend.

Having a project like ours is very very hard where we live.

Turns out that this weekend we have been offered a Jersey calf by my uncle.
I was delighted. Cautious, Martin phoned the village administration to make sure everything was in order and to talk about another project.

We are in a place where it's zoned "business and farm" Farm on one side, business on the other. To our surprise even if our place is zoned farm, we can't have a cow or a pig, as it is "too close" to the other houses ... or we can but the girl from the town hall talked about calculation and stuff ...

---- Sigh ----

I mean geez why keeping it that way if it's impossible to do? We need that zoning if we want to go on with our project.

So many rules, so many burdens, so many restrictions.

I am not dead!

I am not dead, things are going "better" ...




... and tomorrow I get a year older!



Sweet, "sweet" 34!

Stay tuned!

Sicker than sick

I am going down ...

This is sooooo not fun.

My system is to the deepest low at the moment.

I just hope I'll come back to a "normal"

Chuck vs The Chicken

Meet Chuck. No kitten got a name before the age of 1 month normally here. It's the tradition. I wait 'til I know them, 'til I see them in action and 'til they have an history. (exception from Dijon who got a name from the fact he is yellow and was born shortly after Moutarde's passing).

Since our lil buddy is now a month, he has been named : Chuck. Why Chuck? 'Cause he is the sole surviving member of his litter and he also survived his two uncles; Baptiste and Paul ... hence, the cat is Chuck Norris!

This morning, Chuck made an improbable meeting with a fleeing Silver Ameraucana hen ... that was funny :)

A very big bird he must have thought. Though, no harm to any of them.

In loving memory

We buried Paul (and small baby Dijon - his nephew) in the backyard yesterday.
Mat and Bruno, my two best friends, came to help us as the soil was still a bit frozen.
It was super hard to go through.
I found him a nice spot though, near the biggest tree we have near the barn. Close to the place where one day before we died we went together to play.

Last night, as Martin was going to the barn, he saw Mirchat and Mirshook playing in the tree ... never did they went there.

They were playing with Paul, I am sure.

The odds

Mae West - August 13th, 2006

Ikori - September 13th, 2006

Pretzel - November 9th, 2006

Reglisse - December 1st,2006

Ti-noir - July 2012

Leon - September 22nd, 2012

Pirouline - January 25th, 2013

Strudel - February 2nd, 2013

Moutarde - February 4th, 2013

Glouton - February 5th, 2013

Baptiste - February 14th, 2013

Vanille - February 14th, 2013

Small gray kitten - March 8th 2013

Small black kitten - March 28th 2013

Paul - March 31st 2013

Dijon - March 31st 2013

And then, people wonders why I am emotionally unbalanced.

They say it's because I have plenty ... that the odds are higher. False. I know tons of people who have cats, barn and indoor one, never ever do I hear about such bad luck.

Paul is dead. Can you believe that? My Paul is dead. The cat that I fell in love with. The cat I was having like the deepest, nicest connection with died yesterday hit by a car, that didn't even stop just in front of my house. What was he doing there? No idea. I mean he normally goes to play in the barn in the morning with his brother and the other barn cat. Never did I see him coming near the road. I check my cats normally when they are outside. I am sat in front of the only window of the house where I can see what's going on in that area.

When they go near the road I normally go outside and tell them not to go there.

And normally they come back. I never saw Paul going there.

But, that's not the point of my message today. The point of my message today is to ask "what the fuck life?". Yeah seriously what the fuck?

'Cause if that was for the cats "only". I say only but geez we all know that losing so much in a so short period of time is like taking your heart out, dragging into the mud, putting it in a shredders, batter it in rocks and try trying to putting back into place.

But no, it's not just the cats. I have the cats and then I have the other "normal twists" of life.

Just a list, no details, but a frightening one. From 2000 to now I had to go through the following events:

-Death of 16 cats (starting in 2006, ... count it .. it's like around 2-3 cats per year!)

- Cancer of my mom

- Diseases on both my parents

- My own disease

- 4 miscarriages

- 3 failed adoption proposals (among them one after we were preparing the room (like they were telling us it was 100% sure))

- 1 death of a friend

- 1 sue (for a thing I wasn't even responsible of - I've been absolved but still ... )

- 1 death of my best friend

- 1 Depression

- 1 major misdiagnosed who brought me ton of problem and made me lose my insurance

- 1 closing of a business

- Multiple rejections from friends due to various circumstances (among them ... the fact that I was having a strange life)

- Fraud

- Rejection from my entire in law family

- Major feud with my in-laws

And I am not talking about all the little things that bug us.

I used to have a co-worker who would say "A quiet day in your life is like an awake nightmare in mine".

She was so right.

I feel like I am in constant fight. I dream of a day I would wake up and feel secure. 'cause I am not feeling 

safe anymore. I mean some people would say "I ask for it" but geez, all these things have brought me to a state where I just can't handle more.

I am done.

Liebster Award

Thanks to Lisa from A Witch in the City, I've been nominated for a Liebster award. That really made my day 'cause I was having a bad one... (explanation will follow)

As requested I'll tell you 11 random facts about myself and answer 11 questions given by Lisa. In the end I have to nominate 3-5 blogs with less then 200 readers.
1. Describe your favorite day.

Ummmm, that will be a sunny summer or spring day. It will be a Saturday, Martin will not be working and Mat will be with us and we will be working on the farm together.

2. Who or what is your inspiration?

Nature inspires me the most. My friends do too.

3. What is your favorite food and drink?

Everything with cheese in it or on it.

4. The book you recommend everybody to read?

I am not a fan of books. Strange heh? I mean when I read it's mostly reference books. I could be a bit chauvinist and tell you guys to read mine... but it's in French.

5. Who would you like to have a conversation with (dead or alive)?

My grandmother Pauline. There are still a lot of things I would like to know about her.

6. What is your favorite outfit?

Jeans, tshirt, doc martens (praying to have a pair soon) or boots.

7. Have you done any of these: skydiving, paragliding or bungee jumping?

No, and I will never do that

8. What's in your purse right now?

Well... If I had one, I could tell you. I have several bags though who are containing so random stuff. Keys, make-up (remains of my girly days), tickets from places, receipts ...tissues (not used ones of course)

9. Any bad habits you want to break?

Biting my nails. Drinking cola.

10. Do you have pets? Would you want to have a pet?

I have 4 indoor cats. ... Well you guys read that place you know about all of them! :)

11. What is your favorite flower?
I love all flowers growing on trees, lilacs, magnolias, all things that are very odorant.

11 random facts now ... 

1. I sang a lot. I've been in bands, I did some "major" amateur shows. I've even taken classical training classes for like a year and a half. I once sang for the prime minister.
2. I am an amateur writer, I recently published a book with a friend on kindle (well it's not the end of the world but still)
3. I don't have brothers and sisters
4. I can't have children
5. I studied languages in university and human sciences in College
6. My grandfather was a native amerindian
7. I can touch my nose with my tongue (super handy! hahaha)
8. I am super flexible (a bit more handy)
9. I never took drugs.
10. I have a very short attention spam especially when it comes to science and stuff like that
11. I speak 4 languages, English, French, Spanish and Italian


And the nominees are:

The are tons of people I would have love to nominate but I have to obey the 200 readers and less rule.


1. Sunnybrook Farm
2. Simple Life  
3. Calamity Acres

And my question to you guys (since it's all about simple life and stuff I will oriented that way)

1. What drags you to live a more down-to-earth countrystyle life?
2. What is your biggest challenge as a farmer?
3. Do people accept your lifestyle well?
4. What is the animal all small farm should have?
5. What is the best reference book about farming you have read?
6. What is the skill you have never been able to get as a farmer?
7. What is the most useful skill you have as a farmer?
8. Do you think more people should have access to a garden?
9. Do you think hens should be allowed in city?
10. Do you have difficulty to have access to heirloom seeds?
11. What is your favorite farm animal?

What if Birdie lay you an egg?

During one of my recent introspection, everyone knows that I can not stop thinking, I started to think about the possibility for "urban farmers" to avoid ... or by pass the anti-hen laws.

Ok, What I'm going to say may sound ridiculous, but think about it. It is allowed to have all parrots, doves and a multitude of fairly large bird in a house or an apartment, that being said, a fancy bantam hen is often the same size or smaller than some of those birds.

Contrary to what you read on the internet, bantam hens produce eggs depending on the size, the age and the race of the bird. There's a time when my Sultan, known not to produce eggs in quantity, was laying  a beautiful egg size medium a day or every other days. It is almost the performance of a Leghorn !

So, think about it, a hen without a rooster, is no more noisy than a parrot and some breeds of bantams are even cuter. If the cage is well maintained, odor level is neither worse nor better than a cat litter. Some bantams live well in cages no bigger than a rabbit cage.

The food is about the same price as a parrot... and the purchase price ... less. One Mille Fleur can be bought somewhere in between 20 and  35$ adults. For young ones think in the $ 5-6. Of course it is a dozen eggs at the grocery store, but your eggs will be fresh!

Just a thought ...