Jerry Ouellette shares updates from his off-grid cottage work and growing frustrations with corporate veterinary clinics that are changing policies and raising prices.

• Dealing with a total fire ban at the cottage while needing to clear brush and fallen trees
• Completed major structural work replacing a 22-foot section of 8x8 beam using pony walls
• Building new dock cribbing with hemlock lumber due to historically low water levels
• Managing his chocolate lab Gunner's hot spots that develop after swimming
• Gunner uniquely asks to have his teeth brushed by standing between Jerry and the sink
• Corporate veterinary clinics now requiring annual visits before providing medications
• Approximately 60% of veterinary clinics now owned by corporations according to Marketplace
• Prices doubling for basic services after corporate takeover of local vet clinic
• Similar corporate ownership patterns affecting golf courses and reducing community programs
• Some pet owners turning to international telemedicine and medication services for affordability

If you have questions or suggestions for future episodes, please reach out. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes featuring John Snell the tea expert and updates on Chaga harvesting.

Digging deep into the soil of gardening wisdom, this episode unearths precious insights from Master Gardener Bev DeLenardo that will transform how you approach your garden. With over 26 years of experience selling at farmers markets and a wealth of horticultural knowledge, Bev shares secrets that both novice and experienced gardeners will treasure.

Ever wondered why some garlic bulbs produce tiny, numerous cloves while others develop just a few magnificent ones? Bev reveals that the size of what you plant directly influences what you'll harvest, and explains why garlic planted in fall consistently outperforms spring plantings. She walks us through her meticulous process for nurturing "heavy feeder" plants like garlic, from enriching the soil with well-composted manure to the surprising practice of foliar feeding – where plants absorb nutrients directly through their leaves.

The conversation blossoms into practical fall garden preparation advice, with Bev emphasizing the importance of proper cleanup to prevent disease cycles and the benefits of working soil before winter. Her tips on collecting and storing herb seeds, improving sandy soil with organic matter, and deterring garden pests naturally (coffee grounds for skunks, anyone?) offer immediate value you can apply to your own outdoor spaces.

We also venture into the community-building world of farmers markets as Bev shares her experience organizing the Lindsay Thursday Farmers Market. From navigating health department regulations to creating accessible spaces where people connect over locally grown food, her insights reveal how these markets sustain both agricultural producers and the communities they feed.

Whether you're looking to grow prize-worthy garlic, prepare your garden for winter, or understand the inner workings of your local farmers market, this episode delivers rich, practical knowledge rooted in decades of hands-on experience. Subscribe now to continue receiving these valuable gardening insights that help you live your best life under the canopy.

A torrential downpour transforms into a months-long nightmare when Garrett's Calgary townhouse floods during roof repairs, leaving him battling property managers, mold remediation, and "livable" conditions in a half-wrecked home. But this construction worker's story runs deeper than personal housing woes – it offers a fascinating window into Alberta's explosive building boom.

From his vantage point on construction sites across Calgary and Edmonton, Garrett reveals the scale of development reshaping the province. Hundreds of homes, multi-story apartment complexes, and commercial spaces are sprouting across the landscape, transforming the "Blue Sky City" that paradoxically experienced a "Vancouver summer" of near-constant rainfall this year.

The conversation ventures into the engineering marvels hidden within modern buildings as Garrett explains the complex mechanics of "transfer slabs" – specialized structures designed to distribute weight and accommodate seismic activity between commercial and residential sections. With 18,000 "hairpins" connecting top and bottom mats in a single building, these unseen elements exemplify the overengineering principle Garrett describes: "We build stuff in Canada to 100 times its capacity."

Looking northward, Garrett shares his applications for mining projects in Ontario's "Ring of Fire" and potential gold operations in Canada's territories, where soaring prices are making previously unprofitable deposits economically viable. The unpredictable nature of his profession means opportunity could call at any moment, sending him to a remote diamond mine in Nunavut with little notice.

Join us for this revealing glimpse into the construction frontlines, where personal resilience meets professional expertise, and where Canada's future is being built one transfer slab at a time.