Time Flies

Its been almost a month since I have posted anything here and given my belief that even the most interested of readers will not visit a blog or web site if it has nothing new to offer that is not good. Not that my massive readership (all 5 or 6 of you) is why I write, as with most personal blogs its more to let off steam than anything else, although I must say that sharing information is also a big part of it. My posts regarding rural internet and broadcast TV continue to receive more 'hits' than almost anything else!

If you are waiting to see the results of the internet survey you will have to wait a little while longer, the response has not been exactly overwhelming so I am going to give it another month before I share the data. If you have not already done so please spend the 30 seconds or so it takes to make the thing a little more meaningful. Link to the right.

My excuse for not posting is that somehow things here in the woods got away from me, one minuite its mid summer with weather that was previously reserved for the mid US (Dry & Hot) the next thing I know October is almost upon us. It did not help that the last month has been spent putting up a sizable pole barn to store yet more 'stuff'. Mrs & Master Rural are hoping that they can get their vehicle in out of the snow and I would dearly like to get the tractor & blower in so as not to have to dig it out before blowing that white stuff that invariably fills the driveway. You can see that even without all the leftover wood (which means I DID cut enough last fall to finish the job) AND various pieces of equipment that no longer fit in the other shed there is already a space conflict!

We normally try and get back around our trails several times a month, its usually a Sunday morning stroll, but today was the first time we have been back in the bust for weeks. The canopy of green is slowly fading and disappearing and the extra light is greening up the forest floor and filling in the trails with greenery! Yet another thing that did not get done this year...... trail maintenance! It is amassing how quickly nature takes over if boots and wheels and mowers and snips are not in regular use along the forest floor. Much of that will happen shortly if we want to stay warm NEXT winter as the search for, and felling of, trees for fuel-wood must commence soon, this years supply just now having been split and tucked away in the woodshed in anticipation of colder weather.

So all in all I have a few excuses for not writing and I could no doubt find a few more, after all my brain is just as old as my arthritic knees and at times just as functional. That said I do believe in that old adage 'use it or loose it' so today’s exercise is to ramble through these pages as well as the bush trails. You may join me at either place.

Rural Internet Survey

A couple of weeks ago we posted an online survey designed to find out what type of internet connection the majority of rural folks had and how many of them used or were interested in online forums. This to promote the formation of a forum dedicated to rural communities across Ontario and / or Canada.

The readership of this blog is not exactly overwhelming, it only sees about 600 'page reads' a month and the response to the survey has been considerably less than that. Thus far 100% of the respondents have been urban residents so if you are a rural citizen and are reading this please fill out the very brief survey linked at the end of this post and in the side bar.

The results thus far indicate that those 'urban' folks who did respond nearly all have high speed unlimited internet, use online forums and email 'lists of digests' and are open to using a Rural Forum if it is formatted to their liking. They get their community information mostly from face to face meetings and the internet and less so from newspaper and radio, this is a surprise to me but I suspect that those who view my blog and filled out the survey are hardly 'typical'. As I have said before such surveys, indeed any survey, is biased by both the distribution of it and by those who are inclined to answer such things. This then is a long way form a 'scientific' poll but just a effort to gain a little more insight as to how my readers get their information and whether their internet connection affects their use of online forums and the like.

Please take a look at the survey and consider filling it out particularly if you live in rural Canada, it consists of just 6 questions and may be found here:- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GZZYVPK

The initial results can be viewed here ,this post will be updated and the survey discontinued on or before Nov 30 2012