This post was brought to you by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers via sheblogs. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
It has been almost a year since we got access to our new property and started the HUGE task of taming the wilderness and making the land accessible and usable. Left to grow over for years it was a rats nest of blackberries, thistles and the BIGGEST salal bushes I have ever seen.
We would spend each weekend here over the winter, stripping brush, pulling down old fencing, taking down trees and burning. Lots of burning.
We put in blood, sweat, tears. . . and more.
We brought in heavy machinery. From chainsaws to brush cutters, gas generators and rototillers, we needed help. There is only so much 1 man, 1 woman and 3 kids can accomplish in a weekend.
And while I love the idea of using (wo)man power to till the fields, these days it’s just not possible. And trust me, we do what we can to live simply, we make our own bread, can up a storm in the fall and give back to our community with eggs and produce.
But there is no way that this woman (or that man) can do what a heavy machine can do.
So, instead of straining muscles and ignoring our kids for 2 weeks, we booked a bobcat to help us finish the job. We had two dump truck loads of sand to be used for leveling and topping off our “meadow”. We had stumps that would have taken us days of hauling, digging and pulling tossed out of the ground with a flick of his wrist.
And in two days, we had the foundations for the vision in our minds. A sunny meadow, perfect for kids in flip-flops, chickens ranging and grass growing. This former jungle is ready for our finishing touch, perhaps a volleyball net? Or even some soccer goals.
I feel that as a family in this day and age we have choices and we need to take the opportunity to choose well. We need to do our research, explore what is available and then make an informed decision.
And sometimes this decision means using petroleum or diesel, instead of man power, especially when man power (or woman power) is better spent hanging with the kids.
Petroleum is used in our everyday lives and helps us maintain our quality of life. From helping us manage our time, keeping is warm and providing building materials, it IS all around us. Balancing our choices is all we can do, and making choices that we feel are the best is our option.
My family makes choices, and sometimes we choose the option that will work faster, be better or give us more time with our kids.
And for me, it is all about balance and knowing how my choices affect Canada. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world with 97% of those reserves in the Oil Sands- 168 billion barrels with the potential of over 100 years of production. The oil sands are found in 3 deposits in Canada: The Athabasca, Peace River, and Cold Lake areas in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Canada’s Oil Sands are a secure source of energy, meeting our demands and creating over 800, 000 jobs within the next 25 years.
It is important that we know this, and we ask questions and explore. It is important that each of us makes a choice each time we use oil and help manage this industry. For more information about the Oil Sands industry visit oilsandstoday.ca
This post was brought to you by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers via sheblogs. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.