Under Sydenham Skies: A Celebration of Country Life

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

The appeal of old houses is like a drug to which half the adult
population is addicted. There’s no known cure—even years of
renovation chaos doesn’t do it. Temporary relief comes only from
exposure to pre-1900 buildings. Fortunately for the addict, almost as
much relief can be had from reading a detailed book about an old house
as from breathing plaster dust. Why would people in Vancouver, Halifax,
or even Toronto want to read about an ordinary old farm house near Owen
Sound, Ontario? Never mind why, we just do. We want to hear about the
sagging walls, the leaking roof, the rusty pump, and Baines obliges us
in all this and more.

The book covers 30 years of renovations and improvements to the
property, fencing, haying, tree planting, ventures into livestock
farming, berry picking, government grantsmanship, gardening, and
entertaining. We meet the neighbors, the family, and, of course, the
beautiful old stone house. Baines gives us floor plans, insider
information on alterations, strategies for coping with dry wells, and
even a few lessons in frugality. An interesting feature of the book is
the inclusion of 19 recipes for goodies enjoyed at the old house.

A doctor and professor, Baines divided her time between her big-city
university positions and the 1876 stone farmhouse in rural Ontario.
Perhaps because of this dual lifestyle, she is able to report on life at
the farm both as an outside observer as well as a participant. The book
is engaging—a quick read with lots of specific details to trigger
flights of empathy and nostalgia.