What you can expect to find at Confederation Homestead?
Total privacy and peaceful surroundings. You can’t see the neighbours and they can’t see you, but they are there, just over the hills in all directions, however, they won’t bother you. The property is on a paved road, but it is not a busy road. You don’t hear any highway or motor boat sounds. Great for biking. Only 7 km from Minden on a hard-topped road which isn’t busy. Only 6 km north to Hwy 118. Lots of hills, so you get your cardio work out. Beautiful scenery.
There is a forest with a mixed variety of trees, coniferous and deciduous, which has marked, rough, trails throughout for walking and snowshoeing. The trails go steadily upward to a ridge, and go through the forest of interesting terrain which includes rocky outcrops. There is large meadow of about 4 acres in size at the back of the house.
The house is a winterized home heated by a forced-air propane-powered furnace. While it doesn’t have air conditioning there are a number of fans located throughout the house, in the summer, which make it comfortable, and the foot thick (30 cm) log walls keep it cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
The grounds are nicely landscaped with gardens around the house.
Great Dark Sky Viewing–you can see billions of stars without light pollution. Bring your telescope or there is an 8″ Dobsonian telescope available for our guests use.
Confederation Homestead is handicap friendly with a number of proper grab bars installed on the walls and doorways in strategic places (including 4 in the bathroom). There is a portable ramp in the basement to get up the two steps from the parking area to the deck, or from the kitchen to the living room, if required.
Kitchen:
Appliances – gas range with oven, refrigerator with freezer top, microwave oven, dishwasher
Small electric appliances – toaster, food processor, a variety of coffee makers (6-8 cup, 2-4 cup with permanent filters, Bodem (French Press – a small glass-cylinder coffee maker with a plunger permanent filter), coffee bean grinder, kettle, popcorn maker.
We offer a variety of complimentary teas, plus tasty coffee beans for your enjoyment.
Contents – dishes, cutlery, wine glasses, platters, pizza pan (& cutter), cookie sheets, stainless steel pots, non-stick fry pans (3 sizes), non-stick wok, mixing bowls (3 sizes of glass and one large metal), glass baking dishes (including pie plate, loaf pan, 2 sizes of rectangular), salad spinner, glass storage containers with lids.
This is a fully equipped kitchen with many small useful items including spices and some basic staples such as flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cooking oil (olive and sunflower), popcorn, rolled oats etc., in case you forgot to bring something, and small utensils such a can opener, citrus reamer, pastry blender, two sizes of graters, garlic press, two types of vegetable peelers. We like to cook a lot so we have included a wide variety things that we use ourselves. There is an herb garden just outside the kitchen door, and you can use some if you like. There is a rhubarb patch in the garden and it produces far more than we can eat, and you may find some already in the freezer cut up, which you are welcome to use.
Bathroom:
1 – 4 piece with a soaker-whirlpool tub, and an exhaust fan with timer.
Small items such as a hair dryer, first aid kit, and some personal care items in case you forgot something.
Living Room:
37″ flat wide-screen TV (no TV service), BluRay DVD player (+ a good selection of DVDs (adult and children’s interests) which you are welcome to watch), stereo system with 3 disc CD player (there are some CDs as well), radio and cassette player.
Telephone for local calls. Long distance calls should be made with a calling card or your cell phone.
Internet Service is available which is wifi but not high speed. It has about 5 mpbs, which is sufficient to check email and surf websites.
Wood fireplace (wood provided), comfortable wing chairs to enjoy the fire while reading a book, and a desk.
Main Floor Bedroom:
Queen size bed with lovely and comfortable new mattress set, 2 dressers, 2 night tables with lamps, plus a lamp on the dresser, digital alarm clock. Each of the beds comes with an electric mattress-heater pad to warm up the bed before you get in, when the weather turns cold.
Second Floor:
The stairs are narrow and steep so care should be taken when using them and we recommend using the handrails on both sides to go up or down.
South Bedroom – 1 double bed, 1 single bed, night table, dresser, 1 large desk and 2 table lamps. This room has a lovely view of the pond.
North Bedroom – 1 double bed, 1 dresser, 2 night tables, cupboard with extra pillows and blankets, three table lamps.
In 1866 when this house was built, closets weren’t in vogue as the early pioneers didn’t have many belongings, so this house doesn’t have closets in the bedrooms, but there are wall pegs to hang clothes in the upstairs bedrooms, and on the main floor there is an angled rack on the wall behind the door with hangers and 4 metal clothes hooks on the back of the door.
There are two bookcases, a small wall bookcase on the main floor, and a larger floor model in the centre hallway of the second floor, which have a wide variety of books and magazines that you are welcome to enjoy during your stay.
This centre hallway also contains a children’s area with a large trunk filled with many games for children and adults, and a small desk and chair. Outside there are two horseshoe pits and the horseshoes live in a box in the kitchen under the boot bench, in season.
Gazebo:
One round glass-topped, metal-fame table and 4 comfortable padded chairs, overhead light and one electrical outlet which can be used for low drawing appliances such as computers.
Deck:
Propane gas barbeque (utensils live on the wall beside the patio doors in the kitchen), patio umbrella, two padded lounge chairs, 4 plastic chairs and plastic tables.
Pond:
This is a dug, spring-fed pond. Evaporation does lower the water level, sometimes by 3-4 feet, but it is still good for swimming. The snow in winter fills it up again come spring. There are two aerators which rest on the bottom and pump air into the water (this is for the health of the water and to discourage algae). You can see the water bubble rings and the motor has a purring sound (but the motor lives in a double-walled “house” at the side of the pond). The pond comes with a float dock. This is entirely private and screened from the road. You can’t see the road and no one at the road can see you.
There is a fire pit about 40 feet from the front door, and there are suitable utensils available on the patio-door wall in the kitchen. Sometimes there are local fire restrictions and bans, over which we have no control. Check the road signs as you enter the township.
What you should bring:
This is a housekeeping cottage, which means you are expected to leave the premises as you find it. Soap, including dishwasher soap, cleaning products and tools are provided. You need to bring linens including sheets, pillowcases, towels, face cloths if desired, tea towels, dish cloths (there are some extra tea towels, dish cloths and place mats which can be used, laundered and put back for the next guest), toilet paper (one or two ply – there should be at least a roll or two in the bathroom, but you should bring the supply you wish to use).
For guests traveling from abroad or those who would like to use it, we can provide linens and laundry service for an additional cost. We can also provide some basic groceries for your arrival. Please ask us about this service.
Bring skates if you want to skate in winter; snowshoes if you want to snowshoe.
Blankets and pillows are provided, and there are feather duvets for the winter to keep you cozy and warm. Our beds are decorated with wonderful quilts, hand made by very talented Amish women from Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. The more you look at these quilts, the more you come to appreciate the extensive attention to detail. They are lovely and warm to sleep under, and perhaps a bit too warm in summer.
We have tried to equip our cottage with as many useful things as possible to make your stay enjoyable.