Meet Ray + Sóley
Together, Ray and Sóley co-facilitate Practical Homestead Economics Workshops — a living, breathing education project that brings people into direct relationship with the skills our ancestors once held close. We’re not here to romanticize homesteading—we’re here to make it real, doable, and rooted in integrity
We teach what we live: raising, processing, preserving, composting, stewarding, tanning, and tending. Our workshops are immersive, down-to-earth, and sometimes a little wild. We believe in the wisdom of dirt under your nails, the honesty of hard work, and the power of community coming together to remember what’s been forgotten
Meet Ray
Ray is a dedicated rancher working alongside her beloved and family on the ancestral hunting territory of the Wedake-Nionwentsio, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee, colonially named Amherst Island
With over a decade of experience in both traditional and modern agriculture, Ray is committed to farming in harmony with the land, animals and people. Her practices responding with resilient adaptability to our changing climate and economy
Her journey into homestead folk craft and herbalism is inspired by the hardiness of her recent and distant kin who survived hardship with little more than resourcefulness and what was once considered common sense
Ray believes that a collection of diverse skills (both modern and traditional) is your greatest asset when you practice them not out of desperation, but as a testament to your preparedness for any challenges that may arise and in communion with your surrounding environment, deepening your relationship to elemental and animal kin
Meet Sóley
Sóley Blinston is a homesteader, traditional skills practitioner, and devoted student of the land. She lives and works seasonally between the forest, the field, and the farmhouse, offering hands-on workshops rooted in ancestral knowledge and practical living. She’s a tanner, a grower, a steward of animals, and someone who believes deeply in the old ways meeting the needs of today
Sóley’s days are shaped by the rhythm of the seasons, the pulse of the soil, and a love for the kinds of work that bring us back to our senses. She practices folk herbalism and finds joy in tending wild medicine and brewing up simple remedies. When the day’s work is done, you’ll often find her dancing - whether barefoot in the kitchen or under the stars - because movement is how she comes back home to herself
Living close to the land has shaped everything about how Sóley teaches, farms, and relates to others. She is passionate about reclaiming skills that sustain our bodies and our spirits—from composting systems and livestock care to hide tanning and food sovereignty. Her work is grounded, gritty, and made with reverence. She’s not here to sell you a lifestyle. She’s here to share tools, spark memory, and help folks build resilience, community, and confidence in their hands
Meet the Land
Many PHEW workshops take place at Topsy Farms, on the ancestral hunting territory of the Wedake-Nionwentsio, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee, colonially named Amherst Island
Meet the animals
The flock
The Topsy Flock consists of approximately 500 ewes happily raised outdoors year round, rotationally grazing over 400 acres with a mix of pasture and wild forage. The Topsy flock provides soft, warm Ontario wool made into blankets, yarn, garments and even garden fertilizer. These sheep give back to the land through their grazing and pooping, strengthening grass roots, building top soil, sequestering carbon and mitigating erosion from the elements
Topsy adheres to the 5 freedoms of animal welfare and works in conjunction with nature for best land and animal management practices. Healthy land, happy sheep
Loki
Loki is an Australian Shepherd, co-worker, security detail, and emotional support gremlin. He takes his job very seriously—unless there’s a stick involved, in which case all bets are off
When he’s not herding imaginary livestock or photobombing workshop pics, he’s snoozing in the sun, keeping a suspicious eye on the compost pile, or supervising chores with the solemn intensity only a dog can muster
He may not have opposable thumbs, but he’s got the heart of a lion and the work ethic of a caffeinated farmer!
