Meet P.H.E.W.
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 The Founders
Sóley
Sóley Blinston was a homesteader, traditional skills practitioner, and devoted student of the land. She lived and worked seasonally between the forest, the field, and the farmhouse, offering hands-on workshops rooted in ancestral knowledge and practical living. She was a tanner, a grower, a steward of animals, and someone who believed deeply in the old ways while meeting the needs of today.
Sóley’s days were 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 practiced folk herbalism and found joy in tending wild medicine and brewing up simple remedies. When the day’s work was done, you’d often find her dancing - whether barefoot in the kitchen or under the stars - because movement is how she came back home to herself
Living close to the land has shaped everything about how Sóley taught, farmed, and related to others. She was 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 was grounded, gritty, and made with reverence. She wasn’t here to sell you a lifestyle. She was here to share tools, spark memory, and help folks build resilience, community, and confidence in their hands
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 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
December 12, 1990 - June 12, 2025
With broken hearts and endless love, we share the sudden and tragic passing of Sóley, born Sarah Margaret Elizabeth Blinston, on the evening of June 12, 2025, at the age of 34.
Born to Keith and Maureen Blinston, Sóley was a reflection of her mother’s vibrant spirit and compassionate heart, and also of her fierce independence. From her father, she inherited a quiet strength, a steady and grounding presence that shaped her calm, resilience, and deep care for others. She carried her parents’ love and guidance with her throughout her life.
In recent years, she embraced the name Sóley, a name that expressed the transformation she so fully embodied and the light she brought to everyone around her.
Her sister Lisa (Tim) was not only family but her best friend and mirror, someone with whom she shared laughter, dreams, and a bond that shaped them both. Her big brother Chris (Jacqui) loved and cherished her deeply. Their connection was unshakable, a constant source of comfort, joy, and support across the years of her life.
Sóley’s role as a devoted aunt to Jordan, Emerson, and Kade was something truly special. To them, she was magic. She brought adventure, silliness, creativity, unwavering love, and a sense of wonder into their world. She showed up for them completely, and the imprint she left on their lives will be felt always.
She was also deeply loved by her Aunt Lorrie (André), who thought of Sóley as a daughter, by her Uncle Mike (Teri), and by all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family. She shared a close connection with her cousin Andrew (Patricia) and the Azadi family, who always stood beside her with care and love.
Family was central to Sóley’s life and she expanded its meaning through powerful intentional relationships that stretched far beyond biology. The family she chose, her friends and community especially those connected to the land, held a special and equally important place in her heart. Among them was her beloved Jeff, whose presence in her life was deeply meaningful. She felt truly seen and loved.
Sóley was deeply rooted in her connection to nature and the earth. The land was not just a place for her but a living presence, a teacher, a healer, and a source of wisdom and belonging. Her chosen community honored ceremony, kinship, and care for the natural world. She lived in rhythm with the seasons and held close the old teachings passed down through generations.
Dance was Sóley’s language and her prayer. It was how she gave shape to joy, sorrow, and gratitude. In movement, she connected with the pulse of life and the rhythms of the earth. Whether dancing alone beneath the sky or with her community, she moved with grace, spirit, and fierce devotion.
Sóley walked gently but powerfully in the world. She welcomed new life with love, held sacred loss with reverence, and carried ancient skills and stories forward with great care. Her relationship with the earth and her people was deep and inspiring, a living reminder to move through the world with intention, humility, and heart.
She will be remembered for her radiant soul, her fierce heart, and the way she created space for others to be fully seen and accepted. Sóley had finally been living the life she once dreamed of, surrounded by love, nature, and purpose. Though her time with us was far too short, her spirit remains ever present.
This obituary was lovingly written by her sister in-law, Jacqui Blinston
To learn more about Sóley through her own words, please visit her Instagram
