From City to Hobby Farm

I lived and worked in the Vancouver area of British Columbia for most of my life. The transition from being a conveyancing paralegal in the temperate climate of downtown Vancouver to living on a hobby farm feeding chickens and milking a cow in the frigid cold winters of the north was  neither smooth nor easy. But I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

Above is a water color of my husband and his team of Clydesdales, 'Scotty' and 'Patrick'. You can't see it in this cropped picture but they're pulling a log up the hill. My cousin painted this from a newspaper clipping. People are fascinated with horses, especially when they're at work. A newspaper photographer arrived on the scene of one of our projects and wanted a shot of the horses coming up the hillside. My husband told him he'd have to act quickly as once the horses feel the load and know they have a hill to climb, they run and they run fast. Needless to say the poor photographer fell over jumping out of their path but he got his photo!

Sadly, horse logging had to give way to more conventional methods, the team was sold and we no longer have horses but I miss these gentle giants. When we unloaded our first team of draft horses my husband and I wondered what on earth we'd gotten ourselves into. They were huge. Over time we learned that their size didn't make them bullies and we marvelled at how careful they were around us and how much affection they could give and receive. We were quite unprepared for their unique personalities and the close bond we formed with them.

Now we have no horses, we have no cows, we have no chickens. The property we live on is only a 5-acre piece of land that is mostly wooded with a small area carved out for our home and a bit of a yard and a garden. I miss our farm days a lot. It's much easier to live the way we live now, especially since our business takes up so much of our time, but my husband and I both dream of one day, one day.......back to the farm life again.

My intention is to post new material every Monday morning. Let me know how I do!