So here we are in a beautiful place, surrounded by wonderful Neighbors, doing what we do. We wander, we Farm, we Garden! In the past 3 years since we moved out here with nothing but a couple of garbage bags of clothes, our work tools and Starship Delilah our beloved Adventure mobile... Things have changed. We made the best out of our situation, and we found ourselves surrounded in abundance despite the fact that we have never been financially endowed.
The riches that we have acquired are worth so much more to us than money ever could be. We have gained access to land that we do not own to keep animals and big Gardens. We had the opportunity to experiment and learn about various crops we could grow in our area. We have been trusted to harvest crops for our neighbours and share the abundance with our community. And that's the most magical part... Our community!
We moved here in the middle of winter, January 2017. Shortly thereafter we were hit with a heavy ice storm that knocked out power and made it impossible for us to drive off of our road. I packed a small bag of snacks and my camera gear and went for a walk up the road. That day I met many of our neighbours. Had wonderful conversations with the elders on our road, was introduced to Leonard's woodshop, an old man Jack's epic junk pile. I met some cute dogs and their owners, said hello to the horses, and took beautiful photos of the birds and the scenery. By the end of my walk, this place felt like home.
Our first year here, our focus was very inward. We put most of our energy into our little garden, and we were able to grow enough produce to share with anyone and everyone that stopped by. Our second year we collected animals that needed rescuing from various situations, and we had ourselves a hobby farm! This year, our third year we were able to expand over neighbouring properties. We have been so blessed to be a part of a community that has wanted nothing more for us than to see us succeed.
And now, we have to move! When we first found out that our landlord is deciding to sell, we started preparing by moving the majority of our equipment and garden to the five-acre farm up the road. We borrowed the truck to park our 5th wheel trailer in the field, started fixing up the old barn to house the pigs, and knocked down the rotted old roof off the back in preparation to build a chicken coop. We had no idea at the time that we were about to be asked to move off of this property as well.
When our landlord first gave us notice, he had given us until mid September via a completely illegal eviction. A week later, the property owner of the five acres decided after 15 years of renting to a friend that they would like that property back. They had given us until October 1st. With thirty some odd animals, a pig about to give birth, and winter coming... this was all too soon.
We spent another week cycling through panic and exhaustion as we struggled for a plan. We took to social media to find us a new field and home. Much to our surprise, we had several offers. After careful deliberation, we chose our future plot. Rich in all resources, but one major thing remains... where us humans will call home.
Thankfully, both land owners have given us grace. I'm not sure how that worked out exactly, but I'm grateful. Come early spring, we will be vacating both farms. I'll miss the view, and our neighbours too, but the time for change has come.. every five years. It's been five years to the day since I woke up in BC after a 3 day bus ride west. It's almost unfathomable how far I've come since then. Given everything I've made it though to get where I'm at today, I suppose I can handle a little bit of life in limbo. Let the adventures begin.. again!
