Giving Thanks

Well I had promised a weekly entry but I'm afraid it's been a few weeks since our first entry already. Farm life - the definition of hectic. Make no mistake, this is most certainly not a complaint by any means! The busier we are, the more that is falling into place - and right now, with almost no time left before winter, it's crucial that we complete as many of our goals as possible.

So on the fifth of September I sold all of my German Shepherd pups from Jake and Nala's litter, which was a huge breath of relief when it happened as quickly and easily as it all did! Then on the twelfth of September Dave and I drove down to Calgary to see a trailer that we came to understand was tall enough to haul our Shires when necessary - especially for the trip home this weekend from Manitoba with our three newest Shires, Amy, Marjorie and Goliath.

We were distraught and a little unsettled to discover that the measurements we asked for were given to us incorrectly, based on the seller assuming they were to measure the trailer from the outside rather than the inside. We nearly turned down the purchase but then decided to proceed anyway, and review our options on the drive home. If all else failed, we would simply re-list the trailer and sell it for what we paid for it.

By the time we got home we made the decision instead to hire a local welder to help us rebuild the top of the horse trailer one foot taller - and luckily enough, the cost was within our maximum threshold of expenses for our original budget. (In case you don't know me that well, or were able to guess by now, I am an artist with numbers, and budgeting is a specialty - if there's anything I am good at, it is making money from thin air, and finding spare pennies in every corner of my life and budget - it's a skill I am proud of and extremely grateful to have - it has saved myself, and our entire farm, several different times.)

It sounds like the welding job is nearly complete and we will have our new horse trailer back home just in time for our trip to Manitoba, thank goodness.

We also sold my trusty half ton pickup to a young man locally, who showed as much interest and pride in it as when I first bought it, so I am even more glad and happy to see my truck go somewhere it will be loved and appreciated as much as it was here. This came with the decision to buy a new truck for the farm and for the sake of reliability, warranty, and safety for us and our babies. There's only three months left to go until a new Bombay joins us on the farm.

We've had the new diesel a month now, and we have already accomplished so many different tasks with it that we were unable to before. It's serving to be a very fulfilling decision, and we are proud of it and proud that we have reached this stage in our life to be able to make such a purchase at all.

Rhea Borealis Sophia, our foundation Shire mare, just came home two weeks ago from training followed by several days at the breeder's home to meet the stallion. I'm immensely excited to share the news that we discovered she was successfully impregnated when we took her for her fifteen day ultrasound on Friday. Once Amy and Marjorie are safely home with her, we will have our first three Shire mares, bred for the same time of August 2021 to foal.

Jake and Sophy bred successfully as well, four times between September 12th to the 16th - I expect to see a litter of pups on or around the 14th of November. Last night Elsa was showing signs of wanting to breed as well, but she appeared to change her mind last minute when we allowed Jake to visit her. That's okay - she is close and we can always try again later.

The chickens and cats are all doing well, and our cat Lucky is thriving on the farm despite a recent surgery after a bad accident. He had a terrible habit of picking fights with nasty predators in the area, like ravens, coyotes and foxes, and sadly his last bout with a fox resulted in a highway calamity. He and the fox both got hit, and the fox did not survive, but Lucky did, with a leg broken in three different places. The vet ended up having to amputate his back right leg and now he lives a new life mostly indoors and under close watch by us when we do allow him outside. Although by all appearances, you would almost think he was born without the fourth leg, the way he carries on like it never bothers him.

Dave found us a second field tractor for baling hay and will be bringing that home by the end of the week also - we brought home a second baler that practically fell into our laps just this weekend already. Both items were extremely thrifty purchases that we were not in fact looking for at the time, but the offers were made to us to purchase them at very reasonable prices and we just couldn't turn them away. Next year I have no doubt we will have no problems getting our hay off in time and on our own without having to worry or be hung up waiting for assistance.

Our original diesel truck will also be going up for sale before long - we are hoping to find a trade for a backhoe of equal value, since that is the next bit of equipment we are hoping to secure for our farming operation.

My good friend Madeline has been chatting with me about her hopes to start a farm operation of her own, and she's been drawing inspiration from our experiences and learning curves. It's been nice to have someone to share this with and to know that we can give others the valuable insight they need to successfully launch their own business operations. I'm excited to continue working with her and offering her any knowledge I can to see her make her own dreams come true. She wants to run a large scale cattle operation and she is already off to an excellent start.

Then we have our other good friends, Sam and Paul and their kids temporarily living with us after their decision to return to Alberta from a move they made to Ontario in 2017. It's nice to have them back - especially for me, Sam was one of my best friends and someone I trusted deeply and felt comfortable to be my authentic self around. It's a good feeling to have that back. Paul has been lending Dave a hand around the farm too and what a difference it has made on the farm. I sometimes wonder if I've pulled into the wrong driveway.

So with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I can humbly say we have a million blessings we will be remembering our gratitude for this weekend. From our health, to our family, to our friends and beloved pets and livestock, to our safe and happy home in the country. We are thankful.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for joining us at Borealis Acres.