I can’t quite believe it, but it has been one full year since I yanked up my roots and moved my carcass north from the big metropolis of Fergus to the western outback of Markdale.
It certainly doesn’t seem that long to me, but the calendar that rests on my computer desk beside me shows plainly that the fact is so.
Things have gone quite nicely here on the farm. The little part Angus premature calf, Candy, that my son rescued last November, which I had the pleasure of bottle-feeding, has done well. My guesstimate is that she now weighs about 600 pounds; not bad for one that started off less than 30.
The three parent-rejected lambs that I bottle-fed to market weight, have long taken that route. The three Berkshire pigs have taken a short trip, introduced to the butcher’s block, and now snuggle, neatly packaged, in our freezer.
The thoroughbred horse, Beauty, solid black in colour, rescued from an underfed situation, is now as beautiful as her name implies. And our recently introduced mini-herd of African Boer meat goats, 12 in number, are doing well, and we hope they will be the nucleus of a herd of several hundred.
The back half of the farm is hilly and it has not been possible to till since the horse-drawn equipment went out of fashion, but it is ideal pasture for goats.
The large pond that we had excavated during the dry period last fall filled well with the spring runoff, and we have had the big backhoe and bulldozer back again to level the now well-drained soil around it.
When I moved up from Fergus, thanks to multiple volunteer help, I was able to bring with me over 400 self-potted trees that I was growing down there. There is roughly an equal number of red osier dogwood, tamarack, white pine and Kentucky blue spruce, all now roughly waist high.
In addition, I had bummed some weeping willow cuttings from a neighbour down there, and she will be happy to know they have rooted well and I now have ten, greater than head-high, weeping willow trees. There is room for all of those trees back around the pond. So it looks like my September and October work is all set out for me.
The building that was especially erected for me to keep my canaries in is a place where I spend a lot of my time.
Although I started late in April to let them nest, I already have well over 30 out of the nest and on their own, with another 20 in the nest. Because of my move, I had cut back to only six breeding pair, but they have done exceptionally well, most now with their third clutch of young, and some sitting on eggs once again. I am extremely happy with them.
Take care, ‘cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-986-4105