Putting 2021 Behind Me

Happy New Year! I am one of the people who is welcoming in 2022 with hope for a better year ahead. But before we go ahead, I left you rather suddenly in June and have some explaining to do.

When I first moved and started the blog, my intention had been to share my joy and love for Nova Scotia and a simpler, happier farming life. I know that sounds crazy, farming is never simple! But I still feel this life is simpler and makes me happier than anything I could be doing in Ontario (with the exception of spending time with my son and family).

That being said, last year was miserable. I felt like I just kept taking hit after hit and rather than feel joy, I was in survival mode. Why?

Death is part of farming but geez…

We lost 5 baby bunnies, one who was stillborn after hours and hours of trying to help mom deliver.

We lost 2 ducks to Dixie, 1 to a natural death, 2 to a fox and 2 to a raccoon.

Using my exciting new incubator, I hatched 26 chicks to add to my flock of 20. Today I have 25 chickens in the coop. Do the math, that means I lost 21 chickens between natural causes, rats and fox attacks. 

With the increase in foxes and rodents, we increased our barn presence with more cats. We adopted two feral barn cats. One decided he liked the church next door better (although he does still come frequent our barn) and one was killed by a car. 

We also lost our beloved Dixie when she too was hit by a car. This destroyed me. I cannot express how devastated we were by her loss. So joyful and energetic one second then lifeless, gone the next second. 

I spend months figuring out how to create a pig enclosure only to have the fence charger not be strong enough and they break out and churn up the back yard. I upgrade the charger which works well until the battery dies. Turns out I was sold the wrong type of battery. Replace the battery but the pigs now know it only hurts for a sec to cross the wire so they break out, churn up more of the back yard and cross the brook at low tide ensuring they could not return again that day as the tide rose. Another month later, and another fence concept. I have spent 9 months (so far) attempting to keep my pigs safe and secure.

I got pasturella multocida from my “vicious” cat and was out of commission for a week. 

Outside the farm, my job was so insecure and ambiguous for months that the low underlying level of stress became unbearable. The YMCA closed due to COVID in April, then we lost our building, we attempted to limp along (short staffed which often required working long days) until we could find new direction. But in the end, on December 10th, I lost my job as the Y closed its fitness doors and reduced to one senior staff trying to build a presence in childcare.

I spent 6 months in the small claims court system having been sued by a previous friend. 

My oil tank was sabotaged, oil stolen and replaced with water. 

Then there are all the day to day small stresses involved when you have children and vehicles and friends and a house.

The list goes on. I was tired. I was not joyous. 

I have complained, and explained, and now it’s time to move forward. See you next week with gratitude and the following week with plans❤️