November 14th, 2011.

Our lives seem to be entwined with many anniversaries in each year. Birthdays, weddings, loosing someone close to you, just to mention a few. This past year has been a big year for anniversaries in my life, some of them have brought back good memories, ones that bring along a smile, and then there were others. Today, however, is another anniversary for me.

It’s a year ago today since I moved from my farm at Edrans and then traveled the 250 kilometers westward to my new place at Manson. When I think back over that time, there were many memories that I had the opportunity to take with me. Then there are also those memories that I would rather have left behind. Some of the good memories are perhaps rekindled by an old photo in an album. Others were much more significant, like the place in the yard where Katherine used to hitch her 5 dogs to her sled. Perhaps the shed that we all, as a family, built over the Christmas holiday. The hitching rail where horses were tethered or the scarred tree I ran into with my new hydro swing mower conditioner when I pulled the wrong hydraulic lever. Or there was the sunroom we built and where I enjoyed every day of the year, whether it was a beautiful spring day when the garden was coming alive, or a blustery winter’s storm when I would sit in warmth and comfort and watch as the garden disappeared in a deep coating of fresh white snow. Yes, we leave behind many memories. Hopefully these past memories can be buoyed by the hopes of a new start, and in this case, my new beginning.

It was a busy time, preparing for the move. The monumental task involved with moving a farm business and then the preparation for the new place. The work in a move, such as this, is increased many fold when taking along truckloads of farm equipment, tools, and of course, a yard full of livestock. My sheep, some of my cows, my chore horse Tim and my dogs all came along for my new start. All of my kids gave a hand but mostly Ceri and Darren, who I will never be able to repay for their time and support.

In the preparation for the sale of the farm, sheds were tinned, others cleaned up and the yard was “beautified”. The farm sold and so we moved into the next stage, the move.

In readiness for my move, my time was exhausted by all the tasks that were cast in my direction in the sales contract. There was little time to consider the memories that surrounded me. Rather, I was completely absorbed in the short timeline I had been given to ready the place for the new people. Corals had to be completely cleaned out, barns forked out and swept, the beavers had to be driven from the property and most significant was the task of digging an eight foot deep trench and moving the septic pump-out some 300 feet to the Northeast. There were several other demands written into the contract but as you can imagine, the work of packing up all of my belongings was even more significant. Around the farm there were the usual considerations as well. My spring born calves had to be taken to the fall feeder sales, fat lambs had to be trucked to Brandon, my commercial cows were sold and removed from the farm and amidst this turmoil, I advertised my usual offering of ram lambs. On an almost daily routine, shepherds turned up for their new ram for their flock. There were also over 500 round bales of hay to sell and then load, straw to bale and stack, lawyers to visit, 3 of these fellows in fact, and all this in 18 days. With the help of Ceri and Darren, plus the efforts of many neighbors and friends, we made ready for the move.

I remember the day of the move. It was a cold and aggressive day as we readied the stock for the trailers that were soon to arrive. A cold driving wind brought along a mixture of freezing rain and snow. We watched the forecast and the road conditions on the internet. There was no stopping us anyhow, the whole proceedings were already in motion, it was just being prepared for the unknown that caught our attention.

My friend Gary turned up first, just as I had finished sorting the ewes and lambs. I had organized each trailer for one specific task and Gary’s trailer was to take the ewes, as many as he could fit in. I loaded my trailer with my remaining lambs and my dogs. The larger ground load trailer, with Tony Atkinson, was scheduled to take my 15 Angus cows and my remaining ewes. Everything worked out fine and before long we were able to start off. Ceri and Darren followed with a trailer full of workshop tools and machinery and then another trailer, a borrowed enclosed trailer, with my remaining household possessions. Another neighbor, Ted, drove my car.

By the time we arrived at the new farm the light of the winter’s afternoon was getting dim. The stock was dropped off into their new but dilapidated corrals. The sheep went into the hip roof barn. Tim went somewhere, but I can’t remember where. In the dark, Gary and Ted tied up gates and fences, enough so to keep everything under control until I could get a more permanent fix the next morning.

I think I was the first one to get stuck, or perhaps it was Tony with his semi and ground load. Whoever it was, it was a miserable evening to be standing around trying to work out what to do next. A neighbor was found to give us each a pull but a couple of hours had been lost and Tony was keen to get under way. It turned out to be an immediate way to meet some of the neighbors and for them to find out that someone was moving into Penguin’s place.

For the next couple of week I stayed with Ceri and Darren while I worked away at making my new place liveable for both my animals and also for myself. I also had 1500 square bales to start hauling and some of my farm equipment as well. All of this from the old farm at Edrans, a round trip of 500 kms. Much of the farm machinery had to wait until the following spring to be moved but my tractor and snowblower were of immediate consideration. And so the task began.

It was one of the most miserable winters that I can remember and when I think back on this whole process I am amazed at it all. The calculations of miles traveled back and forth to Edrans, a round trip of 500 kms, would have been hopelessly discouraging. Fortunately I hadn’t seriously considered this, and subconsciously I decided to “grin and bear it”, put my head down and just keep going. Even today, I still have about 3 more trips to make before I will have completed the move. As for miles traveled, I worked out some months ago, that if I had left Vancouver and traveled east to Halifax, then turned around and started back again, I would right now be back to Calgary. By the time the task will have been completed, I will have reached Vancouver and be another 500 kms further on. So, close to 10,000 kms altogether.

As the snow started setting in for the winter months it became obvious that I would soon need both my tractor and the 3 point hitch snow blower. I also needed the tractor and loader for the round bales of hay that I was buying locally so that I could feed the cows. The trailer I had bought was rated for 4 tons, and so absolutely maximum limit for my tractor and loader. I was looking for an alternative way to get the load here safely. ….. As I started to make my trips to Edrans for the small square bales of 2nd cut hay I was continually needing to find a neighbor to drive down and clear out the laneway. I hated bothering everyone! One morning I phoned my neighbor Ralph to see whether the roads were bad and the laneway snowed in again. Mildred answered the phone. “Ralph and Ted are down at your place right now”, she said. “Oh”, I queried, “what are they doing”? (Bearing in mind that these two fellas have both been collecting their pensions for well over a decade, nearly 2 decades for Ralph. “They’re going to load your tractor onto Gordon’s trailer”. I was curious. “What are the roads like”, I asked. “Not good” replied Mildred. “It snowed again last night and it’s a miserable day out there”. I asked then, “What are they going to do once they’ve loaded the tractor and all? It’s not that good a day to be driving all this way, surely”. “You’ll have to talk to Ralph when he gets in”, said Mildred. ….. A short time later they were on their way and just before nightfall they arrived in my yard, all in one piece. ………. I hope you’ve all got neighbors like Ralph and Ted. Their generosity humbles a person, plain and simple!

Gradually the winter grudgingly passed bye. My cows started calving in late February, in frigid temperatures. I noted when one calf was born that it was –35 Celsius outside and a frigid -11 in the barn. I had some early lambs at the start of January and I wasn't prepared at all. Most of the ewes began lambing later in April and shortly afterwards survived one of the worst spring storms on record, on May 1st.  A Colorado low that wiped out thousands of calves in our area, with some ranchers loosing 100 or more during that 24 hour period.

By the spring I was slowly sorting out the mess I had inherited here, making use of the sheds and barn to complete both my calving and then my lambing. Many of the bones from the skeletons in the horse barn ended up scattered around the yard, thanks to the 2 young Border Collie pups I had here for the winter. Some of these bones, from the inherited cow skeletons (from many years earlier), would get jammed in the doorway as the pup would be dashing out of the barn, only to stop dead when the bone would meet the door and the door frame. The pups created some life, and some smiles, for me during the deep winter weather.

And so I look back at these anniversaries. What comes mostly to mind is that I am so thankful for the help from my kids, my son in law Darren and also my friends during the autumn months of 2010. I remember their huge support. I also look at how far this place has come ahead in the past 12 months and I shudder at the optimism I had when I first looked at this farm in August of last year. I remember how overwhelmed I felt during that first winter, surrounded by the huge task at hand.  ...........  Now, at last, I can say that I am glad to be here.

Photos of the Move

The yard was always an inspiring place for us. The different seasons, like anywhere you live, holds it's own special colors. I took this in September as we waited to sell the farm

Early August. We had planned on all sorts of projects in the years that led up to last fall. Preparing the farm  for sale encouraged us greatly. Here Darren and Ceri finish off the final end of the machine shed in temperatures in the 30 degree celcius range. It was hot!

The finished shed ready for the sales advert.

Even the garage and the feed shed had a new look. Tin for the garage and red paint for the shed

The start of the 300 foot long, 8 foot deep, trench that had to be dug for the new septic pump out. It was the wrong time of the year to be doing this but it was in the contract and Ted was kind enough to offer his help.

My neighbor Ted at the controls. In our area Ted was one of the most generous people. He and Ralph gave me a huge helping hand in getting ready for my move.

Just when we had enough to think about, and do, we had a new litter of Berkshire piglets to think about.

I moved too many bales to remember, 130 to a load, and then driven to my new place, 250 some kms westward. Here my son in law Ron gave me a hand making a load on my trailer.

Darren helping with another load. As if he hadn't already done enough to help me!

My '49 ford grain truck, on my trailer, as Darren drove it westward.

The morning after the storm, on May 1st. This was the storm that wiped out hundreds, thousands, of calves. They call them a calf killer storm. This was taken from my sitting room window. The huge wind can't be appreciated here. That's my calf creep tipped over on its roof. All the roads were closed and so I couldn't get out to check the calving pastures.