No matter how you choose to celebrate Canada Day, one thing’s for sure—Canada might not be perfect, but there’s still so much to be thankful for. Elbows up!
After a full day of work for Addy (because the farm doesn’t stop), we headed to the village park to celebrate with friends. We shared drinks, laughs, and good company while waiting for the fireworks to begin. We arrived “early” to snag a picnic table—huge shoutout to Constance for being on time and bringing the bug spray! (Naturally, we were late to our own meet-up… but not for the fireworks)
The village had the display set up behind the fire hall, and it was genuinely spectacular—almost eight full minutes of colourful bursts lighting up the night sky. What a fantastic way for our little community to mark another year of being Canadian!
We had a bit of a scramble this week—an unexpected hay emergency! With eight hungry goat kids growing fast, our hay supply dwindled quicker than usual… and we hadn’t kept close enough track. When we realized we were nearly out, we started making calls—only to find out no one had hay available! All the rain lately meant local farmers hadn’t been able to cut and dry their fields for baling.
We reached out to every contact we’d bought from before, but the story was the same across the board: nothing until the weather cleared. In a final hopeful move, Mandy contacted Alan, one of the first farmers we ever bought hay from—and by pure luck, he had one round bale left. It wasn’t top-tier, but it was hay, and we needed it. It cost $45, which felt reasonable… as this was one massive round bale!
Alan expertly loaded it into our truck bed with his tractor, and back home, unloading it into the Quonset hut was a whole adventure in itself. Let’s just say it involved strategy, teamwork, and a bit of muscle. But the goats are happy, and we learned to keep a closer eye on the feed stash!
After a week of dry weather, we finally struck hay gold—and at a great deal too! The only catch? We had to pick it up from the field ourselves… something Addy probably should have asked a few more questions about before heading out. Let’s just say, it turned into quite the adventure!
The field was off a highway, then down a steep riverbank, partway through a forest, across tall grass on a bumpy, tractor-made “road”… and over a very questionable land bridge. We weren’t even sure if the road was wide enough for our truck the whole way—or if we were headed in the right direction at all. There were a few tense moments wondering if we’d have to reverse the entire route!
Finally, after a tight turn, we spotted the field—huge hay wagons loaded with fresh bales, and two farmers troubleshooting a baler across the field. This was our first field pickup, so we weren’t sure if we were supposed to just start loading or wait. After about 20 minutes, one of the farmers came over, climbed into the wagon, and started tossing down bales for us.
We loaded up our 30 bales, tied them down, paid the guy, and made the short haul home. It felt really good to have hay stacked again—enough to keep the herd happy for the next 4–6 weeks!
That weekend, our poor Bucky just wasn’t himself. His ears and tail were down, he didn’t want to jump or take the stairs, and he even turned down treats—which is so unlike him. We kept an eye on him and, by Monday, reached out to our vet to share our concerns. Thankfully, they were able to fit us in for an appointment on Wednesday. It wasn’t considered an emergency since he was still eating, drinking, and doing his business as usual.
At the appointment, the vet did a thorough check and determined that Bucky had likely strained or injured the muscles in his back. He was prescribed an anti-inflammatory pain medication and a round of antibiotics, as his temperature was slightly elevated.
It took a little longer than expected, but we’re so relieved to say that Bucky is back to his usual hyper, happy self. Seeing his tail wag again and watching him bounce around like normal has been the best medicine for us too.
It’s officially gardening season, and we are in full swing! Like most things on the homestead, each year looks a little different—and that’s just the nature of gardening. We’ve had some wins to celebrate and, of course, a few challenges to face head-on.
One of our biggest battles this year has been with a cucumber beetle infestation. They first went after our cucumber plants, and just as we were getting a handle on that, they set their sights on our squash—and even one of our sunflowers! It’s been disheartening, but we’re treating the issue as often as we can and trying a few different natural remedies to keep the damage at bay. Fingers crossed something starts to work soon!
We’ve already had to replant the cucumbers, basil, and dill—fingers crossed there’s still enough time in the season to get a harvest. We’re especially hoping for a good cucumber and dill crop because we need both for one of our favorite summer recipes… homemade relish!
Garden Wins: Despite the ongoing battle with pests, there’s still so much to celebrate in the garden! Our fig trees are showing signs of growth. While we’re not sure they’ll bear fruit this year, it’s incredibly gratifying just to see them alive. The Egyptian walking onions and sunchokes have overwintered beautifully and are absolutely thriving—no surprise there, as they seem perfectly at home here. Most of our herbs are flourishing too, especially the borage gifted to us by a fellow market vendor—it’s really taken off! The strawberry runners are spreading like wildfire, and our grapevines are beginning to show their first signs of fruit. This is technically their third summer, so growing usable grapes would be a first for us—fingers crossed!
The tomatoes are holding strong so far. I’ve been keeping up with pruning any lower leaves that show signs of disease. It’s been such a wet season (not sure we mentioned that yet!), so we’re keeping a close eye out for signs of blight. Hopefully, with a little attention and a bit of sunshine, we’ll still have a good haul. Through all the ups and downs, we’re grateful for these bright spots that keep our spirits high.
One evening, Addy went down to our cold room to grab some onions for dinner—and stumbled upon a surprising discovery. Our potatoes, tucked away in a storage crate, had sprouted what looked like alien tendrils! Clearly, they needed to be planted about two months ago, but better late than never, right? There were so many shoots that Addy sprang into action. He took them outside, grabbed the hoe, and began prepping the raised garden bed we used for potatoes last year. Once that was full, he didn’t stop—he moved on to an in-ground spot previously used for beans. He wanted to experiment, so he dug a large trench, planted the remaining seed potatoes, and covered them up. Now it’s a wait-and-see game: whatever grows, grows! Here’s hoping for a bonus potato harvest.
Thank you so much for sticking with us through this latest update! From late potato plantings and garden victories to the everyday adventures on the homestead, we truly appreciate you following along with our journey. Your support means the world to us as we navigate the ups and downs of farm life, learning and growing every step of the way. We can’t wait to share more progress and stories with you soon—here’s to a fruitful season ahead!