Ellen's Farm Life

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." ~ Maya Angelou It is never easy to share the downside of life on the Internet. More often than not, we tend to share only the funny, the happy, the exciting, and the beautiful parts of our lives, while keeping the sadness, the pain, the loss, and all the dark parts hidden away in corners and under rugs. This detracts from the realities of our lives, and unfortunately, I find myself guilty of doing this. The stories I am sharing below are ones that have lingered long in my heart and sometimes caused me restless nights. By telling them, I hope to let go of the burden of holding them in me for so long. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In March 2017, we decided to do farming. We were sure that it couldn't be that hard. We had some experien...

Two years ago, a little buckling was born in May. Two years ago, he tried a jumping stunt when he was only three days old and his little legs got stuck in the hay feeder. He went into hypoglycemic shock and his body temperature dropped, rendering him unable to nurse from either bottle or mother. To be fair, Pretty Heart was a very young goat, so she was not as patient as she might have been had she been a more experienced nanny. As soon as she realized that her kid was "different", she wouldn't allow us to help him nurse and she kept stamping her foot. She also kept bleating like she lost a loved one, which was very emotionally disturbing for us seeing that we were barely managing to keep our tears at bay. Pretty Heart (on the left) with her sister Giselle If you remember, the spring of 2017 was very cold and very wet. When we saw that we were not getting anywhere with Pretty Heart, we decided to take the kid to the house where it was warmer. Two years ag...

Our farm is situated in the south-eastern part of Ontario. It is the first and only farm I've ever lived on, and believe it or not, I am, relatively, a novice farmer. (That's what makes almost everything so hilarious and heart-touching at the same time.) Our farm consists of rolling hills and patches of forest, and in front of the lovely and quaint farmhouse, across the road, are the barn and sheds.  The gently sloping hills are a winter-time favourite with everyone as they are perfect for tobogganing, sledding, or simply sliding. I like them through all the seasons, for they are dotted with trees, providing a suitable place from where one can spy, reconnoiter, and watch the world without being seen. The small patches of trees remain unnoticed and uncared for until we start collecting wood for the winter. But the big patch behind the house, the main forest, or bush as some call it, is our special playground. There we can play hide-and-seek or search-for-the-hi...

Here I present the next part of Simba's story. The conversation between the felines is obviously made up; however, I feel that there is some truth in what I imagine must have transpired between Simba and Stripe during their first meeting and later during their time together. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I woke up, the afternoon sun was streaming in. The sound of bugs buzzing and birds singing reached me through the open windows. I yawned, stretched, and rolled over.  Everything was peaceful and quiet. I watched the dust specks floating in the sun for a while. Then I got bored, so I looked around. The fire was out and the humans weren’t nearby. The grey cat wasn’t there either. I felt stronger and slowly, I stood up. My legs wobbled but I didn’t fall down.  I took a few steps. I was on something soft. I walked over to the edge and looked down. Whoa! The ground w...

Now that lambing season is over and I am sure that I will not have any more lambs to look after for at least six months, I can finally sit down and write about my winter babies, the latest lambs I've been looking after and caring for. Don't get me wrong, I love the sheep and I adore the little lambs with all my heart, but after having to personally care for a few of them through winter, I am always pleased when the tiring business is all over and I can thoroughly enjoy my rest. Usually, when a new lamb(s) is born, we separate the ewe with her lamb(s) and then watch for at least half an hour to see how well the lamb(s) is coping in the cold, new world. If it manages to stand on its wee little legs and is able to suckle properly, we leave the mother and baby alone to rest and recuperate. Once the lamb has settled down comfortably, we give it a little boost of selenium to help strengthen its immune system. If the lamb does not show signs of trying to live or t...