We found ourselves looking for a place to stay, and I really mean to STAY.
Connection, a word that has a lot of meaning. But I mean it in a very simple primal way. Maybe the way our ancestors felt it, maybe they were more than just individuals..maybe they were part of a place? I wanted a place, I needed a place. I had been dreaming for along time and eventually I did the work to make that dream come true, or at least to get the dream started. This may sound a bit romantic, but to me it has been exactly that!
Where do I start... Let me talk a bit about the place, to give you a sense of how I feel when I'm there. This is not a guide on how to find the right piece of land (I'l do a post on that in the future), this is more about the place and her character.
Looking for land was fun, we spent just over a year checking places out. We saw the good, the bad and the ugly. We wanted a place with lots of nature, we wanted grassland and forest. Our realtor friend had been emailing us listings that fit the description of what we were looking for. When our future piece of land showed Gen knew right away that it could potentially be the place we had been searching for. The satellite image alone was enough to get us excited. It was within our budget and within an hour of Saskatoon! We left the city and drove out with our realtor.. and the rest is history...
What really attracted me at first was the aspen wilderness with its wet and dry areas, each acre telling a different story. Some areas where trees were bigger than I had seen before, with willow, dogwood and maple. Other areas with sandy soil, berry bushes and wild herbs. I knew a wild place like this would have a lot to teach me, and was I ever right!
Not only was it wild but our place has a good 30 acres of pasture and trails established from long in the past, we are still trying to piece together her history from tales by the neighbours and local. A half kilometre trail runs through the forest to a small pasture for which we have no clue what the intent could have been, but it a gorgeous trail to walk and talk with friends. There is history of previous owners using the land for moose and deer hunting which may explain the clearings. The lowest corner of the property has a very old well and pump, presumable to water cattle/horses way in the past (the well gave us some really good info on water table and quality). After some time spent exploring we have found many more signs of human use, although no proof of permanent settlement.
I really enjoy having friends out to help out around the farm, but to be honest my favourite time is when I take them exploring. My backyard shows me something new every time I enter the treeline...I have even been know to get us lost on occasion. We spend our free time finding new plants and fungi, we get lucky and see our moose friends and get followed along by the friendly chickadees. I don't feel like I own a place, I feel like I'm becoming part of a place. Sometimes that means giving the big animals space and respecting natures way of doing things.
I always liked Fridays way too much growing up, the day of the week when I either got to get away to the lake or head to dads acreage after school was over. As an adult I have once again found that feeling, I spend all week planning and organising in anticipation of getting back out to my place. I am working hard to make some changes, those changes involve me spending more time there and eventually spending all my time there. Yes I want a homestead, yes I want a home and some gardens.. but most of all I want this special place to teach me how to be more wild and awake. I find tremendous value in her wildness.
Rain or shine, its a good place to be and that is my plan. Iv got a lifetime of learning and I now have the place to apply my knowledge.
A place to be.
Cass