Beginnings

I have wanted to live it the country for as long as I can remember. In fact, I remember when the thought solidified itself in my mind. I think I was 11 or 12 year old. My family was invited to someones house for dinner. It was on an acreage in the middle of a lot of trees and bush. I remember that it was a log home. I remember the fire in the fireplace. I remember trying snowshoeing for the very first time there.

I don't know who the people were or where this place was located. I do know that it was in Alberta somewhere. What I remember, crystal clear, was the feeling I had when I was there. I hoped some day that I could live in a place such as that. Mom, Dad, can you help me out? Who were these folk and where did they live?

After Paul and I got married and after we had three children in very close succession, I began to feel the twinge again. I wanted to live in the country but I would settle for a small town. We spent countless hours driving with Realtors to find just the right place.
Some places were downright scary. Girls, remember Corrine? With the old man sleeping in the rocker? Yikes. I don't know if it was fear or finances or what, but we remained firmly planted in the city. So what did I do? I decorated my house like a farm house. Geese and the whole bit. :)

When Paul got a new job and we had to move to another city we found a home in a relatively small town about 10 minutes away. Now this was better. Only 4000 people and since we were near the outskirts of the town we could hear coyotes howl at night and could often see the Northern Lights. Girls, remember the first time Dad showed them to us? We were all standing in awe on the front lawn. I will never forget.

After the girls moved out, another job took just the two of us on an adventure of a lifetime, or so we thought. We moved to Peace River, Alberta. We rented the last house on the edge of town overlooking the Mighty Peace River. Deer bedded down in our yard. Just outside our property edge was a sign nailed to a tree that read: Warning: Bear in Area. Oh yes, I was almost home. We hiked the side of the "mountain" every Sunday. We bought a salt lick from Peavy Mart and put it in the unfenced yard. No need for compost as I just ran it out for the deer each night. It was a quiet nature filled life. I still remember the chill that ran up my spine when I heard a wolf pack howling to each other and how it echoed across the river. It remains one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Granddaughters and a job recruiter brought us back to Saskatchewan. Having lived "up north" near the wilderness gave us a taste of the life we wanted so moving back to the city was not on our list of places we wanted to be. After much looking, by Paul, he found us the house we currently live in. It is in a small town of about 900 people and we are steps from the countryside and a short drive from a lovely Provincial Park. The downside is it is on a busy busy highway which connects Saskatoon to Calgary.

And now, we are faced with another move. Hopefully it will be our last. We are going to make this one count. We are looking for a place with trees as far as the eye can see. A place where we can have a huge garden, a few chickens and maybe a goat too. We would like to use solar panels, wind turbines and woodstove heat. And so our quest begins...

(all pictures from google images, but the landscape one really is Peace River.)