Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency characterized by subsistence agriculture, the home preservation of foodstuffs, and the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale.
The past couple of weeks have brought with them the slow down of work for Dan we had both dreaded and known was eventual with the slow in the oil patch here in Alberta. While we have not let it get our hopes down or squash our spirits, we’ve instead taken this time to do some things around the house and farm we’d been putting off.
Dan was able to clear the remaining corner of the cut lines surrounding our property. We now have a full trail completely outlining our one hundred and sixty acres. The path is wide enough to take my little Suzi-Q down and we’ve even made sure it’s wide enough for Randy (yes, with some time and searching, he is fixed and back up and running, thank goodness!).
After a hard mornings work, I decided to surprise Dan with lunch in the bush. I had packed a couple sandwiches, a Thermos of soup and of course a couple beer in the cooler for my hard working man. To my lovely surprise, I arrived on our back cutline to a nice little bonfire roaring and a log seat cut down from the bush. Should we ever find ourselves without home or shelter, I know that with this man in my life, we could survive just about anything, just about anywhere. I better keep this one around!
While sitting enjoying our lunch and the quiet of nature, we had the greatest surprise of all. We had seen tracks in the snow, and some droppings, but our suspicions were confirmed when two moose calves walked out of the bush and began grazing a little farther down the cutline from us. I was ecstatic. I love moose. I think they are such beautiful creatures and I had no idea we had two living right here on our very own property! We decided we would move our trail cam to the spot where we had seen them grazing and see if we could catch them in action, up close and personal. So far, we have been able to capture some great shots of the pair.
It was a day for nature, as we also spotted a Ruffled Grouse in the bush, saw a little herd of does and several rabbits. I love that we have so much nature living right in our own backyard.
So while we work together to make it through these tough times, we are also able to be so thankful for what we have here at home to work with and call our own. Someday, after all the hard work and effort we put into it, we will have a real homestead to call ours and to pass on to future generations of Burches.