Saskatoon (well actually Vanscoy)... We're Back!

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So... we came back to Saskatoon... Why you ask?? Well let me tell you a funny little story. Whilst staying with the fantastic folks in the Gropper House in Saskatoon during the end of October, we ran into, and became friends with an amazing individual named Joule. She had been hanging out at the house a few times and we were grateful to hear her preform some of her original poetry at Lydia's. We got to talking about the future and our interest in sustainable farming. Christian had mentioned to her that he wanted to become a carpenter at some point in his life and that we really wanted some first hand experience dealing with animals and doing some upkeep on a farm. And wouldn't you know it, Joule was looking for someone to farm sit her place so that she could visit her brother in South America. What a circumstance we were in, no where to go and an opportunity to live on a self sustaining farm for a month. So of course Christian and I accepted and so, when we finished our tour of Alberta we were on our way back to Saskatoon for round two. And I will tell you this, it did not take long to fall in love with this place at all. The beautiful little farm, its scenery and wide open skies just blow you away. We stayed with Joule for two weeks while she showed us the ropes of how to run her little farm and then we were on our own for a whole month. Basically our jobs were to keep the animals (she has three cows, five horses and 5 chickens) safe and fed, and Christian volunteered to fix up some things on the farm that Joule hadn't got around to. For instance while on the farm, Christian replaced the carpet in the outdoor porch with some laminate flooring, he did some electrical wiring to send power to the tack shed right next to the hay bails so we could have some light while we fed the animals at night, he patched some holes in the barn where the cows are milked, he built a manger for the cows to feed from and he and I both worked on building a coat hanger made of antlers off a deer that Joule had shot herself earlier in the fall. Just before Joule had left for Mexico, we thought that while we were just outside the city it might be a good idea to get a job to make back some of the money that we spent on our awesome road trip so far. So, after applying all over town I got an amazing waitressing job at one of the fanciest restaurants in town called Mano's, and I absolutely love it!! The only draw back with me having a part time job was that Christian had to stay on the Farm all day to feed the animals by himself, so he got a little shack wacky by the end of the month after being by himself for so long, but he got through it unscathed. This whole experience was a real eye opener into the world of owning live stock and what it takes to keep them. But the most rewarding thing was the relationship we built with the animals and the respect part of the relationship that most people just kind of ignore. When you buy your meat at the grocery store you tend not to feel anything for the animal you are eating, but here after seeing what goes into the process and eating a whole whack of grass fed, sustainable farm fresh beef and eggs, you really gain that respect for the animal and what it gives you. If you treat it well and nurture the animal, it will nurture your body as well, complete reciprocation of respect. Oh P.S. BUY LOCAL!!! It was a fantastic experience, one that was well worth a return to this great city, and Christian and I are really falling in love with Saskatoon and it's people, who knows we might just stay here for a while!

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