On The Farm

In the hopes of encouraging my children to appreciate the privileged life that they lead with running water, an accessible fridge, comfy mattresses and a roof over their head, I took them tent camping. Now I have not been camping since I was a teenager and it has been for a variety of reasons: mostly that I like to have access to my own washroom and a full kitchen to cook in appeals to me. But I thought, for 5 days I can do this! I can teach my children about nature and the natural elements so that they appreciate all that is around them outside, and how much they truly have at home.

So we set off with our newly purchased tent, cook stove and natural lemon oil bug repellent. Once we got to the camp site, late, I then realized why people set up camp early on in the day. I also realized why everyone had advised me to “try the tent out at home” before embarking upon our excursion. After more than a few a few “ughs” of frustration, and a few hours later, my sister and I somehow managed to get the camp set up just before the sun went down. It took a LOT longer than I had originally thought. But that night while sitting around the campfire it all seemed worth it.

With 5 days of sun, hikes in the forest, campfires at night, and three incredible experiences with two does and a young buck within ten feet of us, we headed back for home feeling like our interplay with nature was a huge success. I stopped along the way at a restaurant where someone else cooked, and better yet, someone else cleaned up. We all agreed we’d go home, unpack, all have a good soak and get to bed early.

Upon returning to our farm, my husband’s car was no where in sight so we drove to the back pastures. He was finishing up bailing the hay in the mid field. We said our warm hellos at which point he told us he had lost his cell phone somewhere in the front pasture. I offered to go and look for it and walk the field with my 6 year old son. We then drove up to the front pasture while my hub remained behind and our son and I walked the front pasture while my sister and 4 year old daughter walked around the car to stretch their legs.

Not more than 5 minutes later I hear my husband start up his tractor and screamed my name. I quickly surveyed the landscape trying to figure out what he was warning me of when I spotted IT. A mangy looking coyote was running at full speed heading straight for our son. I screamed “get in the car, run to the car” and ran as fast as my feet could carry me, I ran to intervene between me and my son. I kept yelling “run, run, run to the car”. My son luckily didn’t question and all ran as fast as we could back to the car. Once all in I looked behind and the animal has veered off towards the barn. Fearing that it was now going to attack the horses, I drove the car towards it, horn honking to warn the horses. By this time my husband had driven the ATV up beside my car and was waiving me away, the animal then jumped in front of his ATV and stopped dead in its tracks. It then rolled onto its back.

“It’s a dog”, my husband yelled. He got out of the ATV and walked towards the animal and leaned over it. The dog licked his face and kicked his legs up in the air like a silly puppy. My heart finally stopped pounding. I said a “thank you” silently to my Mom who is somewhere in the heavens. What a scare. What a relief. What a drama.

We took the dog back to the farm house and quickly decided that it had been from a home, had once had a collar, and wasn’t well trained. It also tried to attack the horses so we quickly put it on a leash where it seemed quite comfortable. After calling a few animal shelters, we decided on one that seemed very well versed in strays and took her in. She made it there in one piece (after one successful car escape). Apparently the dog is a Blue Australian Cattle Dog and is a very smart and highly active breed that requires consistent training and discipline: one thing our family is not known for. So we said goodbye to “Dingo” and were assured by the animal services that she would be a prize adoption.

So after our tent trip to the wild we had only to look in our own backyard. That night, the kids appreciated their comfy beds and I had a very heightened appreciation for our lovely little beings that were safe and sound.