Manic Organic Farm

Farm work doesn’t make you stronger. It doesn’t make you anything. It reveals you. There’s gym strong and then there’s farm strong. They’re mutually exclusive.... The toughest women you’ll ever meet spend their days on a farm. There are more uses for twine than you can possibly imagine. You can tie up a hole in a slow feeder, fashion a tail strap for a horse’s blanket, mend a broken fence and use it as a belt. Well that certainly didn’t go as planned, is one thing you’ll say quite a bit. Control is a mere illusion. The thought that you have any, at any given time, is utterly false. Sometimes sleep is a luxury. So are lunch and dinner. And brushing your hair. If you’ve never felt your obliques contract, then you’ve never tried stopping an overly full wheelbarrow of horse manure from tipping over sideways. Trust me, you’ll find muscles that you never knew existed on the human skeleton to prevent this from happening. When one of the animals is ill, you’ll go to heroic lengths to minimize their discomfort. Their needs come first. In summer heat and coldest winter days. Clean water, clean bed, and plenty of feed. Before you have your first meal, they all eat. When you lose one of them, even though you know that day is inevitable, you still feel sadness, angst and emotional pain from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. And it’s a heaviness that lingers even though you must regroup and press on. You’ll cry a lot. But you’ll never live more fully. You’ll remain present no matter what because you must. There is no other option. You’ll ask for so many miracles and hold out hope until the very last. You will, at least once, face-plant in the manure pile. You’ll find yourself saying things like, we have maybe twenty minutes of daylight left to git ‘er done whilst gazing up at a nonspecific place in the sky. You’ll become weirdly obsessive about the weather. You’ll go out in public wearing filthy clothes and smelling of dirt, sweat and poop. People will look at you sideways and krinkle their noses but you won’t care. Your entire day can derail within ten seconds of the rising sun. You can wash your coveralls. They won’t look any cleaner, but they will smell much nicer. Farm work is difficult in its simplicity. You’ll always notice just how beautiful sunrises and sunsets really are. Should you ever have the opportunity to work on a farm, take the chance! You will never do anything more satisfying in your entire life. Well, that about sums it up, folks! - author unknown

This is why I love this town - well, this... and so many more.... But This.. THIS.. is our downtown. Photo Credit to : Evan Young

NOC Needs a home!!! N.O.C - Stands for 'not our cat'. NOC has had a few lives already. He came to us as a stray, underweight and injured. I was able to gain his trust, examine his injuries (what looked like a bee bee hole in his side) treat and get to know him. He's the sweetest kitty, and affectionate in spades. I got him neutered and he quit spraying, then became best buds with our dog, Fergus and was now a barn cat. Coming and going as he pleased during the day - shut up i...n a cozy barn at night with plenty of food and water. Then NOC disappeared for a few days. Came back with a shoulder injury and was not wanting me to touch him. I kept him in, and fed and allowed him to heal. His convalescence is done, but I'm not confident he could safely be out in the woods hunting during the day as his movement is different, and he's gotten a wee bit chubby (my bad) NOC needs an inside home - not a barn, now. He is now litter trained, good with all animals that are good with him, and really a lovely boy about 2 1/2 years old. I have recently found out I'm very allergic to cats, so am looking for a loving home for both our cats. I'll write another post about Monkey (sweet cuddly ruthless mouser) See more

Started getting seed catalogues already... and thought y'all might want to find some good open pollinated, heirloom sources. Here ya go! Some of these are USA owned, others Canadian

A little moment at the top of the hill, looking at all the colour. It's not quite as vivid in the video as it is in person, so you'll just have to stop by to see ;)

So there have been some changes around here as I spend more of my time at the restaurant. It's set to open, hopefully, the weekend of Thanksgiving! I've had my head down for a while... and am missing you all. C'mon by to say "Hi" when "On The Boardwalk Café & Wine opens. I'd sure love to see you!

Spot the Organic Farm

My favourite spot. I can see everything from here.

On a beautiful day, taking a break in the breeze at the top of the hill. My God, I love this place!

From the top of our hill, in the middle of the property, looking toward the barn. I'll have to take a photo looking the other way today... I always forget that one.

Our pond is gonna get loud! Already we are hearing the frog song all night long. Maybe we should move the pond further from the house?

First two lambs born at Manic Organic Farm. Mama and baby girls both doing beautifully!

*Notice to our egg customers* I regret to inform you that we will no longer be delivering eggs. Recent events have moved us into a more simplified way of living and we are having to rehome all our animals. If you know someone who would like top quality animals, please pass on our information and thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for your business.

Sunny and Shade are about to be parents!! Vet confirmed both ewes are pregnant, and we'll be watching for lambs the first week of April! So excited to see these babies!! Well done Winston! (daddy ram)

I've used cattle panels for our climbing grape vines for years, but there are really good options here!

Gotta find some good recipes for ornaments. I'm concerned about the string that holds them on. Maybe some alternatives??

Okay... so... yum.

Welcome winter! The shorter days effect our chickens and their laying habits. Today's delivery will be the last one of 2019! We'll resume delivery the first week of February. Thank you to all our egg customers, and we hope you have the warmest and happiest holiday season! May peace find you, and joy be abundant! Until next year, my friends!!

Busy morning around here!

Preserving lemons for future Moroccan specialties. Does anyone else do this for winter stews?

Two of our Roos. Flash Gordon and Ripped (Rip for short). Aren’t they Handsome?!

Looking to find a farm similar to ours around Calgary to visit!! We'll be there in December and would love to meet other small farmers! Please share this post far and wide to help us get acquainted!!

This new trio of bourbon red turkeys are looking a little dog eared after their trip here. I’ll take another photo in a few weeks to show you how they settle in to their new life at Manic Organic. This gentle inquisitive breed is my absolute favourite and native to the Appalachian mountains. Welcome home, birdies! Welcome home!

"Knock one more time and I swear..."

Our new Ram!! I’m in love. ( I think the girls will be too)

Sunny and Shade have been with us for a year now, and are about a year and a half old. I found them a mate this week....Oh what beautiful babies they'll make!!! Stay tuned for photos of our new RAM!! He's so dreamy!!

Egg delivery resuming this afternoon!! And by the looks of it, these chickens are happy to have some cooler weather!

Brought in a few beauties that were getting caught in their supports

Ours almost always wait for a car to drive on the road before they decide they’d like to cross it

Haying is a great way to pick up guys. . This one is pretty cute.

Finally getting to the first fleece!

Alberta may not be selling out of them as fast as we do, I’m guessing... but maybe they do? I think their price more accurately represents the effort to collect, tho

This is Sheila, a Golden Laced Wyandotte. Her egg is beige, and blandly average on the outside, unlike Sheila. She is feisty and opinionated and you’d better ‘NOT’ put your hand in the nest box if she’s in there! Nope, nothing mediocre about Sheila.

This is Della-ray(of sunshine). She lays this Dark egg. And hates getting her photo taken!

Before and after of our girls. All suited up for summer(or is that un-suited?)

Oh! This looks familiar! Anybody know where I can see this movie?

I know they drive people nuts... but I love dandelions. They are so cheerful