July 6, 2023 we moved outside of Herbert, Saskatchewan onto a 40 acre former horse farm. There’s a little blue bungalow we’re occupying and a beautiful mobile home that is, at the moment, a guest house.

The month of July has been a whirlwind.

Let me give you a bit of run down of what’s happened:

Day 1

“There’s only one key, so don’t lose it,” the realtor said, when we took possession. She gave us one key but it doesn’t work for any of the doors on either of the houses. Losing it turned out to be the least of my worries.

While Amazing Grace Movers were unloading our things, it became apparent that the water isn’t drinkable. Despite having passed a test, it’s yellowy and there’s a cloud that dissipates after a few minutes.

In addition to not having any drinkable water, we had no food. The movers wanted to unload much earlier than expected. My plans to grocery shop before going out to the house, were thwarted.

When everything was unloaded, we headed to Swift Current – the nearest city – and stocked up on supplies.

Day 2

We picked up 22 baby chicks from a local lady. I wasn’t even sure where we’d put them but thought I better take the opportunity that had come along.

Raine fixed up a spot for the chicks in a little potting shed. She checked out the chicken coop but it hadn’t been cleaned out and there was a badly decomposed chicken in there.

I turned on the oven to cook one of the many easy frozen offerings I’d bought. There was a minor explosion and the oven stopped working. The stovetop was fine but not the oven. Thankfully, there is a working oven in the mobile. Raine is cooking meals there then bringing them back to our place. There’s a new stove set to arrive August 1st.

Day 3

The taps in the basement shower wouldn’t turn off. It took ages to tighten the screw and get the water off. The toilet isn’t working great. So we really only have one bathroom.

The taps for the laundry leaked. I stuck a bucket underneath to catch the water. (This has somehow fixed itself and is no longer dripping now.)

Also, the tap in the kitchen is missing a small screw. The handle keeps falling off when we turn it on and off.

Branch fell off his bike on one of the big hills down the road. His arm and back are badly cut.

Day 4

We ran out of water. The kids were playing with the hose. I was trying to plant some of the herbs we brought with us from Calgary. There was suddenly no water. The former owners were on the property cleaning out the barns. They weren’t able to get everything done before the closing so they have access to it for a little bit longer. Thankfully they were able to show us how to turn off the well pump, let it rest for an hour, then turn it back on.

Day 5

Athena’s clothes could not be found. She’s wearing Adley’s shorts to go biking.                

Cora ripped the screen door off its hinges. It was being held open at the top. She wanted to close it. The trim and everything hung precariously when she was done. It’s been removed and the trim reattached.

Day 6

Raine found the leg of a deer in the field. There are some dead gophers as well. That isn’t such a tragedy since there is an overabundance in our yard.

Day 10

Raine is bitten by a gopher. The locals say this is impossible. It just never happens. But one got her hand when she was doing something in the chicken’s area.

Day 16

After some pleasant days spend unpacking and enjoying the place, one of the kids flushed paper towels. The toilet clogged but they got it unclogged.

Day 17

Stuff from the toilet is showing up in the basement bathtub.

I call the few septic companies in the area. They can’t send anyone out until September at the earliest.

This is when things get to be too much. The escaping dogs, some children wishing to return to the city, some crying over every bug, managing everyone’s expectations and emtions, even the mice in the garages and elsewhere (which I’m totally afraid of) have been manageable up to this point. Now it all feels like too much. There’s no way I can laugh about this.

I text my sister and a couple of friends asking them to pray for the impossible – that I can get someone out to fix this problem. After that plea for help, I contacted someone I know in the area. She gave me the name of a company that didn’t come up on any of my internet searches. They say they’ll be out on Monday. It’s Saturday afternoon.

We take advantage of the mobile home. The kids shower there. Athena hauls the dirty dishes over to wash them there.

We’re holding out until Monday.

Day 19

The septic guy empties the tank but there’s still a problem. Things are still backing up in the bathtub. There’s a blockage in the pipes which he can’t fix.

The local plumber can’t come until Wednesday. It’s Monday. And I don’t know who else to call.

Day 20

Athena trips with her bin of dirty dishes on the way to the mobile. Most of them break. Not a huge tragedy. I love buying dishes and am happy for a reason to do so.

Day 21

The plumber comes. After an hour, the problem appears to be fixed. He departs. I go down to start some laundry. Suddenly there’s sewage bubbling out of the drain in the laundry room.

The plumber can’t come until the next morning. This is even worse than it being in the bathtub. We mop it up with bedding and towels. We try not to use any water but that’s really hard.

We go out for dinner at the restaurant in Herbert. It’s so hot, when the car windows are down it’s like a sheet of intense heat beating against our faces. I really need to get the car air conditioning fixed.

Day 22

The plumber returns in the morning and, after another hour, is able to get things sorted. No idea what happened after he left the day before. But I’m grateful to have things working as they should.

In the afternoon, we picked up two alpacas. The farm was about an hour away from us. I took three children and left two at home. The lady we got them from said it would work fine to put them in the back of the minivan. So that’s what we did. Roseation and Spark seemed to enjoy the ride including a stop at Tim Horton’s in Swift Current and the post office in Herbert.

Day 23

The alpacas escape when I’m out getting groceries. Raine and Athena are home and manage to eventually catch them.

Day 24

The alpacas escape when our standard poodle, Dorthy, gets out and tries to chase them. Then Dorthy manages to herd them back into the electric fence.

Day 25

The alpacas escape when I’m in the city picking up furniture for future guests. This time Dorthy is no help in getting them back. It’s a long time before Raine and Athena catch them.

Our neighbour, whose fields the alpacas are running into, stops by with a suggestion on how to make the fence higher.

Day 26

Our neighbour dropped off supplies to extend the fence. The alpacas don’t escape today.

My mom and brother came to drop off all the things that didn’t come with the movers. There were some many complications in the days before the move, I didn’t get everything packed. My mom was working on finishing up when the movers arrived three hours early. Not everything from the kitchen made it onto the truck.

Day 27

We managed to make the fence higher. The alpacas haven’t tried to escape.

And that’s the month of July in a nutshell. I was hoping to get some good pictures of the family and the property but that hasn’t happened yet.

Despite the many challenges, big and small, I love it here. After all the searching and waiting, this place is absolutely wonderful.

Nearly all the boxes are unpacked, except for the ones my mom just dropped off. We’re getting settled in and preparing for our first guests in a few days.

There will be proper pictures soon and hopefully more triumphs than trials to share.