To quote a friend, the month of September has galloped by.

No, that wasn’t a segway to announcing we have horses. Though on the list, that isn’t happening until the spring.

September 10, we did get two Berkshire pigs. They came home in the back of the minivan. Leo and Lucy were secured in the barn for a few days to get used to us. Then I felt bad for keeping them cooped up in such glorious weather. We put them into the fenced pen attached to the barn while Raine finished up their permanent shelter. In no time, the pigs had disappeared. Unlike when the alpacas and sheep escaped, there was no sign of them. We didn’t even know where to start looking. After combing through the property, we drove around for a very long time.

Leo and Lucy couldn’t be found. I went home feeling defeated. This time it was my own fault. I shouldn’t have put them in a pen without proper panels or electric fencing. Unlike the alpacas and sheep, I hadn’t done everything right. Asking for help is hard enough and rather impossible when the blame is mine. I didn’t contact our neighbours or send out requests for prayer. It was a rather low moment that turned into three days. For two nights and three days the pigs were missing.

Then, as we were about to have supper, they wandered into the yard by the chicken coop. Raine spotted them first. She and everyone else went running out. A bucket of feed brought Leo and Lucy into their designated area which is completely fenced with electric wire. Since then, they’ve been as happy as a pig in mud with no more escapes.

“Now they know where home is,” said the lady we got them from when I text to tell her the news. They’d chosen to come back, which made the homecoming all the sweeter.

The pigs are growing and in about six months we should have piglets.

We officially started school (homeschooling) on September 18. Raine and Athena planned and prepared a tea party to celebrate our first day. Branch and Adley were overjoyed to wear the clip on ties they’d found at the thrift store.

After many years of homeschooling, this year I’m finally feeling organized and ready. The survival mode launched by the pandemic and continued in our move to Calgary, has subsided now that we’re settled once more. It’s a good feeling.

On September 19, Athena turned fourteen. Instead of a cake, she wanted homemade Oreo cookies from our neighbour. The lady makes deserts, soups, and meals that are for sale at the grocery store in town as well as doing custom orders. Athena was thrilled though she absolutely refuses to be photographed which makes it hard to commemorate these special moments.

Last week, we got to meet our favourite Saskatchewan singer, Jolie Blue. He has a fruit stand in the town of Eyebrow. We drove down to get some pears, listening to Jolie’s latest album the entire time. Cora was beside herself with excitement. “He’s the greatest singer in the world,” she says. (The Altona Jig is the song she loves the most.)

The sheep and alpacas have been moved a few times to greener pastures. Friday it was time to do it again. We corralled them into a smaller space then took two of the three electric net fences over to the new spot. While setting things up, I was marveling at how smoothly it was going this time. Then a cry came that the sheep were out. The alpacas quickly followed. I continued with the fencing while the kids chased them around the property. It wasn’t long before the alpacas were confined in the garage. But the sheep kept going. Eventually, they were all caught in the riding ring then brought to the new pasture. Guess we aren’t getting better at this movement piece.

Yesterday, one more ewe arrived. We now have a flock of five sheep – four ewes and one ram. In about six months time, we should be seeing some lambs. Naomi, the new girl, seems to be content. So far there have been no escapes.

September was beautiful and warm. We walked through the forest and fields on our property. We took down an old fence outside the house. We planted garlic and started preparing the garden for spring. Raine and Athena started going to the youth group in town and we’ve started looking for a church. The alpaca cria is growing quickly and the chickens should start laying soon. It’s been a lovely month.