January 2024 has felt like a year unto itself. The month started out wonderfully except that the sheep kept escaping from the pasture. Most evenings after supper, we take a short walk to the end of the driveway to observe the night sky. On January 2, Branch became alarmed when he saw something moving in the front yard. At first, I couldn’t see what he was going on about. Then we realized it was the sheep standing there. We herded them into the barn, thinking they would be more comfortable there. In the days that followed, they kept escaping from the barn yard as well.

The temperatures dropped, which meant going out many times each day to break the ice that was forming in the animals’ water. It wasn’t too bad since it wasn’t very cold.

On January 4, Raine, Branch, Cora, and I travelled to Moose Jaw to do some shopping before picking up a new alpaca that Raine was purchasing. We loaded up on groceries from this lovely local/organic shop called The Wandering Market. We picked up some animal feed and got a heater for the pigs’ water. Then we got the alpaca. Because Spark and Roseation sat so quietly in the back of the van, I was expecting the same with this new alpaca. That expectation was shattered before we got off the seller’s property. The new alpaca lunged forward, clamoring over the supplies. He wedged himself between the door and middle seats, resting his head on Raine. Nearly all the eggs were broken and some of the flour spilled out of the torn bag. At home, Bruno was secured in the barn to avoid any of the escaping done by previous new arrivals.

January 5 when we went out to do the morning chores, our other alpaca Spark was breathing her final breaths. Generally, I cannot cope with dead animals. When we had chickens on Wolfe Island, my mom or Raine would have to deal with any deaths. Branch got Raine, who normally wakes long after chores are done. She confirmed that Spark was dead. I tried to keep the other children away, but they all wanted to see. They filed in and out of the shed to inspect the situation. Later, when we brought her into the garage briefly, the children paid their final respects. It was a difficult situation especially for Spark’s young baby, Sloane. The couple who first owned our alpacas and many more have a little motel in Herbert. They were happy to help and have given guidance on what to do for the baby. She’s now doing fine.

Sunday, January 14 it was – 37 degrees Celsius. The car wouldn’t start so we couldn’t go to church. The day was spent trying to warm our older alpaca, Roseation. She was still mourning the loss of her friend, Spark, which had been affecting her appetite. Eating helps to keep the animals warm, so it was quite concerning that she was not. Ice was forming around her nose, and she was lethargic. We were in the barn repeatedly throughout the day tending to her.

A family from church reached out to see if we were alright since we hadn’t been there. They offered to come get the car started. He’s a trained mechanic and quickly discovered my van already has a block heater. I had no idea. But there it was, exactly what I needed. We plugged it in and set about charging the battery that had drained due to the extreme cold.

We got the car going and headed over to the family’s house for an afternoon visit on January 16. They have four children and homeschool as well.

Friday, January 18, the temperature was up to – 21 which felt almost warm compared to – 37. Roseation was doing well, moving about, and eating fine. I met for coffee in the afternoon with a lady from church. The kids stayed home with their grandma, Lynne. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone out by myself to socialize. Then I returned to drive Raine to a friend’s birthday party. The short trip back to the family we visited on Tuesday turned out to be a real adventure. Snow had blown across the fields onto the scarcely travelled back roads leading from our farm to theirs. More than once, I thought we’d get stuck. Finally, we did. Raine and I tried to clear a path in the final two feet of the drift but couldn’t get the car to move.

We were picked up and brought to the party, leaving the car stuck in the snowdrift. When he returned from hauling grain, the father of Raine’s friend somehow got my van out and brought it over to his place where I’d been enjoying a cup of tea and getting to know another homeschooling neighbour. I took a different route home.

Sunday, January 21 we had the same family we’d visited on Tuesday and Friday over for lunch after church. It’s wonderful to be making connections and settling into life here.

Tuesday, January 23 the neighbour texted to say our dogs were at the next farm over. Lately we’ve been letting them roam around the property. Until that day, they’d stayed around the house and barn. I didn’t have a car, Lynne had gone to the city with mine, and the next farm is not exactly close. Raine and Branch headed out on foot. Thankfully it wasn’t very cold. While they were gone, multiple people from church contacted me. The main road by our house can be empty for hours at a time. But the dogs happened to head out when a car was passing by. The driver got a picture of them and posted it in the local facebook group, asking who the owners could be. Standard Poodles are quite uncommon out here, so everyone knew they must be ours. Eventually Raine and Branch returned with the escapees. We’ve been keeping Dorthy on a leash since then. She seems to be the instigator.

Thursday, January 25 we took our cats to be fixed in a town about 45mins away. After dropping them off, we went for lunch at the local restaurant. Before finishing our meals, Raine and I weren’t feeling quite right. We hadn’t ordered anything unusual – a burger and fries, poutine. We went to the little farm store/grocery store/gas station by the vets to get some ginger ale and Pepto-Bismol. Then, with time to kill and nothing to do in that little town, we drove half an hour to another town. Gravelbourg was like stepping into another world. There were several old, large brick buildings, a rarity here in Saskatchewan, making it look like the small towns of Ontario that I love so much. We found a little antique/thrift store. Raine picked up a beautiful saddle, the other kids found something as well. Cora got a little turtle stuffie, Adley a baseball glove, and Branch a puzzle. Feeling refreshed, we headed back to the coyote capital of Canada, Hodgeville to pick up the cats.

Since then, I’ve been rather unwell and Raine slightly so. Something from that lunch on Thursday didn’t agree with us. Strangely, Cora at the most she’s ever eaten at a restaurant that day and it seems to have kick started her appetite. She’s always been a perpetual snacker and not overly interested in meals. But now she eats quite well at every meal.

Athena headed to Vancouver Island with my mom to visit my sister and her family. She got to see the ocean and picked up some sea salt made by a local company. Since Athena loves salt, this seems a fitting souvenir from her trip.

Tuesday, January 30 I went to a meeting for the local Chamber of Commerce. At the beginning of the month, I’d seen a facebook post encouraging people to join, including farmers and homebased businesses. Although our farm is only just getting started, this seemed like a great way to get involved with the community and meet some people. The kids stayed with their grandma, and I headed over to the restaurant in Herbert for the meeting. When it was over, I returned home as the newly appointed secretary.

Wednesday, January 31 the temperatures weren’t as warm as the day before, that was a high of 17, but it was mild enough that the younger children were digging up the driveway. Muddy from all the melting snow, it makes a great sort of sand box.

Those are the highlights of January. Despite a week of extreme cold, winter has been unusual this year. Without much snow and mostly mild temperatures, it’s been a good starting point for our life in Saskatchewan. This month has been one of making connections and rising to the challenges made all the easier with our growing community.