Barking Mules Farm (2026)

03/03/2024

Somewhere between the second cup of coffee and suiting up to go out and visit the animals at the barn, there needs to be an update. That post holidays lull in the social media invasion of life has been a fortunate moment to collect some thoughts and recompose a little creative reserve.
Winter has that effect on everything, nothing stops, it just moves slower in the cold. Far from over but so far not overly harsh, this time has been mostly spent getting ready for life to happen. The little pigs are building a nest to hopefully have a litter before too long but hopefully not in the middle of a cold snap.
The goats have posted up in the barn for now, as the snow flies and the wind howls they live almost obliviously, aside from the rattle of the window panes.
The ponies have had the most adventure, drifting snow and warmer temps made ice bridges out of deep drifts and the lighthoofed Shetlands wandered over the fence atop the drift and onto the neighbouring field.
Fortunately all ended well with slightly sheepish ponies back in the corral and fences re-established.
The donkeys are totally innocent bystanders to all the “entertainment” that the ponies get in to. They eat hay and just keep an eye on the situation.
Change does come eventually to the farm, recognizing the challenges of some breeds is important to maintaining the quality of life as well as the length of life. We do get attached to the animals here on the farm and it’s tough to see them go but it’s also a fact of life.
If you’ve followed along then you know the stories and the joys of pigs. We move now to the next chapter of the raising Kune Kune pigs, that we appreciate better from lessons taught us by our pig experiences.
Stay tuned and I’ll try and post more as we thaw out a bit.
Stay warm and toasty, Spring is just over the next hill!

23/12/2023

Fall went off to sleep in a fog and this morning we awoke to nature clothed in white. Some say it will rain in six months, perhaps a bit of folklore but hopefully some moisture will find us this year. It’s been lovely not having to dig out after storms so far. Winter is far from over especially since today is the first day of the season. We have been blessed with some extra days that it doesn’t hurt the face to go for a walk. Today was filled with photo opportunities and memories.

5 years ago we said I do. For the ones who braved the highway and were there at the little church in Kenville then you remember a different start to Winter and a day to remember.

Life is a journey.

The road may not be straight and if you live in Canada sometimes you can’t even see the road.

The best advice I can give you is to find a good travelling companion.

Happy holidays to you from the farm!

25/11/2023

Then the weather got confused and skipped over Winter and went straight into Spring.
Oh well, if only for a few more days. The little reprieve from the cold snap and the snow has been filled with all the little projects that have been patiently waiting to be checked off the to-do list.

The geese dropped by to visit the pond and pause to enjoy the warmer temps but then they carried on as the open water grew scarce.

Our goats have been running together for about a month and hopefully it’s been a successful time. Our new Billy goat Francis is still learning his job and sometimes it seems he’s more interested in food than the girls.

Casey once again has a working loader since the hydraulic cylinders had a rebuild to try and stop the fluid from leaking past the seals. It took a little while longer than previously thought to get the parts so we were glad to get an extension on the warmer weather to put it all back together.

Casey finished up hauling bales for the winter feed and bedding, a huge check mark beside that job.

A mighty wind and maybe a moose did a number on the fence by the slough and the electric fence keeping onlookers (ponies) away from the scene would soon lose its effectiveness so that meant clearing a massive tree and stitching the busted wire back together.

Finally, we got our pepper crop attended to and made our own stockpile of hot pepper purée to make into sauce and salsa, perfect for a maybe-shorter-now-but-still-plenty-long Winter.

We also have a new kitten settling into life on the farm. His name is Nacho (after his mom) and he has been making life brighter with his unique style.

Now on to a new list…

Happy Weekend! Stay warm!

28/10/2023

And just like that…
Kind of like a Christmas morning that you wish you could send back, we woke up to a bit of snow on the ground and a long range forecast filled with freezing temperatures.

It’s always a shock. And it’s always early, even though thanks to modern reminders via cell phones and social media, we should be reminded that it’s just that time of year and that really the problem is we got hooked on sweet summertime.

In truth, it’s usually in denial that we push through and wear shorts and crocs as long as we can until we can’t bear the idea of venturing outside without the big coat.

It’s not so bad. Even today the sun came out and the snow began to melt and drip down the eavestrough.

The ponies and the donkeys had a visit from the farrier and went back out to run in the snow.

The goats spend the days picking out the green bits from the snow and nights in the barn on the straw.

We are still learning and in spite of the lessons that we have learned, we still don’t know our marks until the mercury drops and we find out how much we still have left.

It’s not all hard lessons, sometimes it’s fun lessons like our donkey “Radar”, she’s not too sure about the farrier and she will pace around nervously when it’s almost her turn. But there is a spot on her ear that if you gently rub it she almost falls into a trance and she forgets all about her pedicure.

Hopefully you were ready for this change of scene. If not, you still have time to get winter figured out.

Happy Weekend from the Farm!

08/10/2023

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s been an up and down week for the weather. Rumours of snow and a wake up call that winter isn’t too far off. Today we have absolutely wonderful travelling weather for visiting family and enjoying a meal.
Still plenty of crops still in the fields along the road. Hopefully it all finds the bin soon enough.

We are still patiently waiting to see if we have been successful with breeding little pigs and goats.
In the meantime it’s been interesting to observe and learn more about individual quirks of our farm animals.
Arthur our little boar adds joy to everything he does and even puts on a show now and then.

Our goats are always ready to attack some new weeds when ever the opportunity arises.

Until next time!

16/09/2023

The colours are changing in the leaves and the sweaty weather of a few weeks ago has been overtaken by sweaters and all things pumpkin.

The garden is filling with delights that have remained hidden, growing larger in the shade. We plot now how to bring it all in before the frost comes calling.

Pastures though green this spring have experienced a thorough going over and long fringes near fence lines are growing in appeal, we are experimenting with grazing our animals on temporary areas penned in by electric fence. They seem to enjoy the change in perspective and a little adventure on fresh grass.

Hopefully you enjoy the farm photos and get a chance to enjoy the changes in the seasons.

24/08/2023

It’s been a busy month and today seems like good day to take a breath and look back.
Highlights did include a trip up to Swan River for some rodeo and family visiting. I managed to get the whole hayfield cut before the antique mower broke again, not the pitman arm but the PTO coupler, maybe because it’s old or because Casey is a more powerful tractor than the mower was built for… either way a big step forward on the future plans with some repairs too come.
The goats have been moving around the barnyard cleaning up weeds and they have also been getting brave and trying share the pigs food too. The goats have a new pasture full of weeds and the pigs are now safe from the marauding goats.
We did get a few days of rain, thankfully after the mowing and everything has greened up a few shades from the tough looking brown. Summer may be ebbing away but it’s turning into a nice autumn out here on the farm and we enjoying it all.

21/07/2023

We seem to have our seasons flipped around, it was a hot and humid spring that has been followed by an oddly cool and dry summer.
It’s warming up again these last few days and the garden is starting to show promise.
The hayfield that has been a seven acre question mark may soon have a successful attempt at mowing completed. The mower came cheap and it’s simple enough that I can fix it but the parts are becoming rare.
Being resourceful I’ve already robbed a few parts from a donor machine and now some things like a wooden pitman arm require some creativity.
We are making plans for what we hope will be a fruit orchard and may be someday a U-pick business. We are happy to drive around and do some research and get some samples.
All in all it’s been a good experience and we are enjoying being on the farm as our plans evolve and the seasons change.

08/07/2023

Weekend Update:
It’s been a hot Spring and that means a lot of watering plants and animals. It’s convinced me that I need to make improvements to the watering system but for now I’ve been figuring out the routine that includes all the watering spots with the least number of trips and or snags of the garden hose along the way.
The goats have become a roving hit squad for weeds in various paddocks, they seem to love the plants the chickens can’t manage and that the pigs pass over. They go out and work all day and then want to go back to familiar digs at night. It’s been awesome for keeping our wormwood under control as well as pruning the undersides of all the low hanging branches.
We have been raising some meat birds (chickens) for the first time since our turkey adventure and it’s been a lot of fun since we already had a pen ready for them. We had to shuffle the laying hens access a little but all in all much better this time around.
Our garden is starting show promise and that means putting up fencing to keep the local critters, like goats and chickens, from serving themselves.
Hopefully you are enjoying some of this lovely sunshine where ever you are!

19/06/2023

It would be convenient for me to say that the reason that I have been absent is that I have been so busy with the farm that there is been no time for reflection and thus nothing to write.
And it has been a wonderful spring, a little hot maybe but the heat had some moisture in its wake and the greenery has exploded in response.
But that’s not why.
I think about a month ago I posted something about feeling lucky. And I still feel that way but life doesn’t always show you the big picture. Sometimes it makes you stumble in the dark.
It’s Father’s Day and I can attest without a shred of doubt that I am lucky beyond any kind of earthly reward for the gift of my Dad.
He has gone on now at least physically, but every day I get to pause and think about what he might do here and how would he’d have felt about this turn of events that has been so fortunate.
I had my Dad’s ashes on the shelf here in the farm house for a few years. Eventually, it seemed like we ought to do something with them, especially before they accidentally ended up getting lost or worse. So we decided to plant a few trees and scatter the ashes out out in the pasture, overlooking this view.

I love my dad.

Once though I told him in anger and tears, screaming and sobbing … that I hated him. And until recently I had kind of forgotten ever doing that.
I was young. Maybe 4 years old.
We had just gotten a little black and white puppy, and we decided to call him Sidney. (Maybe because my sister had a crush on a Sidney)
The puppy fell asleep under the truck and when my dad pushed in the clutch to start the truck it rolled ahead and over the puppy.
I was so heartbroken and angry that I gave my dad hell.

Looking back I’m sure that’s how it felt to him.

What has kept me from writing lately has been the knowledge that the little puppy we took in that was a joy and a ray of happiness is now gone.
We’ve had to make some hard choices about life and death. Sometimes you have no choice and sometimes you have to choose and it is hell.

We had to make the decision that we felt would save her pain and it has brought me a much deeper sense of how much love my dad showed me when he let me be so angry.

28/04/2023

First rain showers at sunset for the season, at least for me.
I could barely see through the setting sun and rain pelting down, I turned the corner and looked back to see the colours streaming across the sky.
The weather has given us ups and downs. Early warm days and snowy blasts traded blows this Spring and it’s once again melted and brown.
Life will be everywhere soon.
Francis is fitting in with the goat herd. We are pretty sure he might be a weirdo. He sniffs and snorts and he can be a little creepy. But the googling reports this is a common behaviour for a billy goat.
Our little puppy Britney is not so little anymore. She has grown bigger right before our eyes. And she too is having some ups and downs. I caught her with a live chicken in her mouth tonight. I sprang into action and saved the bird but I may have traumatized the pooch.
Seems we did this once before and once before it all worked out and soon we will have another trusty farm dog.
Soon.

04/04/2023

I have to confess.
I’ve been holding out on you.
It’s a weakness that I have when I tell stories.
I want control.
I want to tell you what is coming down the pipe and have it actually happen.
So sometimes I find that I hold back. Like the reader will be so offended if I make a mistake that they will write me off.

It may have seemed to you, dear reader, that it was a quiet and uneventful winter. A few pictures and a few cups of coffee and that’s it.
Well…
The long dark nights on the farm have been filled with YouTube videos and articles about permaculture.
What kind of farm will we have once the snow melts?

We have a few new characters to introduce and there will be more to come as we continue the adventure.
Our latest additions include a pair of Kunekune pigs. A boar we named Alfred and a sow named Belladonna. They are purebred and we are starting out this Spring as registered breeders.
Also as most sane people would do I responded to an ad on a Facebook group and spoke for a young billy goat and then a drove a 10 hour round trip to pick him up through all of the wintery blast of sleet, snow and all the in between.

He’s fitting in just fine and we hope we are soon on the way to baby goats.

Stay tuned!

Barking Mules Farm