From Fraser Valley to Cowichan Valley

This will be my last entry from the beautiful Fraser Valley, on the mainland of southwestern BC. Although the Big Move is not until Thursday, the cable people will be here early tomorrow morning to pick up the digital phone box and disconnect the cable and internet. And so, my next blog entry will be from our new home on Vancouver Island.

I have moved often in my life. The longest move, in terms of distance, was when I was five and my family moved from England to the west coast of Canada. The shortest move, in terms of distance, was when I was 19, and I moved from one apartment in New Westminster to another just a few blocks away. I’ve lived in Alberta, and in the Northwest Territories. I’ve lived in several communities in southwestern BC. I’ve lived in apartments and houses in big cities and small towns. I’ve lived in old homes and newer ones in suburbs and on acreages. And if one considers my summertime explorations, I’ve even lived with nothing but the stars for my ceiling and the forest for my walls.

But of all the places I’ve lived, none have delighted me as much as this five acres of heaven, with its views of mountains and valley, its trees and flowers and wildlife, its delicious sense of freedom for the dogs and myself. Here I had the opportunity to foster potbellied pigs and care for an abandoned alpaca; here I fostered a palliative old shepherd cross named Isaac, and here I helped my sweet, sweet Caleb to pass. Here I watched bears from my window, and coyotes from my pasture gate. And here I saw my Charley become a free spirit, and I welcomed Sadie and Oliver and Belle into my life and my heart.

And yet, on Thursday I shall trade the pasture walks for seawalks, the sounds of coyotes ki-yi-yi-ing for the sounds of seals barking, the cries of Northern flickers and pileated woodpeckers for the cawing and calling of seagulls.

Life is an adventure, and as the critters and I bid farewell to this precious piece of land, we step boldly and happily into a future of new sights and new sounds, of new places to explore, new discoveries to make, new friends to meet. Memories of our life here on the farm will always be cherished, old friendships will continue even though the frequency of getting together will change, and all the experiences that I have had these past few years – both those that have brought joy and those that have brought pain – are tucked away in my heart and have shaped the woman I am now and the woman I am still becoming.

And so, as I start yet another chapter of my life, I feel much like I did when I was fourteen years old backpacking the McAlester Pass in the North Cascades of Washington State, or in my mid-forties hiking the amazing mountain crest trails of Cathedral Provincial Park in BC – I am loving the experience and can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Life is good.