Keep Your Ears and Eyes Open For Exciting Changes!
I'm sure you'll all agree that 2020 has been a year to remember...
Our world will never be the same. We will never be the same. We've seen economies crash. We're watching helplessly as friends and family struggle to make ends meet and maintain their sanity. Tensions are at all time high. Families are losing loved ones and being forced to find new ways to get through the grieving process. People are forced to be distant and that goes against our very make up. Folks are angry and/or scared and those emotions are seeping into everything they say, do or touch.
I've never been more thankful for the life my husband and I had built prior to the pandemic. Our farm provides us with some security... we know that if it comes right down to it we CAN be self sufficient. We've always been fairly laid back and adaptable. My husband has been my rock and over the years has taught me that, no matter what, there's no need to panic. My faith in God has grown a hundred fold in the face of this pandemic, as our family has been for the most part, sheltered from the impact.
Our life today certainly looks different than it did at this time last year, but not in a bad way. I was already looking at adapting our business, as my husband and I are getting older and some things were just getting too hard to manage physically. Changes were meant to roll out slowly, but they were already in the works. My husband had been talking about getting out of cattle... not in a painful, cut to the core herd dispersal, just not holding back replacement heifers and letting our cows live out their lives, as they always had, raising calves in the only home they have ever known. I was looking at expanding our small livestock operations and other aspects of my home based business to make up for the loss of income as our calf crop shrinks. I was finding Farmer's Markets and other vendor shows physically and mentally exhausting and was looking at cutting back on those, while still being able to market my crafts, critters and other goodies to keep some money coming in.
We've managed to pretty much roll with the punches this year. We've drawn closer as a family and are only stronger for having faced these challenges together. We have what I think is a fairly solid plan as we move into 2021. We are continuing to work on refining, expanding and streamlining our goat, rabbit and poultry programs. I'm setting up a small store in the yard, with the stock I have previously sold at markets. While the outside world is turned upside down by the pandemic, I'll be booking appointments for private shopping sessions, with only one household booked at a time and time for sanitization between appointments. I'm looking forward to being able to provide my customers and their families with an escape from their daily anxieties and the stress brought on by the pandemic. I'm excited to be continuing my work with 'The BC Fruit Truck' next summer to bring quality BC produce to local families and to ensure that I'm only using the best produce in the canning I'll have available in my store.
I have a steep learning curve ahead of me as I work on building my 'online presence'. I've always preferred the face to face interactions of doing business in person. Amazing friendships have blossomed with folks I've met at markets. I'm not one for spending a lot of time with tech. Building websites, doing livestreams and posting to social media have never been my 'passion', but I guess it's time to 'get with program'. Thank you in advance for your patience and for sticking with me through this transformation.
May 2021 bring you rich blessings, good health and much happiness. Stay safe my friends! 💖