Aldergrove Farm

Aldergrove Farm. That's my farm.

My family and I bought our farm. 75 acres in Grey County, just outside Mount Forest in Ontario. A two-hour drive from Toronto.

Rolling hills, a maple grove and two forested areas with a creek running through. Roughly 45 acres of pasture rolling in and out between the woods.

I am unbelievably excited and terrified. Maybe not even as terrified as I should be, but I've got no choice. And even if I had a choice, I would still choose this over anything.

...

Our offer was accepted the morning I left for Halifax. It had competition from another offer, a better offer. But the story goes that the owner, 83 years old and born in that house, adopted a daughter who passed away when she was ten. He still tears up thinking about her. And luck would have it that I reminded him of her, so he wanted it to go to me. But we had to meet the better offer.

Back and forth on the phone with the agent, the owner tearing up the background and my mother and I poised to drive to the train station while madly putting our brains together to figure the money. Yes. Yes we can meet the offer.

Still shaking we get in the car and I'm at the train station. I recognize someone from behind, my ex. Who I haven't seen since we were together... living together. "Matt... I just bought a farm." "Glynis. I'm going to Mongolia. Today..." He saw his new girlfriend off who was getting on the same train as me (who I didn't know about) as I got my ticket, and then we caught up, still in the daze of the story of the daughter, buying the farm and running into one of the most important people in my life who I hadn't seen in over half a year, and who I wouldn't see again for at least nine months.

I got on the 30-hour train... and the credits must have rolled. I'm now waiting for the next movie to begin...

...


My apprenticeship begins on Friday and I'll be close to my farm. We take possession a week into the new year and by spring I'll have dogs, chicks and ducks, an acre ploughed and a sunroom full of seedlings.