We Have A Dream At Briden Farm

I’ve started writing this several times, and have mauled it over in my head for days now. It’s hard to believe we’re here, and it’s harder to believe we’re entering a Challenge that is entitled “We Have A Dream”.

You see, when I say, We Have A Dream, I’m not referring to some whimsy, a far off idea, and certainly nothing concocted to try to win a prize!

Although the Prize would be nice, the real prize here is that We are living our dream! For many years my Better Half and I thought about, talked about, and yes even dreamed about, having a place where we could help others! We both have a history of helping people, and we’ve always felt that seeing a smile, or hearing a child laugh, or the sincere appreciation of another person, far outweighs and amount of money, or prize!

We met just over twenty years ago, and we dreamed of owning a place in the country. The options as to what that place would be, or things it would encompass have always been somewhat open to interpretation. Perhaps a Farm where we would not only have animals, pets and livestock but perhaps a Petting Zoo type operation. Or perhaps it would be a Bed & Breakfast, or even a Guiding Lodge.

I come from a family history rich in Guiding, for over four generations my family, has guided hunting, fishing, and recreational enthusiasts. Unfortunately by the time I come on the scene the old ways were dying out. The old camps that my family and I were caretakers of had grown old, many of the owners made fewer and fewer trips there. I come from humble beginnings and we didn’t have the wherewithal to build or obtain an outfitting business. So, I enjoyed the times that I did get to Guide. The thrill of seeing Their eyes light up as we explored our area of Nova Scotia.

As time went on I was blessed with the experience that comes from Travel, and over the years I visited all the Canadian Provinces and some 38 US States. Travel, and seeing things through other people’s eyes, is an education in itself. Helping others and seeing their gratitude is priceless!

My Better Half spent time in the Military serving our Country and helping with Peace Keeping while guarding our Rights and Freedoms. In more recent years, in the years since we met, He’s spent much of his working years in the Hospitality Industry, working in some of the more traditional accommodation places. Like The Milford House and the Digby Pines, as well as working in one of the Regions largest establishments, where he became Employee of the Year among the 500 or so employees at the Casino Hotel, Convention, and Gaming Facility. At that point, we lived in Moncton, New Brunswick. That’s where we were when He come home and said He was laid off due to Government Mandates surrounding what was then known as the Wuhan Virus, now the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We, like many people, were faced with a very uncertain future!

I knew it would be much longer than a couple of weeks, I said, “It’ll be at least three to four months, if not a year or two!”. That was about 23 months ago! My income suffered too, and while aspects of my Home Business, I’m an Independent Executive with a Home-Based Sales Company, continued, my income started to suffer and the pandemic made things worse! I had also just been offered a position selling Funeral and Cemetery Packages at a local Funeral Home, but it didn’t materialize because of the uncertainty surrounding the Pandemic.

So, as weeks turned into a month, we realized we were in trouble. We also knew we weren’t alone, and we started doing Live Videos on Social Media! Not to sell things, or to share our plight, but to help encourage others! Our friends still speak of it, and it was really just us joking and entertaining people through online means. To help lighten their burdens and give them a smile and perhaps a chuckle. For example, we placed three pairs of shoes between us on the couch and everyone laughed when we said we were social distancing with six feet between us! It wasn’t to downplay the seriousness of the situation, it was to give people a break in their day. An opportunity to leave their fears behind, even for just a few minutes, and allow them the opportunity to laugh and smile! For that is always the best medicine!

As the days stretched on, and it looked like we were unable to pay the rent, we faced more uncertainty. We knew we didn’t want to be in a situation where we ended up owing our Landlord more, and more, money. So we prepared to move out! We sold off our stuff, charging just $100 for 20 Boxes, some of those boxes were filled with at least $50 worth of belongings! Yet, we knew we had to downsize. After all, we didn’t even know where we were going to live! We also knew that we’d be helping those who bought our things. So, we did what we had to!

Sometimes, when faced with uncertainty, all we can do is lean on our Creator to take care of us. So, we did! Thankfully, just before we were out on the street a friend contacted me, she wanted me to come back home to Nova Scotia and was offering me a position working with Her. With Provincial Border Patrols and Government Restrictions, we weren’t even sure we could! However, we took the steps to make it work.

Another friend had a place available for us to rent, at a fraction of the usual price. We used the money from selling off our things, it gave us what we needed to make the trip home and get into our new place. When we arrived, our friends, and lifeline during our fourteen-day quarantine, had a nice care package waiting for us! The food staples we needed and appreciated.

Unfortunately, the job I had come home for sort of fell through. It was supposed to be a full-time job and ended up being a few hours a week. So, after our quarantine, we started doing some odd jobs and were able to skimp by.

Then, somewhat unexpectedly, my Better Half got a Military Settlement and that allowed him to pay off his cards and it put us in a position where we may be able to get a home. Although prices, and demand for homes, was extremely high! People from BC, Ontario, and even places like New York were buying places Sight unseen and at above the asking prices!

It wasn’t like we had a lot of money, homes that would normally sell for $50,000-$100,000 were now selling for two to three times that price!

So, one day, as we were driving down the road, He was driving, I looked at Him, then looked up, and being somewhat of a Smart Arse, I said, “We need a place with a minimum of ten rooms, fifteen acres of land, on a Brook or water as we liked that where we were renting, and we wanted it in Bear River, where we had lived before going to Moncton. Oh, and We needed it all for $50,000.00. It was an impossible ask, and we both laughed and carried on.

Two Weeks later... we were looking for a Property when a friend mentioned one that we spent half a day looking for! No one knew where Rice Mullen Road was! Even people who had been here for years! Then we stopped to see a friend who used to work in a local restaurant. We showed her the Listing, and she recognized the House. The house is only visible from the road, from a nearby Hill, and only when the leaves are off in the Winter. So, it is nicely secluded. It’s even shown in the wrong place on most maps! We love the seclusion, and we also love that it’s just about a kilometre from the nearest grocery, feed store, gas bar, and post office!

The property is truly beautiful, roughly a half-mile from the Northern point to the Southern. Sits overlooking the Head of the Tide, an area on the main tidal River where the saltwater meets the fresh, at its highest point. The West Branch of Bear River flows along the Eastern side of the Property, and Franklin Brook runs through the back few acres. To walk the perimeter of the nearly 22 acres is about two kilometres around and the house has thirteen rooms, a sceptic tank and even a drilled well!

We bought the place at an impossible time! Getting it for just...

Ready for it...

$50,000 (Exactly the Amount we prayed for!)

So, part of our dream was to become Self Sufficient, as we never know when that might become necessary! Even if it never does, it’s still better to be prepared. So, we closed the deal for the house and property on 4 August 2020 and we bought three goats on the 22nd! Moved them in the same day, and by March 2021 we had one of them freshen, she, Nanna, a Nigerian Dwarf Goat, had two little male Bucklings. See, Goats are basically domesticated Deer! So, while we commonly call the female a Nanny Goat, and the male a Billy Goat, it’s more proper to refer to them as Does and Bucks. Therefore, the young ones are Doelings and Bucklings, for the little males. Nanna had twin Bucklings. They sold in 9 minutes! We didn’t let them go that quick, we waited till they were a couple of months old, weaned and eating hay and grain.

During our first year farm grew to include not only goats, but Chickens, Muscovy Ducks, Rabbits, and even Pigs! We produced Milk, cheese, whey, butter, buttermilk, yoghurt, eggs, and meat. Not to mention the vegetables we grew in our gardens. I think the veggies were the biggest challenge as we had to clear the land as we went!

To help us clear the land, we created small pastures, fenced with old, upcycled, repurposed, wire mink cages! We started with two twins, Nigerian Dwarf Bucks! The father and uncle to Nanna’s little Bucklings. Carl and Archie were placed in the first fenced area. Then in April 2021 we moved them to a second fenced area, and put little porkers, pigs, in the first pasture. In May we moved the Bucks to a third pasture, moved the pigs to the second pasture, and planted the first pasture in potatoes. We continued that rotational pasturing till we had four pastures and four gardens. Each Fenced area was about 1,000-1,500 sq ft. For a total of about a quarter acre. It worked well, except we hadn’t cut enough of the big ash and poplar trees and the garden didn’t get enough sunlight. So, while we did get vegetables, and yes even some potatoes. It was a challenge!

Isn’t that what it’s really all about!?

Facing life on life’s terms and rising to the challenges!

I believe when we do that, we can accomplish our Dreams!

I believe that when we face life, and it’s challenges, and learn to overcome them, we are developing the skills needed to succeed. It’s not easy, and it’s not always enjoyable, but when we rise to the challenge, the Universe, and the Creator meet us with rewards. Surely, if the Great Architect of the Universe can create the World, the Universe actually, that we live in, then surely when we truly have a Dream and rise to the challenges, we will be rewarded! Otherwise, I don’t think we’d have the dream! It wouldn’t be a dream, it would simply be a wish! I‘d rather trust the Creator to fulfil the Dream, than wait for some wish to come true!

Now, having the farm, our animals, which now also include two wonderful dogs, and a cat, and producing a good part of our food is only part of Our Dream!

One of the things we’ve always wanted, and now it seems more needed than ever before, is a place for people to come embrace, the fun, at Briden Farm.

We’re not sure exactly what the future looks like, so we’re open to Devine Guidance, as we work toward whatever that is. We’ve often thought of a Mini Golf, Petting Zoo (Or Farm), Bed and Breakfast, or Guiding place.

A place where people can come, leave their fears behind, embrace the fun, walk our woodland pathways, enjoy our gardens, and spend time with our animals. Perhaps even host Nature, Relaxation, and Meditation Studies.

We also know that over the past year and a half we‘ve been called on to help rescue, give homes to, or relocate, a number of birds and animals. So, that is certainly part of it. As are the many people who have come to the Farm! Many expressions of gratitude have come our way, and people are telling us we’re living Their Dream! Even many of our 77,000 plus Online Visitors express this, with about 1/3 of our posts receiving Comments!

So, being a year and a half into our actual journey, living our dream a day at a time, we know that the house needs work, and the property needs work, but we trust that will come in time.

As for what’s next, we believe that as we rise to meet all the challenges, we’ll be guided in those steps, in the same way, we were guided to this place! Challenges along the way, are what makes one truly appreciate the good times and accomplishments that come because We Have A Dream!