THE FARM

The Gibson family farm has been in our family since 1906. It has been a fully functioning farm the whole time. My Grandfather and Great-Grandfather grew mostly canola and durum, and for the past ten years my father has been raising sheep. Our farm is located in the south-west corner of Saskatchewan. I grew up mostly in the city of Saskatoon, spending my summers out at the farm. You could say I have a bit of farm-kid in me. The farm spans for hundreds of acres around the farmhouse, but the garden is just down a path through the yard. This is where the magic happens...

Gardening is not for Sissies!

          What happens if you leave a field garden to it's own devices for over a week with equal parts rain and sunshine? You come back to a jungle. Seriously, my garden is like a tropical rainforest of weeds!!! A machete would be useful out there. As would a good old fashioned sickle. But all I have is a hoe, gardening gloves, and a cute little knee cushion to kneel on. The good thing is the vegetables are so big I can actually tell the difference between good plants and bad weeds.
          I was awake at 4:30 this morning pulling weeds, and I didn't stop until 3:00 this afternoon. Now I'm about 15% clear. Hey, gardening is not for sissies!! At least out here on the farm I don't have anyone to impress so I can get away with dirt under my fingernails and twigs in my hair. I even got a blister on my hand today!!! My stepmother rolled her eyes when I showed it to her, but it hurt like hell!! So I did exactly what she told me not to do... I poked it with a sterilized needle and let the fluid drain. It looks better now but it still hurts. Just because I'm a farm girl for the summer doesn't mean I want farm girl hands. Yuck! Looks like an Olive Oil hand treatment is on the agenda for tonight.

         
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