We live on a 25 acres horse ranch in southwestern Ontario, Canada.  We purchased our home in April 2012 from a lovely couple:  Bob and Betty Brown.  All the horse people in the area know the property as “Bobby Brown’s Place” and we are so very blessed to have a space that was loved and cared for by these people for so many years that we can now enjoy!

The purchase of this property came about through faith, pure and simple…

Jack and I took some time off in the fall of 2011 and we hired the neighbor’s son to come and care for our animals.  When we returned from our trip, I went over to the neighbors to pay for the service; however he was not at home.  His mom invited me in for a visit.  Oftentimes, I do say “no” as there is so much work to do and I like to plan my social time around work, but that day I said “yes”. 

My neighbor and I talked for about 1-1/2 hours and in that time, she mentioned in passing that the farm where she boards her horses was to be put up for sale soon.  Jack and I had stopped by once or twice in the past to visit with the neighbor’s horses at that farm, but that was the extent of our relationship with Bob.

That evening, I waited up for Jack to come home from work and I told him about the farm.  The next morning we hopped in the truck to do a ‘drive-by’.  As we were passing by, we agreed to stop in and say “hello”.

Bob answered the door and we introduced ourselves to him by way of our neighbor as our ‘in’.  We chatted for a while and made our intentions known – we wanted to talk seriously about purchasing the farm.  We agreed to come back the next day to discuss price and any particulars. 

The next day we returned, chatted, negotiated the price and walked away with a signed ‘intent to purchase agreement’.  10 days later the conditions were removed and we had our move in date for April 02, 2012!

I stated earlier that this farm came to us by faith.  I have come to this conclusion by way of several things:

We had been looking very seriously for the last 3 years for a farm that would suit our needs

The day before my talk with my neighbor, we looked at another place that Jack was very excited about – I was not.  When we arrived home from the viewing, I dropped to my knees and prayed. 

Ultimately, I go where Jack goes.  This does not mean that I do not have  a say, but I know in the end, my commitment is to Jack – no matter the venue. 

The bank gave us the mortgage for the farm, despite the fact that we had not sold our home.  In the end, it took 13 months for our house to sell through our realtor and wonderful friend JoAnne Muegge who persevered through all the open houses and the many showings to ultimately bring together the perfect family and our former home.  

The farm house was exactly what we wanted:  open concept with a partial upstairs.  We wanted a house that we could enjoy well into our older years and it fit our needs exactly.  Betty was responsible for the design and the home was even featured in an edition of Canadian Better Homes and Gardens!

We have big plans for our farm!  

Our younger son Mark and his fiance Renee were married on our property in July 2014.  

We have hosted 2 ladies groups:  “Connections” and “On Purpose Reunion”  with great success – sunshine, cool breeze from off the lake, great food, excellent company and a peaceful atmosphere – who could ask for more!

Our plans will evolve in time as we incorporate our horses into various programs – wait to see!