Reading Time: 4 minutes By late afternoon on Christmas Day the festive holiday spirit had dwindled in all but two of the Hansons. Seven-year-old Connor ran into his grandmother Donna’s kitchen, sliding the last few feet in his socks and ending with a dramatic stop. “Mom? Grandma? Aunty Margaret? Aunty Trina? Why does Santa have three gardens?” Connor’s father […] Read more
Hanson Acres: A starry night at Christmas
The whole family gets together, and there’s only one word to describe it
Hanson Acres: All dressed up. The family’s in town
The rumour mill is swirling, and even the FCC is offering tickets
Reading Time: 4 minutes “I just had the strangest call,” Donna said to her husband Dale as she walked from her fitness room into the kitchen, where he was drinking coffee and reading the Western Producer. Donna had her phone in one hand and was using the other to wipe sweat from her forehead with a faded towel. “Oh […] Read more
Hanson Acres: He’ll huff and he’ll puff…
There’s another decision to make every day on the farm, and Connor wants this one made in a hurry
Reading Time: 4 minutes As soon as the driver pulled open the door, seven-year-old Connor flew out of the school bus and raced full speed toward the Hanson’s house. He took the front steps two at a time, until he was caught by surprise when his father Jeff opened the house door from the inside just as Connor had […] Read more
Hanson Acres: The family looks to pull through
Dale acknowledged it: “This hasn’t been the year I expected.”
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Hansons were nearly finished harvest by early September. “Haven’t been done this early in years,” Dale said to his wife Donna while they finished their toast. “It’s faster when there’s not as much to bring in,” Donna replied, finishing her coffee and getting up to put their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. “You’ve got […] Read more
Hanson Acres: The family takes a look around
With the crop ready to come off, it’s time to make the kinds of decisions only farmers have to make
Reading Time: 4 minutes On his first day swathing canola, Jeff was surprised when he checked the time on his phone and realized he’d accidentally finished his lunch before 10:30 a.m. “Have to adjust to the harvest schedule,” he thought. With his lunch finished, the GPS finally auto-steering correctly, and the crop feeding through the swather — as Jeff’s […] Read more
Hanson Acres: The Hansons celebrate… and the neighbours join in too
Sometimes a secret is just too good to keep
Reading Time: 4 minutes After an afternoon of lawn darts, frisbee, lounging in lawn chairs and drinking cold drinks, 31 members of the Hanson family and another 42 assorted friends and neighbours were sitting around borrowed tables on the Hansons’ lawn, digging into their buffet dinner of steak, baked potatoes, homemade buns, 11 different salads and hot dogs for […] Read more
Hanson Acres: Counting the days to get into the field
On the farm, it isn’t so much when spring first comes, as when it stops going away
Reading Time: 4 minutes When Jeff realized the tractor was slipping, the drill was already stuck, deep, and his first impulse was to curse. Loudly and profanely. His second impulse was to wonder if there was any way he could possibly keep his family from finding out. “You can’t take the drill out tomorrow,” Jeff’s father Dale had said […] Read more
Hanson Acres: All dressed up, and someplace to go
The first fine day of a Canadian spring can only mean one thing
Reading Time: 5 minutes Donna was sorry to hear about her aunt Evelyn’s death. “Even when she had to live in that nursing home, Aunt Evelyn always had something good to say,” Donna said to her mother over the phone. “She had a lot of lemons to make lemonade with,” Donna’s mother said. “But remember, she was 93. We […] Read more
Hanson Acres: All down the generations
“Sometimes,” said Ed, “an old man has to just sit back and pretend not to mind what happens.”
Reading Time: 5 minutes Jeff was boiling water for tea while Elaine sorted out the last of the papers, still warm from the printer. Jeff’s parents, Dale and Donna, had just walked over from their house across the yard and were settling into chairs around the dining room table. Six-year-old Connor shouted out from his bedroom. “Mommy, I’m thirsty.” […] Read more
Hanson Acres: A thump in the night
Most times, the rural countryside lives up to its peaceful old stereotypes
Reading Time: 5 minutes “Late winter storms are always the worst,” Jeff told Elaine over the phone. “It’s warm enough to melt, but cold enough to freeze. Makes the roads icy. And the snow is really pouring down.” “We’ll be fine,” Elaine said. “Really, it’s not that I want to stay here,” Jeff said, for the third time. Elaine […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
