Marjolyn Winkel

Farm Tales Marjolyn Winkel

Living on a farm with animals is special. We live on a popular trail used by people on foot and on their bicycle. With our pig corral right on the side of the road many people stop to look, often taking pictures. When they see us most people are eager to start a conversation. They either ask questions or want to share with us that it brings back memories, since they grew up on, or near, a farm. Biking has become so popular that many people from urban areas cycle along trail s through more rural areas. These people sometimes do not know a sheep from a goat or a goose from a duck and any animal with horns is assumed to be a male. Although I got my teacher's certificate in the Netherlands, I was not comfortable in front of a classroom with children. But I have always loved teaching, passing on information, skills and knowledge. Writing about my experiences on the farm therefore made sense to me. Farm Tales is a book with short stories, some funny, some sad, but most with some educational information and also memories of past family hobby farming on the Saanich Peninsula.