farmers

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It’s the Cheese out Here

Hail Brave Hearts

Who were these illustrious, hearty humans who came to conquer all?  Who were the brave hearts of the day who settled and prospered in these great lands?  The land of plenty?  The land to conquer.  The land that claimed so many lives, but eventually was farmed, colonized and a new world began.

From a land of serfs, of peasants who toiled, who carved an existence from hard work, collaboration and ingenuity.  These are the people of the new world.  Those who set themselves apart and braved the cold winters and basked in the radiance of the warm summers.  Hard work, but worthwhile, to till the land, harvest the crops and make room for themselves from the forest.  These industrious, hard working colonialists invented many things, and livestock breeding was one of their successes.  The interbreeding of animals to produce their own hardy, well adapted, heritage breeds, which come from a stunningly beautiful place, now a UNESCO site, the area of Charlevoix Quebec which is home to a cow.

Charlevoix – Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)

This is not just any cow, this is a beauty!  Canada’s only indigenous breed of cow, the Canadienne.  Small in stature, but mighty in  other areas, this rare bread of cow, is an early invention from farmers in the ‘1600’s in Quebec.  Known for the high quality of it’s milk, it has made cheese production in Charlevoix, and Isle de la Madeleine  superior and sought after.   This cow which was once the most common cow in Quebec, is now on the rare breads list and in need of protection.

The milk is high in butterfat and has it’s own unique flavour.  The cheeses from this cow are unique in taste and texture and the delicious flavour makes  them a specialty of the house.

Canadienne cattle – Wikipedia

So all of this about a cow.  But it is a worthwhile cow.  The richness of the milk produces some of the worlds finest cheese, which is a specialty item  and a souvenir in the tourist industry.

The importance of protecting Canadian livestock and heritage breeds is a responsibility for us.  This breed has nearly become extinct, except for a few places in Canada, one of which is also the tiny islands in the Gulf la of the St Lawrence, the Isles de la Madeleine.

Îles de la Madeleine | Magdalen Islands | Québec maritime

The trip of lifetime, to visit these small islands, full of unique heritage and unique tourism.  A place to sample fine cuisine, sought after specialties and fun filled tourism.  A place of cultural heritage.  All of this, just for a cow, but not just any cow, our own cow.  Dairy for ice cream, dairy for milk and cheese.  The rich goodness of good food, high quality ingredients and it’s ours.  Ours to protect and ours to enjoy.  And lucky for us, that these unique Canadian experiences are in far flung places, which are an adventure to reach and a joy to experience.  Places to put on our destination list, in order to enjoy the fine cheeses and delicious ice cream from a heritage breed who we need to know and save.

written by Dr. Louise E Hayes

February 21, 2026

 

Settlers in the West
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Settlers in the West

Hail Bravehearts

Come out of your houses, come out to play, search for your destiny, fill it this way.  Joy for our lives, filled with our passions, educate yourself in many ways, don’t settle for small rations. Here in the mountains was a new way of life, carved from the environment, full of love  and strife.  Back in the day, when the nation was growing, came a homesteading family with a history, worth knowing.  Migrate to the mountains, fill up this land, settle this area, prosperity is at hand.  Work and strive, build your home, grow where the deer and the caribou roam.  Mighty are we,we own this land, wrought from the skills and tools of our hands.  Building a house and shed for our needs, makes us the Moberly’s and we are Metis.

Look at this beauty, this fabulous land, nature has given us her golden hand.  Flowers and scenery, game galore, all right outside our open front door.  A fabulous view, so much desired, we planned to pass this along to our descendants to admire.  In the heart of Jasper, a national park, lies the trail to our cabin, in a meadow that’s marked.  Come to our land, follow the trail, to a Canadian adventure in homesteading tale.  Brilliant flowers now nod their heads,where a family with children once softly tread.

Ancient are we, in a land we admire, full of perils and hardship and landscape that’s dire.  Mountains and crevices, rock falls and forest, fill our lives with the wild lands of birds chorus.  Settle these lands, farming, hunting and fishing, trading with explores is how we make our living. Earning our right to clear the land, is how we survived and thrived with our band.  A family are we, brothers and wives, making a living with strong family ties.

http://www.mountainmetis.com/pages/henry_john_moberly.html

The west was being opened with adventure and more as the trading posts flourished throughout our world.  Settle the nation, fill your hearts, with the bountiful prosperity that  trading starts.  A nation rich, with people so smart, that they discovered routes to join us together, not keep us apart.  From coast to coast a path was laid, and along the way, some homesteaders stayed.  Explore this world, discover this land, a nation is forming with peace at hand.

Markets and trade, influence our lives, building a homestead where families can thrive.  Open these routes, help find the path, the adventure is growing, it will stay and it lasts.  The west is fought for, it belongs to us, brilliant and daring, the exploration is a must.  Join the coasts, find a way, for this land to become a nation one day.

A place in history, is only a name, but cabins in the wilderness, is this families fame.  Interesting and ancient, when all went well, meeting travelers and explorers, is the story they tell.  Building connections, building ties, enter the landscape where this family once thrived.

Now a national park, intensely protected,whose worth to the world was UNESO`s projection. Visit us here in this world famous place, the mountains and wilderness of Canada`s grace.

Jasper National Park.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

July 13, 2017

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We Got What We Asked For

Hail Bravehearts

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, so invent away, oh brilliant ones.  We need your intelligent, focused minds.  The land is lush and forested, the ways of the new world are forming.  Unique culture, unique people, united through a necessity to survive.  The harshness is surpassed, the colony if finally a reality, a town, a community, a people of strength and character.  A new world to be proud of, a new colony to call home.  Safety and security, faith heals all.

This new destiny brings hope for longevity, wealth in adversity, dreams to fulfill and lives to share.  More happiness, more health, more survival,  more life.  A community starting to thrive and a prosperity starting to emerge.  Now the world changes and with new life, new skills emerge.  Challenges are overcome and ideas form and are listened to. Hail, oh brave ones, enter the invention.

A small effort, to bread a horse.  Commonplace and casual.  No one thinks twice about it.  So there’s a mare and there’s a stallion and a farmer needs a foal.  But this is a different world, a world of constant work.  That necessary animal needs to be changed.  Tweek those muscles, change that stature, increase that stamina.  We need a workhorse, an iron maiden, a horse of steel to work all day, to  ride on, to show with, to jump with, to teach our children to ride on.  We need a smaller horse, one that doesn’t eat too much, but well muscled for the work at hand.  We need an well rounded animal, that we can use for anything.  Work in the fields, pull a cart, take a day off for a ride on.   Please give us such an animal.  The king has sent many horses, try an experiment, fulfill our wishes, see what you can do.

And so it comes to pass.  From the breading stock of the King of France, comes several different breeds to consider.  Perhaps the Andalusian, maybe the Barb, an Arabian, a Norman, a Breton  and a draft horse.  All animals of superior breeding, all animals of quality and perfected genetics.  Each of these breeds has character and worth of it’s own.  Now, for the outcome that we desire, pick the perfect matches.

http://www.chhaps.org/breedinfo.htm  the Canadian Horse

From fine bloodlines and carefully selected breeding, comes the horse of their dreams.  Sturdy and capable, strong and even tempered.  A horse for all occasions.  Breeding their own, gives them rights, superiority of aptitude, distinction of intellect.  A breed made to order, an invention of necessity.  A work horse, a riding horse, a unique horse.  Well done, oh awesome human, to conjure up the animal of your needs.  Well done, oh early homesteader, to support your survival in such a unique way.  A new horse, and a beauty!  Hail to you, and the Canadian.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

September 4, 2016