The truth is that there are pros and cons about living and working on the farm we own.
It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday since we run two businesses on the property that keep us quite busy.
You might think that being so close to home, we would be around each other a lot and remember to tell each other things that happen in our day… but sometimes we get so busy that at the end of the day we forget to fill each other in! Especially during busy season.
Prepping for the season can sometimes be more stressful than the actual busy season. There are a lot of things to consider, plan and execute. From the making sure our guest workers from Mexico arrive in March, pruning, cleaning all areas, setting up the orchard attractions, making sure safety is up to par, prepping signage, corn maze, jump pad and a million other things. Then, of course, the apple picks!
During busy season we can easily add an extra 30 hours to our work week simply because of our proximity to the farm and it’s easy to pop outside and work.
Throughout the season, we have each other to balance out the stress. Once hockey season hits, it can feel a little difficult when one of us is with the boys and one is at the farm tackling things on our own, but we always manage!
We both have so much passion for what we do it can be hard to turn off. That’s why we like to vacation as often as we can, even if it’s just for a weekend.
Now, as we said, there are pros, too! Living on the farm has made family life much easier. When we lived off premise, we spent a lot of time going back and forth getting the kids off the bus, etc. Now, the kids can get off the bus safely and we can check on them during the workday.
Now that the boys are getting a bit older, they’re starting to take interest in the family business. Jak has worked on the orchard a bit but will work more within the next couple of years and Nate has shown curiosity about the financial aspect of things.
It’s been very interesting to watch the boys and their friends grow up and take interest in working here, asking questions about the business sporadically and always remembering Papa Pete.
They’re both still young, so it’s hard to say if they will want to take over the family business, but we hope they find a passion for what we do! If they chose to continue the family legacy, we will be thrilled, however they must want it…we will never force them into it.
While we go with the ebbs and flows of living on site of our business, the pros are very positive, and cons could be worse! It’s funny how life works, I grew up on the is farm with my Parents and brother and now we are doing it with our boys.
Overall, we feel living here is better for the family and as long as we’re running the show we will continue to live on site!
-Andrew and Krissy Thiessen
