The Reluctant Farmer: Memoir of an Unexpected Journey

Wellner never imagined she'd trade city streets for muddy boots, squawking chicks, and two-humped camels-but that's exactly what happened. A move from Seattle to Vancouver Island and, later, to the Cariboo in British Columbia, drew her into a decade of rural life she hadn't imagined but couldn't forget. In these pages, she shares stories that sparkle with humour, ache with loss, and celebrate the surprising richness of a reluctant farmer's path.

If you have never midwifed a ewe, blow-dried a wet chick, rubbed a pig's belly, or run from an amorous camel, and you still want to own a working farm, this book is for you. If it cools your dream, you can always gaze at stars and watch leaping lambs from someone else's rural property.

Or you may find your dream more seductive after reading one woman's experience as a newbie farmer. Most of us live long enough to try on different hats. The results for Wellner were funny, painful, sweet, frustrating, and enriching. Read at your own risk. You may be inspired to try something entirely new and wild.