On April 26, 2010, I sent the following email to my best friends, Chris and Julie, who live on some land in Maple Ridge, BC…

Hey guys,

I’m going to ‘think out loud’ in this email – kind of a ‘throwing this out there’ for your initial reactions, thoughts, etc… What I’m about to propose is an idea that we’ve thrown around casually a bit already, but I’m feeling pretty serious about it now.  It would obviously need a lot of careful thought, consideration and input from others, so…what follows are some run-on thoughts.  Let me know if you see potential in pursuing/ considering this… 

I’m wondering what the possibilities would be for me to seriously move out to your place in the fall, live in a trailer, pay you (obviously) an agreed-upon rent to do so, and help start-up an organic farm on your land (vegetables and small game mostly – goats, chickens).  

I’d have to get a vehicle and keep my day job, but my desire would be to play a major role in the labour and admin side of things on your farm.  

IF this is a possibility and say hypothetically that we worked through all the details involved and decided to go for it, I think that we could realistically be selling produce in farmers markets, etc by next spring and summer.  

Again, totally just throwing this out and I realize that once all the details are on the table, it might not be deemed realistic or preferable for everyone involved, but if there’s any interest from your guys’ end, I’d love to start discussing the possibility seriously. 

Perhaps we can muse and daydream about it from the deck of the Porpoise beneath Hawaiian sunsets.

From (in one way or another) your future farmer friend,
Jawcey

Less than a week later, we’d met in person, recorded all our questions, answers and plans in a document, and pretty much made up our minds to do it.

Less than a month later, I’d bought a motorhome.

And it begins.