It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost two months since we moved from central Ottawa to a little village. We didn’t anticipate moving during a pandemic, or moving at all really, but we always dreamed of living in the country. One of the silver linings of 2020, is that it gave both my husband and I the opportunity to work from home. Working from home has it’s own challenges, particularly during pandemic lockdowns, but it also gave us the flexibility to choose where we wanted to live. Merrickville is one of the villages that we often visited after moving back to Canada. It’s a remarkably unique place abundant with artisans, beautiful scenery, and incredibly kind people.

While we considered moving to a more rural area, where we would be able to start our own hobby farm, we decided to live near the heart of the village. It allows us to be able to walk to pretty much everything we need, and become less reliant on using a car. One of the highlights of our days is walking to the local shops, restaurants, and scenic areas. I’m excited for the weather to become warmer, so that we will be able to bicycle to nearby farms and canoe in the river.

I’m going to try to make an effort to update this blog at least once a week to showcase changes in the season as well as highlights in our new life. One of the things I loved about my first year of living in Tokyo, was having completely new experiences throughout the seasons. I’m excited to see the ebb and flow of the seasons here, and what they bring. Hopefully learning about what it’s like to live in a small village will be interested for you, too.

In the past week, we started to see temperatures rising to above double-digits and subsequently falling again to below zero. I’ve heard that the rising and falling of the temperatures is what leads to the flow of maple syrup in March in Ontario. Farmers and those with larger plots of land around the village are beginning to tap sugar maples, and in some places you can see steady steam rising from small huts where sap is being boiled.

The rising and falling of temperatures has also lead to melting snow and the return of birds. We encountered a flock of evening grosbeak while on a morning walk to the library the other day, and often see the returning v-shapes of Canada goose up above. On our walks we can see little streams beginning to flow below cracking ice. I’m also enjoying seeing gardens reveal themselves as the snow melts. We even discovered the local community garden, where in the summer, people will grow vegetables to donate to the local food cupboard.

Shops within the village are also beginning to wake up since the lockdown was lifted and spring has begun. We pre-ordered homemade belgian chocolate bunnies and cream eggs from the local sweet shop for easter, and were excited to participate in the pi day auction (in honour of the mathematical symbol) for the first time today. The pi day auction, as many things, is virtual this year, and the proceeds will go towards supporting the local fair. We bought a bumbleberry (mixed-berry) pie from the local bakery. Did you know bumbleberry pie was a Canadian thing?