Pleasant Corners farm helps artist rediscover love for 'dying art'

Peggy McDonald was born and raised on a farm in Lefaivre and, for a long time in her adulthood, she was nostalgic for the "good life" of her younger years.

"When I grew up, we made our own butter, our own cheese," she recalled. "We were made to be self-sufficient."

That is, however, until McDonald decided to make a life change and purchased a 24-acre piece of land on Pleasant Corners Road and began raising horses with her aging parents. The farm, named the Hourglass Farm and Art Studio, is equally home to her photography and art business. And with the onset of winter, the farm is now offering horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides for families.

"I'm going back to when life was simple and you took time to do things," she said. "Happiness is the journey, and not a destination."

Though she maintains a career in the corporate world, McDonald speaks at length about her passion for photography and helping her father, Gus, care for the farm's two horses, Pearl and Polly, on a daily basis.

Both registered Canadian horses, McDonald says Pearl and Polly are strong work horses that are gentle enough to ride. They are both offspring of the same father and have lived together since they were one and a half years old.

"They were broke together, which is unusual. Usually, you break a young horse with an old horse," she explained. "And then I raised their daughters and after two years, they were just as good."

Still, McDonald worries that the idea of raising work horses for plowing or animals for food, hosting farm rides and generally being self-sufficient is a "dying art."

"People driving horses and working or driving a team, it's a dying art," she continued. "My generation, there's not many out there that can harness and drive a team."

For that reason, she helps support draft horse clubs.

"They try to help the younger generation, with field days, workshops, lending them equipment," she explained during a horse ride on Pleasant Corners Road. "It's to pass things on to the next generation."

Though McDonald reminisces about her youth, when she would collect two dozen fresh eggs a day, today her new farm grows potatoes, vegetables and raises hens, turkey and a few pigs. Meanwhile, Gus purchases old sleighs and wagons and spends the winter rebuilding them for horse-drawn rides, and uses the horses to spread manure with the help of a manure spreader.

"Dad feeds the horses their grain and hay before he has his coffee," McDonald laughed. "It's a different way of life. I have a pretty stressful job and, let me tell you, this is the life."

The idea of selling her home - as well her parents' home in Portland, Ontario - and relocating together to Vankleek Hill wasn't such a far-fetched idea, says McDonald. Family and friends are nearby, life is tranquil, and the land was available.

"It probably happened within six weeks," she recalled. "We started talking about it at Christmas time (last year). It was unbelievable, it just all came together. It was meant to be."

For more information on Hourglass Farm and Art Studio, call 613-678-6018 or visit www.hourglassartstudio.com.