Kirsten

My memories of Uncle Dalton and Auntie Neta’s place are a little different than my older cousins’. There are ten years between Melanie (the next youngest cousin) and I, which is a substantial difference when I was ten and she was 20. As a result, we Siebenga gang grew up hearing about all the fun shenanigans at Monte Lake: the fires and games and songs and swimming and other adventures experienced by the crew of cousins so closely tied together. But by the time we arrived on the scene, everyone was grown up and moved away, with not a lot of time for a rambunctious squad of young ultra-blonde kids.

The magic, however, still glimmered in the shadows. We glimpsed ghosts of past fun as we snooped and peered through cast-off bridesmaid dresses in Melanie’s closet, and stacks of books and board games in Robbie’s dark room, through the stacks of records and long line of Star Trek VHS tapes. We curled up in chairs shaped like dishes. We puzzled over the purpose of the bus seat out beyond the greenhouses, marveled at the old rusted vehicles on the mountainside and wandered among the paths of the newly-established landscaped garden and bridges.

In around 1995, I spent two weeks of my summer with Uncle Dalton and Auntie Neta at the farm. They had so much time for me. We slept outside under the stars. They introduced me to Star Trek. I spent hours happily watering in the greenhouses and making tea with the herbs from the shady garden beside the house. We mailed a postcard to my parents from Salmon Arm. Auntie Neta french braided my hair every morning. I picked mountains of raspberries and ate them all up. We listened to the Arrogant Worms and watched Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. At the end of the trip, they packed me onto the Greyhound bus back through Calgary, complete with the most amazing packed lunch, the contents of which I remember to this day. I got to experience the very best of the farm, shared by Uncle Dalton and Auntie Neta, and felt loved and seen.

Eleven years later, I brought Brent out for the first time to share in that magic. Suddenly, the age gap between the cousins was less important, and we got an opportunity to build new relationships with people whose blood I shared and who loved coming back to this place as much as I did.

As we’ve grown older and had kids of our own, we feel strongly the need to bring our family back here, to teach the importance of family and of place.

Of generous hospitality.

Of community with no judgement.

Of fierce love through trials.

As I’ve seen pictures of the history of this enchanted place throughout the past year, I grow more and more humbled at the hard work it was to create Country Garden Greenhouse as a meeting place for friends and family, bringing people together with food and music and laughter.

May this be so again.

Auntie Karen

I remember way back when they bought the wonderful place. I stayed to help for a season esp in the greenhouses and vegetable garden. Far and Mor would come to help. Far prickled out and dear Mor baked bread and cookies. Dalton often made Chilli con carne 🥵 HOT! Poor Melo “Daaad you did it again”😃