If you’re in the mood for a delightful little book that will take you on a mini-journey into rural life in southern Ontario, Canada, then I can’t recommend Finding Larkspur, A Return to Village Life by Dan Needles strongly enough. As someone who grew up in a semi-rural community, I could relate to so many of Needles’s stories and chuckled at his depiction of small-town life. It’s about my people. While he treats his subject matter with considerable humour, he also does so with great respect for the people who populate his stories.

My own hometown of Campbellford had a population of just over three thousand people when I was growing up. Beautifully situated in the Northumberland Hills on the Trent Canal system, we grew from a proud pioneer history in agriculture, logging, milling, and small businesses. About half the students in my high school were from farm families and the rest were townies. We had the rare experience of attending school from kindergarten to Grade 13 (back in the day) with pretty much the same group of kids. Everyone knew everyone and most of us were related somehow to each other by fairly discreet degrees of separation.

Needles is a baby boomer who comes from a farming family, albeit a fairly prosperous and famous one in Ontario—the Massey family; their name is synonymous with the farm equipment dynasty. They also beget former Governor-General of Canada, Vincent Massey and his actor brother Raymond Massey. One of their original homes has been converted into a retreat (Ste. Anne’s Spa, Grafton, Ontario) not far from where I grew up, ninety minutes east of Toronto.

From his current home base and farm near Duntroon in Simcoe County near Georgian Bay, Needles has straddled the farming world, corporate world, provincial politics, journalism, and theatre arts. He is also the winner of the 2003 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and on December 26, 2014, Dan Needles was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada

Being a farmer has never been an easy job. It’s 24/7 and if you’re a dairy farmer it’s difficult to even schedule a dinner out without getting someone to do the milking for you. Modern economics have led to the demise of the small family farm as being not financially viable. According to Needles, Substainable farming means you have a job with the township road crew and a wife teaching school. Having worked on farms in Canada, Australia, France, and England, Needles knows what he’s talking about.

Perhaps our agricultural history explains why Canadian soldiers were always deemed to be the most resourceful and toughest available when sent into difficult situations around the world. Managing livestock, machinery, accounting, crops, the exigencies of weather, and keeping on top of all the latest technological developments is a challenge few of us could handle. Dan Needles not only survived, he loves the lifestyle and after attending university and spending time in the corporate world he returned to the farm.

While wearing multiple hats, Needles continues to farm while writing and staging Wingfield Farm stage plays as well as writing for a variety of publications. This little gem took me less than five hours to read and I had a smile on my face the entire time. It’s our own southern Ontario version of All Creatures Great and Small. For a joyful break from all that’s wrong in this old world, pour yourself a lovely cup of tea or a glass of wine and open a copy of Finding Larkspur. You’ll thank me for recommending it.

If you are not able to obtain a copy of Finding Larkspur by Dan Needles at your local bookstore or library, click on this link to have it delivered directly to your door or tablet from Amazon.

(Disclosure: I may receive a teeny, tiny commission while you still get Amazon’s best price. Thank you.)