Just when I thought life was beginning to get boring down on the farm, the Feenstras pulled off the surprise of the year: They’re going home. To Canada. With a side trip — another 2,500 miles — to Florida.

It’s just a vacation, mind you . . . or so Arend Feenstra, in his latest online video, kept reassuring his audience (and the Russian authorities), repeating that they will, “100% for sure,” be coming back to Nizhny Novgorod. But they’ll be gone for quite a while — about four to six weeks — though he was skimpy on the details.

So how did all of this come about? The bureaucratic red tape alone must have been a nightmare. And he failed to mention certain details, like what passports they would be using. I assume the answer is their Canadian ones, as they are still technically Canadian citizens, and they would likely have had a difficult time getting into both Canada and the U.S. on any sort of Russian passports.

Arend began the video with a little tour of the farm they have built over the last 16 months: 280 acres on which they have constructed, from scratch, a large house, shop, barn, guest house, and other accoutrements. He emphasized that it had been a family effort, and that — while they are very happy there — they are exhausted. They also miss the family and friends they left behind in Canada (including their eldest son, whom he didn’t mention).

Anticipating some probable questions from his viewers, he said they had considered vacationing within Russia, but that it was extremely difficult, and expensive, to find accommodation for ten people. Back in Canada, they have a motor home that they did not sell when they left, and they can supposedly all fit comfortably into it . . . though I have a hard time visualizing myself sharing even the most luxurious motor home with nine other people, no matter how much I might love them. Maybe some of the kids will bunk with relatives.

So their accommodations will be free. But what about the plane fare? A Google search indicated that the average cost of a single round-trip ticket from Moscow to Saskatchewan can cost anywhere from US $1,000 to $2,000. Multiply that times ten, and you’ve got . . .

Holy crap! That’s between $10,000 and $20,000, just for air fare. That would buy a really nice month-long vacation on, for example, the Black Sea coast . . . if it weren’t for that pesky “special military operation” in the region.

But never fear . . . because the intrepid, fiercely independent Feenstra family was all too happy to accept the generosity of family and friends who offered to cover the bulk of their travel costs. (Remind me to hire the Feenstras for my next fund-raiser.)

There were some brief shots of the family getting organized and packing for the trip, which is a logistical nightmare of its own. I well remember my years of overseas travel, and the lists I made so that I wouldn’t forget anything important . . . and I was only packing for myself, not for ten. Then there’s the thought of traveling that distance with eight children; changing planes, presumably in Istanbul (one of the few countries still friendly to both Russia and the West); keeping track of the luggage; and dealing with jet lag x 10.

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The video closed with yet a further assurance that the family’s viewers would be kept apprised of their travels, and that they were looking forward to another successful year on the farm when they — 100% for sure — return.

But it left me, inevitably, with questions.

First was the matter of the farm. It’s winter, so the gardens are dormant. But there are animals to be cared for — chickens, geese, calves, pigs, goats, and the family’s dog. The house and farm equipment have to be looked after. Who will do all of that?

Why, the Pulleys, of course: the Australian emigre family who currently occupy the guest house on the property. But Justin Pulley is not a farmer by trade, and as preparations for the big departure were underway, he was being given lessons in the operation of the tractor and a crash course in animal husbandry. I wish them all — the Pulleys and the livestock — the best of luck.

Second question: Arend mentioned “helping some people” while they were back home, but didn’t specify what kind of help, or whether the people were in Canada or the U.S. He even spoke of having to pack some work clothes. I thought this trip was supposed to give the whole family time to relax.

Third: Why Florida? He said they were looking forward to some warm weather. But southern California is closer by about 800 miles . . . Oh, wait — I’ve got it. California is too “woke,” whereas Florida is politically more conservative. Okay . . . next question.

And that would be a “what if” question: namely, what if, once they get back to Canada, they realize that’s where they really belong? Do they just chuck the effort and expense of the last two years and start all over again?

Or, more ominously, what if — having developed 280 acres of fallow property into a working, profitable farm — they are told by the Russian government that their property is being confiscated and they’re not welcome to return? It doesn’t seem likely, of course; but in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, nothing can be taken for granted.

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Perhaps I’m seeing problems where there aren’t any, and this is just a really good opportunity for a hard-working family to enjoy a little down time. I hope so.

In any event, I look forward to following the adventures of the Feenstras as they leave tomorrow (Tuesday) on that long trek home for Christmas. Here’s hoping it’s a merry one.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
12/8/25