This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
If many dream of a house in the heart of nature during their retirement, some make this dream their daily life. This is the case of Carine Paquin, Jessica Hartwell and Mathieu Samson. Each in their own way, they traded the sometimes grueling and demanding routine of the city for the calm of the countryside. Their cabin has become their home. Third and last text of our series.
“Holidays are every day of the year”
A little over 10 years ago, when Carine and her husband learned that the regulations related to the reconstruction of their chalet in Lanaudière were about to change, they had to make a big decision. “We bought our land with the intention of living there one day. It was a retirement project,” explains author Carine Paquin.
However, by razing their cottage and building a larger home, the couple decided, on a whim, to leave the Quebec region to settle permanently on their wooded lot in the small municipality of Saint-Ferréol- the snow.
“I never said that I didn’t like the city, but when I left it, I realized that I didn’t feel so good there. The countryside and nature were what was missing in my life. For the first time, I felt like I was where I should be,” admits Carine Paquin.
The mother of two daughters who were, at the time, aged 5 and 7, the ex-teacher found the transition from the city to the countryside rather simple. No longer being in a large centre, she was able to obtain a teaching contract more quickly than in town.
Two years after settling in the heart of the municipality of less than 4,000 souls, the couple proceeded to a new expansion, making their cottage the home of their dreams. On their one-acre lot, the little family lives, accompanied by chickens, rabbits and dogs. “Here, everything is calm. The proximity to nature is soothing. My children have a quality of life, and my animals too. We garden, we compost and we do everything to have a low ecological footprint. Every day I take long walks, while in winter I take long snowshoe hikes. For me, holidays are every day of the year. Getting ahead of my retirement plan is the best decision I’ve made in my life. I have no regrets,” she concludes.
Grow flowers in memory of a deceased loved one
Jessica Hartwell lived for a few years in L’Assomption with her sick stepfather. Passionate about floristry, the latter had worked in the field for a few years. It was therefore he who took care of the maintenance of the grounds of the household. After his death, the house seemed too big. Jessica, her husband and their children therefore opted for the demolition of their chalet in the Lanaudière region in order to build a more functional house, but smaller than their previous house. Now that’s where they would live. However, during the construction of their house, chance put the house of their dreams on their way.
“While we were driving on a row of Saint-Liguori to get to a small orchard, a “For Sale” sign flanked in front of a long path piqued our curiosity,” recalls Jessica Hartwell. What they found there was 34 acres of heavenly land. Unable to get the beauty of this place out of their heads, the couple decided to make this place their oasis. He therefore sold the chalet he was to live in and settled in the small municipality of Saint-Liguori, located 20 minutes from Joliette.
“As a tribute to my husband’s father, my family and I planted 60,000 pink sunflowers which are available for pick-your-own,” explains Jessica Hartwell. Their huge lot is also home to several chickens, miniature horses and four dogs. “Being in a place like mine allows you to slow down. So I always feel like I’m on vacation. »
Her haven of peace, she calls it her Wonderland. Every day, she savors the chance to be surrounded by greenery and animals and enjoys the present moment.
A city boy in the woods of Gaspésie
“My father had planned everything for his retirement, except for the unexpected: illness. That’s what Mathieu Samson, a 48-year-old Montrealer, told me who decided two years ago to leave the city to settle in Gaspésie with his brother, sister and mother.
“My father’s retirement project was to buy a pied-à-terre in Europe. A year and a half before his retirement, he had a stroke that paralyzed him. My mother took care of him for 14 years. He died in 2020, ”explains the adopted Gaspésien.
Realizing that his father’s dream would never come true, Mathieu Samson questioned his values and his own desires. He wondered if promotions, big salaries, and big expenses suited his view of happiness.
Then, during the pandemic, by pure chance, his brother, who was camping at a site in the Gaspé, called him to tell him that he had just bought a 14-acre piece of land on the Gaspé Peninsula. Mathieu and his sister went to visit it and, once there, they spotted 155 acres of land which they, in turn, bought.
Since then, Mathieu has lived in a caravan in the summer and in the winter, he lives in a tiny lumberjack’s cabin in which there is neither running water nor electricity. This very simple life contrasts with the one before, where he lived in a two-story house.
Since the three brothers and sisters moved to Gaspésie, they proposed to their mother to join them. The latter therefore put 45 years of memories in a few boxes to find her kids and blow out her 75 candles near Percé Rock.
In a few months, each of them will have a small chalet built on the land they share. Since the latter were landlocked in winter, they had to buy another 62 acres of land in order to build a path leading to the road.
By his own admission, Mathieu admits that he will never return to his old life. In Gaspésie, he found a welcoming community and a lightened pace of life. He works less, enjoys his dog Watson and sees his family more often than before. “I have never been in better shape than today. Every day I am in nature. I see animals that I had never seen before being here. I finally feel like I’m enjoying the time. Although I’m a gang guy, I realize that I needed calm, and that’s exactly what I find in the Gaspé,” says the 48-year-old man who feels fulfilled by his adopted region.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.