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4 WC DAIRY NEWS  CHRISTMAS 2024
Tars’Tale-Spins
Remember, Celebrate, Give Thanks Remember, Celebrate, Give Thanks
At this time of year, I hope everyone is
is starting to ease with several factors
resting…with full bunkers and full bulk tanks.
improving – and it’s all helped by a better
And may the winter storms not cause too
crop year with more quota to fill.
much trouble with milk hauling, frozen water/
This publication did not escape the broad
milk/air lines, equipment or chains/scrapers.
dairy industry’s economic squeeze which
As we close out 2024, I’m very thankful that
everyone felt. But I’m choosing to focus on
what started as a dismal economic situation,
the blessings of 2024, not the bruises.
Destination Celebration!
From the very first visit as a new BCAI Fieldman in
1992, Henry and Laura Gisler welcomed me onto their
Glen Valley farm and into their family. We enjoyed
many visits over the years as I watched their children
grow-up…two boys and a girl…same as Kash and I.
Kaitlyn grew up to be multi-talented and was a clever,
insightful writer for BC Holstein News for several
years! After dear Laura passed away in 2019 at just
55 years, the herd was dispersed a year later – it
had been a difficult year without Laura. George and
Kaitlyn headed for Switzerland 2022, George into
avionics maintenance and Kaitlyn doing a variety
of things before landing a writing job for a medical
device company.
This past July marked five years since Laura passed
– I bring this up because we should not let time erase
the people who meant something to us. When we
received an invitation from Kaitlyn to their wedding
this summer, it was a perfect excuse to go celebrate
with them in Greece (George’s parents’ homeland). We
can’t deny that Laura’s absence was hard, and yet, it
was important to celebrate this lovely event and the
continuation of Kaitlyn and George’s beautiful life
together. Enjoying the Greek hospitality, amazing
history and jaw-dropping ancient archaeology was
second to immersing ourselves in the wedding
celebration with so many friends and family.
You’ve heard ‘dance like no one’s watching’… try
‘dance like you’ve been drinking at a Greek wedding!’
Thank you George and Kaitlyn for welcoming us to
your special day!
YASOU! Weddings make the BEST parties!
(L-R) Kash, Tars, Kaitlyn, George and Henry.
It was a spectacular day…only Laura’s
presence could have made it perfect.
Celebrating a New Life Chapter
Thrilled to experience first-time grandparenthood – even
if we have to fly to Calgary for our cuddles.
All our friends with grandchildren have been telling us for
years that they are the BEST! And now, thanks to Anjuli
and Steven, we get to experience the wonder of being
first-time grandparents! Despite living in an urban Calgary
neighbourhood, there will most certainly be cows in baby
Eleanor Anne’s future! This is about the best Christmas
present there could be – for the sake of the new parents, I
hope there will be Silent Nights…
Tars Tars
Yes dear, it’s been 40 years! Celebrate Anyway.
40 years is no big deal when compared to the 2400+ year old
Give Thanks for Christmas Give Thanks for Christmas
Acropolis in Athens!
As we head into Christmas, I’m certain that all of us in dairy
When Kash and I married in 1984, we were too young and poor to
afford much of a honeymoon, so a road trip from Victoria to Guelph
was it – with several interesting farm visits along the way (including
Glenridge!)
are thankful for our families, the blessing of good, honest work
and for so many other blessings (like real dairy egg nog!)
I hope for those who are missing special people even more
at this time of year, that you may feel the peace of the season
We decided Kaitlyn and George’s wedding would be an excellent
catalyst to get us to Europe to celebrate 40 years together. While
we saw a few yearling heifers out grazing on a rural roadside, there
were no farm visits on this ’40-year honeymoon.’ We are thankful for
all the years we have been granted…even the tough ones…because
we are still here to keep trying to be our best.
and have cherished memories to lean on.
From all of us at WC Dairy News,
we wish you a wonderful Christmas season.
Remembering Bob
Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Thanks to Amanda Poelman for this
picture of Bob and I at the VI Holstein
Show in 2013.
Bob Massie was a valued colleague
and wonderful friend for all my 20
years at BCAI/WestGen. We lost Bob
in August 2019 – five years ago this
summer. I choose to remember Bob
because I miss him - he left a positive
imprint on everyone he touched.
Great with cattle and pedigrees,
he was a perfectionist - dedicated
to kindness, morality and careful
thought before speaking. Bob made
everyone around him better – and I
think he continues to do that still…
certainly for me.
2024 has been a year of adventure and
changes for us and our family. After
much deliberation and prayer, Jason and
I made the decision to sell our cows and
quota in October. We have moved just
down the road and are trying to settle
into a new routine. We appreciate the
life that dairy farming has given us, and
are now looking forward to some new
adventures!
Our kids continue to thrive, with our
oldest (Zach, and his wife Sienna)
teaching in Thailand for a couple months.
They are taking every chance they can to
travel and explore the surrounding areas,
and are showing us some
bucket-list items in the
process! Our youngest
(Jenna) is finishing up
her last year of studying
in Ontario, and is looking
forward to living at home
Chris Chris
again soon! Our middle two (Jordan
and Chloe) continue to work here in
Abbotsford, and we are so proud of every
one of our children!
We wish you all the best as you
celebrate the holidays with family
and friends. Blessings for 2025!