of our barn kitties and he just follows people. He’ll follow them down to the river and if they’re sitting in one of the chairs overlooking the river, unwinding after a busy day, he’s up on the arm of the chair or on their lap. He’ll walk up to the house to the bonfire pit or be around when they’re on the swings and slide set.” Animals have been a source of comfort for MacLeod throughout her life and, in fact, she grew up on the farm property where her home is located. “I was always in the barn with the animals as a child. My parents always knew where to find me,” she recalls. The same was true of her own kids, as well as foster children she brought into her home over the course of 13 years.
“When we had foster kids, that was when I really got to see what animals could do for people,” she says, explaining that when they were upset the animals would comfort them. “You could just see the stress and anxiety leave their body and they’d calm down and everything was okay.” With her own children now grown, MacLeod decided a couple of years ago that her animals had enough love and her house enough room to share with visitors. She transformed the lower level into a separate suite for guests, and opened Serenity Mini Farm & Vacation Home in 2018. “When I started my little business, I thought people would absolutely love to come here from away, people from big cities and places where they can’t have pets, or they have really busy lives in the city and they want their children to experience animals, and that has been a lot of the people that have come here,” says MacLeod. In her first two years in operation, MacLeod was booked throughout the summer months and even into the fall. Like so many tourism operators, the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on the 2020 season at Serenity, but MacLeod is taking it as an opportunity to grow and expand for the future. A gazebo near the bonfire is in the works, as is a brand new off- grid cottage, and MacLeod is already looking forward to welcoming guests to her eastern PEI property in 2021. “We’re actually very central to anywhere on PEI … so people can come and stay here and they’re 20 minutes from Charlottetown, a 45-minute drive from Cavendish, and a 45-minute drive from East Point.” And at the end of their day, they can return home to a beautiful sunset, a bonfire, and Tuxedo to keep them company.
THE VACATION HOME FEATURES:
- Three bedrooms (two queen beds and one double) and a cot (accommodates up to 7 people) - A completely equipped kitchenette, plus a BBQ on the deck - A large cozy living area with a TV, games, and books - An office area
Serenity Mini Farm & Vacation Home 902.393.0668 serenitymfvh@gmail.com www.airbnb.ca/rooms/25885531
SUMMER 2020 www.pei-living.ca
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