Jason Timbers on Love, Life and…Farming?!
We are continually delighted by all the different types of people we encounter in the bear community. Not only is there rich body, cultural and ethnic diversity in the scene but we’ve all chosen to do such radically wonderful things with our professional and personal lives. We’ve met doctors, chefs, painters, sculptors, writers, sex workers, teachers, historians and now we are excited to introduce you some bear farmers – Jason and Patrice Timbers.
Jason and Patrice are a married couple from Canada who fused their passion for each other with their own hobby farm. When we stumbled across them due to Jason’s work as a brand ambassador for Bear-Tastic, we had to know more. Check out our interview with Jason below.
BWM: Please give us some background on you and Patrice. Where are you from? Where are you now?
Jason Timbers (JT): We both grew up in small French-Canadian towns in the same county surrounded by our francophone family and friends. Now grown up, we live in the same county in Ontario – that is coincidently located between both our original childhood towns.
When I left my hometown, I followed my curiosity for the applied sciences and completed a Master’s degree in Science – Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, while Patrice followed his passion for nature by proudly completing his degree in Environmental Forestry. And we both pursued careers in our respective fields.
A mad scientist and an ecological warrior; a match made in heaven (laughs).
BWM: Your insta account also mentions hobby farmer, what does that mean? Is farming your career? And did you always want to be a farmer?
JT: A “hobby farm” is a small scale operation that is usually tied to home and family, compared to a larger, more commercial, agricultural business. Being farmers is not our career, but more of a passion and a hobby. That being said, with the time and energy we dedicate to our homestead, we should probably consider it a second career (laughs).
Growing up I never thought that running my own hobby farm was achievable, but Patrice and I made our own common dream come true by putting in a lot of time, patience and hard work. You are what you choose for yourself to be, and I choose to be a husband, a scientist, a farmer, a baker, a cook, a friend, a brand ambassador, a nerd, and most importantly, myself!
We strive to be ourselves, do what we love, follow our bliss and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
BWM: A beautiful sentiment that we can all get behind. What is a typical week like? Why do you do it all?
JT: As we both have our own respective careers, our farming responsibilities are balanced and woven through the week.
During weekdays, we tend to practice the three “W”s: Work, Water and Weeding, plus taking care of the chicken coop daily to ensure that our hens are happy and healthy.
As for our weekends, we work hard on Saturdays and rest on Sundays. We usually begin our Saturdays by pruning our flower beds, large herb garden and numerous vegetable patches. From planting and sewing in the spring, to keeping everything alive during the warm summer months, all that work is worth the bounty of our harvest. Picking the fruits and nuts from our various large trees is Patrice’s favourite harvest, cherries, apples, plums, walnuts and even hazelnuts. I am more motivated to pick the produce that can be harvested and eaten at the same time (laughs); like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, but also carrots, sweet-peas and cucumbers. It is a very unique feeling to grab a vintage wicker basket from our barn and walk in the garden like it’s a farmer’s market.
In the autumn, we dedicate our time to creatively preserving our many waves of bounties. For example, plums in Brandy, pickled and brined vegetables, sauces and juices, cutting and freezing, drying and canning. What is truly important is to genuinely want to accomplish the work, see the benefits, and have fun while doing it! We are both humbly aware that our common passion allows us to spend so much time together.
As we are both concerned regarding the realities of climate change, it serves a big source of inspiration as to why we choose to farm our land. We believe that by doing “what we can with what we have” is indeed the best way for us all to take action against climate change. Growing our own produce, raising our chickens, positively contributing to our local ecology, and being more mindful of our choices is what motivates us to pursue our farming endeavours.
We do it because we want to, and also since “representation matters”; it is a creative way for us to share our life adventures on Instagram. Being any type of inspiration to whomever is out there watching and providing examples that you can be, love, and do whatever makes you happy is a privilege for us.
BWM: Are you involved with the bear community? What is the local bear scene like where you live?
JT: As we live in an isolated community on the outskirts of an already small town, there is not a Bear Community to speak of. Well technically, we are the Bear Community (laughs). We are lucky to live in a part of the world where we can shop at our local market holding hands and not be scared of being ourselves.
As we work diligently to make our home our own paradise, we are quite content to have our bear friends from the city over to enjoy our country lifestyle. Relaxing in our pool, dinners cooked over the campfire, desserts under the moonlight… In order to mingle with the Bear Scene, we would need to drive a few hours to Montréal or Ottawa, which is why Social Media, specifically Instagram, is such a magical tool for us to connect and create our version of a Bear Community. From our friends in Norway to Germany, passing through Wales and all across North America, what matters to us is that any community, even a Bear one, is what you make of it.
BWM: How did you and Patrice meet and develop this storybook romance?
JT: It may sound cliché, but it is the truth; it was love at first sight. We met for our first date more than 14 years ago on a beautiful snowy night. We ice skated, shared a cup of hot chocolate, and even our first kiss. As we got to know each other, we realized just how much we had in common, especially when it came to our dreams and passions. Still today, we both want the same things out of life, simple pleasures, everyday conversations, humility, responsibility, love, and respect. We wed with a “lumberjack” theme in front of all our friends and family and shared vows to not only be each other’s best friends, lovers and husbands, but also the two members of a dedicated team. Go Team Timbers! (Laughs) We both share a strong passion for gardening and farming and were excited to create our home with those passions as a central focus.
BWM: You gents are very rugged and masculine and have attracted the attention of Bear-Tastic. Tell us how you became involved with the brand and how it feels to be a brand ambassador and model?
JT: That’s truly flattering, thank you; compliments as such still make me blush. My partnership with Bear-Tastic started by following the Instagram account and communicating casually with its creator, Martin. After some time, I noticed that Bear-Tastic was looking for new brand ambassadors and as my connection with Martin just clicked, it was a pleasure to apply! I have been proudly partnering with Bear-Tastic for 3 years now and I’m happy to report that I have convinced Patrice to join in the latest photo-shoot. As I consider my interactions with Instagram a great way to connect with others, share an insight into my life and promote body positivity, being a brand ambassador with Bear-Tastic aligns with my goals and practical use of social media.
BWM: That’s awesome! And what are some of your personal favorite designs?
JT: As I am a very proud and nerdy bear, so gaming and fantasy Bear-Tastic designs are my favourite. They reflect my personality, style and interests. The Pride designs also have a special place in my heart, as they blend the typical rainbow pride theme with a Bear twist. By wearing my Bear-Tastic merchandise, I consider them as a funny, unique and positive way to visually demonstrate interesting aspects of myself and what I love in life.
BWM: Where can we find you both on social media and what can followers expect to see from your feeds?
JT: Our social media platform is solely limited to Instagram:
Patrice’s account is all about our life through his point of view. He concentrates on posting what he sees through the lens of his camera, seldom turning the camera on himself. Capturing everyday moments, sharing what is growing in our gardens and special moments that he likes to share.
My weekly routine posts like my #tummytuesdays for Body Positivity and my “Bear Recipes” videos trying my best to post them every Fridays are part of the ways I strive to stay consistent with my content, all while nourishing my spark for creativity and self-expression.
Hopefully, both our Instagram accounts can inspire others to have just as much fun as we do!
Be sure to follow both Jason and Patrice to learn about all their farming adventures and head on over to bear-tastic.com to snatch up some of the designs pictured in this article.
