A farm, a philosophy, a way of working
About Ann and Eugene
The Philosopher’s Wool Company began with two people who believed a farm, a wool business, and a life of common good could all belong to one another.
It was a case of vini, vidi, velcro: they became inseparable.
“A life well and fully lived.”
A small farm, an open door, and good wool to all.
Two curious people
Ann and Eugene Bourgeois were the creative minds behind a beloved local institution. Ann was an English teacher with a soft British accent, an expert knitter, and a lover of miniatures. Eugene was a mystical philosopher, environmental activist, and amateur mycologist.
They settled on a small farm in Inverhuron and decided to raise sheep and start a wool business. Their path there was characteristically indirect: Eugene’s interest in mushrooms led to sheep-dung fertilizer, which led to sheep, fair prices for wool, and eventually yarn. Ann’s knowledge of knitting and her eye for colour and design completed the puzzle.
From the pasture came soft, natural wool, beautiful patterns, and lessons shared far and wide.
In winter, Ann and Eugene packed their van with wool and drove across Canada and the United States, especially enjoying the Southwest. They went to fairs, found their way into all sorts of adventures, and made friends wherever they stopped.
Their life on the farm also held a serious purpose. They were active environmentalists, with much of their work centred on the nuclear industry. For them, making and teaching were part of a larger responsibility to the land and to one another.
An open door
Ann and Eugene ran their business according to social justice, environmental integrity, and creative joy. The farm was open to all. Anyone who came to the store to buy yarn might soon find themselves at the Bourgeois table, coffee in hand, taking part in banter and the inevitable philosophical musings.
They shared their space, stories, humour, and life wisdom generously. In doing so, they touched many lives in profound and lasting ways.
What remains
Like Philemon and Baucis, the old couple from Greek myth, Ann and Eugene left this world almost together, four months apart in 2020. Their wish was that the farm and everything they had built would keep serving the common good.
The Philosopher’s Wool Company carries that wish forward: good wool, practical knowledge, and a welcome wide enough for the people who gather around it.