Joe and Carolin Palmer

Two of the most kind-hearted and unique people you will ever meet live right here in North Battleford.

Carolin Palmer, an eccentric artist, and her husband Joe, a non-traditional retiree, have lived in North Battleford since moving from Nova Scotia about 15 years ago. Joe is from North Battleford, but when they first came to town they didn’t plan to stay.

“We came here in 1999 to check on his mom,” Carolin explained. “Decided to stay here for a month or two and from there it just became a permanent thing. Got work, got to know the community, his mom didn’t want us to leave so I think we’re stuck here for the long haul now.”

What makes them kind is they’re always willing to help those in need.

“I remember years ago in the middle of winter, some kids came by our house asking if our daughter could come out and play,” reminisced Joe. “It was about 11 at night, and these kids didn’t have any gloves or hats on. So Carolin goes out and spends a small fortune at the goodwill store to make sure if any kids ever came by again not dressed properly, we could give them some clothes to keep warm.”

Their generosity isn’t strictly a winter thing, though.

“In the summer we’ll have kids riding their bikes around here, and I’ve had a kid’s bike break right in front of our house,” Joe said. “If I can fix it right there and then I’ll do it, but sometimes I’ve had to go to the store to get a part for the bike. I mean, what’s four dollars? Nothing.”

What makes them unique is the setup they have in their backyard. Similar to what you would see on an elementary school playground, the Palmers’ backyard is a child’s dream. A Big Toy with slides, a pool, a miniature house, a deck with a “bar,” a change room and swings, all hand-built.

“It all started with a sandbox,” said Joe. “Then we decided to cover the sandbox, so we built this,” he said, motioning to the Big Toy.

The nautical themed contraption was designed that way by Carolin, and includes a treasure chest under one set of stairs, a handmade ship on chains underneath that can fit about six kids and a pirate cutout that kids can stick their face into for a funny picture.

It’s grown exponentially over the nine years they’ve lived in their current home, and the Palmers keep it as cost-effective as possible.

“We have had to buy some lumber of course, but a lot of it has been donated,” Carolin said. “There are so many people who know we care for these children, and take in these children, they just donate.”

The value of what they have is gargantuan compared to what they’ve put into it.

“The guys who build these things for schools, one of them came by and took a look at it and said if you put this into a school it would be worth at least $17,000,” Joe said, compared to the approximately $5,000 they’ve spent putting it together. “Sometimes we’ll see something we could use to add to it, but if you wait a few weeks it goes on sale and you can get it for a fraction of the price.”

While they have just two children living with them now, the Palmer’s have nine kids in total, three adopted, aging from 33 to five, along with 16 grandchildren.

“I only sleep about five hours a night. Always have,” Carolin said with a laugh when asked if she’s gotten a full night’s sleep in the past three decades.

They say people come from the surrounding area to see for themselves what the Palmers have done with their backyard. It might be somewhat surprising there has been only one incident of major vandalism on their property over the years.

“It’s sad because you want to go talk to the parents about it, but often the parents are worse than the kids,” Carolin said.

As you might imagine, kids at the Palmer residence don’t spend a lot of time indoors.

“The kids are outside all day as long as it’s sunny or some kind of warm,” said Carolin. “They have tablets, but the batteries are dead and they haven’t touched them in months,” Joe added. “Early April they were already sitting in the pool at 10 degrees.”

While it was never the plan at the beginning to have the backyard the way it is now, there’s no chance they’ll stop now. Joe has some ideas about what he wants to add, although Carolin isn’t sure she agrees.

“I would love to make a little Ferris wheel,” Joe said as Carolin shook her head. “A little four-seater that the kids could sit in, with seatbelts, of course. This place is always changing. If you come back a year from now it might look completely different.”

“We never really thought about it that way,” Carolin said. “Just one step at a time, but my imagination never quits. I live, breathe and sleep creativity. It’s always in my mind what’s next.”

That explains why Carolin has become a successful artist in the past few years.

“I basically have been an artist all my life, but not doing anything with it,” Carolin said. “Over the last two years I decided I would try taking it to another level to see if I could get a career out of it.”

Social media is a fantastic outlet for anyone looking to get themselves out to an audience they might not normally be able to reach.

“I joined Twitter, which I was really raw about, and quickly figured that out and gained a lot of followers,” she said. “It just grew and from there I was picked up by a publisher, and I’ve got a novel done which will feature my artwork throughout.”

That won’t be the first time her work has been published, however.

“I’ve been published in children’s magazines, I’ve got artwork that’s been used internationally for the Save The Frogs foundation,” she said. “I have artwork in the Cracker Jack museum in New Hampshire. I was discovered by them on Myspace by Ron Toth, he’s the artist advisor for Cracker Jack and Frito Lays, and he got a hold of me because he had seen a lot of my pictures. He wanted some paintings I had done for his gallery and museum.”

Perhaps an underrated move that Palmer did was giving Toth her artwork for free, instead of charging him.

“I opted not to sell it to him because if you sell something, it’s done. I gave it to him and that kept our connection and from that he’s been a good inspiration for me. I call him my mentor basically. I can call him if I have any questions or I need some help with the legalities of this business.”

Writing and pictures for books aren’t the only type of artwork she does, as she’s begun to hand paint shoes and even has a t-shirt line coming out.

“The Calgary Zoo has already seen [the shirts] and they want a price list and what I have available,” Carolin explained. Canadian Wildlife Having Fun contacted her through her Facebook page asking her to become a member of their team and provide artwork as well.

Her novel, which will have a variety of stories about her life growing up in Nova Scotia, isn’t the only book she’s working on either.

“I have a children’s book that the publishing company wanted a year ago,” she laughed. “But with everything else coming up, including the novel I wasn’t planning on writing, it had to get put on hold and they were quite okay with that. I may not be a patient person when it comes to [adding to her backyard], but I am when it comes to my career, because I wasn’t expecting to have this career, so what’s the hurry?”

A year from now she’ll travel home to Nova Scotia to promote her artwork and book in her home province. Her book will be available next spring.

“I have an art show at the Marigold Centre so I’ll have to have 20 to 30 watercolour paintings ready for that show,” she said. “Then a book signing around the province.”

She began experimenting with painting shoes recently, and it’s already beginning to look like it will be another successful venture.

“I just took up painting [shoes] about three weeks ago and I sold my very first pair I ever painted to someone in France,” she laughed.

 “We had my niece’s kids here a while ago and [Carolin] painted these pictures and put them on t-shirts for the kids,” Joe explained. “Next thing you know they’re putting these things on Facebook, and she’s getting messages about where people can buy shirts of their own.”

As you might imagine, all these projects Carolin has on the go at any given time means she’s constantly working.

“Aside from my children, who come first, every other minute has been dedicated to me building a career out of my talents,” she said. “[Joe] is retired and I’m in no physical condition to work, so I need to do this if we want to have a decent income. Sometimes I’m working at home from five until nine or 10 at night, all winter long.”

Even though she never planned to go down this career path, Carolin says she knows what her ultimate goals are.

“I just want to see my books on the shelf,” she admitted. “I don’t even care if it’s the Sally Ann shelf, as long as it’s on the shelf. It would be neat to see someone wearing my t-shirts when I’m walking through a zoo just randomly. Just enjoy life, have fun. That’s it, life isn’t long enough as is.”

Despite constantly being busy, it seems the Palmers enjoy life quite a bit.