April Outside

Last weekend we visited a wonderful organization's open house.  O.W.L which stands for Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society rescues injured birds (mostly raptors) and houses ones that can not re-enter nature and releases ones that have healed.

 Turkey Vulture.

  A Barred Owl.  We think an owl like this may be nesting near our home.  

We have seen her/him 3 times now.

And the climax of the day was the release of this juvenile bald eagle.  He was saved by a BC Hydro worker after being caught in a power line.  It was very moving to hear his story and witness this bird's release back into the wild.

There are so many people that dedicate their time to worthy causes, this is just one of many.  Supporting such brilliant work is a great way to send a family day outside.

Commitment (a multipart series)

Oh, what a crazy month April has been.  Life has been very full and a bit hectic and my head is overwhelmed with ideas of things to write here and this is the first time I've sat down to do so all month.  But rather than let my hands type out all these thoughts I'd rather focus on one at a time, because well, it seems more fair to you as a reader.  My next few posts will probably skirt around a theme that is coming up frequently this year.
Commitment and self-discipline.  April presented two opportunities to practice my commitment to the earth.

On April 12 our family attended the B.R.O.K.E sponsored rally against Kinder-Morgan's proposed pipeline expansion in our city.  There are dozens of reasons I am against this expansion but the first one is that our earth cannot sustain the practices of extracting fossil fuels.  This pipeline will transport oil across our backyard to buyers in foreign markets, navigating tricky waters with tankers that could spill and destroy wildlife and precious natural areas. We already live with the risk of the current pipeline's potential hazards let alone adding another.  This type of thinking about our environment as an extraction field needs to be stopped.

On Earth Day I visited Kyan's classroom and read "Earth Mother" by Ellen Jackson.  It is a wonderful story of the gentleness, power and wisdom of nature's cycles.  The kids were very engaged by it and we followed up with learning the first verse of The Earth is our Mother chant.  And to end the lesson we talked about what each of them could do to take care of the earth using this sheet.  I was happy that the kids responded as they did.  And despite being busy in other things I was glad to mark the day for the kids and myself.  I plan to do this each year as long as Kyan's (and eventually Elliott's) teachers are on board.  This work is about my spiritual path and in a future post I'll expand on where these values are building from.

Around home our interest in birds continues to be enhanced by our bird feeders.  Elliott built a nest for our little eggs one morning.  Spring brings forth so much life and newness that it spills over in the boys' faces.  The inspiration of it seems endless.

Craft Fair Tips

Oh, I love craft fairs....if you've been reading for any length of time that should come as no surprise.  While at the playground recently I heard two trendy mamas talking of doilies and grandma's knitting craft fairs with disdain.  Not me my friends.  I love old fashioned and new and trendy craft fairs.  The "old" style ones offer important things things like knitted cotton dishcloths, wool socks that warm your feet made by bent over & crinkled ladies, jams, homemade pies, and occasionally gems of trend setting crafters who are starting out.

Buying at craft fairs is really smart on several levels:

• you are supporting local artisans
• you often find one of a kind items
• it forces you to think "outside of the (big) box" for gifts

The Lower Mainland of British Columbia is full of craft events.  Every year more and more fairs are popping up.  I see this as a great sign but have also noticed that the quality in some of the fairs that I visit each year is going down.  Perhaps vendors have more choice of high end markets now and so the smaller markets may struggle a bit to fill their tables.  After spending years attending craft fairs I have a few pointers to share about them that should help you get the most out of your experience:

Look at everything before you buy anything.  This is really important if you have a limited amount of cash or you are looking for something that could be found at more than one booth.  If you buy the first earrings you like and find some further on that you love you'll regret it.  So stroll, look and then make a plan to return to your favorite tables.

1. If you find a vendor that you really like make sure to get their card and/or contact info.  You never know when you may want to commission something or buy another and then realize you can't find them again.  Often vendors return to shows that they did well at the previous year but there is no guarantee.

2. Smile and say hello to the vendors.  They are putting  themselves out there and that can be a rather daunting experience.

 3. Eat before you go.  It is never smart to shop on an empty stomach.

4. Search out the fairs in your area over the whole holiday season.  Many fairs begin in November and carry on until the last weekend before Christmas.  If you can get to more than one in one day you can maximize your time and childcare if you need it.

5. Remember not to get a crafter grudge.  Many times at many fairs I've thought to myself, I can do that.  I'm not going to buy something I could make myself.  While that is a valid point it is more important to think of how much time you have to make gifts and if you are really going to make it this year.  Making a hectic trip to the mall on Christmas eve because you didn't have time to make that thing that you could have bought two weeks ago....save yourself the headache.

6. And finally make a list before you go.  Write out who you need to buy for, any ideas you have for what to get them and stick to it.  It is very easy to be distracted by lovely handmade things and blow your budget on something that you could get later or isn't necessary.  Unlike the mall you can't return things a day later when your head clears.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

november, again

This week has been a bit of a challenge.  Days feeling long, my brain not retaining information, rushing around, dealing with the ineptitude of others.

But simultaneously I have looked upon my family with expanding eyes.  I have sat and talked with my husband in the evening lamenting the complexity of adulthood but accepting that in this moment at 35 the complexity is never going away.  It just is, it is life.

The quiet in this space may continue for a while.  My priorities are shifting slightly though I'm sure I will return  here with more regularity in the future.

What I am noticing is that as I project myself outwards towards my local community I have less energy to project towards the online one.  But again, I am not worried or saddened by this.  It is an experiment in a way.  An expansion of my safety zone.  It feels like a good time.