Traveling Together

Another lovely visit has come to an end today with my mom & dad heading back east to Quebec.  My what fun we had visiting a stunning garden, riding the ferry to Victoria, eating good food and listening to the crazy antics of a 4 and 1 year old.
The challenge of shaking up the routine of said 4 and 1 year old can be tricky but in the end is worth the intensive grandparent energy that surrounds them with love and mama with some much needed parent time too!  We never stop needing our parents they just morph into a different relationship or at least that is what has happened with myself and my parents.

my camera decided it didn't like some rather humid conditions at a butterfly conservatory so I have to send it  off for repair.  I'm rather partial to it but my iphone will have to do for now.

The Sunken Garden at Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC

 Beacon Hill Park, Victoria BC

Travel with little ones is challenging but the good moments are so special.   Visiting Beacon Hill park was magical as the waves rushed in and Elliott was quiet and calm on my back as we listened to the water and the birds in the sunshine.  There was enough energy in that moment to carry me through the spring rains that continue to fall on us tonight.  

Blog Action Day 2010: Water

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Where would we be without water?  In short we wouldn't exist.  Water is a fundamental part of our lives and western society squanders it.  I try to reduce our family's water consumption.  I think of how wasteful it is to let the water run to get it to a desired temperature, I use day old water from our reusable water bottles to water plants, I turn the water off when brushing teeth or washing hands.  I wash as much of our laundry in cold water as I can, I let the yellow mellow in the toilet.  These are small steps, things that seem like a drop in the bucket (if you'll pardon the pun.) 
I want to do more and be as careful as possible with water consumption.  I believe that water should not be owned, but should be free to all.  Clean and safe water is a human right at its most basic.  So please think about your relationship with water today.  I ask this not to make you feel guilt or hopelessness but to encourage dialogue and contemplation.  What can you do right now to respect the fundamental sacredness of water?

You can head on over to the Blog Action Day website to read all the other wonderful posts written today by thousands of bloggers.

I leave you today with a song that I wrote many years ago which shares my feelings about the element of water.

Water

Cradled by the rocking to and fro

rest on top of the water

her cup will overflow

taste salt on our skin and the willow sways

by the water

Dive deep, dive deep,

lotus

feel the well heave

we head westward wading through

rivers of reeds

Autumn leaves, autumn leaves

washed from the streets

cleansing rain solemnly beats

Emotions release untangle these weeds

laugh, play and swim

splash in the moonlight

the tide's coming in

Dive deep, dive deep,

lotus

feel the well heave

we head westward wading through

rivers of reeds

Fertile fields growing our life force

nourishment heals

and comes from the water

Womb of humanity

coral and pearl, 

glistening jewels of the water

Dive deep, dive deep,

lotus

feel the well heave

we head westward wading through

rivers of reeds

Dive deep, dive deep,

lotus

feel the well heave

we head westward wading through

rivers of reeds

Things I've Learned

So, it was not over.  Friday night I came down with this gastro thing and two days later it was Dave's turn.  So now we are on the mend here for good.  Being sick like this left me with quite a lot to ponder.
Like, what are we going to eat?  I certainly didn't feel like making the meals I had planned out for us for the week.  And I noticed that our supply of bland starchy things grew tiresome fast.  I also read that you shouldn't necessarily eat bland since it provides little to no nutrients for recovery.    In Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage & Preservation Sharon goes over food storage for emergency and I came to realize that being the mom of a recovered and hungry toddler means you cook whether you can stand up straight or not.  In my mind I saw the brilliance of homemade chicken soup in the freezer ready for "emergency" situations and then my mind goes blank.  What else should be in there?  I've never really thought about this stuff before now.  This type of thinking has not been cultured into me.  I am a go to the store, pick it up instantly kind of girl.  I want to be prepared (as any good Girl Guide would be, but I dropped out after one year) but how do I make this work for us?  I don't need to go out and buy tons of stuff and create a bomb shelter with its own solar panels yet, but I should have water stored, emergency medical info and enough food to get us through for at least 2 weeks.  Sharon actually recommends 3 months.  While I'm not sure how I'm going to integrate this information into our lives I am happy that I found this book and have read it.  I feel that just knowing about preparedness whether I am or not is going to help if anything actually hits the fan.
I'm not much for doomsday predictions or the like but it would be ignorant to assume that it can't happen to me.  I am not immune to a natural disaster or a systemic breakdown, just like I'm not immune to the flu.

Sea Songs

My newest playlist to bring the salty sea air where ever I go.

The Ocean - Led Zeppelin
Born in the Water - The Tragically Hip
Ocean Breathes Salty - Modest Mouse
Wooden Ships - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Sailor's Eyes - Joel Plaskett
Ship out on the Sea - Be Good Tanyas
Oceans - Pearl Jam
Swallowed in the Sea - Coldplay
Down by the Seaside - Led Zeppelin
Sea and the Rhythm - Iron & Wine
Sea of Love - Cat Power
Sail to the Moon - Radiohead
Pirate of Penance - Joni Mitchell
Mark of the Mermaid - Matthew McCully
House by the Sea - Iron & Wine
Sea Lion Woman - Feist
Yer Not the Ocean - The Tragically Hip
Tahitian Moon - Jane's Addiction
Oh Sailor - Fiona Apple
Song to a Seagull - Joni Mitchell

As you can tell my taste is all over the map. What would be on your Sea Songs mix?

The Beach

I wanted to share some photos from our beach excursion. It had a little bit of everything that a boy and his mama would love. Trains, rocky shoreline, boats going by now and then, a sandy beach, big trees and picnic tables, fun walkways and a cool pier, birds and lovely views all around. I'm still processing the way the tides are calling to me. What is it that brings out this desire at this time in my life. Perhaps it's that after close to 10 years living on the coast the sea is finally starting to share it's secrets with an inland raised woman. I'll keep you posted.

Just as an aside before the photos some housekeeping. I'm hoping that you all remember to enter my giveaway...some of you must like free music? Especially good music? Don't you? There's still lots of time so please sign up!