planting new seeds

the grungy underside of Prince George, the massive potholes, the pick-up trucks drag-racing through town, the logging trucks blasting down Highway 97, carrying the logs of our remaining forests in both directions...

in the midst, a cool subculture is taking shape and growing here....this past weekend I headed downtown to Ohh Chocolat, a locally owned cafe / chocolate shop on the corner of 6th and George... a big steaming mug of coffee and a chocolate truffle, before heading 1/2 block down the street to the all-year Farmers' Market which is constantly expanding and improving ...  local potatoes, other veggies, fresh salad greens grown down the road in wood-heated greenhouses, wheat from Vanderhoof, baking, preserves, leather craftsmen, a local jewelry designer who works with gold and silver.... awesome place.

From there, it was a quick trip to Seedy Saturday at Exploration Place.  This annual event is also significantly growing in popularity, many people interested in self-sustainability, growing their own food, saving seed, protecting the environment from poisons of pesticides and pollution...

It is interesting how the political and big business leaders seem to have a vision of northern BC as a place to be industrialized and exploited for its natural resources but meanwhile a growing number of locals are forging ahead with creating a new way of being, planting new seeds... 

Here's to the future and the (r)  evolution...!

a new tune

so... after much deliberation, I have decided to change the focus of this blog... whereas the past saw me ranting about the constant barrage of threats to northern BC, I now realize that most people would rather focus on the positive, what is possible and beautiful.

Otherwise life and its many challenges can simply feel too overwhelming...

Having lived most of my life in north central British Columbia, Canada, I can tell you I dearly love this part of the planet.  Whereas outsiders sometimes view the northern areas of Canada as mere places with resources to be exploited, we who live here longterm can't help but fall in love and become thoroughly enchanted by magic of the land up here.

This weekend, I was out at our cabin at one of the local lakes.  With my family, I snowshoed across the lake with the crunch of snow underfoot, and when we arrived, we realized by the many hoofprints and indentations in the snow that a couple of moose had paid us a visit and slept overnight in the front yard.  During a solo snowshoe across the lake later on, I was fortunate enough to observe the 2 visitors who appeared to be a mother and large (yearling) calf.  When I spotted them, they were casually sauntering along each other, enjoying the peaceful surroundings just like I was.  It was a beautiful moment of harmony with them. 

I am often reminded when spending time out in the great wilderness found all over this area that humans are not necessarily the top of the food chain out there.  No, I realize when in the wilderness, we are merely one strand of a great and complex web of life.  Out there, ego does not matter so much.  What matters is the great life energy that surrounds and is everything.

On my way back, I needed medicine.  I followed the moose tracks in the snow and they led me to the prickly stalk of a piece of devil's club that grows prolifically throughout the old growth forest at the lake.  It was just what I needed.  I cut it and although it is the middle of the winter, the medicinal scent of the plant was strong as I boiled it into healing tea.  At night, Chinese new year, new moon, the stars were the brightest I'd ever seen out at the lake.  Ours was the only inhabited cabin, the only light the soft glow from the flickering woodstove and the sole flickering candle on the table.

.... I was reminded during this sojourn of the power and magic, the strong medicines, that north central BC hold for us.....

So in the future, I am going to shift the focus of this blog to the beautiful, inspiring and thought-provoking of northern BC.... sure sometimes (especially in this day and age) there is a need for a rant but happy thoughts are good too.

Here's to peace and love on this beautiful planet.