Shortly after I came to Kamloops many years ago I got a cat from the SPCA. My daughter picked her out because she came to her seeking affection. Her name was Princess and from the day she came into our lives she was pure love and bad ass-ery.She was an alley cat recued from the streets and plopped into our lives perfectly. She has been my tender companion in my dozens of houses, a van,…
I absolutely love hedgerows. It is one of the best land use practices of the UK and yet didn’t seem to make it over here. Everything else did so I’m not sure why this one didn’t. Probably because it harkens back to pre-industrial agriculture. In case you don’t know a hedgerow is a roughly 10-30m wide patch of dense forest that marks the boundaries between fields and farms. It is generally made up of hazel,…
Here in Canada Trucks are regulated both federally but also on a Provincial basis. Which means as you travel across our large country the rules change slightly. I live in BC and many of us speculate that in recent years there are more accidents involving semi-trucks and large vehicles. On a small stretch of highway near my house there is an accident involving a tractor-trailer at least once a month. In February of 2023 there…
Those 3 things and these 3 bags and I’m good to go anywhere really. Things I like to bring for travel/hotel rooms… In my Suitcase/Overnight Bag I often (almost always) toss a backpacking air mattress (Exped) and a sleeping bag into my car when I am going somewhere. When it’s cold I include a wool blanket. Honestly it has come in handy so many times. I can usually squish them both in my suitcase if…
Recently our Provincial government instituted a tax on used vehicles. The tax is automatic so that when you insure a vehicle with ICBC the tax is automatically applied according to their book value for the car you just purchased. Regardless of what you paid for said car the tax is applied. Now I would love to hear the economic reasoning behind why taxing the sale of used goods benefits the everyday citizen and is an…
How a 60-year-old treaty cripples the Kootenays The outdated terms and priorities of the Columbia River Treaty (CRT) have limited hydroelectric infrastructure projects in their ability to modernize according to current perspectives of our natural resources and social responsibilities. The CRT was negotiated and signed without any prior consultation with the people who would be impacted or an environmental assessment of what would be lost when the land was flooded[1]. In the 1950s and 60s…
The conservation of keystone species throughout the world’s ecosystems could be a valuable, overlooked mechanism to engage communities on the ground action to both mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. To conserve a given species is to restore the diverse ecosystem that supports it. Many modern ecosystems are so fragmented due to land-use decisions they no longer provide the habitat necessary to maintain biodiversity. Compounding that issue, the warming of our planet…
I believe in Heaven on Earth. Or rather that Earth is our Heaven. If we so choose to create it to be that way. I believe we have the ability to build cities, communities, neighbourhoods and businesses that nourish and enrich our lives. I believe economic and financial wealth are constructs that have enslaved us. That we have literally become the slaves of corporations, organizations and systems that seek only to ensure their survival, not…
I have been using essential oils in my home as a natural way to keep me and my family healthy and balanced since long before it was trendy. Before the days of DoTerra and Young Living there was a gorgeous store in my home town called Sage which sold essential oils, diffusers and a few select blends. That was decades ago. Fast forward to today and the internet is filled with recipes, remedies and recommendations…
If you could live as though money were no object how would you live? In a home, not too big, with a wood stove and a well. Large yards permaculture landscaped.I would stay home with my children and teach them about the world. Do crafts, projects, dioramas, read stories and other activities to facilitate learning.We would cook together and learn about food preparation. In the warm months we would spend our days in the garden…
One of the many problems with living alone is that you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. You can do whatever you want in an instant and the only flack you’ll get is from you. This can be good or it can be bad. Like when you decide to have 15 yards of gravel delivered maybe a second opinion is a good idea. Maybe 10 would be lots. And those life choices that…
My kids are getting older and while they aren’t exactly staying out all hours of the night or anything they can do a lot of things for themselves. One of the things my son in particular likes to do is play music. He frequently pops in a ‘Little People’ CD and cranks it. Which after one too many renditions of ‘Wheels on the Bus’ got me to thinking he needed some new material. Enter the…