Yesterday, I put my seven year old son on a bus, and sent him off to school. It was harder than even the first day of kindergarten had been. I didn't have to steel myself to do it - I've already become part steel. I've tempered so much of my softness, in the absence of … Continue reading Steeling myself for school

Tickets for the 2020 Whistler Writers Festival went on sale August 31, and just to clarify what "on sale" means - most events are by donation, or free (if that's your current capacity), while the keynote events like the Literary Salon, Saturday Night Gala and workshops are by donation, with a suggested minimum of between … Continue reading Book your Writers Festival sessions now, as the 19 year old event comes to your living room

“There's an old Irish myth about how when the center falls apart, when there is no big unifying story that can be told in public so that everyone remembers, yes, we all are in this together, when that happens, when the center cannot hold, the old story says then it's time for each person to … Continue reading Go and find your thread

The attached report, Bat Conservation Pemberton: Understanding, Appreciating, and Stewarding Bats in Pemberton, BC, was produced by Greg Ferguson, in partnership with the Pemberton Wildlife Association and Stewardship Pemberton Society, with thanks to the Community Foundation of Whistler, BC Conservation Foundation, Pemberton Valley Supermarket, Quest University, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, BC … Continue reading Become a bat champion! Results of the first Bat Conservation report are in, and bats love Pemberton, so let’s love them back.

I just read the book Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide To Thriving in Tough Times, by Hersch Wilson, a volunteer firefighter based in the US. The subhead got me, because who doesn't need a little help thriving these days... and the motto, Be brave. Be kind. Fight fires, felt particularly on-point. Camaraderie and community, Wilson … Continue reading Pemberton Fire Rescue is recruiting

A month ago, a snake lay across my path. Still and... snakelike. It felt potent, like a visit from the wild world. I hunkered down on my haunches at a respectful distance, thinking "oh hello!", expecting her (a wandering garter snake) to whoosh away, but the only thing that moved was her tongue - flick, … Continue reading Magical encounters of the serpentine kind

There are some recipes I make that are always accompanied by the absurd urge to announce the making thereof... not to the world at large (billboard on Times Square? instagram post?), but specifically to the person whose name is at the top of the recipe card. It happened yesterday when I made Oma Shelley's most … Continue reading Karen’s grandmother’s relish recipe

A recent Angus Reid poll showed that 1 in 5 Canadians don't really have much respect for public health, so I'm potentially wading into choppy waters with this post, but when I look at the way the pandemic situation in Canada, and BC, is tracking (I have a spreadsheet and have been following some of … Continue reading Shout out to Public Health

Did you know, that food doesn't decompose in landfill? It needs oxygen to decompose, otherwise, mixed in with landfill, it releases methane, which causes a lot more CO2. Composting is the solution! Learn more in this final instalment of Zero Waste living tips from the Squamish Climate Action Network.  

Here's a little thought that might blow your mind today. https://www.instagram.com/p/CEHQMhQjZuC/ Your ancestors love you. And are deeply vested in your well-being. Pair with this little mathematical mind-explosion: I love this. When the pandemic first began to unfold, and my world contracted into a very small bubble of me, my partner and my kid, I … Continue reading Your ancestors love you