I made it home safe and sound last night. Getting into Pemberton I enjoyed the sight of Ts'zil (Mt. Currie) and its beautiful sharpness silhouetted by the moonlight. Later I fell asleep with the almost-full moon shining through my window and the rez dogs barking in the distance, protecting their owners homes from bears and … Continue reading Fall Winds
Most of my writing has a nature theme to it. I think that's how I've been able to live such a full life. I've certainly faced my challenges, and there are many times I fall into that dreamless void where I numb myself and try to forget the trauma I've experienced and the hate towards … Continue reading Kwísteqw7am Woman
Last week I attended the opening celebration for an exhibit at the University of Victoria's "We Carry Our Ancestors" exhibit. The moment I walked in I felt the beautiful energy from the baskets. I could feel all the love that went into making them. Dr. Lorna Williams was there and shared some words of thanks … Continue reading Cedar Women
In September, a British doctor who specializes in palliative care, wrote this op ed for the New York Times. I kept returning to the image of the 51 year old woman with untreatable breast cancer listening to birdsong outside her window, realizing as she tuned in to its cheery tune, that it was okay. She … Continue reading Open a window and let the “nowness” in
Some things are simply beautiful; others are beautifully simple. On a recent walk around One Mile, I had time to contemplate this concept. We are surrounded by so much natural beauty on such a grand scale in this valley that it takes some special circumstances to see the smaller details. The frequent rain storms of … Continue reading What the Rain Revealed
My friends and I were running through the mossy woods, trending up towards the paraglide launch and catching up on each other’s lives when the incline allowed. In the back of my mind was an image: a spiral of moss captured in ice, seemingly lit from within. I had been wondering for days how I … Continue reading Ice, moss and meditations on impermanence with Connie Sobchak
As I gazed at the images from my last run, deleting blurry ones and repeats, I came close to obliterating the fly that was marring one of the waterlily pictures I had taken. Then I realized the fly was likely pollinating the plant. It looked like a regular black fly-the kind that bites-and maybe it … Continue reading Airbrushing Nature – when chasing our own version of perfection might mean death, or a very unhealthy unsustainable planet, at the least
The bright green new growth on the evergreen keeps calling out to me. It's a three flowered bouquet of spring that is fragrant, delicate and pulsing with power. There is the power to add to the height and breadth of the tree as well as the power to draw me in for a closer look … Continue reading New Growth
On the way to the Tsawwassen Ferry, as I inspect the trees at the base of the hill, I feel transported to a world where pterodactyls still fly in the skies: a colony of great blue herons live there. It’s hard to look at a heron without thinking of ancient times: their gangly legs, their … Continue reading A Siege of Herons: Connie Sobchak ponders the similarities between a heronry and a shopping mall
Another season of the BC-Yukon Nocturnal Owl Survey has wrapped up. Since 2000, Bird Studies Canada has been monitoring owl populations in British Columbia and the Yukon, contributing information to the National Nocturnal Owl Survey database. Volunteers across the country select a route in their neighbourhood and survey for owls in the spring and late … Continue reading Owl Philosophy
The Wellness Almanac 