New year to write...

I am reasserting my efforts to a few words here each day. The Shadows Project took over most of my brain for a long time, but here I am, newly creative once more and wanting to be writing.

What gets you thinking creatively...daydreaming...feeling whinsical?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

They came....and they went

and in a blink that holiday we all gear up for, is over.

A new year beckons and I am soooooo full of good food.

I would love to write more and share pics, but I have turkey exhaustion and am going to sleep.

SNOW

It is here, my favourite thing in the world Snow!!!!!!!

Going out to play.

Thank you Snow Queen!

It is here....

Holidays come , they come quickly.

The rush, the cold, the shiny sparkly things everywhere.

I know I must sound about 5, but I love this time of year.

Now don't get me wrong, Il love it because I do not shop.

I do not go to malls.

I do not go out amongst all the shopping insanity.

I do however make things.

Cozy up by the fire, furries and Daiv around and baskets of wool, sewing, baking...you name it.

We started this tradition about 12 years ago, and it never becomes old. We grew weary of the commercialism and hallmark holiday. We did not have much money....we needed to change things up.....

First year we made Xmas ornaments for everyone and for our tree. We couldn't possibly afford all the things needed to decorate a tree.....so we made them, and shared those things, twig stars, plaster of paris poured into star molds and gold leafed, wax eggs, dipped and rubbed to a sheen.

Our making things have started traditions amongst our family and friends. Christmas morning for many now starts with sour dough muffins and Daiv's famous cashew butter ( and if we don't make it, we hear about it..lol ).

Fresh ground cashew butter is made for all friends and relations, along with caramel corn, and ginger bread cookies.

I have a few friends now who I get together with to bake and share the work through December....it is twice the fun.

These are what the holidays have come to mean to me....time with friends creating, laughing, and working towards sharing with even more friends and family.

It is cosy and loving and full of the sights, smells and sounds of an old fashioned Christmas.

I always wanted to live in the movie " Meet Me in St. Louis" and now I look around and realize we have sort of done exactly that.

We have brought an old fashioned sensibility to the the modern day holiday.

I still speak the words " Merry Christmas" , regardless of the " PCness" of it.

For me it has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with the sense of nostalgia those words evoke and the warmth and simplicity of holidays of yore.

So try it..when the holidays get hectic and you get lost in the modern bells and whistles, slow down...take a moment over a hot cocoa and think about the time off we have to connect with those whom we love ( even the dysfunctional parts ), maybe bake them some cookies.

Gotta run, hot chocolate calls me by the fire.

David Sheldrick Organization- help our planet this holiday

For years now, I subscribed to this organization and give the gift of a foster baby elephant to family members for Xmas. Same elephant seen growing and thriving year after year is so amazing to see.

For only $50.00 annually, my family receive newsletters and photos as to how their foster elephant is doing and the knowledge that they are making a difference in the survival of this magical animal.

As we know, hard times have hit our world which has seen an increase in poaching as Ivory once more, becomes big money for many places.

Please consider finding an organization that you would like to support this holiday and is making a difference in the world. Now more than ever, they need our help financially.

Mine will continue to be this one...they do amazing work.

ANNUAL MESSAGE AND APPEAL FROM DAME DAPHNE SHELDRICK

DECEMBER 2009

Dear Friends,

With another year drawing to a close, we again must thank all the supporters in the U.S. and Canada for enabling us in Kenya to

continue to make a significant difference during 2009, which has been the most challenging year we have ever had to face. However,

before all else, importantly, we must first wish all our supporters in North America a Very Joyous Christmas and a Happy, Peaceful and

more prosperous 2010.

I remember saying that most would be happy to see the end of 2008, but 2008 pales in comparison to the challenges that have confronted us in 2009. Not only has the entire country been gripped by the most prolonged and severe drought in living memory, but there has also been a marked escalation in poaching, fuelled by the rising demand for ivory in the Far East, particularly in Thailand and China. China is the largest consumer of both legal and illegal ivory where the price now stands at over US $1,250 per kilo. Moreover, locally the price paid to a poacher for an illegal tusk has risen from K. Shs. 300/- to K. Shs. 5,000/- per kilo, encouraging poaching for profit, particularly incountries where there is corruption and mass unemployment. Chinese construction workers are now in Kenya in numbers, working on roads in the country and during the

year several Chinese nationals have been apprehended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport trying to smuggle out illegal ivory. The population of China is becoming wealthier, and almost everyone aspires to an ivory hanko or name seal (name stamps carrying the personal seal of the owner are used in lieu of signatures for documents). The poaching of the rhino has also risen sharply in this country during 2009.

2010 will be a watershed year for elephants because parties to The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (“CITES”) meet again in March, faced with proposals from Tanzania to downgrade its elephant population from the fully protected “Endangered” category to merely “Threatened.” This initiative was undertaken despite a marked increase in poaching in Tanzania, particularly in the famous Selous Game Reserve where 50 elephants are reported to be dying each month, some at the hands of the

people who are paid to protect them. Large illegal ivory hauls, proved through DNA testing to have originated in Tanzania, have been regularly intercepted during 2009, so the decision taken by CITES next year will spell either life or death for Africa’s East African elephants. It is predicted that, should a full ivory ban not be reinstated, elephants throughout Central and East Africa could face extinction within the next 15 years.

Aside from poaching for ivory and rhino horn and bushmeat, all animals, both domestic and wild, have suffered terribly from the severe drought that gripped the country during 2009, exacerbated by hordes of starving domestic livestock being illegally driven into the National Parks. These herds have depleted the grass

reserves upon which wild ani

mals rely during the long dry seasons. As a result, drought has taken a heavier toll than ever on all wild species this year. During the 32 years that the Trust has been rescuing and saving orphaned infant elephants, 14 is the most we have ever had in our Nairobi Nursery at one time. We have had to accommodate as many as 30, the lucky few rescued. Many others, particularly those who are still milk dependent, (bearing in mind that elephants cannot survive without milk under three years of age), have been lost, their mothers lacking the lactating capacity to sustain them during the long distance trek in search of both water and fodder. Whilst 24 infant elephants are

still with us in the Nursery, this is after having hurriedly moved nine of the older Nursery elephants to the Voi Rehabilitation facility in

Southern Tsavo and after 28 others have died soon after rescue, having come in already too far gone to save.

Every rescue entails the cost of an aircraft to collect an orphan from distant corners of the country, more often than not already in a

state of collapse, which entails the insertion of life supporting intravenous drips during the flight to keep them alive until arrival. There-

after, extensive care is vital to try and save emaciated, grief-stricken and psychologically devastated infants who are, by nature, fragile at

the best of times but who must adjust to artificial formula milk and the loss of their natural family. Milk and drugs have to be purchased

and additional sleeping space made available to accommodate the influx of newcomers. Existing stables and stockades have had to be partitioned, the orphans doubled up, and new stables hurriedly constructed. More Keepers have had to be recruited and trained, all of

which entails a considerable expense that we did not anticipate. Many people question the logic of saving the orphans in the face of so much bad news surrounding elephants, but every elephant is precious. It has now been scientifically proven through a study of the

elephant brain that elephants are indeed “human” in terms of emotion, sophisticated intelligence, a superior memory to that of humankind, and many other attributes we lack.They are an integral part of the wild ecosystem, upon whom almost all other species rely for survival; simply put, a world without them doesn’t bear contemplating. The orphaned elephants have helped promote understanding of these magnificent animals which includes educating the local people to their value in terms of tourism.

Throughout 2009, urgent water issues have confronted us. As rivers ran dry, water levels fell in existing boreholes and windmills struggled to bring up the ground water upon which all life, both human and wildlife, rely. It is the Trust that has had to meet this emergency in Tsavo. The one existing borehole at Ithumba (which serves 30 orphans in the process of rehabilitation and all their wild friends) faltered. Steps have been taken to drill another and we had to purchase two water tanker trucks to haul water in from afar to avert a crisis both at Ithumba and on Trust land abutting the river Athi. There we have fed and watered the resident pod of hippos to keep them alive until the river flows again and rain regenerates the land. Each and every day this year brought a new set of challenges and it is with deep pride that I can report positive results.

Hundreds of wild lives have been saved and this has surely been worth both the effort and expense.

In these difficult times, each of us can only do what one can. The good news is that thanks to the help of caring people, the Trust has now been able to save a sizeable herd of elephants – a herd that now numbers over 120 with ex Nursery elephants beginning to produce their first wild-born young, and sharing their joy with the Keepers who steered them into adulthood, and returned them back to nature when grown.

Now that 2009 is about to end, we are left wondering what will be in store forus in 2010. On the one hand, heavy El Nino rains are predicted and we pray that they actually materialize to heal the land. On the other hand, Global Warming predicts a hotter, drier African continent. Good news is that our new Top Cub aircraft is now operational, empowering us to be more vigilant of poachers from the skies above Tsavo. The Trust has been given a mandate to protect a very important area of forest abutting the Chyulu Hills National Park, which is home to many indigenous species, and within which is a crucial and very important spring – the only source of ground water for all wildlife within the Chyulu National Park. The construction of another Ithumba style Self Help camp is under way, thanks to a generous legacy left by a kind deceased donor. This will generate proceeds that will help protect the forest. Hence, apart from the difficulties of 2009, there is good news as well.

We end this letter with an appeal that all our Friends will not lose heart, but will consider providing their generous support, focusing

this year on the Orphans’ Project. Due to the dramatic and continual influx of infant elephants in our care (currently 30 in the

nursery), and not forgetting that they will be our responsibility until at least the age of l0, U.S. Friends’ goal is to raise $150,000.00 to

help us on the Orphans’ Project. Contingency assistance to wild animals in need will also have to continue, for they will become the

innocent victims of global warming who will need help until nature can adjust to a changing climate. We pray that the generosity of all

our donors will not wane and that we will be able to count upon it during the coming year. And we also pray that CITES will, on this

occasion, consider the elephants rather than just trade, and make the right decision to protect them, irrespective of the greed of those

who selfishly regard them as a mere commodity.

We are deeply grateful for your support and we hope you will consider us in your year-end giving.

Gratefully,The David Sheldrick Foundation

Cueing up, or...will this line ever end?

Getting there and lining up to do so, is a big part of traveling and it doesn't have to suck.

For most it is an inconvenience, a bother.
This doesn't have to hold true for you.
The one thing that you have going for you is that EVERYONE around you has to line up as well.

It is a global phenonmenon..the line...the cue, the hurry up and wait.

Sigh...it can be the most frustrating experience..or...it can be fun...really.

I think about it as guilt free time. You can't possibly be doing anything else but being in the moment, for as long as that moment takes.
When waiting around, feeling like an idiot in your socks, holding your shoes in your hand, belt in the other and waiting for security..lol..try and strike up a conversation with people close to you.

Start up questions could be " is this the line to ....(fill in your location)?"
"Where are you headed?"
"What has been your favourite place so far" ..... and see where they recommend.

You can find out about cool places to visit and great stops not in those guide books.

People really like to share what they have discovered. You will be amazed.
It helps to pass the time and can even include meal companions when you find a kindred spirit.


I was at a train station in Cologne enroute to Prague, cued up on an outdoor platform.
All night trains delayed by hours.
Cold, hungry and not even sure I was on the correct platform I asked a young man if this was the platform to Prague.

We started chatting, He confirmed I was in the right place. Whew!
He spoke many languages, was heading home from a job interview and interested in Canada.

A couple listening to us, started to chat and became very animated waving at us.

I did not have a clue what they were saying but they were so warm and lovely we moved closer.
They were an older couple from Kosovo and this young man spoke both our languages a little and translated.
They insisted we join them in their evening meal (it was 10:00pm and nothing was open, we all were hungry).
We sat on a bench eating delicious homemade soup/stew and bread with cheese.
I offered up some bottled water and some chocolate wafers ( mmm Europeans make the best wafer cookies) and Jan had some coffee in his thermos. It was a grand picnic.

I passed on the coffee but the stew was unbelievable.
When our trains came, we said goodbye as friends.
They gave me their address in Kosovo in the hopes I could visit them in the future.

That was one of the best meals I had in my entire two months abroad, on a slate grey landing, on a cold October night wet with the fog, with people I will probably never see again.

Those moments of "cueing up" can be really special moments that make your journey so much more colourful than ever imagined.

*I have also learned, and this is important, keep reading....there is a time for talking and a time when shutting up and looking otherwise occupied is a good plan.

When you sit down on that long haul flight/bus/train however..might I suggest those earphones?
If it is a short trip...no worries, chat away and if you are not kindred spirits, enjoy the moment and say goodbye.



If you strike up a conversation with the person next to you on that 9 hour plane ride however, and they end up drinking so much that they:

A-piss off the airline staff

B- get cut off and become beligerant and loud

C- climb noisilly across your lap every 5 minutes to pee cause you are on the aisle...( I speak from personal experience)

then feigning sleep and wearing earphones can really be your only peace.

This lesson I learned the hard way, sigh..they seemed so calm at the beginning of the plane ride. Heading to a month in Ibiza should have been my first clue.

Lesson learned-pick your chat times and your escape plan ..lol. Mine is my Ipod.

Meeting people really is the easy part-how much you want to talk is up to you.

So you see....readjust your thoughts about the great line up.

Cues can be a good thing..they are a "life-line" to the rest of the world!

new travel blog by Moi!

Hello everyone.. I have a dedicated space now for all things travel only.
Check out " Travelin' Shoes" here...( click on underlined title)
This blog will remain a place for my thoughts, big and small and I hope " Travelin Shoes " opens a dialogue for stories and tips for other solo journey seekers.

Comments very welcome.

Winter.....it comes

As winter hits, my writing muse seems to have reclaimed me and I will be back, working on my blog a day notes.

November, gah, I can't believe it.
It is November. Crazy how the time flies.
Winter is truly upon us.
Fires are burning in the hearth, furries curl their tails around their noses and I am excited once more, at the prospect of the first snowfall.


Meanwhile...it is exactly a year since I made my way home from my two months abroad.
I find little details I had forgotten brimming to the surface often, sweet little visceral experiences that take me to another time and place and are so welcome as the time rolls on.

One recent memory was been a day where not a lot happened outwardly.
I was living in Limpenhoe, in Reading Room Cottage and spent the day making curry pumpkin soup for guests who were coming over. Really, how cool is that and how many of us get to travel and settle into a home where you can cook for your friend and guests?

It was such a lovely thing, that, just living in a different time and place and sharing that with Stephy.
She was working like a maniac so I took a little time out of the trains, planes and donkeys and settled in, looking after her dog, catching up on my laundry, and creating meals as a thank you for all her hospitality.

What I hadn't realized at the time however, was how warm and lovely it would be to simply keep house and hearth in a 17th century cottage and look forward to Stephy coming home to warmth and yummy smells and satiated furries.

New and dear friends shared this particular evening with us- big chunky bread, a cold October day, fire in hearth, ( well let's face it, the fire was for me, I was just back from a month in Greece and Spain..bbrrrrr) , and warm thick fragrant soup. Oh and wine..mustn't forget the wine :)



it was a perfect day...a walk with Angus through the farmer fields, an oven cooking all day shooting out steamed yumminess, and company that felt like old friends.

Boo!

Happy Halloween.....


woo hoo..off to get me some Vampire teeth!

Fall

It has been a really busy time of late and it is nice to have a few moments to gather my thoughts and come here and share them.

The theatre company has really been in a blur. We have a production readying for performance " The Shadows Project"
A wonderful blend of storytelling, history, mixed media and the youth of Tumbleweeds, we are all really excited.



I have also found pieces of my scattered extended family after 20 years. I am so excited to be in touch with my half sister and her little baby girl and mom. There was a death in the family and a gift and this all led to us connecting finally. What a cool and tremendous thing to find a kindred spirit in family you didn't really even know about.

I can not believe how the weather has changed on a dime aorund here. It was sunny and dry and lovely fr so long, it seemed Winter would never creep in and then....thunk...the cold arm of night now leads longer through the day and it is wintery and blustery and cold.

Bring on the snow I say!


Thanksgiving saw me at myMom's and making a pumpkin pie from a little sugar pumpkin I grew in our veggie patch. it was sooooooo good :) I am sorry you all couldn't taste it.







It is really great to see how many of you drop in and check out this blog. Perhaps you would consider leaving a comment or two? it is nice to have a conversation with you as wll as writing down my thoughts.

Hello again...

Summer ends..
a ray of sun,
lower in the sky,
shadows blend to falling leaves
arbutus bark
crunch under foot
an end
and a begining.

Sarah Kramer-Happy 10th Anniversary "How it all Vegan"

There are times when we feel privately proud of our friends' accomplishments.
Those moments between the two of you that include beamy grins, tears and hugs.

There are other times when you want to yell their accomplishments from the rooftops.

This is one of the latter.

My friend, Sarah Kramer, is celebrating the 10th anniverary of her first cookbook "How it All Vegan"
To celebrate this she has come out with a revised edition and a 2010 calender with her fabulous photography, face, and deliciously quirky style.

click on this title for link "How it All Vegan"

This woman is a superstar, but don't take my word for it. Check her out on Canada am-Tuesday September 8th, 8:45am.

So funny....watch by clicking on the title below

Hey Alan, Alan , Al, Alan Alan,...

Thanks to Sarah kramer for sharing this :)

Summer...

Golden light
shines,
rains over green.
Rambles through fingers of leaves, shadows of cool
The pool

Leap with me.

It has been a while, tag you are it.

I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote here.

Well, it has been a particularly busy summer.
Much happening in the world of theatre and friends and family to keep me preoccupied and off the computer.

What I would like to ask you all now is..

"How did you spend your summer vacation?"

A few lines in the comment area of what your fave moments were would be lovely.

Me??? why funny you should ask.

Summer was spent in theatre camp craziness with Comedia Dell'Arte and The Shadows Project, in pre production for two other shows, and many lazy days poolside, beachside and deckside with Mojitos. Gardening has not been without it sfruits of labour either...mmmmmm zuchini, squash mmmm.

It has also seen a reunifying of friendships, family and furry time and the exciting plans of good friends who are about to get hitched.

It is going by in a dizzying blur however, time to take stock and make every last moment count.


Your turn...

John Hughes....RIP

I feel like I am writing a lot of farewells lately.

Some incredible hearts and talent have left us of late and today...a man who reached into our teenage angst and mirrored it back to us so brilliantly, is added tothe list of "gone but not forgotten".

John Hughes.

Such a tremndous storyteller.

When I settle in to watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" for the trillionth time, I will raise a glass to you John Hughes.

A litttle montage of some of my favourite movies of all time "Do I Stutter" by John Hughes.

Montage, click on this

Rest in Lasting Peace harry Patch "Merkin"

Harry Patch attending the launch of the 2007 poppy appeal, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Rex Features


"I am the only one that got through
The others died where ever they fell
It was an ambush
They came up from all sides
Give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
I’ve seen devils coming up from the ground
I’ve seen hell upon this earth
The next will be chemical but they will never learn"
S/ Harry Patch

Lyrics from Radiohead's new song that came from the last remaining Britsh Soldier from WW1
The song is haunting...the man......worth a moment of your time to remember.

"Patch died on 25 July, the last survivor of the bloody Passchendaele assault. For 80 years he refused to talk about his war experiences, but eventually agreed to take part in a BBC documentary in 1998. Patch's realisation that he was one of the last links to the first world war persuaded him to go on record about it." s/Dan martin, The Guardian.UK

click on title for the song...
Harry Patch ( In Memory Of)

From The Onion.....

I read this article and thought it an important piece to share.....
personal consumption vs political resistance.....


Published on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 by Orion Magazine
Forget Shorter Showers: Why Personal Change Does Not Equal Political Change
by Derrick Jensen
Would any sane person think dumpster diving would have stopped Hitler, or that composting would have ended slavery or brought about the eight-hour workday, or that chopping wood and carrying water would have gotten people out of Tsarist prisons, or that dancing naked around a fire would have helped put in place the Voting Rights Act of 1957 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Then why now, with all the world at stake, do so many people retreat into these entirely personal “solutions”?

Part of the problem is that we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance. An Inconvenient Truth helped raise consciousness about global warming. But did you notice that all of the solutions presented had to do with personal consumption—changing light bulbs, inflating tires, driving half as much—and had nothing to do with shifting power away from corporations, or stopping the growth economy that is destroying the planet? Even if every person in the United States did everything the movie suggested, U.S. carbon emissions would fall by only 22 percent. Scientific consensus is that emissions must be reduced by at least 75 percent worldwide.

Or let’s talk water. We so often hear that the world is running out of water. People are dying from lack of water. Rivers are dewatered from lack of water. Because of this we need to take shorter showers. See the disconnect? Because I take showers, I’m responsible for drawing down aquifers? Well, no. More than 90 percent of the water used by humans is used by agriculture and industry. The remaining 10 percent is split between municipalities and actual living breathing individual humans. Collectively, municipal golf courses use as much water as municipal human beings. People (both human people and fish people) aren’t dying because the world is running out of water. They’re dying because the water is being stolen.

Or let’s talk energy. Kirkpatrick Sale summarized it well: “For the past 15 years the story has been the same every year: individual consumption—residential, by private car, and so on—is never more than about a quarter of all consumption; the vast majority is commercial, industrial, corporate, by agribusiness and government [he forgot military]. So, even if we all took up cycling and wood stoves it would have a negligible impact on energy use, global warming and atmospheric pollution.”

Or let’s talk waste. In 2005, per-capita municipal waste production (basically everything that’s put out at the curb) in the U.S. was about 1,660 pounds. Let’s say you’re a die-hard simple-living activist, and you reduce this to zero. You recycle everything. You bring cloth bags shopping. You fix your toaster. Your toes poke out of old tennis shoes. You’re not done yet, though. Since municipal waste includes not just residential waste, but also waste from government offices and businesses, you march to those offices, waste reduction pamphlets in hand, and convince them to cut down on their waste enough to eliminate your share of it. Uh, I’ve got some bad news. Municipal waste accounts for only 3 percent of total waste production in the United States.

I want to be clear. I’m not saying we shouldn’t live simply. I live reasonably simply myself, but I don’t pretend that not buying much (or not driving much, or not having kids) is a powerful political act, or that it’s deeply revolutionary. It’s not. Personal change doesn’t equal social change.

So how, then, and especially with all the world at stake, have we come to accept these utterly insufficient responses? I think part of it is that we’re in a double bind. A double bind is where you’re given multiple options, but no matter what option you choose, you lose, and withdrawal is not an option. At this point, it should be pretty easy to recognize that every action involving the industrial economy is destructive (and we shouldn’t pretend that solar photovoltaics, for example, exempt us from this: they still require mining and transportation infrastructures at every point in the production processes; the same can be said for every other so-called green technology). So if we choose option one—if we avidly participate in the industrial economy—we may in the short term think we win because we may accumulate wealth, the marker of “success” in this culture. But we lose, because in doing so we give up our empathy, our animal humanity. And we really lose because industrial civilization is killing the planet, which means everyone loses. If we choose the “alternative” option of living more simply, thus causing less harm, but still not stopping the industrial economy from killing the planet, we may in the short term think we win because we get to feel pure, and we didn’t even have to give up all of our empathy (just enough to justify not stopping the horrors), but once again we really lose because industrial civilization is still killing the planet, which means everyone still loses. The third option, acting decisively to stop the industrial economy, is very scary for a number of reasons, including but not restricted to the fact that we’d lose some of the luxuries (like electricity) to which we’ve grown accustomed, and the fact that those in power might try to kill us if we seriously impede their ability to exploit the world—none of which alters the fact that it’s a better option than a dead planet. Any option is a better option than a dead planet.

Besides being ineffective at causing the sorts of changes necessary to stop this culture from killing the planet, there are at least four other problems with perceiving simple living as a political act (as opposed to living simply because that’s what you want to do). The first is that it’s predicated on the flawed notion that humans inevitably harm their landbase. Simple living as a political act consists solely of harm reduction, ignoring the fact that humans can help the Earth as well as harm it. We can rehabilitate streams, we can get rid of noxious invasives, we can remove dams, we can disrupt a political system tilted toward the rich as well as an extractive economic system, we can destroy the industrial economy that is destroying the real, physical world.

The second problem—and this is another big one—is that it incorrectly assigns blame to the individual (and most especially to individuals who are particularly powerless) instead of to those who actually wield power in this system and to the system itself. Kirkpatrick Sale again: “The whole individualist what-you-can-do-to-save-the-earth guilt trip is a myth. We, as individuals, are not creating the crises, and we can’t solve them.”

The third problem is that it accepts capitalism’s redefinition of us from citizens to consumers. By accepting this redefinition, we reduce our potential forms of resistance to consuming and not consuming. Citizens have a much wider range of available resistance tactics, including voting, not voting, running for office, pamphleting, boycotting, organizing, lobbying, protesting, and, when a government becomes destructive of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we have the right to alter or abolish it.

The fourth problem is that the endpoint of the logic behind simple living as a political act is suicide. If every act within an industrial economy is destructive, and if we want to stop this destruction, and if we are unwilling (or unable) to question (much less destroy) the intellectual, moral, economic, and physical infrastructures that cause every act within an industrial economy to be destructive, then we can easily come to believe that we will cause the least destruction possible if we are dead.

The good news is that there are other options. We can follow the examples of brave activists who lived through the difficult times I mentioned—Nazi Germany, Tsarist Russia, antebellum United States—who did far more than manifest a form of moral purity; they actively opposed the injustices that surrounded them. We can follow the example of those who remembered that the role of an activist is not to navigate systems of oppressive power with as much integrity as possible, but rather to confront and take down those systems.

© 2009 Orion
Derrick Jensen is an activist and the author of many books, most recently What We Leave Behind and Songs of the Dead.

from the garden....

...and the little peach tree that we brought home, sad and stickly that no one wanted.
Our own Charlie Brown Tree....a peach- perfect, blush and fuzzy emerges.
Look at what they missed out on...

movie etiquette 101, pass it on...

Okay.....
there are a few things I would like to get off my chest about being in a social movie setting

1, my biggest pet peeve..

STAY PUT AND READ THE CREDITS.
Really, those names are the people that MADE the movie you are watching. A movie is so much more than what you see the actors do and the effects that support them.
They are the sweat, blood and inspirational creativity that made sure your movie experience was all it was.
Sit still...finish your bevvie and take in the names as they scroll by.
When you watch them for years, you start to see the names as they move through the hierarchy of the movie world and they deserve the few minutes it takes to read and acknowledge their work.

AND IF YOU MUST WALK OUT BEFORE THE CREDITS ARE DONE ROLLING, GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THOSE WHO WANT TO STAY AND READ THEM

WRAPPERS...
Leave the crunchy wrapping at home, or unwrap and prepare it before the lights go down....ugh cellaphane....we all hate it.....doing it slowly does NOT make it less quiet, it only prolongs the pain.

Talking...
YOU ARE NOT IN YOUR LVIING ROOM....SHUT THE HELL UP!
The lights go down, your mouths need to close.
Do I really need to say anymore?

Beepers and cell phones...
ugh...again I say, you are not in your living room, turn them off, including the vibrate button and rememebr you are not alone in the theatre.

FEET
A little common courtesy...for heavens sake keep your feet off the chair in front of you if someone is sitting there.....no one likes to sit in an endless array of kicks, whacks, thumps and wiggles.

You are having your escape, allow the space others need to do the same.

Okay rant over...share some of these thoughts okay?

Rocky Whore Picture Show

Is there anything better than a bunch OF peeps dressed up and lipsynching to the Timewarp?
Nope..and I got to perform it with the Disco Bondage Prostitues from Outer Space a few halloweens ago as magenta, when we did a version of the Rocky whore picture show.
tee hee..nothing better than that.

click on title to watch..

THE TIME WARP

Pool....

Pool
the cool
in droplets of time
Slowly
down my nose

Go figure...

I soend two months travelling through Ancient Greece and surrounding areas and come home with ummmm "ACHILLES tendinitis...

The irony is not lost *rolls eyes*

Still Have a Way To Go....

This map of gay rights globally is a bit of a wake up call.
There is still much, much more work to do...
click on pic to enlarge and read the stats..

Thx to Chris Mackenzie for taking this photograph.

PRIDE

WEAR YOUR TRUE COLOURS, LIVE OUTLOUD WITH PRIDE AND CELEBRATE OUR DIFFERENCES AND WONDERFUL UNIQUENESS.

THE VOICE OF ACCEPTANCE THAT STARTED YEARS AGO, STILL NEEDS TO BE HEARD.

JOIN IN AND YELL.....EQUALITY FOR ALL.

Happy Birthday Mumzie and Canada

Every year we celebrate the birthday of Canada with my mom. She always gets fireworks on her b"day. I think she planned it that way!!!

Wishing Mumzie a wonderful day and to Canada, I will wear something red.

It is...

SUMMER VACATION!

A glass of full bodied wine,
alarm clock facing the wall - it has been naughty,
a house of furries excited for the attention,
a garden of delights with Daiv span ahead of me.

Sigh....

I love summer.

Rest peacefully Michael jackson

I am so sad to hear that Michael Jackson has left this world.

His talent is undeniable and the mark he made in the world of modern music, untouchable.

A tortured soul who was not well understood and whom I hope is shining bright and at peace now.

His music certainly influenced my own experience in the 80s and 90s and recently in a band I was a part of, KingBong.
Singing his words "Never Can Say Goodbye" certainly seems poignant now as his music, genius and legend live on.

My thoughts go to his children and close friends who knew the real Michael.

click on here for video

3 years...woosh!

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCafiuCue2duSGZhDrw1vobdPCFT7kzYiNIB6r9DFjY8vYa2daRCxAk7fuNiJohaIOl711KsikEpoxVJpueVd8cwDUWdQyrWTQbZDq2T6zSpi1XhwLYzSQ59ZM7PA7DXjjrkpdlhPC7HE2/s1600-h/1f733d4b.jpg">


3 years ago, a sad, scared, shy and nervous little faery cat decided we were her humans and cast her spell.
We brought her home and immediately she transformed and became "Lunassa La fey" moongirl of the faeries and has brought love and light and magic to our home ever since.

Here are a few memories of the last 3 years....

the mirror has two faces





stole Daiv's heart from the first look..




And Niko and nessa love each other....and her bowl




and 3 years later...

I'm wishing....

for a plane to whisk me away to a land where the voices I hear are not my language.
Where the smells are exciting and unfamiliar and where I am stirred by the beauty.

Sigh...will go to sleep and dream now
.....of those wonderful faraway lands
... that call me.,

Loudly!


Daiv.......we are going to Spain!........soon!

Tick Tock

time...
staccato rhythms
sounding
out a breath.
Short, consonants,
tick tock.
Bouncing the hands of a clock,
faster
urgent
until,
the clock


stops!

Poisonous plant to animals, please have a read...

Please have a look and see if you or anyone you know has this plant.
This is from Burnt Hills Vet Hospital:




"Sago Palm" or "Cycad"
Poisoning Alert- It has come to our attention that many home improvement stores are selling a houseplant that can cause serious poisoning in pets and children. The plant is called the “Sago Palm” or “Cycad”. It is also referred to as “The Oldest Known Plant”. It is used in outdoor landscaping in Southern States, but can only survive as a houseplant in the North. All of this plant, including the seeds and root ball are toxic. Signs of illness first appear about 12 hours after ingestion and include gastrointestinal sign such as vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. The toxins in the plant lead to severe liver failure with progressive weakness, jaundice, bruising and bleeding and other signs of liver failure that lead to death. It is estimated that 75-80% of animals ingesting this plant will die in spite of aggressive medical treatment. If you have one of these plants in your home you will want to be sure to keep it away from pets and children, preferably by disposing of it safely in a covered trash can or “rehome” it with someone who does not have pets or young children in the household

My favourite pics, Europe September 2008-November 2008

AHHH...STOLEN PEACE....

Yes...the screaming insanity of the neighbour's children stopped long enough to enjoy the pond for a time today...



and Niko took great pleasure in running about the place with a goofy grin and occasional woof.




Unfortunately, as soon as those same kids start screaming again, Niko my courageous sled dog, looks like this and comes inside...

Is it really necessary...

To let your small children scream at the top of their lungs for hours at a time..sometimes happy noises, sometimes tantrums, so your neighbours are unable to enjoy their own backyard...their little oasis they have tried to create in their world?

Really......can you all just teach your kids that screaming at that level incessantly is just not okay...I mean COME ON.

If I let my dogs bark, for the amount of time the neighbours right behind, let their kids scream, I would be fined.

I am so frustrated. Second Hand Noise... It is enough to make a screamer out of me.

People

People baffle me.
sniping, griping, whining

Don't they know there is much more than that?

Moaning, groaning, bemoaning.
Turning their face from the joy in simple things.

a leaf, flecked with dew and light
a bird tugging its morning worm from the morning damp earth
a cat on the prowl, slithering in the dust
a simple happiness in going through their daily routines.

Truly , people baffle me.

Costumes and needles and pins...oh my!

It is SHOW SEASON.

What does this mean you ask?

Well it means on any given day you will find me madly typing program notes, making "to do" lists, making "to take" lists, sewing costumes pieces, raiding the house for props and what have you.

Today I am a wash of velvet and pleather, making cloaks and medieval boots/spats.
Sigh I also have glued my fingers together working on the armour with a hot glue gun more than a few times.

It is about this time of the year I wonder just how crazy I really am??? :)

Answer is.......pretty nutsy!

what say you?

I am devoting today to hearing what is on your minds?
Please leave a comment and share what is keeping you all busy, or not :) on this lovely June day.

Giggle for thought....

Apes Giggle like humans....check it out, click on any of the previous words.:)

Thought s on a summer's eve..

Thoughts of you abound....
around... in my head.

It is distracting,
but I like it!

She...is she you?

She lifts her hand
and waves
to the passersby that only know her
Old and broken

Where was she?

Her feet pacing the halls from
a wheelchair,
no longer supporting body
yet propelling from place to place...

Where is she?

She searches the halls
for the familiar
seeing only
confusion and questions.

Who is she?

She smiles,
a distant memory , her friend and solace
and then a glimpse of now,
lunchtime.

She is here.

She scuffles her feet towards the dining room..
smells of fish and mushy potaoes awaiting..
she stops..

Where was she?

I think I can, I think I can...

Just what makes that damn little ant,....think he can move a ...





REALLY BIG CATERPILLAR???



Seriously..this little ant was very determined and dragged this apparently dead ( killed) , caterpillar up to a rail and then down the rail...stopping to umm....drink a little nourishment along the way.

(click on pics to make larger)

Archie asks Veronica to marry him..a sign of the times?

I am shocked and appalled.
Archie finally chooses Veronica over Betty after 67 years of waffling.
I am more shocked that in this article... " Archie asks Veronica"
a Uvic Prof mentions it is a good choice to marry the spoiled rich girl in our current uncertain economy.

WTF????? How is that okay?

I have strong feelings about this and hope that Archie comes to his senses before the August nuptials...

Still holding out hope that he will see Betty, realize his mistake, ask her to marry him instead and she says "Screw you, no way, I will not be your doormat!"
That would rock....than Betty and Veronica say "see ya" to Archie once and for all.

Archie in turn realizes it is Jughead he loves and they get married instead :)

Ya....that is how it should be.