I recently learned from my specialist, who is trying to figure out my foot, that I have a vitamin D deficiency. This is not uncommon for those living in Vancouver. And while I don’t feel the need to complain about much, the constant rain does leave a lot of us longing for that glorious sunshine. …
So many poets and novelists have led me to where I am at today. Especially those who remember nature and write words that you wish you could write. They write words that you can grab and wrap around you. They write words that bring you into the love of forests, rivers, mountains, lakes, oceans, deserts, …
Unlike the rest of Canada, we haven’t seen a bit of snow except for up in the mountains. It has rained a lot, barely dipping below freezing. My sage and thyme on the balcony are still alive from last summer. The past few days have been chilly but full of sunshine, a nice break from …
For Christmas, my daughter gave me an Amazon gift card, so of course I looked for a good book to read. But before I get into the choice I made, some backstory. I had a little bit of a rough time this holiday. Part of it has to do with going into the 10th year …
I do this every year on the blog: figure out which memories of the past year stand out the most. I woke up early this morning and walked to the skytrain. It was still dark and very clear with stars blinking from the far beyond. The pavement below was icy in places, and the cedars …
People come and go. Eagles come and go. Water is always moving. On Saturday we rafted part of the Squamish River,which is the largest home in the world for bald eagle populations. It wasn’t a wild fast paddle but a slow one, which went from Squamish to the brackish waters of the tidal area, where …
I am not consumer-minded, I hate plastic snowmen, and on Black Friday this year, we had a lovely meal with my kids and then went hiking at Mundy Park, which was beautiful in its damp, gray silence. The morning after we hiked and fished (not catching anything) in the rain at White Pine Lake. Laughter …
It is in these quiet moments that the glacier reveals herself in entirely novel and original ways. There is so much in life that can be missed if we don’t settle down for a bit. My life is full of distractions—deadlines, flights to catch, a smartphone that beeps away, life life life. Listening brings things …
The idea of vanishment isn’t new for me. Ever since I was a kid, I both reveled in the social beauty of the world and yet knew that it drained my energy too often. I was the shy, quiet girl who liked to have an escape route. I sat in back of the class, and …
In two days we celebrate the autumnal equinox. Almanac.com lists lists some traditions: At Machu Picchu in Peru, an ancient stone monument called Intihuatana—which means “Hitching Post of the Sun”—serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices. In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichen Itza. On the equinoxes, it looks as if …