Category: Place
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The Gift of St. Luke’s Summer
The first killing frost has passed and our eastern Indian Summer has arrived. Folklore has it that this stretch of warm weather predictably arrives on or about October 18th, the Feast of St. Luke. The natural world heads into dormancy while it marks the last kick-at-the-can for us northern hemisphere humans to romp semi-clothed, to… Read more
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I Say A Well, Septic and Smart Meter For All
As we’ve sweated through day after day of 30+ weather and the Rideau Canal slides into a Stage 2 drought, water is at the forefront of my mind. I’m writing a house manual for friends who are staying here over the summer and the lead paragraphs focus on water conservation and energy use. Until we… Read more
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Live Where You Are….And Love Where You Live
On her site, Musings of a Kitchen Witch, writer Thalassa weaves a gorgeous story of the irrefutable role of geography and place in her world. It is reproduced here with her permission. ************** Spirit of place is defined as the tangible (buildings, sites, landscapes, routes, objects) and the intangible elements (memories, narratives, written documents, rituals, festivals, traditional… Read more
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Bouquet
An early morning bouquet for Bellissima’s room: peonies, third wave of lilacs, rosa rugosas, prolific lemon balm, rotund chive blooms, Siberian iris, Nepeta and all. Seems early for some of these lovelies, a treat for Miss Bella, the bees, and me. Read more
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Feral
These days I wake up at cat o’clock. Puss meows to escape, the birds twitter and fuss, a din moments before first light appears on the horizon. Little cat’s seasonal wildness begins mid-April or so, while mine lies dormant for another month. By mid-May we are in cahoots while the house sleeps on. There are… Read more
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Now I’m a Licensed Prospector, Too
Some things in life are surprisingly simple. For a fee of $25.50, presentation of photo i.d., and the completion of a form that required little more than my name, address, telephone number and birthdate, I became a licensed prospector in the province of Ontario. I am now permitted to stake mineral claims anywhere in the… Read more
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A Carpenter’s Life: As Told By Houses
I was encouraged by my elders to “follow my heart.”…Would not our world be a better place if we all followed what our hearts tell us to do? People with heart won’t fight senseless wars, they won’t strip-mine a beautiful mountain, commit genocide, pollute our land with toxic waste and chemical fertilizers, foul the air… Read more
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The Consequences of Living With Animals
I don’t know how to say this delicately so I’m just going to say it: my kid has pinworms. Read more
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Mr. Toilet’s Big Squat
A funny, bold short film about Mr. Toilet, a social entrepreneur who, as his nickname suggests, has issues with poop. Jack Sim most specifically has a problem with 40% of the world’s population not having access to toilets in their homes and communities. No toilets = contaminated drinking water = unnecessary death and suffering. His… Read more
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Creative Houses From Recycled Materials
He builds new homes using 70 to 80% recycled materials. As he describes it “I feature blemish. I feature organic process.” Read more