Good on you for all the work you're doing. You're making such a difference
in this world. I think of you often. I hadn't had an email from you
until recently but was very glad when you included me in your newsletter
mailing. No excuses but my life is a whirlwind of change and I haven't
taken the time to search out old connections.
Yes, we bought here on Quadra Island and have a 7 1/2 acre piece of
land, half cleared, half forested with a mix of stately firs and scrubby
alder. Mike bought it for me on my 50th birthday (pretty cool gift
eh?).
We have great sunny spaces for gardening and I've already done my
fair share, hauling seaweed and moving barkchips to create gardens
on this piece of gravel. It was a real eye opener in self sufficiency,
how much effort it entails and how much joy you get from eating from
your own land. Spring rhubarb and then strawberries and soon raspberries
and peaches, plums, pears, grapes and finally apples. We have a small
orchard of these old apple trees which gave us hundreds of pounds.
I'm not even getting into the veggies which still grace our meals.
I feel blessed beyond belief especially now that the
hard work is taking a much needed breather, actually getting some
inside things done as the whole summer consisted of guests, beach and
garden.
Oh yeah, I started working too a week after we moved. That is a bit
of a drag, taking me away from the things I love to do but as I work
at the local grocery store its given
me a chance to meet all my neighbours and get a real feeling for the
pulse of the island. Mike stopped his one year of
unemployment with a job at the resort we had lived at, maintainance
guy/dock attendent and is now the cable guy for the island, climbing
poles and making sure everyone is set up with cable and internet. He
loves the physical work and the half time hours and not having to commute
anywhere.
At a truck stop near Winnipeg last September whilst driving the U-Haul
across the country, Mike found me stuffing apple cores into a small
tupperware container. "What have you got there," he asked, knowing
full well the answer. He hasn't been married to me for 30 years for
nothing. So yes, Cathy, the worms did the big cross Canada
move with us, not all of them of course for you took their cousins off to do
other things, but a small contingency who moved into new quarters with
us. At one point they were unjustly accused of running across my father
in law's garage floor and since he wouldn't let up Dawn took them to
her apartment or I should say her boyfriend befriended them, loving
them so much that I had to half them again when I finally moved in
here.
I believe I have come to the right place though, a great combination
of blue collar ocean going folks and environmentalists and earthy people.
The community is amazing, every Wednesday a community lunch where you
pay what you can afford or not, food bank, free wood if needed, Sierra
Club is active, best yoga class yet. And get this, our little island
will be plastic shopping bag free in a month. All the stores
on the island agreed and with a bit of delay it's happening. I cannot
wait
to tell that person who wants their milk jug or six pack of beer double
bagged that I'm sorry, Quadra Island doesn't have plastic bags. Next
onto the disposable cup ...
Take care and keep up all your good work.
Carol
Back to Submissions
