Willow has long been associated with mystical properties, and the moon and water. The Greek poet Orpheus carried willow branches with him to the underworld. Hecate was the Greek Goddess of both the moon and the willow. In Druid mythology, man was hatched from two scarlet eggs hidden in a willow tree. Mystical or not, willow has always had an important place in the everyday lives of humans. Its flexible, fast growing branches were used for a myriad of purposes from making baskets to making Welsh coracles (boats). Willow wood is the source of charcoal used in drawings. Tannin from the bark was ..read more

The garden is a place to think and dream and reflect. The fresh air, the singing of birds, the whispery breezes all bring thoughts to mind that are . . . we…, worth thinking. Love thyself That little voice inside our heads: Can you love yourself too much? It is really kind of sad when the most popular ad on TV is one that features a person having a relationship with themselves. The “little voice” ad shows an intimate relationship that is totally internal The soulmate, the wise counsellor, the balancing ego belonging to a life mate who is other than self seems to have less and less of a place i ..read more

The snow falls and falls and falls this year. . . . This winter we are wrapped in swathes of snow. There is much more than we have seen for many years, blanketing the earth with promises of replenishing the thirsty soil this coming springtime. It is white and clean, glistening and sparkling in the sunlight that persists on the clear cold days between snowfalls. Small animals leave their desperate footprints outside my door, and I look for last year’s birdseed to scatter for them. Some cobs of dried corn, kept for the jays in spring, was a bounty the squirrel accepted without gratitude but wi ..read more

There is a wonderful place on the edge of Manitoba that far too few know about. It is the International Peace Garden, perched on the border between Manitoba and North Dakota, straddling the two countries. While there are other gardens claiming the title of peace garden, this is the only one in the world that occupies two nations where you can come and go freely from one side of the border to the other without any interference. The International Peace Garden was the farsighted dream of Dr. Henry Moore, a Canadian horticulturist from Islington, Ont., who brought it to the attention of the Nation ..read more

It is two days past my birthday and the long week is ending, silently but sunnily, in chilly Winnipeg. I love the two weeks after Christmas when everyone is preoccupied with their own lives. It is a quiet time for reflection and recharging the batteries that tend to run a little low by year-end. Today, it is bitingly cold outside – the morning started out at minus 46, I am told. I wouldn’t know as I was sound asleep. But the sun is shining sweetly on the freshly fallen snow, there is a light breeze to animate the trees and the weather people promise a less cold day tomorrow. The sun signals h ..read more

Outside, the snow is softly falling, coating the trees with blankets of white. My window is cracked open, and frost has formed on the inside. In this time of tightly sealed houses, open windows in winter is a freshening thing. It is the day after Boxing Day and everyone is exhausted from Christmas and COVID panic, so the world is very quiet, a welcome respite from the frantic pace of the past few weeks. I love these days between Christmas and New Year’s Day when I give myself a mental holiday, not worrying about business or any of the other fierce pressures of my usual life. It is a time to r ..read more

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the land Santa noticed more COVID fear being fanned. This just isn’t right, he told Mrs. Claus, I think it’s high time I took up this cause. He went to his workshop, he worked while he thought How this virulent virus could best be forgot. He remembered last Christmas when folks all alone, Celebrated with sadness by zoom and by phone. He remembered old folks by themselves in their beds, While visions of grandchildren danced in their heads. I have to do something, he thought in despair, Or the reindeer won’t be able to take to the air. He picked ..read more

Living in the “heatland” This heat drains us, sucks our energy away. Our plants focus on their roots, trying to pull as much moisture from under the ground as they can. Their blossoms are limp, tired from all the effort to simply survive. Animals are lethargic. My little red squirrel would rather try to lie flat on the edge of a bin, making himself skinny in the hope that I won’t see him, than run and hide. These are the dog days of summer. The nights are warm and sultry, there is no rain, although it seems to threaten all around us. I can smell ozone in the air from time to time and the pres ..read more

Smoke fills the air . . . Hazy is the descriptor for these mid summer days in much of Canada. We always have many forest fires and often encounter smoky skies, but this year is worse than most. In much of the west it is hot, very hot. We are no stranger to 30 C weather in Winnipeg, but this year there have been several days of 39 and 40+ C.  Rain is a thing of memory. Electric storms ignite new fires. Why is this happening? Sunspot activity, I am told. This cyclical phenomenon is always disruptive of weather on our planet. It suits this year of pandemic and panic, doesn’t it? Despite the ..read more

The tears come out of nowhere, like a slight summer breeze moving through the leaves. So much sadness surrounding everyone, hearts breaking with the loss of loved ones through the illness or from some horrific act. Unspeakable horror recently in London. A family gone. A child left orphaned and destroyed. Unmarked graves discovered.  We grieve all day, every day. Yet still we strive for the least glimmer of happiness, finding it in the antics of animals on Facebook, in the way the sun shines on a velvet petal or through a dewdrop prism. It is hope that is missing. The media is mired in ..read more