Rhapsodies, spiritual musings, and practical advice on Island Living


Sunday, September 27, 2009

Dandelions

plump bees twirling on small and humble blossoms like hippopotami pirouetting on a lily pads.
We have so many dandelions in our lawn that our neighbours' fret and beg us to mow our lawn before we contaminate their lawns with the weeds. Who can blame them for their weed angst? We have more dandelions than grass. If you can have a "pride of lions" then we must have a "prairie of dandelions," a fact that has not gone unnoticed by our local bees who flock to our plentiful weeds.

"May I have this dance?" asks a hopeful bee.

"Why yes," is the dandelion's reply as its tall and slender stem then bends under the ungainly weight of the bee as the the two dance a bumbling pas de deux. The bee rides the dandelion in a graceful arc --- Doooown -- until dandelion head nearly touches the ground and then springs back -- UP -- as the bee hops off to find its next dancing partner. Waltzing dandelion-bee couples can be seen by the dozens all across my lawn each summer day: plump bees twirling on small and humble blossoms like hippopotami pirouetting on a lily pads.

One summer the wasps were numerous and nasty. We erected a 10 foot square tent (nylon roof, 4 screen sides, and no floor) so we could picnic outside without harassment from the striped snipers. At the end of the summer, when we folded up our tent, we discovered a perfect square of grass in the middle of our dandelion prairie. Every dandelion had disappeared inside our tent footprint! Ruling out differences in rainfall and sun exposure, we determined the difference between the survival outside and the disappearance of dandelions inside our tent was that we had inadvertently screened out visiting bees along with the annoying wasps.

Without the bees, the dandelions simply vanished, dramatic evidence of the interdependent web of life. I don't know whether to be grateful for  this new found, pesticide-free method of weed control or to sit in awe of the fine-tuned relationships between species that abound in Nature.
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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Proper use of a hockey stick


At the risk of insulting most of my Canadian country women and men, I will now reveal the proper and ultimate use for a hockey stick - blackberry picking. Oh sure, there is no question that a hockey stick comes in pretty handy for those slap shots and whipping a puck around the ice. But the hockey stick only begins to come into its own subtlety and sophistication in the blackberry bramble.

From use as a walking stick as you gingerly make your way through the uneven ground and trecherous thorny vines, to bringing too high or too low berries into reach, the hockey stick is where it is at. Why flip a rubbery puck to a team mate when you could extend your stick out to an impossibly out-of-reach, perfectly plump, cluster of blackberries and serve them up on the blade of your hockey stick for easy picking? Really this handy picking friend should have been named the blackberry stick -- but don't let the wrong name stop you from using this indispensible tool.




As in hockey, you will need to wear the correct uniform to complete your blackberry picking gear.  My tried and true choices are both fashionable (as in Denman-Island-Free-Store "fashion") and very practical.
  1. gum boots for stomping vines and keeping vulnerable ankles safe from giant sharp thorns in the under brush
  2. long pants to cut down on vine damage to the legs (jeans work best)
  3. short sleeve loose shirt so you can more easily back out of a vine snag
  4. yogurt container on a string to catch your berries as you work
  5. big round shallow bowl (berries can crush each other in a deep bowl), big enough to hold enough berries for one "batch" of jam.
  6. eye protection - vines can snap back into the eye.
  7. No iPod or mp3 player. You'll need your ears open and available to hear nearby wasps!

This year is a bumper crop year. So grab your hockey stick and other blackberry gear and get picking. Yum!



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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica and Luna at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

conditions are perfect




Yesterday the clouds broke apart and the Sun blazed onto the scene to warm and brighten our summer day. Dark and dramatic clouds combined with the intense light of a bold, setting sun to create the perfect conditions for photography. The light and shadows played and conspired to create a drama out of even the smallest details. The interplay of sun and cloud kept every sight fresh and compelling.



How could I resist the temptation to capture the drama with my camera?
:o)



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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/


Monday, August 24, 2009

New puppies in our neighbourhood!

My daughter and I visited our neighbour Barbara at the Hawthorne House B&B and played with her two new puppies. They are half maltese/half yorkie, 9 weeks old and teeny tiny. We were absolutely enchanted with their gentle ways and fun puppy antics. One of the pups, Buddy is looking for his new family-to-be. Buddy is so cute and loving, I bet it will not be long before he finds his home-sweet-home. In the meantime, we can enjoy the puppy frollicking. :0)

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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Piercy's Barn turns 100

antique washer board
The Old Barn turns 100

I loved wandering around at the 100 year anniversary party for the Old Piercy Barn. I was fascinated by the old pieces of farm and house hold equipment in Piercy's Barn Museum. I thought about all the modern conveniences we have (and ) while I meditated on how time consuming it must have been doing the family laundry with a washer board and hand crank wringer. I can see how home making duties would have been a full-time, all day activity. Now if I could just get my pre-teen to appreciate just how how easy she has it when it comes to chores like laundry duties. :0)

antique stove at Peircy's barn


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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

BC Ferries Open House - Cable Ferry

jamm at oceanwood.wordpress.comI attended the BC Ferries Open House to discuss the feasibility of the Cable Ferry from Buckley Bay to Denman Island. I brought along my little voice recorder that I use for choir rehearsals and made an audio recording of the entire meeting.

You can listen to my recording of the meeting by clicking on the link below:
In providing this unedited recording of the Cable Ferry Meeting, I am neither endorsing -- nor protesting -- the continuance of the Cable Ferry Feasibility study.

http://www.archive.org/details/BcFerries-CableFerryFeasibilityMeeting

Special note: This is my first ever podcast so please be patient if the link breaks or I need to redo this podcast in the future. I will do my best to keep this audio recording available to all. If you have any difficulties accessing the file please comment below on this post and I will receive an email alert.

For more information about the BC Ferries Inquiry into the feasibility of the Cable Ferry, please contact Sarah Cotton at BC Ferries Corp.

For more information about obtaining a copy of this audio recording, please contact: Jessica at Oceanwood Bed and Breakfast by commenting below.

Audio recording description:

BC Ferries, Cable Ferry Open House held at the Senior's Hall on Denman Island, B.C., 20 August 2009. This approximately 90 minute mp3 file is a raw, unedited, audio recording taken by Jessica at Oceanwood Bed and Breakfast. Please note the first couple of minutes involve loud shuffling noises while the hand held recorder was turned on and a chair in the front row was found to rest it on. The meeting begins approximately 2 minutes into the recording.

Note about sound quality. This meeting was held without the benefit of a microphone. Speakers from the BC Ferries panel and from the audience had to speak loudly to be heard. You may need to adjust your volume accordingly to hear all speakers.

I am making this audio resource available to the public to give fair and equal access to the information discussed at the meeting. In providing this unedited record of the Cable Ferry Meeting, I am neither endorsing -- nor protesting -- the continuance of the Cable Ferry Feasibility study.

For more information about the BC Ferries Inquiry into the feasibility of the Cable Ferry, please contact Sarah Cotton at BC Ferries Corp.

For more information about obtaining a copy of this audio recording, please contact: Jessica at Oceanwood Bed and Breakfast,(***make a comment below***)

This audio is part of the collection: Open Source Audio

Artist/Composer: Oceanwood Bed and Breakfast
Keywords: BC Ferries; Cable Ferry; Denman Island; British Columbia; Open house

Creative Commons license: CC0 1.0 Universal


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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Squirting "gooey ducks"

We walked over this patch of merrily squirting "gooey ducks" on our low tide walk. Our clothes were soon soaked by the orchestra of giant clams' veritable water park of dancing water squirts. Here is a short video clip of their collective efforts.



For more information, this is what Wikipedia has to say about geoducks:

The geoduck (pronounced /ˈɡuː.iːdʌk/ "gooey duck"[1]), Panopea abrupta, is a species of very large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Hiatellidae.

The shell of this clam is large, about 15 to over 20 cm in length (about 7 to 9 inches), but the extremely long siphons make the clam itself very much longer than this: the "neck" or siphons alone can be one meter in length.

To read more about geoducks click here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoduck


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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Sunday, July 26, 2009

The beauty of shells

Every shell is an accomplishment of elegance, design, and pinache.

jamm @ oceanwood.wordpress.com


I love walking the beach and admiring the intricate little world of sea shells. These opalescent former homes for various animals invite me to be small again and full of wonder. Who lived in this little place? What sea creatures did it encounter as the tides rolled in and out? Every shell is an accomplishment of elegance, design, and pinache. I consider it my solemn job as a humble beach wanderer stop, admire and applaud every architectural masterpiece!

jamm @ oceanwoodch.wordpress.com

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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

I wish I could write songs like Valdy


Oh I wish I could write my songs,
a great big mountain
of my very own songs,
Oh I wish I could write songs like Valdy.

0827091701_2I attended a fabulous song writing workshop led by Valdy. Wow! What a great experience. Valdy created an atmosphere of trust and safety that made it easy to risk sharing my own work. And what a treat it was for me to have Valdy sing some of his own creations to our small private class. Even though I use my writing skills for prose and poetry, this song writing workshop expanded my skills and got me thinking about trying my hand at song writing. Below is a my playful first attempt at a song :0)

Many thanks to the folks at the Denman Island Arts, my lovely classmates, and of course Valdy for a lovely two days of inspiration and fun.





I wish I could write songs like Valdy
by Jessica at Oceanwood

What a monumentally huge
Grand Canyon of a chasm
divides the inside of me
from the outside of you.

Oh I wish I could sit down
and pick up my guitar
fool around
Oh, I wish I could write songs like Valdy.

I face my monumentally huge,
Great Mother of a chasm,
I walk over to my side
of that scary wide divide
and call out to the world:

“Hello out there....there... there?”
And I hear a welcome sound
come back to me through the air

“Yes over here, hi ... hi ...”
And I am thrilled by the reply
cause I've got this mountain of stuff
but sharing it kinda tough
If only I could write songs like Valdy.

I have a book and some songs
over here, inside of me
And I holler,
"How do I get this stuff
over to you .. you ... you?"

You say, “try a trebuchet.
A trebuchet? Eh? I say?
Do you mean a catapult?
Where do I get one of those?

You say, “build it, of course and
and start flinging your stuff over.”

I say, "Oh, ......................"
Can I get back to you ....you...you?
Oh, I wish I could write songs like Valdy.

So now I'm reading up on physics
and leverage and flinging
cuz I got a monumentally huge
Grand Canyon of a distance
dividing the inside of me
from the outside of you.

And all of this book
learning
and back breakin’
construction
They wouldn't be
necessary
If only, if only,
if only I could write my songs like Valdy

(...rit...)
Oh I wish I could write my songs,
a great big mountain
of my very own songs,
Oh I wish I could write songs like Valdy.


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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Composting crib for branches

101_0027

I asked our friend and professional logger, Duncan Stewart, over to help us limb some dangerous branches and remove branches that had begun to obstruct our view.  I was so impressed by his conscientious methods and great care he took with each and every branch.

As soon as the work began, I realized I would soon have a branch problem: what should I do with all the branches and greenery on the ground. I did not like the idea of a pile for burning: one, because it was a big mess; and two, the pollution involved with burning slash. So out of necessity I created this thatched "crib" for naturally composting the branches.


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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 30, 2009

Awed by herring

Last week our family witnessed the wonder of the herring run. We stood in awe of this poetry-in-action and marveled at the miraculous dance of this Interdependent Web of Life.
The eagles soared over head…

oceanwood waterfront home
The sea birds craftily herded herring in shore by “smack” landing in series on the water to form a semi circle “corral” and then gobbled up their catch…

101_0151_2
A family of 6 sea lions rolled and feasted only a few metres off shore…

101_0109_2
Female herring deposited roe on the shore side seaweed while male herring fertilizing the roe with “milt” creating a milky cover making it hard for birds to see the herring’s activities…

101_0136_2
The next day, fertilized herring roe lie in the sun waiting for the tide water’s return.

100_9941

May we always be blessed with the miracle of the herring run.



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Oceanwood Chronicles                                 credits and links             *******
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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

Oceanwood Chronicles, copyright 2009 - Jessica at Oceanwood. Creative commons attribution, non-commercial sharing only (translation: feel free to quote me in context or use this entry but please always credit me for my work, thanks.) http://oceanwood.blogspot.com/