So much more

Many moons ago, Chris and I lived in Calgary. It was a time in our lives when we were trying to make a home in a new city, we were looking for jobs, pregnant with our first born, pretty close to broke. Yet the world felt like it was at our doorstep, so many possibilities. We were excited to get out and meet people, find new opportunities.

It was during this time we stumbled upon a grassroots group who were doing some pretty radical things to build community in one area of the city. It was clear this was a great thing happening and we immediately knew we wanted to be a party of it. Within no time we were part of community dinners, evening chats, living in an intentional house.

Part of this group was a well developed bartering community. There was a newsletter to advertise what people had to barter. It was because of this financial strain that we initially joined this group. We weren't sure what we had to offer at first, but after seeing what others offered the possibilities were limitless. We could trade our time, expertise and second hand items for those that we needed. We bartered my granola for homemade dog food for our dog. We traded books for baby clothes. Birthday cakes and vegan stuffing became homemade cheese and jam. A week of dog watching was traded for New year's in a beautiful cabin in the Rockies.

What was first an opportunity to met some of our needs without money became so much more. A barter exchange lead to an invite to participate in Christmas baking in the community room, another lead to finding a fabulous doula, a walking group to join and a dog walking exchange. We soon found friends, evenings out, opportunities that were rich and meaningful. Before long we were part of something much bigger than just trades.

Although we left Calgary ten years ago, having moved many times. The bartering and the spirit that comes with it continues to be part of our lives. The value of another person's energy, their gifts of time carries something far deeper than money could. It is an intimate experience, drawing us in closer, building community.

As the holidays approach, we have been doing some bartering. Again it was financial challenges that encouraged us to seek and meet some of our needs with bartering. People have been so receptive to this idea. Sewing in exchange for book store credit, banana bread for haircuts, a quilt for a bike, babysitting trades. As I step back, see the exchanges we are making, it is clear to see the community we are building. Friendships growing, evenings out, stories shared.

Friday Craft

We had the second week of Friday craft at our house, another full (34 people!), productive and enjoyable day. Everyone came with their second hand wool sweaters already felted (washed in hot water and dried until it shrinks tight). I was prepared with patterns for winter hats (from Handmade Home) , a very simple hat to make and personalize. Many of the kids made these with flowers, letters or special designs on theirs. I also had patterns for fingerless gloves, which are another fall staple at our house. There were also bags, leg warmers and hot water bottles being made.

It is always so great to hear the kids talk about how proud they are of what they have created. The excitement they have in using or wearing it, or the plans of the perfect person to gift with it.

As each week passes everyone gets to know each other a little better, a few of us moved here in the last year and another is new to homeschooling. We come together to craft but really we are all there to build a group, a support.

Pumpkin Pie

It was one of Ben's goals to grow pumpkins specifically for pie. He has made pumpkin pie lots of times, always with canned pumpkin. We have grown lots of pumpkins but they have always been for jack o lanterns. This year was his year. He grew the pumpkins, cooked the pumpkins and made some super delicious pie!!!

Out of the Palm of Our Hands

Feeding the chickadees out of our hands (or off our heads!) is something have grown to love. Before we moved we had a few favorite places we loved to go to do this. We have very friendly chickadees here at the house and have had them come next to us to get some seed. This has been equally rewarding and exciting.

While on our hike at the bog we were followed by lots of birds. When the bag of banana bread came out the number quickly multiplied. The kids quickly held out their hands with crumbs and within minutes were hand feeding lots of chickadees. Soon to follow were the not so little friendly gray jays. It was quite a thrill to have such big birds landing on you. After the jays left a few nuthatches felt daring enough to come have a snack.
This was Shai's first time having the birds land on his hand. It was a little intimidating at first but with a little bit of help from big brother he was a pro!

It was quickly declared the best spot to feed the birds and there are plans to return soon.

Spruce Bog

We spent the afternoon walking the Spruce Bog trail at Algonquin park. A boardwalk winds through two separate bogs, allowing you to get a close up view of the plants, grasses and mosses growing. A bog is a poorly drained area that typically has a lot of spruce, evergreen shrubs such as heather, peat moss, etc. growing. These particular plants cause an acidic environment and therefore micro organisms in this area don't grow. The layer of moss and soil lay on top of the water.

The kids, being the brave explorers they are were walking on top of this layer. To look at it, you would think it is the same as the forest floor or an open space in the woods. There are beautiful red plants and green and brown grasses growing. When they walk on it, the ground is a little squishy. The kids quickly went from walking to jumping on this spongy layer (while I held my breath expecting them to fall right through). The earth rolled like waves as they jumped up and down. It looked almost like an earthquake rippling out from where they landed. Watching them and the reaction was amazing. And no one got wet!

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Knitting Needles

The kids and I decided to invite our friends and the homeschool group over for a series of craft sessions. We choose some craft activities we enjoy doing but were also multi age appropriate and not cost prohibitive. The first session was today and we worked on knitting needles. There were 25 people and the kids ranged in age from toddler to 13 years old. It was wonderful to see the older kids pair up with the younger children to craft together.
It is a very easy project to do. The kids first worked on measuring and dividing the doweling into four equal pieces. They then used the hand saw or the circular saw to cut the pieces into the desired lengths. After sanding the wood smooth they used the metal pencil sharpener to create the pointed end. The needles were waxed with beeswax for a smooth protective coat. Lastly the kids choose a topper to glue on to personal their needles, there were marbles, glass beads, acorn tops, rocks, shells, yarn to wind, etc.
There was time for snack and playtime afterwards. The mums got a chance to chat about the holidays and idea share. It felt great to fill the house with friends, to craft together, share some food and make plans.

Sweet Dreams

That stage of not needing a regular nap, but also not able to make it through a very busy day without a bit of a rest.

Weekending

I have been feeling rushed lately. That I am always a few steps behind and the likely hood of catching up is really really unlikely. The scales are tipped a bit more unbalanced than I would like. My hands, my mind, my body is never stopping. While I am doing, I am thinking about the next thing I have to work on. Never being mentally or physically still. Rarely being in the moment. I decided to take the day and forget the lists, stop the crafting and the renovating, no planning, no delegating. I would take the day and be still, be in the moment.

There were times I needed to remind myself that the list would still be there tomorrow, that the craft could be finished later even if the due date was getting closer, that I wanted to be present. Thanks to another glorious fall day we were able to spend most of it outside. We played basketball outside, swung in the hammock, took the yarn out and spun special places in the sumac. A fire was built, dinner was eaten outside and life felt a little more balanced.

A Boy and his Cat

Mozart is such an independent cat. He loves living in the country, having fields to roam, mice and voles to catch. I know he thinks his life is pretty sweet. He only stops in for short periods during the day, to grab a snack or a quick snooze on a nice warm bed. While he is not a lap cat he does love a good scratch or rub. He is a patient and very tolerant cat, often having to put up with attempts of being caught by Shai, usually turning into a tail pull or awkward manoeuvre.

Each of the kids have different animal duties each day. Shai is no different. At nearly 3 he is proud to take care of Mozart, almost never having to be asked. Each day he feeds him, asks for a cup of water to fill his bowl, lets him in and out of the house. The two of them are quite a pair.

Milkweed Magic

November. The end of November at that. The milkweed continues to bring us continued fun. The other day we played in the field; picking, tossing, scattering, helping the milkweed seeds scatter across the meadow. The silk was dry and fluffy, allowing for it to soar high and travel far. We really lost ourselves for an afternoon in the magical white clouds, never tiring.

It's Official

Brownies has been a great addition for Aria's desire to be crafting, socializing and trying new things. Each week the leaders; a group of dedicated woman, provide great opportunities for the girls. They have visited a bead store, gone bowling, had a Chinese meal as part of an Asia/Pacific Awareness badge, done crafts, played games, learned songs, woodworking, knot work, field trips. The group meets in a seniors home, with which there is a lot of interaction. The group plants a garden as a thank you for sharing the space, tulips went in last week.

The badge work is something she is very self motivated to work on. In the first few weeks she has earned 6 badges!! This past week the new Brownies were officially welcomed into the group with a small ceremony. It was then that the badges and pins were given out. We have lots of sewing to do before next weeks meeting!

Remembrance Day

We are the Dead. Short days ago.

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.



John McCrae

Could the key to happiness be a new hat?

Good friends recently gifted this beautiful hat for his birthday and in his favorite colour. It has brought lots of smiles. He wears it to bed, inside, outside, to fencing, to scouts, to co-op. Where ever he is, so is his hat.

Going to the City

It has been a long stretch since we headed south for a visit with my family. It wasn't a long visit, yet there was a long list of tasks we needed to accomplish in the short time. We did make time for some fun. My parents took our family, my sister and her family for a day at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Upon arrival we gathered, negotiating and discussing what we each wanted to see. We must have looked quite humourous, like a small unorganized tour group! Once we had a loose plan we were off. My asking everyone to stop for a quick photo got old for most very quickly (as you can see in the first photo!). On our must see listwere the animals in bio diversity section. My first assumption was that the animals were replicas, so I was trying to figure out if the rhino was clay and if so what kind of a cast and talent would be required to produce such a huge reproduction. It was quickly pointed out to me by the kids that all the animals were real, preserved animals. The diverse collection of animals was truly impressive. The kids spent a long time wandering from display to display soaking in the small details; did this animal have fingernails? could you see eyelashes? answers so much more intriguing to find out this way than in a book.


The prehistoric displays had just as great a 'wow' factor for me. At one spot there was a skeleton of a four legged animal. Not surprisingly huge. The kids pointed out to me (again, yup those kids are good) that this skeleton was of a land sloth, the modern day sloth was in a display case directly in front of it. Seeing the two sloths together, the contrast in size so stark really was amazing. Again, a book would have been informative but the effect would not have been as powerful.

The day was spent moving around the displays, sharing each part with different people. It was great to watch the kids run from cousin to grampy to brother to aunt to dad and so on sharing with each one the 'thing' that caused their excitement. The subway was of course a hit. Shai was taken with the idea of being underground, you could see the little wheels turning as he was saying it's dark but it's not night....we are underground? The older kids freestyle surfed, trying to impressive each other with their moves.

The First Snow

It didn't stay, but it gathered enough to turn the car white.

A Farm Afternoon

Our homeschool coop had a field trip today to a family owned, naturally raised beef farm. This farm began as many pioneer farms did, with the intensive work of clearing the land for eight hard labouring years. They farm with firm values of raising cows with no injections, or hormone filled feed, they believe in a natural raised beef. While the reason the family farms is not political there are many political aspects of farming. The push for corporate owned farms, the push for stimulant injections to increase growth rates, the difficult and costly process of organic labelling. The family farm has many obstacles. This family believes in what they are doing, enjoy it, and stick by their values.

We really did feel welcomed into their farm. Meeting the family dogs and cats, hearing the stories behind the different equipment around the farm like they were members. We were given a tour of the hay barn, the grain distribution system they created, the different tractors and equipment. The three different types of fencing were pointed out and described. We got to learn about tagging cows, veterinary services, the infections barns breed for cows making it better for them to be outside and of course a close up introduction to their cows. The four month old calves stole the show.

The tour ended with cookies and hot chocolate back at the house. This was SO appreciated because as we toured the weather went from snow, to hail, to freezing rain, to pelting ice to more snow and incredible cold wind. It was a great tour, one we plan to make in the spring again.

Cow Pictures

Can you really have enough pictures of cows?