At the beginning of a new year where things are already tumultuous and overwhelming, and many folks are feeling the economic burdens of our current situation, this story seems more than relevant. Stone SoupOnce, a hungry traveler arrived in a small village where everyone was struggling. Each household had only a little food, and fearing […]

Leaving our property is never easy. Especially when we have now twice had to leave via snowmobile with only essentials and the kindness of others. It’s traumatic for anyone to have to be rescued, and certainly we have a unique perspective for those who have to evacuate for natural disasters or other calamities. It’s gut

We have decided to evacuate again, but this time under somewhat less stress and urgency. Last year, we struggled and fought to not have to evacuate, frankly, endangering ourselves. We waited until temperatures were dangerously low, and we couldn’t get heat above 0c before we called for help. We cannot and will not go through

Winter has certainly come in like a lion this year. The snow started on the evening of November 6, and as I write this, we have literally had two days where it hasn’t snowed or rained since. That’s 20 days. In those 20 days, we have had 40cm of snow, some of which has melted

If there is anything I miss from my time living in Calgary, it is simply that, even in winter, the sun is frequently visible in the sky. That’s not to say there aren’t gloomy, grey days, but they are usually broken up by days of sun every few days. It’s rare for the grey to

It’s hard to believe it’s already mid November. We just blinked and the summer was gone and now we’re decidedly in the middle of winter.  While last week’s snowfall was relatively big (15cm or so), we have had about 1-2 cm every few days this week. And while we were fortunate to have been able

Today was a day we both had considerable dread over. With the heavier snow last week, we were deeply concerned that we could already be cut off from access to town and supplies, and most importantly, our final winter food supplies, which, in typical fashion arrived the day of the heaviest snow so far. Waking

As predicted, it has snowed. Not a light dusting, or freezing rain type snow or the snow that melts on impact into water. Wet, heavy snow almost 15cm deep in a short space of time. Overnight, the bleak brown grey of the forest around us has turned into a stark black and white landscape, almost

Sometimes a small change makes all the difference. This is true of many things in life. Making a small change can have a huge effect on so many things. A change of habit or ritual or simply attitude. One of my favorite ‘inspirational quotes’ is: “It is your attitude, not your aptitude that gives you