It Is Ours

Aluminum painted to look like birch bark. Panned by the critics as useless, not valid for the purpose it was designed. At first it will not budge as if stuck in the water by some new gravitational force, and then as I adjust my stroke and reposition my body it begins to move as I continue and adjust in small increments we become graceful together with the river. It is a dance of finesse that will be refined with each stroke of the paddle, with each new wind and current. Canoe, paddle, water, and man at once separate and yet one.


After the dance begins and the rhythm is established the river and its inhabitants show themselves to the mind now able to focus on more then just the paddle. A Trumpeter Swan stands guard of the hidden nest, willing to fight and sacrifice if necessary to save the next generation and its mate. The Kingfisher lives up to its name before my eyes. A large bass breaks the water after some insect on or above the surface. A snapping turtle not ever afraid but wary never the less submerges, a heron stands in silent, still breakfast vigil. These are the gifts of the river, small treasures exposed to the one who chooses to quietly send his paddle into the flow.

There are other things too; a train trestle waiting for the thundering load that it has been willing to bear for a good part of most of our lives. The distant sound of an eighteen wheeler as it slows itself for the curve. Families heading to town to buy things needed for the weekend on the highway nearby. I see the homes of those lucky enough to have the sense and the dollars to place themselves in daily beauty. This river is not in a wilderness or even remote, it is near and it is ours to enjoy.

The Thames and all its forks have gifts for us from Stratford to Woodstock, Ingersoll, and London and beyond. It is one of those good places it is ours and it is here. You need not go far to dance with canoe and paddle. Do not feel nature is beyond your reach, it is here and now.

When I paddle the Thames in Oxford, Perth and Middlesex I find that I am usually nearly alone. I am not complaining about the solitude but I wish others would come out and dance in this special place.

The Garden

I sit here in the garden

Surrounded by beauty

I am transported

A feeling of otherness

Away from petty thoughts

Small human wastefulness

The plants have the same motives

To live, to procreate, to die

To give some beauty

To give something back

We sometimes forget our motives

The garden never does.

Your Car or Plastic Crap??

People are slamming the car (me too) and saying that it is all evil and sick. I want to think again. I love my VW convertible. I bought it 3rd hand so no new car had to be built (lower impact on the world) It gets 42 miles per gallon on the HWY, not perfect but OK. I get a major vitamin D shot from the sun everyday.

So hey what about the carbon, what about the oil used?? Well to this I say give me my car and take away my disposable world. No more plastic disposable crap! When you buy something make sure it is meant to last for life or longer! No more fast food style products give me the freedom of wheels instead. Buy less stuff you don't need and drive your car. What if the money men take away our mobility (cars) but keep selling us cheap junk that goes away quick so that we have to buy more and more and more?

Now I believe that there should be rules for cars moving forward. Gas mileage needs to go up (my 42 miles per gallon should be seen as pathetic). 50% of all cars should be electric or hybrid. All new cars should be designed to be either reused after their guts give out our reasonably recycled. If you choose not to own a car you should get a tax break! If you drive a big clunker you should take a tax hit (I also have a minivan I would take a tax hit for that)!

So say yes to your car, do not give up your freedom, but you must then give up your garbage and throw away world.

Using less is the only true savior of our society.

A Quick Note About Food

Michelle and I will be celebrating 24 years of marriage on Monday. It has become our habit to hop in our little VW convertible and shun the highways and travel the lesser roads to some of Southern Ontario’s good places.

As lunch time approached we were in Stratford and there is an organic meat, cheese and bread shop there (a deli I suppose) that provides fresh healthy foods at a very high level of quality. Now our world is riddled with fast food outlets that can provide you with nourishment at a reasonable price and you can count on a consistent experience. Two adults could eat at one of these chain hamburger places for between $12 and $17 dollars. For that money you would get an edible but decidedly unhealthy and boring meal.

We walked around the shop and at the back of the store we meant the baker, a great guy who knew his bread, and was willing to discuss his process and ingredients and the experience he expected you would have if you bought his bread. We bought 3 different loaves at about $3.25 a piece (I would have paid more).

I am a big cheese fan and would eat it all the time if I could but the truth is I also enjoy being alive and huge cheese consumption does not lend itself to good health so I do not eat a lot of cheese anymore. We decided a little cheese for our lunch would be great so we purchased some apple wood smoked cheddar. Now this cheese packs a financial bite as well as a flavour bite and at $24 dollars a pound it might scare of most cheese eaters. Michelle and I bought 4 1/8 inch thick pieces and the price rolled in a $6.20 this cheese is so rich and delicious (four slices was almost too much)

We went to the cooler in the store and bought some of their fresh humus and it came in at $3.50.

Off to the park we went, moved a picnic table closer to the river and settled down to eat. We consumed the cheese, the equivalent of one loaf of bread (we sampled two of the three kinds we bought) dipping it in the humus.

The total bill at the store was $23 as I also bought some whole seed mustard. We ate our fill at lunch with 1 full loaf and 2 partial loaves of bread to take home.

So what is the point of this boring story? Well for about $16 we were able to eat very high quality fresh reasonably healthy food made by people who care about what they are doing, for the price of fast food. On the surface some of the prices in the store seem high but in moderate reasonable use you come out on top.

Fast food is obviously in the price range of the majority of Canadians, as I have heard the big chains do quite well. If fast food at $16 is in the price range then so is good food at the same price?? If we start to buy good food then more good food will appear for sale.

If you are going to tell me your kids won’t eat the food I described I would suggest to you that if you take the time to slowly move your kids from fast food and they will move, ours did.