Breakfast at Cafe Nevermatters

It was the tail end of the Spring Festival of Awareness in Naramata BC - a wonderful weekend of sharing. I was staying at the Albano's and while Carol headed off to work Angelo invited me to their Cafe Nevermatters for breakfast before I was to leave.
Now that is French Toast to die for. Brioche stuffed with cream cheese and bananas and topped with mango sauce with a dash of lemon and a sprinkle of icing sugar. Oh my! I could only eat half so I put the rest in a recyclable container ready for breakfast the following day.
DELICIOUS!!!! Mmmmm. Highly recommended, along with a good coffee.
Thank you Carol and Angelo!

Sowing Seeds

It's the first year that I have started tomatoes from my own seeds. This is really exciting. I don't have a greenhouse so the seedlings are in my living-room window, getting lots of great sun. While the tomatoes are growing, about 6 inches high now, the Boar squash from South Africa is coming along gang-busters and needs putting in the garden. So, today is the day to prepare the last couple of beds in the vegetable patch and lay down the recycled-paper weed blocker. The latter is made in Texas and I used it last year. The wonder of this product is that it can be dug into the garden at the end of the summer. It really does block the weeds and also holds in moisture.
Already in the garden, peas are coming up, carrot seedlings, and onions. This morning I even noticed a few of the organic heritage potatoes showing above the surface of the soil.
After finishing off the last couple of beds it will be time to sow bean seeds (they are incredible, heritage Doukhobor climber beans), some more lettuce, and make my way around to plant some flower seeds.
Everything is a bit early this year. We have had no rain for a couple of weeks and it is very hot, so different from the last few years. And it doesn't look there will be any rain in the next couple of weeks. This means getting out with the hose in the morning and giving each plant a delightful spray of moisture. It's a wonderful way to start the day - coffee mug in hand, hose and sprayer in the other, saying 'good-morning' to all that is in the garden.
And the lilacs are in bloom!
Blessings
Rosemary
PS I have received some wonderful art from Texas and South Carolina for the One Seed Kid's Art Gallery. It warms my heart to know that teachers are using the story and song and that children around the world are enjoying it.
 

One Seed and Earth Day

Dear Readers,
When I was in the library the other day a woman came up to me and let me know that for Earth Day she is sending a link to everyone to the YouTube video "One Seed". That warms my heart.

Like many people I have days when I wonder if what I am doing is making a difference in this world - then I receive an e-mail from a teacher, a parent, a student - sometimes sending along a work of art to be posted on the One Seed Kids Art Gallery, or just to let me know that their school will be presenting the story.

And this week I received a comment on YouTube from a youngster in Ireland who stated that his class sang the song at school while planting sunflowers.

I have noticed there are now over 145,000 viewings of One Seed around the world (in the last month mostly from direct access and mobile apps), the top countries being the US, United Kingdom, India, Australia, Canada, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, European countries and many others. I realize that many only view the first minute, so about half of the above (75,000) view the whole story and song. Oh, and by the way, the song alone has over 15,000 viewings. I do know that teachers and parents have downloaded the video onto their computers so I really don't know how many times it is now viewed.

As Earth Day arrives I send out my prayers for this dear planet, our home, and all life upon it. I will be working in the garden here in Christina Lake, preparing it for growing food for next winter. I give my thanks to this planet for all it has and continues to endure, and for all it gives us to live.

I send to everyone and particularly to Mother Earth - warmest wishes for a happy Earth Day!
Rosemary
www.oneseedstory.com

 

Spring is on its way

Ah, this morning Robin sat in the tree opposite my office window. It is the first time I have seen her this year as she made herself comfortable on a branch that faces me directly. It was as if she was letting me know she is back, that spring is just around the corner. She sat for quite a while, just staring at me through the window as I sit here at the computer getting ready for my week's work.
What a joyous moment!
Meanwhile the apple tree is half pruned. One Step at a Time - is what I have been told. So gradually I shall make my way from the apple tree, to the lilac (which I didn't get to last year), to the rose bushes. There's still snow on the ground and it is gradually melting.
Thank you Robin on this sort-of gray day, for a reminder that the garden will soon be waking up. And there will be new life!
 

Happy 2013 New Year

Goodbye 2012 - Hello 2013! Like a breeze 2012 just flew by, and in spite of all the mass-predictions of an ending world we are still here. I smile!
On Friday, December 21, we sat outside with a little bonfire toasting marhmallows and sharing an awesome mulled wine with neighbours and friends. It was perfect! For us it was a Solstice celebration - the shortest day and longest night of the year. Candles were lit and left to burn overnight and we joined in thinking of all the celebrations around the world past and present - offering light into the dark. We focussed on letting go of the past, and on making wishes for the future.
So here's wishing everyone of you new beginnings, joyous outcomes, prosperity and dreams fulfilled. It's a tall order - but possible.
Cheers
Rosemary


 

Thank You John Denver

Today is the 15th Anniversary of John Denver's Going Home... poet, singer-songwriter, humanitarian, lover of humanity and all life upon this planet Earth. John Denver made a difference.

I give my thanks for your music, your heart, your caring; for your work towards making this planet a better place to live; for your insight, spirituality, and positive outlook even in times of desolation.

As your spirit soars free, so too now does the spirit of the Windstar Foundation. Your legacy remains with the Windstar Land Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Institute, and all those around the world who have benefitted from your vision.

You live on in our hearts as we all, in our own way, strive to live, love and make a difference.

Thank you John and thank you to all those who continue your work and vision!

Canadian Thanksgiving - Remembering John Denver and Windstar

Today is Thanksgiving Sunday in Canada. It was this day 15 years ago (October 12, 1997), when I was sitting at my computer writing a story, that I heard the news of John Denver's plane crash. I was in shock. My dreams were dashed. I have big dreams and one of them was to perform with John. Audacious eh? Well if you have read some of my stories, or seen me perform, you will know that I do. OK, so you may think I'm crazy (that's OK), but if you were to read the story "Whales and Dolphins" you'll get the picture. Folks have even told me that he overshadows me when I sing. One elderly lady came to me at intermission once, unaware of this phenomena, and said, "Did you know that you look like John Denver when you sing his songs?" I gather this phenomena has been happening with a number of singers around the world. This doesn't surprise me. There's far more to life than meets the eye or can be proven scientifically. Let's just say, some things just 'are'.

And so it is no surprise that on this Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday, fifteen years after John's spirit went Home, that I received an e-mail from members of the board of directors of the Windstar Foundation (started by John Denver and his close friend Tom Crum back in 1976) informing me that the Foundation's spirit has been set free. It has now been merged into the Windstar Land Conservancy (about 900-plus acres that John donated in Aspen, Colorado) and the Rocky Mountain Institute, and remains in the heart of all those who have in any way been connected to it, contributed to it, benefitted from it - around the world.

The Foundation was once a thriving vision of the future, so far ahead of its time. "The heart of the Foundation was about collaboration, about peace, about you and me creating a brotherhood and sisterhood of stewardship and frienship, creating a global family of connectedness." It drew scientists like Buckminster Fuller and Amory Lovins, politicians and celebrities, and folks like you and me. It created a heritage of vision.

So, today feels like a turning point, as the open letter to members and friends was posted up on the Windstar web site at www.wstar.org.

From the mountains of British Columbia I give my thanks, for all that Windstar represented, for all that is in my own life, and for all this planet offers us at every turn. And in my gratitude I share with you the song "Thank You" that I wrote a number of years ago for Thanksgiving here in Canada. It's a simple video, one of my first, and includes photos I took in the John Denver Meadowlands in the Windstar Land Conservancy, the Rockies, and various scenes from this amazing continent and country, and my own backyard.

Thank You!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Rosemary

 

Water - a precious thing

The water heater burst a couple of weeks ago and won't be replaced for a few more days yet. This means I've had no water in the kitchen, and no hot water at all. Thank goodness this happened in the heat of mid-summer rather than during the cold of mid-winter. What a learning experience I am having! Following the example of a good friend, I put plastic jugs filled with water outside in the morning. They heat up and just before sunset I retrieve them and place them in a thermal container. One jug is for my shower, the other for the kitchen. Of course I could heat up a kettle-full of water but it isn't the same.
One thing I am most grateful for is that I have water, and good water. For drinking, because it has chlorine added, I have three one-gallon jugs and let them sit for a few days. On each I have the words 'Love' and 'Thank You'. The water tastes wonderful.
I am also grateful for the water that I am using for my incredible garden. I say incredible because I have never had one so big before with so many vegetables, including lots of tomatoes and potatoes.  It's been a learning experience and one I have been enjoying immensely. Of course I have lots more to learn yet. You might say I am experiencing Gardening 101, using my Readers' Digest Canadian Guide to Gardening as a resource, and the folks at Durand Nurseries here in Christina Lake.
Meanwhile the US is experiencing a drought. Well we live in a culture that has to have a shower every day, even two, and a continent where it's important to have green lawns.
I'll not forget arriving in Canada in 1963 and seeing all the green grass and sub-division houses plonked on it. There were no fences, no divisions. Just one hugs green lawn. I don't recal seeing any real 'gardens' with vegetables and flower beds, just lots of grass to be mowed and watered. Lawns are definitely a North American trend.
About ten years ago I calculated how much water a neighbour of mine was using. He had three sprinklers going for two hours, sometimes twice a day. I figured he was using about 72 bathtubs full of water each time for his green lawn. And there was me trying to conserve by having a shower only every third day. Something is really wrong with this picture, especially when we learn of nations where there is no water, where women walk miles to get a few gallons for the day.
Water - a precious commodity. I give my thanks for water - it gives me life.

Cafe Nevermatters - Dee-licious!

That was some dinner! Friend Carol Albano invited me to dine with her at Cafe Nevermatters in Naramata last Friday. Since I have known Carol we have always called Naramata 'Nevermatters' so when her husband Angelo bought the cafe last summer (2011) it came as no surprise to hear that he changed the name to, you got it, Cafe Nevermatters.
Angelo knows how to cook (and so does Carol). Meals on my visits to this beautiful part of British Columbia, known as wine-country, are always special. But last Friday, mmmmm! I started off with a cool glass of local amber ale... as we sat on the porch admiring the flowers and enjoying the community. Then came the spinach salad... Oh my, every bite was so dee-licious. The fruitful dressing enriched the flavour of the fresh spinach, the goat cheese, and the unbelievable sweet-roasted walnuts. And the berries... (Are you drooling yet?) Ah! Every mouthful was a joy. The entree? Angelo's very own pesto sauce on pasta. Well, I mean, Angelo is Italian. Now that was a feast. Every morsal was scrumptious. If only I could cook like that. Or better still, have someone here who could cook for or with me... that would be even better. No, I can't bring Angelo home. So thanks a million, Carol, for such a fantastic meal
If you are visiting wine-country, stop in to Cafe Nevermatters... Angelo even has local wine on the menu! And great coffee!

PS Angelo and Carol have been exhibiting some of my 'Who Cares', 'Nevermatters', 'No worries' type of clocks - created with my chalk pastel drawings in the background and lettering with numbers either absent or fallen to the bottom. I hear another one has sold. Yeh! Grazie mille! May the purchaser have many hours of pleasure looking at their newly aquired time piece.

Ray Staples - The Room Doctor - goes Home

JULY 16, 2012 - Ray Staples, The Room Doctor, and dear friend went Home, peacefully, in Toronto, Ontario. Ray never feared death (see the article at www.quillsquotesandnotes.com/ws-staples.htm about her Near Death Experience) just the process. Now she was finally able to go through the tunnel of light - and stay. I, along with her family, friends and associates, will miss her dearly, yet I know that she lives on in our memories, and in that world beyond the tunnel of light. I treasure the time spent with her, and will always remember her wit and wisdom. Enjoy the short journey with Ray through the story mentioned above; it is but a mere taste of the personality and life of a truly amazing woman who certainly has made a difference in the lives of many.

Visit http://raystaples.rdiv.com/ for a full biography, photos, and announcement of the Celebration of Life in the fall.

Here's a picture of Ev and Ray before their move from the little house on Birch Avenue in Toronto... taken by their niece Laine...

I'm gonna miss you Mama Ray

Yvette Eastman - Touchpoint - A Celebration of Life



Yvette Eastman – In Memoriam

A Celebration (Yvette went Home March 24, 2012)

Yvette Eastman – pioneer, teacher, author, film-maker, risk-taker, humanitarian, go-getter, mother, wife, animal and nature lover, friend.



Yvette has been a part of my life for 30 years, taught me reflexology and how to be an instructor, how to be a human being with a heart, how to hug, how to appreciate this amazing complexity called the human body, how to use various forms of complementary health and how to practice those various modalities.

Yvette sowed many seeds which have germinated and grown, as students, and students of her students in Western Canada, came under her umbrella first with the Canadian Institute of Reflexology and then Touchpoint Reflexology.

 

Yvette’s challenges have been immense and yet through them all she has persevered and overcome obstacle after obstacle while continuing to help others, provide hope when there was none, healing for those with dis-ease, and laughter for those who needed it. Courage, tenacity and perseverance are synonymous with Yvette.

While pursuing her caring career as a therapist and teacher, Yvette was and still is a mother to Sam (Samantha), Chris, Geff and Linky. When Yvette shared the news of her finally being re-united with Geff and Linky, we all celebrated with her in her joy.

My fondest memories of Yvette include the Winter Solstice Celebration, in Belcarra. We sang while standing around the fire pit, listened to the story of “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, and then placed in the fire a twig that represented all the things in life we wanted to let go of.

Yvette instilled in each of us the importance of letting go of the old and embracing the new.

To Yvette - I am so glad that you and I got together last year. It was a time of endings and beginnings, the end of a phase of your life, letting go of the old house, and embracing the beginning of new life, which led to this final transition as you, Yvette, journeyed Home on Saturday, March 24, 2012. Richard Bach says it all in his wonderful little book ‘Illusions’: “Here is a test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

Yvette, you finished, you got your wings and have been able to fly back HOME. I hear you laughing, free! So, dear Yvette, as you let go of the old and embrace your new life in those realms beyond, you are still here... never gone... always in our hearts. Love ya and always will!

To Sam, Chris, Geff and Linky – the loss of a mother is a hard loss. But know that Yvette is still with you, not visible, but still here... watching over you, caring, loving, guiding, being. Listen for her voice in your inner ear, catch her whisper, feel her laughter, sense her presence. Send your love. Feel her love.

Rosemary   ♥J♥

There will be a Celebration of  Life for Yvette on Sunday, April 1, 2012 from 4:30 pm - 6:00pm at The Gathering Place, #1100 - 2253 Leigh Square Place, Port Coquitlam. 

 

International Women's Day - It's a Testosterone World

A number of years ago I attended a meeting where a young man, a poet, told us he had just read a work in which God was referred to as She. He felt most uncomfortable, but as a result he understood how women must feel when God and just about everything else in this world is referred to in the masculine.
So a thought for this International Women's Day - wouldn't it be a wonderful change to have all news reports, businesses, education, social and health organizations, and media run with a women's point of view? A truly women's perspective, not how women might think as seen through a man's eyes and understanding. There would be more focus on the matriarchal approach to society, like in the Minoan Civilization of Crete where all were respected as equal regardless of race, creed or sex, and where emphasis was on peace not war. So a news broadcast might be more about nurturing, harmony, solutions and peace-making rather than on the testosterone approach of guns, more guns, enemies, fighting, aggression, them and us, control and fear.
What a difference that would make in this world!
Anyone willing to give it a go?

Hopefully a new song for Planet Earth

This week I had the opportunity to take in the movie "Home" on a very large screen (viewed on YouTube in its entirety at http://youtu.be/jqxENMKaeCU). It is stunning. The photography is incredible. The message powerful. In the last 3000 years we have basically dessimated what took billions of years to create. And in the last 60 years, during which time the population of the planet has tripled, that devastation of Planet Earth, our "Home" has been the worst. Yet we are left in the movie with a thread of hope as people around the world take on the task of creating change in our behavours, patterns, consumption.
         Coincidentally the next morning I was sent this shorter version (4 minutes), titled "She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting... Worthy Dying for." There are segments from "Home" and other dramatic footage of the beauty of this incredible planet, put to breathing, just as we breathe. It is rivetting. May you too be moved!
      
 

Dee Daniels and her New Song

It just dawned on me... here's my last blog about creating a new song titled "A New Song" and I get a phone call from jazz singer and friend Dee Daniels. It took me a while to make the connection. The article about Dee that was posted on my web site this last year is titled A New Song. Dee was in the middle of making big decisions and changes in her life. And what changes... she called Monday night from her new apartment in a brownstone in the city that never sleeps, New York, where music is prolific. Dee is following her dreams!
Don't you just love coincidences!

A New Song

I've had a new song going through my head, at all hours. It just won't leave me alone. It's almost complete and will be performed on March 3 for a special concert at the Doukhobor Community Centre (USCC) in Grand Forks. Why the title "A New Song"? The lyrics are a metaphor for all the changes we are going through in life. The song was originally created for a conference I will be attending in Surrey in September for Inner Garden.
Cheers and chuckles and singing A New Song...

It's an Honour

I feel so honoured in this life to know and talk with musicians and artists who make a difference in this world, who are filled with passion, caring and concern for life. This week I spoke with tenor Ken Lavigne of Chemainus, BC. Through his music and concerts it is his heart-felt desire to instill hope and inspiration. Ian Parker, one of Canada's leading pianists, told me the other day about how he looks upon his teaching of music as a means to help young people through this life. And while I write these words, I think again of John Forrest and the legacy of music he has left behind. Music - the universal language that transcends all cultures, emotions and experiences.

Memorial Gathering for John Forrest

I just got sent the obituary for John Forrest. It's short and doesn't begin to describe the talent and influence this man has had on the music scene in Nanaimo and Vancouver. What is does tell is that the informal gathering of family and friends will be held at Bowen Park Complex, in Nanaimo on Saturday, January 28, from 1-3 p.m. If I were on the coast I'd be there! So how's the music on the other side John?

Keep on smiling - John Forrest

Got another call from Jim Salmon yesterday. He was the bearer of sad news - John Forrest, a terrific musician from Nanaimo - passed away on Tuesday - he went "Home". John, a bass player and all-round musician, was an integral member of the musical cast for my show "Over The Rainbow" at The Port Theatre in 1999 - he is now himself "Over The Rainbow"... May you be smiling John!

A New Year - 2012

Got a surprise phone call this morning from Jim Salmon (AKA Fish) percussionist extraordinaire, fellow musician, great friend. It's so important to keep in touch with those who have been a part of our lives. We are all travellers on this road of experience... all connected...