On Moving On

The mornings are chilly. The afternoons herald Thunder and Lightning, with truly ferocious Winds that bend the Aspen and Birches to their knees.

Autumn is fast approaching.And with the changing of the season,something has shifted inside of me.

Just a month or two ago, I did not feel 'at home' here, in the vast central region of BC. And it was not until I showed my visitors the countryside that I realized how very deeply my roots have attached themselves to this Land in the interior of BC. The attachment happened in a very short time, really, when I realize at this time last year, I had no idea I would be living in the Cariboo.

On a visit to the Chilcotin Plateau, I fling my arms wide, in a vain attempt to gather the energies from the far flung landscape to me. The Winds swirl around me, grasping and lashing at me, urging me to listen to their sibilant whispers.
 
Whispers that can increase to a roar,should a weather system pass through. The storms here have more power than any I have ever witnessed.

The Coast has huge Storms, especially on the Beaches. There, Water holds power for me. Those Storms cleansed, taking negative thoughts and emotions and washing them away.

But the Wind has the power, in my mind, here, in the Cariboo.  This Wind speaks a different tongue than the one I had grown accustomed to on the Coast.
  

This Wind speaks of opportunities as yet unknown to me. Insistent, Wind tugs at me, at my Heart, at my Soul. And I listen, as yet unable to understand, but with a deep yearning for something.

Wind shrieks...Can't you hear?...And I answer,sadly...No,not yet.But I will.

Once, I thought I could not live apart from the Ocean.  Once, I thought I would enjoy this experience here in the Cariboo, and then leave again. 

I never dreamt I would grow so attached to the wildness and freedoms so rampant here. 

Endlessly, roads to far flung areas beckon;road anarchy, when I go where Spirit moves,is a given.

And, in moving away in such a sudden manner, ripping apart life as I had known it, I have learned to take what comes. Each day may have a chance, an opportunity to move on, to shake the common worries and woes.

You never know.
 
Just as I do not know as yet the message Wind carries for me.

All I know is that there is a great urgency to find out... 

Loving Energy, Ants and Heat Waves

Our last visitors departed this morning, to further their holiday through the Columbia Ice Fields and Ainesworth Hot Springs.

It has been an awesome August this year. Truly one for the books!
 

Finally, finally...I was able to connect with my daughter and her family once more.  It felt as if I had pushed the envelope between visits...my goal is to see them every couple of months.  This time, it wasn't possible. And I was greatly missing each and every one of them.

Bree is taller than I am, now.  Her self-confidence grows each time I see her. Along with her friend Sabrina, they turned heads when they visited the City of Williams Lake. I saw more than one boy trip over his feet as his head swivelled on his shoulders, to watch the girls pass by! But Bree's loving energy never changes for me...she and I are as close as ever.

Our connection was strongly forged, throughout our bodies, a long time ago. Mere distance could never shake it.



And Graydon...ahhh, Graydon!

At sixteen months, he's walking and talking. He is fascinated with numbers, can spell out the letters of his name and knows what they spell, has an absolutely angelic personality, which brings joy to any person he comes into contact with. He recognized me almost immediately...he remembers my Chakra pendant and it connects us very quickly.


As I walked outside with him, showing him the lay of the land, I suddenly realized I had a grand son. He has male interests, now.  It became definitive for me, since I had only seen him, before, as a baby.  It was hard to differentiate between boys' and girls' behaviours at that point.


It was a grand feeling. I am about to join in this little boy's path in his life...he will have much to teach me about the male gender; I have only been associated with female energy, up to this point.


And I have much to learn.  I scoffed at being told about the differences between boys and girls, convinced we were all the same, underneath it all. But I have to admit...the differences are there. First lesson.

It was lovely, in the cool of the evening on the deck, exchanging confidences and confessions with my girls...and strengthening our ties, making sure no frayed edges were left to disintegrate...re-bonding once again.



I swallowed hard, when I watched them leave...even with a heat wave, with temperatures soaring to 40C, and a hoard of Ants who decided to seek moisture and invaded the house from the Forest...I was proud of the way the family pulled together, in times when the atmosphere was less than clement.


There was little time to mourn their leaving, although I did take some time to release tearful, sad energy.  Guests from Scotland were expected shortly. Linens were washed, the vacuum cleaner hummed and the dust and Ant bodies flew...


The heat wave abated somewhat during Jim and Jane's visit. I enjoyed listening to the Scottish brogue and colloquialisms...and absorbing a different cultural view. I am already looking forward to plans made for next summer...and perhaps a visit to the UK in the near future, where ties will continue to be strengthened.


And then our friends from the US arrived.  We spent days just chatting around the table on the deck.  We watched Hawk circle above us for an entire afternoon.  We moseyed around the area, seeing the Hoodoos at Farwell Canyon.


The weather had broken entirely, and the days were warm, sunny and windy. We talked, laughed and ate ourselves silly. It was the quintessential ending to a wonderful holiday.


Now, with the weather definitely showing true signs of Autumn...this morning there are signs of a Frost...I feel the urge to continue the renovations to the House and Land. I feel newly charged, newly energized, very open to new possibilities to enter my life. 

It's time to ready ourselves for our first experience living through a Cariboo Winter.



I find it truly amazing what a holiday which includes old friends and family will do!

Boulders and Blockages...An Update

The days are becoming shorter. And the speeding Train I am on this year has not slowed...each day brings new beginnings.

But the Train will slow...within a week, my family from the Coast will travel up to the Cariboo to visit for a few days...an extremely welcome reunion. And then, visitors will arrive within a few days of each other until the end of August. And that Train...well, it'll just have to slow down enough for me to jump off for a time and enjoy my company.

The kitchen is finished and the guest rooms are freshly painted and decorated. The septic tank, which had not been attended to for fourteen years, due to lack of access, has been found and pumped out...just in time, I was told. Especially with the amount of visitors I am expecting.

Disaster averted.

The Excavator came in last week. The operator/owner has a great affinity for Boulders and Stones. It seemed as if the bucket was a true extension of his hand, as he moved great Stones and lined them in place in the retaining walls that hold the roadbeds.

And he stood our Guardian Boulder upright, at the entrance to the driveway. We found him after Snow melt; we instantly realized his predicament in lying face first in the draw near the driveway. He makes a strong statement as he guards the drop-off to the draw...big and black, he will show his presence during the snowy Winter months.

The Excavator uncovered giant Boulders, as he levelled a spot for Graham's wood working shop. Some he could not pick up and move...he nudged those along, with his bucket, until they were placed correctly. It will take me time to know all these newly exposed Stones. Each has his or her own identity and personalities and some send stronger energy than others.

The Shop space was levelled and is awaiting the concrete workers. It seems, at the moment, at least, that they might be difficult to find, as the population prepares for the coming Winter by working hard in the Summer months, when construction is possible.

After the concrete base for the shop has been poured, the Excavator will come back and finish backfilling all the areas uncovered for the process. And he will correctly place a chimney on the septic tank so that it can be easily accessed. No more near disasters!

I can visualize the finished look to the area, where raw dirt now lays exposed. Construction and landscaping, outside of my home, is truly exciting for me...I love to watch expert operators of big machinery. They make it all look so smooth and easy!

I look forward, now, to building garden beds in the Fall. I will plant shrub Roses along the driveway, at the top of the new Rock wall. The area outside the front door will be tiled eventually, along with sidewalks built around the house.

I will have Soil and aged Horse Manure trucked in...in this rocky, boulderous area, there is little friable natural Soil. With great anticipation, I look forward to placing my hands deep within those piles of goodness.

It seems so long ago, since I built new garden beds. It is one of my very favourite activities...it gives me huge creative energy. But this time, I must take into consideration the fact that we have a Well...and only one. Water could become an issue in this dry climate. Xeriscaping becomes important here.

We plan on using cisterns, etc. to collect water for the garden...but this will be Spring's big project.

It seems, as the landscaping took shape (in my mind, if nowhere else), I have felt more grounded, more centred. Blockages to my intuition...to my creativity... have been removed, rather suddenly. I am ready to move forward, much to my surprise.

Those blockages were removed as quickly as each Boulder fell into place. I am filled with gratitude to Spirit for allowing me to witness Stone energy in action, in such close proximity. Becoming acquainted with Stone energy can sometimes take a lot of time; with the Excavator, the time was shortened by far. Those Boulders...blockages...have been dealt with and firmly rooted in their places.

As have I.

So. The curtains have been hung, the kitchen churns out Muffins and Scones and Pies, the septic system is doing whatever it does, the rooms are ready and the Guardian stands tall.

The Inn is open...with widely extended arms.