Making Do

With the uncertainty in the financial sector of the World, I find, when I shop, there is little else people talk about.

I shop in small, locally owned markets. Opinions are rife with apprehension, amongst the shoppers. The apprehension shows in their purchases, as well...people seem to be keeping their monies close to their chests.

I stood next in line to an older lady, the other day. And, as an aside to the debate swirling around us, she said...It feels like I've been here before.

My mind on the opinions being expressed by the two gentlemen ahead of me, I managed a distracted...Oh?

She leaned closer to me and in a low tone she said...Yes.  It feels like the thirties. We didn't know it was happening until it happened.

My attention captivated, I turned to her. She said...There were six of us kids.  My Dad brought us all together, explained there was no more money, and that we would have to make do with what we had.

She shrugged...I was young, I didn't understand why way back then.  All I knew was, it happened so quickly. It seemed like one day I had a surprise from the City now and then...and then there were no more.  For a long time.

By now, the rest of the shoppers in the small store were listening, their fearful expectations of a coming financial catastrophe put aside for the moment.

Her voice still low, her eyes focused far off in some distant time, she said...We grew our own food, mostly. I don't remember going hungry, I never worried about that.  It could be my parents did...she laughed...But us kids were more worried about the toys we were sure other kids had in abundance.

My Dad, she said...My Dad told us just because we wanted something didn't mean we needed it.

She smiled...I've remembered that all my life.

As I paid for my purchases, I thanked her for her story, and asked if I could write about some of it. She waved her hand at me and said...It's not an unusual story...everybody who went through those times has one just like it!

Humans are resourceful and creative...she said...Now if we could just get rid of the Greed. We had to find ways to use and reuse some things. But, you'll see, we'll all make it through, just as we had to back then...

I pondered over her story, on my way home.  I'd told her my granddaughter had told me the same thing...do I need an object, or only desire it...years ago.  And I'd said it was surprising how such a simple question could have such impact, during financial stress.

It is difficult sometimes to live up to that old saying. In good times, it is easy to indulge myself, to buy some item which is not necessary for survival.  But in uncertain times...it takes the worry over a purchase away. It gives perspective.

Just as the other old saying I'm hearing a lot these days does...Use and Reuse. And another lady told me the other day if she bought the item she was contemplating, she would have to choose what to give away from the items she already owned. 

In the end, she walked away,without buying, with a rueful grin.

I like what I have, she said...I can't figure out what to discard...

I returned my item as well.

After all, I only desired those sheets...I didn't need them. The sheets I had still had another season left...I couldn't have thrown them out...or even justify using them as dust cloths.  Not yet.


With so much uncertainty in the World, I find it feels so much better to make do with the items I already own.


Making do...in times like these, it takes a little of the fear of economic troubles away.

A Golden Light

We are presently enjoying the most wonderful Autumnal weather.  Cold in the mornings, warm in the afternoons, and cool in the evenings...perfect conditions for a beautiful Fall.

Chrysanthemums are unfolding their frilly heads, in my garden. Sunflowers don't seem to mind a bit of Frost. They have bloomed all Summer, through drought, Hail, and Wind Storms. And even so, their bright, inquisitive heads peer through foliage, cheering my Heart...my Soul.

The Aspens, the Birches, the foliage of Rose and Saskatoon and Blueberry...all glow golden in the morning Sun, with a deep, deep blue Sky as a backdrop. I am astounded to find tears in my eyes, some mornings when I stand with my cup of coffee in hand, and survey the lower Forest. The golden light seems to shine profoundly within me and I stretch my arms to embrace it, sending gratefulness to the beams of Light. 

Tomatoes, in large pots on the deck, did not do well. There was no vegetable plot; against my better judgement, I planted seedlings in big pots. I believe Tomato requires the nutrients a good garden soil provides, over a wider area than a receptacle can possibly give. The soil lends flavour.

 
However, the plants produced a bowl of wonderful green Tomatoes. I use these to add acidity to a casserole or stew, both of which are served often, in the cool of the evening. 

I have a pair of huge Ferns, hanging by the front door.  I must bring them in, I think, as I water them during the warm afternoon. Where will I put them? They will take up a corner of a room easily. It remains a conundrum.
 
I have delineated garden beds, with our own homegrown Boulders and filled them with soil. The garden begins to take shape, filling an empty well in my Soul. 


Hydrangeas, which I bought lavishly in the Spring, now bloom profusely...still in their pots. I feel an urgent need to plant them; their messages cannot be ignored any longer.

I bought bags of Daffodil bulbs in Town the other day, remembering my vow to plant them throughout the Forest. I did not buy near enough to fulfil my pledge, yet it is a beginning. Even if their golden heads will sway and nod much later here than on the Island...to me, they herald Spring. No matter how late it might be.


I notice Squirbel on his usual hunt and hide.  I send good energy towards him; he stops his busy movements and looks my way.  I think...Perhaps he is crabby because he was thrown out of his nest, when his kittens were born, as all male Squirrels are. Now, perhaps, he hasn't yet found himself a new abode...it would make anyone anxious.


The impossible red hue of the Geraniums comes into view. Red Geraniums have followed me everywhere I have lived...only the true red variety, however. The colour is strong, seeming to be lit from within, sending rays of powerful energy my way. 


The blaze of red is the first plant I see when I return home. Geranium welcomes me with her fiery, warm heart, telling me I am home, safe and sound. My plans for her include placing her near our Guardian Boulder so she can send her lovely energy to visitors and passersby.

Upon looking skyward, I see the bronzed gold of the Aspens etched against the deep blue horizon...and suddenly, it feels like I have been sent a message from Creator.  My heart lifts.



It is difficult to imagine the snowy landscape that will greet me, in the not too distant future.  These days are balmy and sweet; I won't think about raging blizzards and long, dark days ahead. Instead, I will just enjoy.


There is much to be said for the here and now.


And so it goes...

Squirbels

Long ago, when my daughter was a toddler, she developed a fear of Squirbels. For the longest time, I did not understand what animal this was...she was far too young to describe what it was that frightened her so.  But the vision of this fearful creature would keep her awake, teetering on the brink of hysteria.

A few nights passed, with Heidi waking in fear...and as a mother who wanted to help, I became quite agitated myself.  We were all kept awake by an animal I could not identify.


But we finally did.  A Squirbel is a Squirrel.  Relieved, I assured her these small creatures were not to be feared; they were only small animals who made a lot of noise in the Trees. When I was able to point out a Squirrel to her, showing her how small it was, the crisis was over.


Previously, she had only heard the commotion Squirrel makes...and had heard someone tell her, jokingly, to watch out for Squirrels. For a few nights, she took the joke seriously!


Fast forward a few decades...and I am beginning to wonder if my daughter had the right idea about these little rodents.

Squirrels are carnivorous. And they will and have attacked humans, dogs and any other being.


This might be a long post.  I warn you now, should you care to abort.

A friend tells Graham and I...Bambi wasn't a documentary. I understand; yet even so...Squirrels are exempt, aren't they?

All the stories I read to my daughter when she was frightened portrayed Squirrel as a friendly, furry little creature...one who was helpful and industrious, although all seemed to suffer from a slight case of OCD.

This saga begins with the bird feeder.  I understood the repercussions there might be, regarding the animal population, in having one...yet I wanted to understand the bird population in the area.  There are so many Birds here I have not known before.

Along with the many Birds came the predators. But I did not recognize Squirrel as one of them.

To me, Squirrel gave the Dogs a job...that of guarding the Bird Feeder.  It gave them a purpose; therefore, they were happy, even if a little stressed.  Squirrels are cunning...they treated our dogs as fools.  But it kept the two of them busy.


I began to notice, however, some of these Squirrels were a little different from the ones I've known before, on the Island. These seemed...wilder. Bigger. They didn't back down very easily.

I don't know why I'm surprised...everything seems so much bigger in the Cariboo. 


Still, Squirrels are Squirrels.  They eat seeds and berries and nuts...don't they?


My first altercation occurred with one of the biggest of their number.  A grey Squirrel, he didn't take just a few seeds to his hiding place. Every time he visited, he scratched all seeds out of his way, in order to find a nut...he created seed showers.


Greed bothers me.

But when I confronted him, the dogs elsewhere, I was at a distinct disadvantage.  I was ready for a shower and therefore undressed. 

He did not back away.  He stood his ground and shouted, jabbered and shrieked at me, every hair on his body on end. I had a quick vision of this psychotic, true Squirbel jumping on to my unclothed body, and quickly slammed the door.

I felt silly at the time, allowing this Squirrel to intimidate me. But now, I'm glad I heeded the message.

Squirrels were suddenly everywhere.  It was as if Squirbel passed the message...Don't worry about her, she's a pushover.

There was the time Squirbel decided to investigate the house, with the dogs in hot pursuit.  He hid in a heating duct, which had not been covered at the time.  

I placed the dogs in another room, hoping the little intruder would come out. He did eventually, chittering loudly...sending the dogs into an absolute frenzy...going back the way he came. I was very thankful, that day, that Squirbel didn't decide to set up housekeeping in the bowels of the House.

Still ignorant of Squirrel's wild behaviour, still believing their antics, mostly, were amusing and cute, I overcame the aberrant  Squirbel's verbal attack, staying out of his way. I'd decided to live with him and his greed.


After spending a morning shifting Boulders and shovelling garden Soil, which had been delivered that morning, I sat with a cup of Tea, in my usual seat in front of the Bird Feeder.


It was sunny, with a breeze...a great day for working. And for settling down in a shady spot, watching the World drift by.  Twitterings and chirpings from the Birds in the Feeder became background music to the soughing of Wind in the Firs. Life felt benign; peaceful drowsiness reigned.


Squirbel appeared, running along the railing of the deck. The dogs had been on duty all morning; they were taking a well-deserved nap.  I felt bygones should be bygones and watched him, instead of chasing him off.


He was watching his manners this time.  He would take a nut and then run off, depositing it in his hiding place. He did this many times, until I became lulled to his presence.


Drifting off, I watched him run to the Feeder.  I watched him leap gracefully to the edge. And then, I watched him grasp and then bite a small Bird who had been a little asleep himself, in the bottom of the Feeder.

Squeaking vociferously, the Bird struggled in Squirbel's grip.


Shock kept me silent for a second; then my shouting and stamping of feet brought the dogs at a run. Squirbel looked at me, with Bird in his mouth.  I thought for a moment he would not let go, but the dogs changed his mind...and the small morsel flew off...


Squirbel now faced a rare problem; he was caught without easy egress. In full fury, I stood on one side and the dogs had the other areas of flight covered. After much dashing about ensued, Squirbel, chittering madly, got away, but only just.


I did research on Squirrels after this episode.  I could not believe my eyes when it happened. But it appears this kind of behaviour is not that rare...I had only fallen into the trap of believing the happy little books I had read to Heidi.


There are many varieties of Squirrel here, the Red Squirrel being the most common.  Squirbel is not a Red Squirrel.  He is about twice the size and grey. No matter his parentage, he is a Squirrel to be reckoned with.


This was another reminder to me that where I live is wild country.  The animals here are not necessarily afraid of humans. And they certainly don't take my feelings into account as they go about the serious business of survival.


I fell for the outer persona of the Squirrel; I don't believe I'm the only one who thought he was a herbivore. I found quite a number of sites who stated just that...no mention of eating any meat of any kind.


But it looks as if Heidi had an inkling of the dark side of Squirrel...way back when!


Squirbel is a monstrous, ferocious creature, indeed!

A Universal Go!

I receive many emails for daily, weekly and monthly horoscopes. For the month of September, all seem to agree...the Universe signals a time to return to business, old and new. And to be ready for large shake-up changes.


On September 3, the Sun conjuncts Saturn in Virgo. According to research, this creates enormous energy...useful for beginning a project, giving extra oomph.



In our case, we were definitely infused with an incredible energy...we cleaned and emptied the garage, which was  stuffed with boxes and items from the big move.


Since we are still awaiting concrete workers for the Woodworking Shop, and since the window of opportunity to have a big pour is slowly sliding away...we are striving for every inch of space, in order to park both vehicles inside for the Winter.


There is much less stuff, and what there is is now organized.  But the big tools...table saws, etc....still take too much room.  It will be back to the drawing board, to find more space.


Jupiter turns direct on September 7. He's been retrograde since May 9...and Pluto, in retrograde since April, turns direct on September 8. With both of these going direct within days of each other, I read that evolution is once again on a strong march ahead.


I read that much change is coming...for the entire World.


According to Astrology.com, this is what we've all been waiting for since Spring.  I'm to take stock of lessons and rewards.  I'm to practice self-transcendence, which Jupiter encourages and challenges me to perform.


Hmmm...


If that's not enough, there is a full Moon in Pisces on September 15. That means emotional upsets are easily come by, for me, especially, since I'm a Pisces. I must be very careful, during those times, not to overreact to things. This time, as well, Uranus sits next to the Moon...infusing me with further rebellious, strange ideas.

And then...then Autumn begins with the Equinox on the 22 of September. Another season begins anew.



The study of the Stars, Moon and Sun has always fascinated me; however, my brain does not easily comprehend how to read them.  I would far rather someone else does the job for me. I am not an Astrologer.


I feel I benefit from knowing what the energies are, from a celestial point of view.  I have become very weather-sensitive over the past few years and the Moon has always figured strongly in my moods and emotions.

The Stars and the Sun contribute as well.


Just by reading some horoscopes on a regular basis, I have learned a bit; this is always a good thing. I'm still not sure how to decipher the Zodiac, but there are plenty who do.



And when Saturn is in Virgo...well, garages get cleaned up, with the consummate Virgo perfection.


With a Universal go...September's energies could be very interesting!