Bringing nature back into child’s play
As a boy I played endlessly in an overgrown woodlot we neighbourhood children called The Jungle. Massive Manitoba maples, trees-of-heaven, stinging nettles, staghorn…
Read MoreAuthor: Van Waffle
Changes afoot in Paradise
For years I knew responsibility for our family cottage would eventually fall to me, but that is coming to pass sooner than expected….
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Repost: A day at Presqu’ile Provincial Park
Today I am reposting one of the most popular posts from earlier this year. Presqu’ile Provincial Park is one of Ontario’s best birding…
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The footpath as metaphor
Poetry and spirituality share the use of metaphor to explore truth. One of the most powerful metaphors for life is the footpath. Metaphors…
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Exploring ecopoetry: Don McKay
Eden Mills Writers’ Festival on Sunday devoted one session to ecopoetry. To my shame I was unfamiliar with all three writers, apparently established…
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Eco-friendly fibre craft
In my effort to live more lightly on the Earth, I am beginning to review what kinds of fibre I use for knitting,…
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Spiritual response to nature
It is difficult to get close to nature without some kind of spiritual response. Before we get into a debate, let me clarify…
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Pencast from the woods
This is my first blog pencast. I hope you will take five minutes to view it and provide feedback. The Smartpen from Livescribe…
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Summer harvest: tomato chicken soup Provençal
Gardening without cheating is a lesson in patience and humility. By cheating I refer to all the dangerous technological measures we exert over…
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Foraging for wild mushrooms: two safe species
Foraging for wild mushrooms can be fun but also dangerous. Some mushrooms are fatally toxic and notoriously hard to distinguish from edible ones….
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