Posts tagged:canada

May 2-4

I grew up in Manitoba and a couple hours North of my hometown is Riding Mountain National Park. A few friends have cabins up there and May Long weekend is the time open them up and mark the beginning of summer!

I spent May Long weekend opening up my tent and my land to sunshine and stars!

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The tent stood the test of winter!

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I cut down trees

jbi-maylong17Jeremy cut down bigger trees.

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Mia worked the axe.

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A decent wood pile is forming.

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A bridge out to the car park is almost done.

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Fence posts for the HillyBilly Hot Tub area have all been cut.

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Looking really good after only 2 days up there!

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Thanks, yet again, to some amazing help from some awesome friends!!

Summer is coming and Camp Just Broken In is getting ready for the season…

Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.

Time to slow down

I was born in Brandon, Manitoba and spent the first 20 years of my life in the same house living with the same people.

At 20 I left my home town and moved to Calgary. I lived there for 4 years and in that time I had 3 addresses and in those homes had 7 living situations. I had two different jobs and finished a degree in Environmental Science.

After feeling like I got what I needed from Calgary, I left to go travel for a year and spent some time in S.E. Asia (Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore) and then headed to Australia to work and travel. I lived in Melbourne for a 3 months, travelled for a month and then crashed on the floor of an Irishman’s bachelor pad in Sydney for a month so I would have enough money to get back to Canada.

I moved to Toronto at 25 with $300.00 and no idea how much harder living in a big city was. I stayed until I was 29. In those 4 years, I had 6 living situations and worked for 1 company but within that company I was employed at 4 different stores and had 3 different roles.

Once again, I felt fulfilled so I decided to leave and this time it was all travel and no work. I went to Europe, Morocco, India and back to S.E. Asia (Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia).

At 30, I returned to Toronto where I have been living ever since. In the last 9 years I have had 5 living situations (slowing down a bit). I have always worked for the same company and this time upon my return I have worked at 4 different locations and within those 4 locations I have had 7 roles.

Believe it or not, I am actually a good roommate and reliable employee. Life in my 20s moved at a crazy, fun speed. Life in my 30s has presented some interesting moments and some solid challenges.

Until now I have never know where I wanted to be, which I think might be evident of what you just read. When I found my land, I found a lot of calm and the place I cannot wait to be.

This blog has been a number of different things for me. Right now, it is the journey of a woman who has decided to give herself the best 40th birthday gift ever – space to sit, breath and take in all of what just happened over the last 20 years.

I am slowly packing up my life in Toronto and heading “up North” to build a 100 square foot home. I have no idea what I am doing but everything will work out just fine because I feel like I am going home.

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Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.

There are a lot of us….

GA-MAKE A DIFFERENCE

New Brunswick MP John Williamson from the Conservative caucus made comments about “whities” and “brown people” in the temporary foreign worker program.  Interesting language that is racist or simply incredibly inappropriate from one of our MPs

Conservative Ontario MP Larry Miller said the following on the wearing of the niqab during the citizenship oath …. “If you’re not willing to show your face in the ceremony that you’re joining the best country in the world, then frankly . . . if you don’t like that or don’t want to do that, then stay the hell where you came from,” He then went on to speak on behalf of us … ““I think most Canadians feel the same. That’s maybe saying it a little harshly, but it’s the way I feel.”

These two men hold positions of power in our country. Harper has remained silent and they still have jobs.

Justin Trudeau just  suspended two members of the Liberal Party caucus pending the outcome of an investigation of sexual harassment.

I ask you who would you rather have as our PM.

Unless you are awaiting the coming of the second messiah I would recommend voting strategically this coming year as the language that is being used in our country as of late is not language I recognize as Canadian.

In June 2014, a 24 year old man named Justin Bourque from Moncton, shot 5 RCMP officers. It was the deadliest attack on the RCMP since 2005. He is a white male who was potentially suffering from depression.

Stephen Harper did nothing to change the way we protect ourselves.

4 months later in October, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed a Canadian solider and then stormed Parliament and was killed.  Michael was 32 years old, a drug user with known mental health issues. He claimed to support jihadists and others in the Middle East resisting the West’s intervention, but was not known to the police to be a terrorism risk.

Today I have Bill C-51 and a serious threat against Canada by ISIS?!?!

I wonder if Michael had been another Justin, another white male with mental health issues, if we would have the scapegoat that was needed to start this dangerous conversation of them and us.

I really want my beautiful mosaic of a country back.

Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.

Day of Thanks for March 16

Leo Jul 23 | Aug 22 In 1961, 19-year-old Bob Dylan began doing solo performances of folk songs at New York clubs. To accompany his vocals, he played an acoustic guitar and harmonica. By 1963 his career had skyrocketed. Critics called him a creative genius. Pop stars were recording the songs he wrote, making him rich. But he still kept his instrumentation simple, relying entirely on his acoustic guitar and harmonica. That changed in 1965, when he made the leap to rock and roll. For the first time, his music featured a full drum set and electric guitar, bass and keyboards. Some of his fans were offended. How dare he renounce his folk roots? I wonder if it might be time for you to consider a comparable transition, Leo. Are you willing to risk disorienting or disturbing those who would prefer you stay as you are?

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This past Saturday I joined many other Canadians and took to the street to protest Stephen Harper and this Bill C-51. I am in awe that this is even the conversation that we are having in Canada. We should be a world leader in the fight for human rights, environmental rights, freedom of speech, healthy food practices, promotion of green energy, education and health care.

Right now I think, Edward Snowden sums up how I feel best.

“We haven’t had to think about that much in the last few decades because quality of life has been increasing across almost all measures in a significant way, and that has led to a comfortable complacency. But here and there throughout history, we’ll occasionally come across these periods where governments think more about what they “can” do rather than what they “should” do, and what is lawful will become increasingly distinct from what is moral.

In such times, we’d do well to remember that at the end of the day, the law doesn’t defend us; we defend the law. And when it becomes contrary to our morals, we have both the right and the responsibility to rebalance it toward just ends.”

I am not a public speaker. I am not a protestor. I prefer to hug the edges of the party and quietly take things in while enjoying a lot of my own space. Living under Rob Ford and Stephen Harper makes me feel like it is time to get a little louder!!

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Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.

I am a Giraffe

This Saturday I am going to show up and protest Bill C – 51.

I wish I was going for a walk. I wish this was not going on in my country.

I am, for the first time, actually scared of what is going on.

When you are scared you can do two things, Fight or Flight.

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Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.

Things for the Ginger Shack

things for GSMy dad was just in town for a visit. We started to talk about the actual building of the Ginger Shack. I realized that the only thing I had planned lately was my salt and pepper shakers. I have been stuck in the design/decorating part of this project. No surprise as that is my comfort zone/knowledge base. I have made a promise to myself that 2 times a month (or more if needed) I will be in a Home Depot, Home building, Fireplace type store.

My dad will be back in town for the first two weeks of August to help me build it. Meet the first of my family I have recruited. 3 more to go.

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Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.

Love.

I love heart graffiti and have been taking photos of it for years. In the beginning of my blog I dedicated Tuesdays to these hearts and all moments of love.

This year I decided to start playing along and hung some of my heart art up in Toronto. The first one was in Kensington Market and the second one was taken down before I could even get a photo. I like to think someone took it home rather than took it down.

My third piece was hung up near Church Street.

love art - churchI have not really had a relationship with Church Street for the past 6 years but for the first 8 it was an important part of my life. In 2000 I arrived here after a year of travelling and found myself living near Church and Maitland for the first month and then in 2006 when I came back to live after a year of travelling, I again found myself on Church Street.  In the years 2000 – 2005, I partied there, met girls there, opened up and managed a Flight Centre and found out that it can be a really wonderful thing to be a gay person.

So this is my gift of thanks to a Street that showed me a lot of love.

yyz-loveart yyz-loveart1

Posted by Live Small Think Big

Folk artist. Lifelong cyclist. Plant based. Zero Waste. Environmentalist. Lover.
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