April 22: Earth Day = Snow Day

Haha, General Mow, the white cat here is wiping his drool on my pants after the massage I gave him. Aren't cats wonderful. There's also another cat, two dogs, one with three legs that was mauled by a bear years ago, about 15 baby chicks that hatched a few days before I arrived, 6 chickens, 10 black ducks, 7 sheep, 3 goats, and we had a llama for a few days but it took off and has been gone for four days now. We'll also be getting pigs to speed up the composting process.

I just had the most wonderful shower in the green house in a cedar wood shower stall with on-demand hot water so the temperature is perfect and constant without having to heat a tank 24/7. Also, It was about 8 Celsius outside and 20 in the green house with nothing but the sun heating the space. I can only imagine how dreamy it will be when all the fruit and veggies are growing in there.

There was a 4 day snow storm here on the Island. Yesterday, Shawnigan Lake where we're located was on the CBC news because of our freak weather. We're the southern most part of Canada but it feels like we're in December in mid April. One intern's tent collapsed on him in the night. I must admit though, it has been majestically gorgeous experiencing this place covered in white powder. It is important for us to experience this so that we can design the buildings to be ready for winter with our memories. It can be easy to forget the cold seasons when you're only here for the Spring and Summer. Mother Nature is using Earth Day as an opportunity to yell for change. This is both a warning and cry for help. Fortunately, that's what we're doing here. Hold on great Mother, we're on our way!

 

 

Most of us interns have been sleeping huddled around the fireplace in the yurt and wake up with the sun to do yoga. For the last 3 years of my life, I've stayed up late and slept in every day. This change in sleep pattern is really shifting my experience of life. I'm generally less groggy and more present. A few nights ago, I automatically awoke whenever the fireplace needed a new big log put on so we had the fire burning until the morning. As a Leo fire sign and having kept a fireplace going every Winter at my parent's house, I love keeping the fire here. Since we're experiencing Winter in Spring on the island, everywhere we go we use a fire to keep us warm. We eat, tent, clean and relieve ourselves outside. Everyone's excited for warmth, I assure you.