Words from the Wise

From the book of Tao #80

If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don't waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren't interested in travel.
There may be a few wagons and boats,
but these don't go anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody ever uses them.
People enjoy their food,
take pleasure in being with their families,
spend weekends working in their gardens,
delight in the doings of the neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so close
that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,
they are content to die of old age
without ever having gone to see it.

This is how I feel about the Village. We dialogued the other night about how easy it is to get so lost in the joys (and the work) of the Ecovillage that you forget your life from before... It isn't on purpose. It is just so full here that one needs very little from the rest of the world. It feels good to feel home.

FAQ. Questions I get a lot.

When fielding email questions and answers there are some questions we get a lot! I suppose its time to answer out loud?

Introducing FAQ .... Questions I get alot.

Today I address the air quality question with a delightful emailer from Pender.

I only have one question at this time, it is the pollution in the Fraser Valley, I had heard that it is bad, especially in the summer, what are your thought about this point?

I used to live in Chilliwack, my doctor told me many of his patients with repertory issues had to leave the area because of pollution coming up the valley from Vancouver, this was 20 years ago, maybe it has changed?

Your thoughts?

I can answer that. I spent a year and a half looking into this area for all its qualities, good and bad. We read random studies, looked at weather patterns, read old new articles. We're a little bit on the "control life" side of the scale... you know? Of course I laugh about it now- but we did take it very seriously.

I think it comes down to this... Every where in the world there will be things that are good, and things that are bad. You can live on and Earthquake fault, or a flood plain, or somewhere safe like Edmonton and still get the odd tornado. The benefits of living at the ecovillage for my family far out way all the other things I used to try and control about selecting a place to live. Does that make sense?

The short answer is I just moved here from Edmonton with a daughter with Asthma. We don't notice a difference in her. Occasionally we smell manure in the air, that stinks a bit- but I take it over the brewery smell that wafted through Edmonton every month or so!

I've got three new families coming for a community meeting today. All three are in their final phases of buying so I'll be with them most of today but tomorrow would be a good day to catch me!

Viv

Valentine's Day Ecovillage Style

I've never really believed in Valentine's Day. The "Hallmark Day"... No point really, when you live "out there". Sure, Paul and I would "try". It never ended well. One way or another the expectation of a perfect romantic day would always crumble into either a screaming match- or a crying match... Or a scream and cry match.

The restaurants are full, the flowers are expensive, and the expectation is huge of that ONE significant other. Try as they might, you'll be let down.

So we had given up on Valentine's Day. I think a lot of realists and visionaries do. Apart from the continuous freak out about hand made cards for school parties, we've given up entirely.

Until today.

Today, every time I opened my front door, a new goodie had appeared! Today neighbours young and old brought my family chocolates, notes of appreciation, thank you cards, cookies, a hand-made door knocker, gourmet Angel Kiss.

Every hour or so I was delighted with appreciation from my neighbours. So much so that we just had to share in the joy of giving. My children and I set out to decorate organic lollipops I bought from Winners last week with paper cut out hearts.

They were filled with GLEE to take them door to door.

Then, I went for a walk with my two year old through the town of Yarrow. What I saw made me run home for my camera...

Even Hank, the barber in Yarrow for 68 years, was amazed....

Someone had Art Attacked Yarrow!
Hank's Wooly Heart door....

He though it was for his birthday!

Outside the Vedder Grill it was written in Chalk "Yummy Fries!"

Rain Proof Shiny Hearts hung all over Yarrow Central Road...

I recognize the door knocker.... I got the same one, But from who????? This was not an ecovillage initiative!

What is "Greenall"? A calling card?

MCC ladies were gleeful at the decorated store front. One shouted "We should call The Progress!"

This proves the attack was well thought out.
My two year old was in awe... pulling at the hearts in flower pots... excited by every out of place piece!

Post Office Mobile blowing in the wind.

This says it all!

The Park Monument looked like a chocolate shop!

The trees in the park.
This gives you an idea...
Wow! What a place to live. The magic of such inspiration makes it easy to want to give back. I think today built on itself. One inspiration after another. Living somewhere where people give a tiny bit of their very best does two things; it tells you that a little bit is enough, and it makes you willing to give. Simple.

Not all of today was awesome. In fact parts were really hard. I- being human- really screwed up. (More than once.) I got to a point where I just couldn't smile anymore, and I fought with a neighbour. It was the first time I have even been really angry here. I yelled. People don't often yell here. I saw red. I was horrible to my neighbour about something that seems very small now. I'm embarrassed that I yelled. Truth be told I couldn't hold it in anymore. Sometimes living here gets the best of you. Sometimes living here makes you be someone you don't like to be. Truth be told we're still human.

At the end of the day. My neighbour (that I foolishly yelled at) and I will be okay. We may even be better off. At the end of the day, the most special thing about being here is that the people around me forgive my human-ness. And because of that, I hopefully grow.

So, sometimes it is really good to live here. And minutes later it can really suck. And minutes after that it can be really good to live here all over again. The key is a willingness to be whole- hearted. It sure beats Grey's Anatomy!

So Thank you Groundswell. Thanks for reviving my belief in a day for love and hearts. Thanks to Greater Yarrow for filling my day with smiles. Thanks to my husband for the surprise chocolates on my pillow. If the point of Valentine's Day is Love... We got the message loud and clear today.

Happy Valentine's Day!

An offer that might be right for you...

I got this email from a Friend of The Yarrow Ecovillage. It might appeal to one of our readers...

Greetings,

We are a quiet middle aged couple with a few cats and a friendly large dog who live on a very beautiful 10 acre farm near Creston BC. We also have ducks and will soon have chickens and have raised 3 heritage pigs and some rabbits too.

We just bought the farm last April and have done a ton of repairs and setting up infastructure...the idea is to be food self sufficient, to have enough and enough to share. and maybe turn into a business or two...we are very interested in aquaculture. Our land offers a lot of potential for young farmer want a bees who have some building and gardening skills so we are hoping along the way to meet up with such a couple. We realize we do not have enough time or energy to do it all alone.

For now we are just seeking folks who have some building skills or gardening skills and would love to have a working holiday. We would provide food and a place to lay their heads (though they could also camp on the land) in exchange for about 20 hr total of work per day. That leaves lots of time to go fishing in our rivers or just up the road at Kootenay or Duck lake...or borrowing our kayaks or biking or hiking or whatever they feel like.

So much more could be said..this place is so amazing...and we feel very blessed to be here and are willing to share its goodness..we have a list of projects for this upcoming year...microhydro, maybe a strawbale guest house, a green house or two...electric fencing around our old orchard...and on and on.

So if people want to come for a few weeks or months we can work around that...just send us an Email to connect and then hopefully we will meet one day soon. We are totally into the permaculture mind set....

Ellen and Mike

snowpeach (at) mail (big old dot) com