Here’s a map of Oregon from 1846. The line that divides it in half is the proposed border along the 49th parallel, that became law twelve years later and separated British and […]
Northern Oregon and the Cold War
Celebrating the Apricot
Today, a moment of joy. Remember the apricots of a year ago? Tilton Apricots, Lower Keremeos, Similkameen Valley The great preserving cot of the West. And remember the ones of this August, […]
We do Not Have a Food Problem
We do not have a food problem. My Magic Tomato and Her New Icelandic Friends We don’t even have a production problem. Black Krim Tomatoes Mmmmm. We don’t even have a farming problem. U-Pick […]
Praying Mantis and Her Mysterious Companion
Look who I found in the asters! Praying Mantis, Okanagan Falls These are colour markings I haven’t seen before. Pretty stunning, eh. The Brown Body, the Yellow Head, the Green Eyes, What […]
Words, Humans, Earth: the Relationship Renewed
Let’s open with poetry today, and then stand firmly in science. First, the earth turns towards the sun … (Trumpets tooting … can you hear them?) … and the starlings hold the […]
Who are the People
The people belong to the commons, which is the land. This old idea comes to Canada from England. The English got it from the Norse. Originally, it was a concept called the […]
Roderick Haig Brown and the Power of the Common People
I learned to speak of the earth without words. Good thing. Look at it. Beautiful Fall Lichens. Knox Mountain. Not a word in sight. Still, I might know the world intimately, I might […]
How the British Columbia Government Failed the Okanagan
Just an observation. First some background. Thirty years ago the orchards of British Columbia were torn out and replaced with ultra modern high-density orchards on the European model, with the promise that […]
Mom is Poisonous But We Love Her Still
What do potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, petunias, jack o’lantern plants, ground cherries, tomatilos, and chilies have in common? Mom! Common Nightshade. BX District. Look at these variations in colour. Talk about a […]
Winemakers, Risk All!
Compare. Grapes grown on pruned vines. This is a very mechanized form of farming that sells itself as peasant romance. The Rise, Vernon Now, compare. Here are some wild vines, growing in […]
Okanagan Okanogan 