Writing about the culture that has come out of aboriginal-settler relationships in what is sometimes called the Late West, is a bit like peeling a layer off an onion, and there’s another […]
Writing on Rock
Fire in the Grass!
Bit of a grass fire here the other day. Young guy with a lighter. Wondered what it might do. Found out. Too many generations since there was fire here. Hard to remember to […]
Wild Orchards and Fenced Orchards
Like a pack of young red-tailed hawks circling over and over above a subdivision full of cats and mice, house finches, California Quail and small dogs, I’ve been worrying an idea: it’s […]
Global Cooling Part 2
Before I left for the last two weeks of travels through the deserts, mountains, and beaches of Washington, I began a discussion on global warming, which centred on water use in dryland […]
The Wild West Today
The wild west is not so far away here in the valley, but then this was the last of it. Its story is the only story in town. Here it is in […]
Winter in July
Here’s a thing about living in the intersection of climactic zones: the seasons are wrong. For instance, because this area of North America has been colonized by Britain, Canada, and the United […]
Surely This is the Life!
Billions are spent to send men to the moon. Now the talk is of Mars. Telescopes are trained on space to find distant planets, orbiting distant stars, that are capable of sustaining […]
Bees 3: Artisanal Farming on Bare Rock
Sometimes answers come. I was thinking, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, like (Well, like a bee, by the sounds of it.) Like this. • Plants are creatures of the air. (Check.) • Plants need […]
Neon Green Bee 2: Wild Interface
A few days ago, I found a neon green bee up in the hills. Yesterday, I found a different species of these beauties. Here’s her story… Ditch Flowers A splash of blue mid-day, […]
Don’t Pull Out That Weed!
So, you’ve seen that darn thing growing in the gravel along the road, and you’re thinking, hmm, gotta clean this place up, what will the neighbours think? Stop! Have a cold drink […]
Okanagan Okanogan 