Breakfast at the golf course, oddly enough, with the Pinebox contingent, and after that, rain. And it hasn’t stopped yet. Drizzle, downpours, thunderstorms (and the obligatory power outage). All productive activity postponed in favor of reading, napping, and sitting on the porch immersed in the weather. Lots of moisture. A day like this every so often isn’t so bad.
The time of the year retired teachers appreciate most. Instead of back to the classroom, it’s out and about, with both the crowds and mosquitoes finally gone.
A little beach cleanup at Lacy’s Landing
And then, further shore examination. Photo by Mary Ellen
…and lunch with Wikwemikong elder, Josh. Interesting and productive conversation about aboriginal wisdom and its importance in the present day. Something good may this way come.
Version by John Stokes and Kanawahientum, 1993,
as printed in Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2013
Today we have gathered, and when we look upon the faces around us we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now let us bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People. —Now our minds are one.
We are thankful to our Mother the Earth, for she gives us everything that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she still continues to care for us, just as she has from the beginning of time. To our Mother, we send thanksgiving, love, and respect. —Now our minds are one.
We give thanks to all of the waters of the world for quenching our thirst, for providing strength and nurturing life for all beings. We know its power in many forms—waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans, snow and ice. We are grateful that the waters are still here and meeting their responsibility to the rest of Creation. Can we agree that water is important to our lives and bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to the Water? —Now our minds are one.
We now turn out thoughts to all of the Fish life in the water. They also give themselves to us a food. We are grateful that they continue to do their duties, and we send to the Fish our greetings and our thanks. —Now our minds are one.
Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come. —Now our minds are one.
When we look about us, we see that the berries are still here, providing us with delicious foods. The leader of the berries is the strawberry, the first to ripen in the spring. Can we agree that we are grateful that the berries are with us in the world and send our thanksgiving, love, and respect to the berries? —Now our minds are one.
With one mind, we honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden, especially the Three Sisters who feed the people with such abundance. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans, and fruit have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them as well. We gather together in our minds all the plant foods and send them a greeting and thanks.
—Now our minds are one.
Now we turn to the Medicine Herbs of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are so happy that there are still among us those special few who remember how to use the plants for healing. With one mind, we send thanksgiving, love, and respect to the Medicines and the keepers of the Medicines. —Now our minds are one.
Standing around us we see all the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who each have their own instructions and uses. Some provide shelter and shade, others fruit and beauty and many useful gifts. The Maple is the leader of the trees, to recognize its gift of sugar when the People need it most. Many peoples of the world recognize a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind we greet and thank the Tree life. —Now our minds are one.
We gather our minds together to send our greetings and thanks to all the beautiful animal life of the world, who walk about with us. They have many things to teach us people. We are grateful that they continue to share their lives with us and hope that it will always be so. Let us put our minds together as one and send our thanks to the Animals. —Now our minds are one.
Now we put our minds together and thank all the Birds who fly about us and greet the day with beautiful songs, and remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader and to watch over the world. To all the Birds we send our joyful greetings and thanks. —Now our minds are one.
We are all thankful for the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds. —Now our minds are one.
Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers the Thunder Beings live. With lightening and thundering voices they bring with them the water that renews life. With one mind we send greetings and thanks to the Thunderers.
And, now we send greetings and thanks to our eldest brother the Sun, who is the source of all the fires of life. And, now we put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the nighttime sky and moves the ocean tides. And, now we give thanks to the Stars, who are spread across the sky like jewelry and who guide us on our many ways. With our minds gathered as one, we send thanks to the Sun, and the Moon, and the Stars. —Now our minds are one.
We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring Teachers. —Now our minds are one.
We now turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.
—And, now our minds are one
At M’Chigeeng. Interesting, but mainly as a chance to chat with Algis. Good crowd enjoying a good hobnob along with the fine weather.
Also vast amounts of terrifying junk food.
Earlier in the day, a little sailing.
Photo by John
…and low temperatures. Drenching thunderstorm last evening, so all things still growing well watered.
Joint effort with Pinebox on fish (Purvis whitefish dredged and then cooked on our outdoor griddle) tacos, with local ground cherries and side-yard cilantro as part of the pico.
Earlier in the day, in fact very early, over to Prov. Bay to watch dredging of Mindemoya River, done to accommodate salmon schooling offshore.
Followed by breakfast with Therese. and Marc at the restaurant run by Russians.
When the power goes out across Manitoulin you get the kind of real dark few people ever experience. Dark the way it used to be. It took us a few minutes to close the books we were reading and get a few candles going, and then, before long it was time for bed. Hydro posted an anticipated restoration of midnight, but shortly after we had settled in the power came back on—and we felt disappointed. Real dark is actually rather nice.
How dark was it, you ask. Clearly, the answer is obvious—darker than the inside of a cow.
Strong wind, squalls, sun, a brief shower, now chilly—house all closed up and sweatshirts on.
A few leaves tinged with red and gold. Really? This soon?
If a picture…
Decent rain last night, but even more wind.
Below, various stretches of the “woods walk” Pax and I take daily, and that the grandkids took when they were here.
It makes a nice loop, the same route but always different.
In other news, big party here this evening in honor of the departing Lloyd’s.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The Path
RUNNING along a bank, a parapet
That saves from the precipitous wood below
The level road, there is a path. It serves
Children for looking down the long smooth steep,
Between the legs of beech and yew, to where
A fallen tree checks the sight: while men and women
Content themselves with the road and what they see
Over the bank, and what the children tell.
The path, winding like silver, trickles on,
Bordered and even invaded by thinnest moss
That tries to cover roots and crumbling chalk
With gold, olive, and emerald, but in vain.
The children wear it. They have flattened the bank
On top, and silvered it between the moss
With the current of their feet, year after year.
But the road is houseless, and leads not to school.
To see a child is rare there, and the eye
Has but the road, the wood that overhangs
And underyawns it, and the path that looks
As if it led on to some legendary
Or fancied place where men have wished to go
And stay; till, sudden, it ends where the wood ends.
Neither hot nor cold. Warming sun, cooling shade. Long, unhurried hours. Cricket trill and cicada buzz. A pervading sense of peacefulness. Suspended animation. Time slowed, and the space between summer and fall caught in amber.
…and boats to the beach.
Photo by John
And here we have beet juice fractals spreading into Asian sauce.
Dinner was good
Weather highly perfect.
Sweatshirt weather. Gray battleship clouds. Peas done. Late-planted beans flowering. First ripe tomatoes yesterday. North wind off the water, carrying loon calls.
Monarch overnighting on larch
Fish dip and smoked trout on the lower deck
…for fish and chips, of course.
Very necessary annual event—and the place will be closing for the season soon. Delicious.
And here is some Stone Age art we saw at the Muchmore. Just pebbles and a glue gun. This year lamps, next year pebble pictures.
…now, ready for launch—next year—which will be all the more sweet for this missed season.
On the soundtrack today: crow, jay nuthatch, chickadee, kingfisher, loon, woodpecker hammering, and merganser splashing. See below for a selection of videos made by Bri last week.
Big spruce, part of the dense forest, right to the water’s edge, where the land has not been cleared
A special post featuring Brian’s GoPro videos.
Cedars heavily loaded with seeds.
Lots of spruce cones too. But no Tamiasciurus hudsonicus to enjoy the bounty. Haven’t heard or seen a little red squirrel in the last month. The trees were stingy the past two years, and apparently got rid of their perceived threat. I’m just hoping that some squirrels have survived on the Island, and that next year the population will spread from wherever that is back to here. The forest is diminished without Tamia.
Pretty much everything reset from family gathering place to to quiet, out-of/the-way, natural retreat.
Forlorn sandbox
Cinqfoil
Bri’s lake trout on the menu tonight—prepared and cooked here but taken to Pinebox for the actual serving. Irrigated in a mix of egg, milk, and butter, then dredged in a mix of flour, cornmeal, and saltine crumbs. Fried on the outdoor griddle in just a little oil.
Sensational. Loud acclaim and cries of “more!”
Lots of moisture today. Light rain at 5:30 as the Nies contingent was boarding for departure, followed minutes later by a heavy downpour. Then, just after noon, another round of precip, this time an hour or more of rain coming down heavy as stair rods. Good for the forest and garden, and no threat of a fire ban this summer, thank the lucky stars.
Abby, Katy, and Will on the road back to Wisconsin by 5:30 a.m. Nies family, while still busy, slowly gathering and packing up for a 5:30 start tomorrow. Bri able to spend a few hours fishing the big water with Andrew.
Lake trout
More Pinebox lamps
