The Scent of Wood

An infusion of firewood for Mildrith is a joy for all!

The Greenangel Woodchoppers delivered a pile of firewood last week. After returning from a long day in Vancouver, Jennifer and I discovered the happy pile of chopped wood tumbled on the grass beside the woodshed. It was a great surprise and a relief.

We’d been running low on firewood.… Continue reading

The Shipping Forecast

A gale blew through Boundary Pass on Monday. It was a powerful storm that seemed lightweight initially but eventually packed a mean punch. The power went off around bedtime, branches fell on the roof. We huddled in bed as the storm raged outside, driving swarms of logs, smashing them into the rocks at the base of our cliff.… Continue reading

Save something from the time where we will never be again

Hello again, and Happy New Year!

It’s 2023! I feel like a different person. Since the last Happy Monk bake day, seven weeks ago, I’ve been around the block a few times. Seen some things. Do you feel different, too? It’s an arbitrary mark, the passage of a year. But time has shifted yet again.

I’m sure it’s the same for all of us!… Continue reading

Mysticism and Bob Dylan

Standing in front of Mildrith in the early hours has given me a few spine-tingling moments. The night is at its darkest. I’m alone; I’m the only one awake in the world, well, at least the only one on my small road on South Pender Island.

Any noise I hear is magnified, exaggerated by the darkness, and made more dramatic, haunting.… Continue reading

This Island of Apples

It’s apple season on the Island of Apples. Branches are bending with the weight of the glorious fruit, the air of the orchards sweetened with apple scent. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, and all that. We are deep into autumn now.

Our lone apple tree produced no fruit this year. No tubs are waiting to be filled, and I’m on the hunt for apples to knead into my bread dough.… Continue reading