Relish the Gaps

October 19, 2023

“Relish the gaps,” said the old woman at the nursing home, grabbing at my hand as I walked past.

“I’m sorry… do you need your nurse?” I said, reluctantly giving her my hand to hold.

Her bones felt frail. I wasn’t there to see her. I didn’t know this woman.

“Everyone lets life pass them by,” she said urgently, ignoring my obvious discomfort. “They’re always focused on attaining and accomplishing, meeting their goals, winning people’s approval. Then before they know it they’re sitting in a place like this, wondering where it all went.”

“I’ll tell you where it all went,” she continued, cutting me off before I could reply. “It zipped right past them while their minds were wrapped up in the next thing. The next event. The next goal. The next accomplishment. Then it’s all over, and all they’ve got is a handful of memories of those few things they were focused on, with all the gaps gone unnoticed and unappreciated.”

“The gaps?” I said.

“Yes the gaps child, the gaps in between! In between all those moments they spent their lives looking forward to. That’s where all the life is!”

She smiled and gave my hand a little pat before relaxing back into her chair. Her exertion had taken it out of her.

“Or almost all of it, anyways. All those moments where you’re sitting, walking, working, talking, seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling. Everyone lets them pass them by while they’re focused on other things. They don’t relish them. They don’t enjoy them as they come. It’s disrespectful, really.”

“Disrespectful?”

“Yes, love! Yes! Life goes to all this trouble to present them with a beautiful moment — a bird singing, the smell of coffee, light through the window — and they spit on it! They snub the invitation to relish and enjoy what’s on offer, just to focus on their own thoughts about what they did or didn’t do in the past and what they will or won’t do in the future. Do you not think that’s disrespectful?”

“It kinda is, huh?” I said. “I guess we get so wrapped up in goals and accomplishments that we don’t focus on the things that really matter, like family, kids, love — ”

“No no no, you’re still not getting it,” she growled, cutting me off again. “That’s not what this is about! Sure, loved ones are fine and good, but even if you focused on that you’d still be missing the gaps. If you focus on finding love, on spending enough time with everyone, on having kids and raising them, on making sure everyone in your life gets what they need from you and making sure you’re getting what you need from them — that’s still missing all those moments in between. The moments that don’t have any stories to them, that don’t depend on your thoughts about them. What about those? Are you there for them? Are you showing up to them?”

“Ohhh.”

“You have all those gaps whether you have ten kids and a hundred friends or whether you live your whole life alone, and they’re just as beautiful and worthy of appreciation either way. I’ll tell you something for free lassy, I’ve lived more life in the last year here in this old folks’ home than the eighty-three before it, because I finally stopped thinking about life and started living it. It finally clicked. After I came here I was sitting here looking at my hands, and it just washed over me: Oh, this is it, isn’t it? This is where the joy really is. And so now I really relish each moment here. The hustle and bustle out there in the hallway, the chatter on my roommate’s TV, the light through the curtains, the cotton on my skin. And I really relish them. I relish each and every moment here. And it’s the happiest I’ve ever been.”

And with that she gave my hand a squeeze and sent me on about my day.

I never saw her again. The next time I was back at the nursing home there was another woman in her bed. I didn’t bother asking where she went; people don’t leave that place because they found work overseas.

I expected to feel sad about that, but the sadness never came. All that came up was a deep, squishy gratitude. A deep, squishy gratitude that never really left.

My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece here are some options where you can toss some money into my tip jar if you want to. Go here to buy paperback editions of my writings from month to month. All my work is free to bootleg and use in any way, shape or form; republish it, translate it, use it on merchandise; whatever you want. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. All works co-authored with my husband Tim Foley.

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Israel-Palestine: We’re All in This Together

October 19, 2023

Israel-Palestine: We’re all in this together Sally Campbell

Everyone in Israel-Palestine must be suffering trauma right now, and those with connections to

that troubled region and its inhabitants are heartbroken, deeply concerned and afraid of what

is to come in a catastrophe worsening by the day.

We grieve all the losses of life. No life is less valuable than another. We grieve Hamas’ violent

and murderous assault on Israelis, amplified by the memory of the Holocaust. At the same time,

we grieve Palestinian longtime suffering under occupation, and the ongoing pummeling of

Gaza. We watch in horror as governments send more weapons to an area that needs no more

warfare, an area already darkly marked by the blood of innocents.

I remember taking a three day course on Trauma at the Justice Institute of BC many years ago,

presented by New York psychologist/trauma specialist, Dr. Joe Solanto. He said that after 9/11

all the therapists arrived in town to help ease the situation, but “talk” was not what people

actually needed at the time. What do body and soul need when trauma is up close? Comfort.

Warmth. Food. Hot soup and bread. Not analysis, not endless explaining or condemning, or

especially, vengeful planning of retaliation.

So here is my very simple recipe for Walnut-Date Bread from one of my esteemed role models,

the late great artist Georgia O’Keeffe. I hope it will offer some comfort.

Georgia’s recipe, only slightly altered by me:

. C softened butter

. C brown sugar

. t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 C dates (8)

. C walnuts, chopped

1 egg

1 . C organic whole wheat flour

1 C boiling water

Cream butter & sugar, add egg & salt. Combine flour, nuts & dates and mix water in. Combine

with butter mixture.

Bake @ 350 in an oiled bread pan for 50-60 minutes. Delicious warm or cold! Enjoy.

Letter to the Editor – Perri Gorrara, Thomas Provençal & Louis De Ernsted

October 19, 2023

“Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence and, thereby, eventually lose all ability to defend ourselves and those we love.”

Julian Assange

We are standing up for Freedom of Expression and the peaceful exchange of ideas. From the onset of Covid, we have witnessed deep polarization in our beloved community of Denman Island. The Islands Grapevine was our only news source willing to publish all sides of various contentious issues.

Since the end of August, some contributors have felt that they have been censored. Free Speech is the foundation of a free society. We feel strongly that we need to support critical thinking.

We encourage The Grapevine to embrace its policy of encouraging all points-of-view to be expressed in our weekly newspaper.

By supporting The Islands Grapevine through advertising we can support free speech in the long run. It is our hope that Denman and Hornby islanders will be encouraged to contribute their ideas and opinions on a platform on which Free Speech is honoured.

Perri Gorrara

Tom Provençal

Louis De Ernsted

Preparing for the Future

October 19, 2023

A friend gave me a couple of feed bags full of organically-produced pears. Pears are a wonderful crop but they must be picked unripe and then ripen off the tree. The lore states that you need only bring a bowl of unripe pears into the warmth of the kitchen and they will ripen in a few days. I have found this to be not quite true and have sometimes found a whole box of pears in cool storage that have gone ripe all at the same time, necessitating a day of impromptu canning.

This happened again to the sacks of pears my friend gave me but I was ready for them and canned over 100 half-pint jars of pear baby food. Yes, we are expecting an addition to the family. I have never made baby food before but it seemed like a good thing to do and is a simple process. Parents tell me that pear puree is the most tasty of all the baby foods.

To make the baby food, I cut the pears up and took the seeds out. I did not peel them. I put the chunks of pear in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes and then put the cooked chunks in the blender. I poured the resulting puree, with no added sugar or preservatives, into the half-pint jars and put lids on and popped them into the water-bath canner. When the water came back to the boil, I timed 15 minutes and then brought the jars in to cool.

The next day, we take the rings off the jars and lifted each jar by the lid. If the lid is secure, you know you have a good seal. Food preserved in this manner can last for years.

Baby food, in general, is easy to prepare. Steamed vegetables can be pureed in a blender or a food mill which is an old-fashioned handrolic device that does much the same thing as a blender but has the added advantage of removing skins and seeds as it purees food.

I spoke with one young family on Denman and their baby had cost them almost nothing as they simply pureed some of the food they had prepared for themselves and fed that to their chubby, happy baby. I see those little pots of baby food for sale in the grocery store and really wonder at them being able to sell such a product when freshly-steamed vegetables and fruit or stew would be so much better for a little person and a lot less expensive.

Another way we are preparing for the future is to manure, lime and leaf empty beds in the vegetable garden. You always have to put more in each year then you take out from the garden. We add heaps of lime in the autumn as our soil on the Coast is so acidic. The soil is both acidic and nutrient deficient because of the heavy rains we experience, with any luck at all, in the winters. Rainwater is naturally a little acidic but we get it in such quantities that it both turns our soil acidic and washes nutrients out of the soil.

So, after liming, we manure with compost and waste hay and manure from the stable. The hay will send up grass seedlings which are not wanted in the garden so we rake up all the leaves from our huge maple tree and cover the manured beds with maple leaves. This is enough to stop the seeds from sprouting and adds a layer of both food and insulation to the soil.

I am protecting this year’s garlic bed under a layer of oats and buckwheat that I sowed right after we got the garlic up in the summer. I did not get as many oats as I had hoped but the buckwheat filled that bed with lots of lusty plants and had heaps of white blooms that the pollinators went crazy for. We even got a crop of buckwheat seeds!

The oats are an excellent cover crop for a heavy soil as the roots are as deep as the oats are tall. This is a way of pumping carbon into the soil. When the winter kills the top of the plant, the roots also die and decompose deep in the soil, leaving channels for both air and water to penetrate the soil. The roots are mostly made of carbon and that stays in the soil and enriches it. The standing plant matter and the compost and leaves all protect the soil from frost, the punishing effects of rain on bare soil, erosion and provide food and habitat to all the creatures that are essential for soil health.

One day, we hope to pass our smallholding down to future generations in a better condition than we found it.

An Island Rhyme – Maureen Galbraith

October 19, 2023

An Island Rhyme

When people think of Denman,

Some see a rocky shore,

And some see a forest dense,

Where wild flowers bloom galore.

Some will see green meadows,

Where cattle rest and graze,

Some hear it’s streams murmuring,

Through sunlit summer days.

Some will smell the briny,

And softly scented air,

Others see an island,

With many havens there.

Some will find its treasures,

Lying by the sea,

Patterned and all sizes,

Some in filigree.

Some will see the autumn,

And tinted leaves of gold,

Others see the deer

As they become more bold.

Some will spy a sea lion,

Splashing as he plays,

Others see some otters,

Loping up the grade.

Some will see the mountains,

With a rim of blue,

Others see the meadows,

And trees, moist with dew.

People come to Denman,

To breathe the fresh clean air,

To hear the waves rush in and out,

As the wind blows through their hair.

Others come to visit,

Mainly just to look,

Then find themselves surprisingly,

Absolutely hooked.

Such is Denman Island,

A gem in the sea,

A peaceful place, a restful place,

Where one can happy be.

Written by Maureen Galbraith in 1984.

Friend with Nature

October 19, 2023

Friend with nature:

by Mr. Unknown

If you have the idea

To cut down a plant or tree

It be any plant

That began from a seed

Then you are no friend

Leave this planet be

For greenery provides oxygen

Needed in you and in me

Leave the forest to slumber

With thing dying and forming

If you want to escape

The wrath of global warming

So, enjoy nature

Be it’s number one fan

If our mistakes get the best of us

Go for a walk while you can

Phoenix Riting! – October 19th, 2023

October 19, 2023

373174-phoenix-wallpaper-1920x1080-for-macbook — Phoenix Riting!

As I hoped, I hit the sweet spot between wildfires and snow for my road trip to Edmonton. It was lovely, sunny and the fall colours were glorious; the rains began the day I returned. It’s wonderful to be home in the pouring rain! I timed it well.

I did attend the September 26th Community Engagement Session meeting at the Hall, and I found it hopeful and inspiring. We rotated through several tables, each one devoted to a different topic relevant to our future (ie environment, arts and culture, various forms of industry etc) and brainstormed our ideas and visions for the future as a community. I was impressed by how aligned we were as a group. Certainly, there was disagreement, but it seemed minor, at least at the tables I participated in. It felt good, and very productive. Our core values were reaffirmed, to honour our island’s natural limits, to seek to live harmoniously in our environment.

In particular, at every table we agreed as a community to valuing differences, and that disagreements are okay. Community resilience depends on being adaptable, hearing each other, and working toward solutions together. Sometimes, events on this island have a resonance of unity, as if a greater entity were working through us, and we are all simply voicing its needs. Maybe it was just the thrill of meeting in person after so many Zoom meetings, but I walked away feeling uplifted and full of optimism for our shared future. This feeling is everything to me, for though realistically we will always problems, our shared commitment to core values is holding steady. I look forward to the next session at the Hall on November 14th.

In contrast, the rest of the world seems to be going slightly insane. For example, the furor over my July 6th column apparently continues behind the scenes, as evidenced by last week’s editorial. After a whole summer of hearing nothing at all, I recently received a lengthy email from a prominent Denman Islander, explaining to me exactly why she believed my column was ‘transphobic.’ I did read the whole thing. The writer denied me permission to quote or reference what was said, so I won’t address it directly here at this time.

I very much appreciate the feedback. I found the email interesting and a little frustrating. It gave me much food for thought. While they affirmed their belief in my ‘transphobia,’ they did not, to my mind, in any way show how what I wrote could possibly contribute to hatred, disgust or violence toward trans people (the definition of transphobia). ‘Transphobia’ seems, now, to be a code word for something far more abstract and nebulous than the definition suggests.

I am told, in essence, that my opinion is dangerous and that I am selfish for expressing it, but not what the danger is. I have the sense that the writer and I speak different languages. It’s a tangle, and I will need to take more time to reread and digest what was said before I can formulate a response. The email was thoughtful, well written and the tone was non-attacking (though the underlying accusation is still there).

With that, I am tired. The world is going mad. Don’t even get me started on what is happening in Israel right now. My heart is both light and heavy at once. I feel oppressed and freed. Paradox! These are strange days indeed.

Many blessings to you all, as we plunge into the dark time. I’m going to the Hall on Saturday night to dance to Led Zeppelin tributes and oh wow. Few things can’t be cured with dancing, at least in my life. I’ll go dance it all out, and save the world in the process. I can’t wait! I’ll see you there.

That’s what I think. What do you think? Email me at phoenixonhornby@gmail.com

Shucking Oysters: When is Enough Enough?

October 19, 2023

Shucking Oysters: When is Enough Enough

By Alex Allen

Trigger warning: The following article contains lots of numbers and dollar signs that could trigger math anxiety.

Are you sitting down? Did you know that during the pandemic Ottawa paid out over $100 billion to Canadian businesses “struggling” to keep their employees on the payroll? But instead of payments going to individual workers, most of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)* money went to their bottom line. The almighty profit, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. As we all know, greed is a very powerful stimulant.

The 2020 financial statements of 53 public companies showed that they received more than $10 million in wage subsidies, and in just six months, they collectively dished out $2 billion to their shareholders. At least seven companies bought back shares while receiving the CEWS. In other words, tens of millions of dollars from the government’s pandemic aid package went to corporations whose profits went up, despite the colossal economic downturn in 2020. After all, maximizing profit is a moral imperative, people.

Much like a human psychology experiment, the behaviour of corporations that received CEWS payments varied widely. Many suspended or cut dividend payments and some introduced different forms of discretionary spending. Others, as humans do, spent lavishly on non-payroll expenses, which is perfectly legal under the emergency wage subsidy.

The Montreal-based trucking giant TFI International, for instance, received $63 million in wage subsidies, while also paying out $45 million in dividends amid rising profits and a soaring share price. As it laid off 1,600 workers, the company spent nearly $9 million buying back shares and then announced it was increasing its dividend by 12%.

“We are not ashamed,” about taking the wage subsidies, TFI CEO Alain Bédard told a Montreal newspaper. “Not taking it would be like refusing a tax exemption. It would be like saying ‘We’re more Catholic than the pope.'” During that time, Bédard sold stock options in TFI worth more than $20 million.

Canada’s big three telecom companies collectively received more than $240 million in emergency subsidies. Bell received $122.9 million, Rogers $82.3 million and TELUS $38.6 million. BUT, the three companies continued to pay out regular dividends to shareholders; Bell and TELUS even announced increases to their annual payouts. Meanwhile both Bell and Rogers laid off workers at their “hard-hit” media divisions. Rogers paid out just over $1 billion in dividends while Bell paid shareholders close to $3 billion; and TELUS paid almost $1.5 billion.

Air Canada received the most in emergency funding … $656 million to “pay” its employees. They reported an operating loss of $3.776 billion in 2020 compared to an operating income of $1.650 billion in 2019. Yet the company paid its top executives and managers a combined $10 million in bonuses tied to the pandemic. The airline justified the bonuses and stock awards to shareholders by saying the senior executive team “reacted urgently, decisively and skillfully to mitigate the impact.” Those actions included slashing over 20,000 employees from Air Canada’s workforce, a reduction of more than 50%.

The second-highest sum paid to a publicly traded company, a paltry $120 million next to Air Canada’s wad, went to Imperial Oil. The Calgary-based energy giant’s annual gross profit for 2020 was $2.648 billion, a 46.67% decline from 2019. And yet they still paid out $162 million to their shareholders during the pandemic.

And then we have the brazen private “premier” Royal Ottawa Golf Club, who managed to build up a surplus thanks mostly to federal subsidies for workers’ wages. Faced with lockdown restrictions, the club asked for and received $1.019 million for just one season, and ending its 2020 fiscal year with an extra $825,000 — 19 times more than the $43,883 operating gain the club reported the year before.

When you live in a world of pure money and greed, eventually you lose feeling for the real value of things. It’s called cognitive numbness. The question is, why do people who “have everything” (especially the three amigos, Elon, Jeff, and Mark) always seem to want more? Making money cannot be an end in itself — at least for anyone not suffering from an acute mental health disorder. To say that my purpose in life is to make more and more money is like saying that my aim in eating is to get fatter and fatter.

As someone once said, a good definition of hell is having no choice but to tolerate the intolerable.

* There was also an additional pay out of $82 billion to individuals impacted by the pandemic through the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit. I affectionately called this group, the CERBians, young people aimlessly “nomading” in 1970s Winnebagos, 80s cargo vans, and questionable pick-up trucks. Some of them are still here.

Ark Chronicles, Mammoth

October 19, 2023

Open Letter to the Minister of Transportation – Sharon Small

October 19, 2023

Date: October 12, 2023

To: The Honourable Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

From: Sharon Small, Denman Island Resident

Subject: Corporate Hubris Keeps a Failed Cable Ferry Experiment in Service

Dear Honourable Minister Fleming:

Fining B.C. Ferries (BCF) for cancellations due to staffing shortages has given Denman and Hornby islanders hope that you will compel the corporation to decommission the Baynes Sound Connector (BSC). With NDP oversight and CEO Jimenez at the helm, it was shocking to learn that Commissioner Hage, who is charged by the provincial government to oversee BCF, supports the myth that the cable ferry has exceeded corporate expectations. In fact, the cable ferry has been a predictable failure and a product of continuing corporate hubris.

The February 2023 Anderson Review (BCF Denman/Hornby Community Page) provides compelling evidence for decommissioning the BSC for the following reasons:

. Design and systems present unique technical challenges;

. Mechanical reliability remains a concern;

. Hull fouling causes service speed reductions;

. Maintenance has been higher than anticipated;

. Costs remain above business case estimates;

. Issues remain unresolved.

The review fails to mention that a cable could fall off in winds higher than 39 knots. Should this occur when the vessel is running, BCF instructions are to proceed to dock because it can operate on the two remaining cables. As the BSC is the longest cable ferry in the world, afflicted with continuing mechanical issues, how can BCF possibly be confident that it is safe to proceed in high winds?

The review also fails to address how islanders feel about being stuck with a failed experiment. Their anguish, frustration, and mistrust of BCF can be read in the May community engagement summary and online survey comments posted on the Denman and Hornby Community Pages. Parents of children going to school or participating in activities off island are especially fearful for their safety. They have been stranded overnight when sailings are cancelled due to mechanical failure or when winds exceed 39 knots. If winds rise when the ferry is heading to Buckley Bay, how long would the children be stranded or would the vessel even reach the dock?

In a letter to Commissioner Hage, I provided a preponderance of evidence confirming that BCF systematically underreported the cable ferry’s performance in annual reports and failed to address islanders’ collective and sustained negative feedback in decision-making. These actions violate both BCF’s Code of Ethics to report accurately and the Coastal Ferry Act to include community feedback in decision-making.

The myth that the cable ferry exceeded corporate expectations began in the October 2015 Ferry Advisory Committee meeting when the ex-CEO passed on the views of the shipbuilder that it had “exceeded expectations, better than expected” (https://youtu.be/o234q_K3XkA?si=Ntu33dfZQjb8JOob). The former CEO predicted that it would save tax payer dollars by requiring fewer staff than conventional vessels; be good for the environment; and provide excellent service.

This myth has been repeated during its seven years of service. For example, in the 2023 Annual Performance Review of the BSC, VP Barabush stated,“The BSC and cable ferry system has been a success. The vessel, similar to its predecessor, regularly provides service in excess of the core service levels…” The Commissioner responded, “Despite an increase in the number of service interruptions recently, the BSC has been successful in providing a higher service level than its predecessor…. It operates on a par with other vessels in the fleet.”

The expectation of saving money because the cable ferry would require fewer staff than a conventional vessel is questionable given the necessity of hiring more staff to run it and the Kahloke in the summer; to control traffic at terminals; and to fix the frequent mechanical problems. Expert critics speculate that cables have already been replaced around sixteen times at $250,000 a pop. Repeated attempts by the Hornby Ferry Discussion Group to obtain a copy of BSC expenses through freedom of information channels have failed.

In studies of corporate hubris, symptoms include failing to be transparent, altering statistics, and omitting or dismissing facts that expose flaws in the myth. Also, CEOs who make grandiose claims that cannot be delivered, garner support from their executives by handing out bonuses, as did the former CEO. The last stage of the corporate hubris cycle is faltering and falling. This stage is confirmed by the cascading problems facing BCF presently and the firing of the former CEO. To counter the perils of corporate hubris, CEOs are advised to return to providing long term essential service.

It is preposterous, therefore, that stretching the cable ferry to provide more vehicle space was again floated at the last BCF Ferry Advisory meeting. Given the vessel’s service history, how can a mechanically challenged, potentially dangerous, and costly stretched vessel even be imagined? Such a fantasy smacks of continuing corporate hubris when rather than taking a risk, executives play it safe to protect their positions.

In the Youtube video of the 2015 Ferry Advisory Committee meeting, the ex-CEO dismissed criticism of the cable ferry by exclaiming, “At the end of the day, we are big bad guys and we can take it!” Perhaps BCF executives can take it, but Denman and Hornby islanders are suffering. We look to the Ministry of Transportation, therefore, to hold BCF accountable to its Mission Statement by providing Route 21 with a reliable and safe conventional ferry that exceeds OUR expectations.

Respectfully,

Sharon Small

Denman Island Resident