Beavers!

L found the beaver lodge by following coyote tracks in the snow. This picture is of the breathing hole on top of the lodge. What you can't see is the smell of large wet rodents and the warmth escaping from the hole.

This one's a classic.

Calm after the storm

Shack in a storm

We had a good, old-fashioned Canadian winter storm this weekend. Lots of snow and wind. We were snug as bugs inside, though. No one strayed too far from the woodstove all day.

All you can eat

We're all standing in line at an all you can eat buffet. Of course, it's only all you can eat for the first billion or so people in line. This is the main idea of the book Radical Simplicity which I mentioned in a previous post. It's a pretty challenging book in that it's hard to argue with anything the author says, and damned hard to accept. His premise is that there are roughly 4.7 acres of bioproductive land available for every human on earth, and North Americans are using 6 times our share on average. He outlines what kind of reduction in consumption and lifestyle, including healthcare and education, would be required to share the planet's resources equitably amongst all 6 billion of us. Your spouse, kids and mother would not approve.

We've heard it all before, but Jim Merkel, the author, makes the point very well that we in North America are the biggest part of the problem and it becomes quite clear that unless you believe that somehow we're more equal than everyone else, our ecological footprints are outrageous. Trying to reconcile this knowledge with a conventional middle class life is proving rather difficult for me. So don't read this book. You'll start writing preachy blog entries and trying to figure out how a family of 3 can live on $15k a year.

The Story of Stuff

Check this video out. The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard, is a very well done short film. Watch it with your kids. Annie manages to explain an awful lot of how the world works in 20 minutes.

Santa Paz in snow

Somehow the snow, cold and short days are much more acceptable at Santa Paz than in the city. I could hole up here until spring.

End of an era

The first snow of the season was too much for the barn roof, although we weren't present to witness the collapse. So the barn which has presided over Santa Paz for who knows how long has finally succumbed to gravity, time and decay. Speaking of which, I wanted to mention something here about L's birthday, but it seemed in poor taste.

A brisk start to the day

7:00 am: Temperature -15C. Windchill -24C. Invigorating.