Life on Salt Spring

Day 102 - August 22nd 2008

Snakes Alive!

So, this is our little chap (well he's about 2ft long actually) who lives in the (what will be a) flowerbed just outside the house. We call him Pliskin (after Snake Pliskin in Escape from New York).

Dexter has tried to snaffle him a few times and Starsky has also had a go. But Pliskin keeps soldiering on.

Funny fact, Duncan has been pooed on twice by snakes now! Serves him right for picking them up...

And in case you were wondering this is a Garter Snake - non-poisonous (no poisonous snakes in BC) and very good for your garden eating slugs and the like!

Day 99 - August 19th 2008

Tree Frog Invasion!

OK, so it was only one.

But it was very exciting - the first Western Pacific Tree Frog I have SEEN this year! Somehow, it made it into our bathroom... Perhaps he needed a wash.

See how sticky it's little feet are is it climbs the wall! We heard lots of the tree frogs chorusing at night from March until June but I hadn't actually SEEN a single one until last night. I was beginning to think they'd all died!

AND, I also saw my first squirrel here on our property today. There aren't very many squirrels on Salt Spring. Lots of deer. But not so many squirrels. So that was cool too!

The Great Make-up Debate?

Why is it that so many of us feel naked without make-up?

Yes, it's partly because we're deluged with images of airbrushed perfection.

But it's mainly because we all buy into the fact that we don't look good enough 'as we are'.

I started wearing make-up regularly when I was 15. I had bad hair, bad clothes and milk-bottle glasses. I knew I didn't have much going for me in the looks department at the time and make-up gave me a little more confidence. Although I still remember a fellow bus traveller also aged 15 who asked me, "Why do you bother wearing make-up when you wear glasses?". That hurt - but it didn't stop me!

So, what's the relevance to Salt Spring? Well, I must admit I've been gradually wearing less and less make-up over the last few years. First I started only wearing mascara on my top eyelashes. Then I stopped wearing eyeliner. Then the no make-up... Step 1 was wearing no make-up in the house. Step 2 was occasionally 'popping' to the shops with no make-up on. This is no joke, I was a make-up addict and going cold-turkey was not an option. And then I moved to Salt Spring.

And as a make-up wearer you are definitely in the MINORITY here on Salt Spring. Women of ALL AGES regularly go make-up less.

Day 91 - August 11th 2008

Just put it on my tab...

OK, we actually get to say that here! It's fun!

We bought windows to finish the extension - and they weren't cheap. 4 weeks later they were delivered and we haven't paid a dime yet. In fact they're on our Windsor Plywood account...

Pretty much everything here seems to get done and then they invoice you (weeks) later. I keep offering to write cheques, but people prefer to send invoices (in their own good time) and you pay them at your leisure. Deposits are not requested - even for large amounts of work.

I guess they know where I live, BUT I think this is just all part of island life: No rush and trust! ENJOY!

Things we have had done and paid WEEKS later:
1) Today - our wills and power of attorney
2) Today - property line survey
3) Our windows delivered
4) Our well water sample test
5) Carpenter ants and wasps nest taken care of
6) Hot tub ozone unit installed
7) Our driveway put in and (rock) landscaped 
8) Septic field inspection

Wherever you go, there you are.

Letting Go - Part 1 (of many I would imagine)

I forget who said "Wherever you go, there you are." - I think it was Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Because people keep asking "How's it going on Salt Spring?" And of course it's fanTASTic. I LOVE it here. I LOVE the potential this place has, the peace & quiet, the space, I LOVE walking the dog and getting out in nature and strolling along the beach in the evening, I LOVE taking it easier, I LOVE checking the veg garden and seeing what is coming up - have the tomato flowers been pollinated? Are the tomatoes coming yet? I LOVE making my favourite foods - French Onion Soup (with the cheese/bread topping), Cornish Pasties, Shortbread, Strawberry Jam etc.

And yet, I often wake up and feel a sense of mild panic. MILD panic, but panic nonetheless. I never ask "What have we done?", it's more "What happens if this doesn't work out?".

Well, (I hope Duncan will excuse me for paraphrasing him here - I've probably summarised it wrong) Duncan is worried how he will feel if he has to go back to a "normal job" and work/commute in 2 years time (we've given ourselves 2 years to make this work).

Of course my worries and fears are MORE ridiculous. I'm worried where we'll be in 30 years - what happens when we retire/get old? If we enjoy ourselves and live this lifestyle for the next 30 years will we run out of money and be homeless on the streets?

Confessions of a non-deodorant wearer...

I was really debating whether to write about this. What will people think of me? But then I remembered that we worry far too much about what people think and not enough about what WE think. I like to challenge things (and myself) and have therefore decided to publicly confess...

So, since I have moved to Salt Spring, I have pretty much stopped wearing deodorant. EVEN on hot days or days when I work hard in the garden. I think I've worn deodorant twice since the end of May (it's now August).

Well, let's start with - there are two main types of deodorant that I know of:
1) Straight deodorant - this is purely to MASK smells
2) Antiperspirant deodorant - masks the smells AND helps stop you perspiring in the first place.

And now the EXPLANATION part:
1) Generally I don't sweat much.
2) If I AM sweating it's not just my armpits - so unless I'm going to wear deodorant ALL over - what's the point? Also, if I'm out working the land and getting THAT sweaty, you can be damn sure I'll be having a wash when I'm done.
3) Generally my sweat has little smell. Apparently a lot of the smell of sweat is down to bacteria - so if we wash well, the smell is significantly reduced.
4) There are nasty chemicals in deodorants, particularly the anti-perspirant deodorants. Our skin is the largest organ in (on?) our body and we absorb chemicals through the skin just as we do by eating and breathing.
5) Natural deodorants (I've not seen a natural deodorant that says it's an anti-perspirant yet) don't stop you perspiring - they only MASK smells.
6) Sweating cools you down and excretes toxins from your body.
7) Finally, yes, I sweat in stressful situations, eg. presenting a workshop. And even though I DO wear a NON-natural anti-perspirant deodorant on those occasions I STILL SWEAT! So the one time I wear deodorant because I need it, it doesn't STOP me sweating! Although it probably helps minimise the problem...

The upshot of course that I ultimately save money, reduce consumption and reduce chemicals in my body by not wearing deodorant. I also wonder if marketers play on our fears of being socially shunned/outcast due to being sweaty to sell more of their products...

Now, I am NOT advocating that everyone should stop wearing deodorant. I've sat next to enough smelly people (usually men) who could do with some deodorant - or maybe just a good shower. And I definitely wear an antiperspirant deodorant when I'm socialising with people I don't know well or if I have a business meeting or presentation to do.

I'm just asking -  do we need to wear deodorant all the time?

PS. Anyone who knows me - if I do in fact smell and am just living an illusion - please let me know by commenting on this blog!