Have a lot of respect for the Salmon

Stepping out onto the porch in the morning I take a deep breath of the crisp air and the scent is of spicy wood and rotting Salmon.

2010 will be a year to remember for the largest Salmon run in years, many years.

Last week the little dog Mateo and I took a drive to the Kingfisher Interpretive Center to see the Salmon on the Shuswap River. In one of my past lifetimes I spent many hours mended gill nets that caught Salmon. Last week was the first time I had seen the Salmon in the rivers at the end of there lives, in such great quantities. The smell is over powering from the river, and I hear so many people exclaiming how they have never seen anything like it, so many dead Salmon. My emotions were confused as to how to feel seeing all these fish dead or soon to be dead.  

This fish has a tag on it

Death is life and I turned my emotions to the beauty of the river and the forest that surrounds it. As we walked the trails the smell of decay was ever present but the trees smelled so good. Mateo loved walking the trails but was spooked by the tents with sleeping bags inside and boots placed by the entrances. He would not walk past them. I was grateful he didn't do a dog roll in any of the rotting fish!

By the way, if you think rotting Salmon smell bad you have never smelled a rotting stare fish. But that is another story.



The tents were protected under this building




A heart rock took my focus away from the death of the fish



Most people have a great deal of respect for the Salmon. You can see all around us, with towns like Salmon Arm, roads called Old Salmon Arm. Salmon adorns our streets in sculpture, on banners, in paintings, as address signs to name a few. Salmon are a large part of the ecosystem and if the Salmon were to disappear what would the bears eat, or all the other creatures that depend on the Salmon returning year after year?

Along with respect there is disrespect. Norwegian companies are farming fish in Canadian waters. These fish farms, are killing all life around them, and the young salmon that pass by are infested with lice. Are these fish farms the reason the Salmon have been in decline for so many years? And why is this year different?

Please check out this web site and sign the petition that will help the salmon. Alexandra Morton is a hero to the fish and to me.

Respect all creatures.

Thank you

 http://www.salmonaresacred.org/about-alexandra-morton

Thanksgiving in an Inukshuk landscape

In my waking state this morning thoughts of a rare trip to the Village Green Mall came to mind. With Thanks Giving still fresh from the day before, thanks was lingered around my head. I purchased a smoothie in the food court and after paying the young man said "Thank you kindly." It struck me that I hadn't heard those words in a long time. Not that people have not been friendly or polite, it was the kindly that he added that gave the thanks and extra value. I felt truly thanked. And I told him so and he became  humble. On Thanksgiving morning I gently kissed my husband on the back of the neck and whispered "Thank you". He whispered back "For what?" I reminded him it was Thanksgiving and the game was on.

"Oh no thank you."

"No no no no no thank you"

"No thank you"

And we continued out doing each other in the thank yous till we laughed, a good start to the day.

After breakfast on Thanksgiving we walked up the steep hill past the new construction and around the sign that reads. "Restricted area no motorcycles or ATVs" We recently discovered this area. The views are amazing but you have to watch out for bears.

We were also impressed with all the Inushuk, someone has been very busy with the placement and balancing of rocks.

A vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner, an orange plate with what Steve called pocket pastry. I made a yeasted bread with spelt and rice flours and stuffed it with a blend of carrots, onions, garlic, pumpkin,sesame and hemp seeds, Rosemary and thyme, a silver bowl of mashed yams, a blue bowl of rice and lentil salad with cilantro and kohlrabi, a pie plate full of spiced cake with oat, amaranth, and rice flours, topped with spiced apples and raspberries, not in the picture was the cashew cream for on top of the apple cake. The last silver bowl is for Mateo, rice, lentils, cilantro, kohlrabi, yams and organic kibble.

Thank you are words that can not be said enough. Thank you kindly.