Reclaiming the Forest

What a perfect day.  I got to bed before 2am and was up by 8am when my companion dragged his weary butt in the door.  I fed him some cornmeal cereal and golden toast with butter and he started watching TV on the couch.  In no time the poor tired thing had fallen asleep and I nipped out the door in my worst clothes to go scavanging for treasures in the woods.  I have noticed of late, that there is an abundance of downed wood in the area.  As I walked down the path towards what I call the Arbutus Grove, it became apparent that the wood has been tossed to the side as though it were litter.  I don't mean the occasional thinning to let in more light, I mean loads of wood left to rot.  I try to grin and bear it, but it sure does bother me to see it.

As you can see, this shit's been down a while, and it's covered with young vines, however, you can also see that the wood is still good and there are 4 logs in this one little site alone, actually there is more there, it continues to the right.

Here are some more fallen trees, and on the larger of the two logs, there is a lot of rot on the outside, but the center was still good.  And yes, there are 4 downed huge chunks of timber just sitting there beside the path.

This too lies along that same path, but at least here it is neatly set out of the way.

This one just had me doing face-palms over and over again.  This is cut by a chainsaw, it's not natural and not needed for light, so what's up?

This is just a bigger badder picture of the one above, but it makes me wonder.  There was not even 20 feet between some of these.  This "waste wood" should be offered up to artists and such to see what can be reclaimed.  However; I don't think I'll be waiting on that invitation; I'll just help myself.

In one of the areas, where the trees were thinned, ferns filled what had once been a bog during the spring.

I also found a new view of my forest spirit that I first found when I went on that exploratory journey to seek out my secret garden.
However, the main reason why I went to the forest was to collect some items to make a broom.

 

This little grotto was filled with broom (the plant) at one point, but someone came up here and thrashed all the broom plants.  The bright yellow flowering branches were thrashed, as in hacked up and left to die.  I come up here at least once every two weeks, more if I can.... and I know that a couple of months ago, this area was filled with lovely blooms of broom and the next time I saw it, the plants had been slashed and the fresh green boughs covered the ground.  I kept going up and thinking I should grab that to make a broom with.  So that is exactly what I did.  I gathered enough broom for... yes a broom, and a lovely handle, that doesn't know it's a handle yet, lay close by.  My companion, then gave me some wonderful twine, so once I've soaked all the broom twigs and sprigs, I'll be working on the besom.
 I think that my special broom grotto is visited by another much like myself.  There is a rock balancer who comes here and leaves their little shrines up beneath the boughs of the towering arbutus.  They are set upon green moss, or the slate grey boulders that dominate that quiet little corner overlooking WestWood Lake.  Today, all those were knocked down and more of the broom was scattered about.  It may have been the wind, but I suspect boots of mischief would be a more appropriate guess.
Anyways, I'll be busy the next couple of days, to a week.  There are some spells to finish up, some stock to build up, some crafts to play with and pictures to take.  I suspect there will be more forays into the wood to gather some of the wood for making boxes and what not, that should keep me busy over the winter.

The Lessons of the Morning glory Wand

Obtaining the cedar to make my wand  was no problem, I went in the forest and harvested some lovely boughs. I got them home and de-twigged them and then sanded them smooth.  I was even resourceful, for when I had no sandpaper, I used my emery board (I never end up using them on my nails), which was a good choice because it's a good size to wield when  attacking tiny sharp twig remains, and it makes a more precise eraser than sandpaper and your finger (LOL).
The trouble all started when I wanted to ink them.  I had some felt pens handy, that actually were for another project.  I busily got to work and covered the wand in morning glory vines and flowers.  It looked beautiful, but before I took a picture I wanted to varnish it.  So on went the varnish and off came the colour.  Damn things were water proof.  Oh well, I thought, perhaps I'll sand that off later and I got myself some fine, indelible ink sharpies, 8 bucks, 8 pens. Well I made the wand and only made a few flowers, here's the deal, the blue is already out of ink and the fine is not all that fine.  Sharpies are not going to work any more than those other felt tipped pens.  I think next I'm going to try some other medium.  Perhaps I'll paint them on with a very fine brush, or use ink and a stylus and brush.  I have a bunch of stylus's and brushes.
The other thing I'm going to do is ask around at the art store to find out what medium would work best for what I'm hoping to achieve.  I knew there would be some issues, but now I can face them head on and move on.  I like this work and would like to do more, make boxes and such, it does run in our family.  In fact, my grandfather, on my mothers side made beautiful puzzles boxes and cabinets out of cedar and was considered an artisan before World War 2 broke out in Germany.  In particular he was a cedar worker and passed away from complications due to inhalation of the cedar particles.
The other thing I've noticed is all the downed wood along the pathways in the park.  I'm thinking of harvesting what I need to create my own body of work.  I learnt quite a bit when I was up in the Charlotte's living off the land.  I have a good eye, and know how to cut for shakes, so it shouldn't be that hard for me to grab a few boards here and there so the wood does not go to waste, all I'll need is an axe and a wood mallet.
I like my wand don't get me wrong, I'm not even upset that it didn't work the way I wanted.  You see once the error was made, I learned my lesson and figured out something else so that it could get finished.  This is going to be fun.  It's late, almost 3 in the morning.  I'm going to oil up my little wand and keep it healthy, and then tomorrow, when the light is better, I'm going to take some pictures of my wand and post them.
Ah and one more thing... just one last little one.  My companion, he found an attachment for his drill that will allow me to grind things out in case I want to shape my wands more.  Now that is awesome timing, because I was just thinking that. I think it's time to start hitting the garage sales :D
And here are my endeavors up close flaws and all.

The total wand, sanded and inked with morning glory vines and at one end is a Lady Bug.  This is the second attempt and ink for this seems to be the issue.  However, it has a whimsical  nature to it.  It still needs to be consecrated, but it is meant to be an aid to hedgecrossing and travelling.

The ink is the biggest issue.  The blue especially is troublesome.  It was a brand new pack, I outlined about 6 morning glories buds and blooms, it ran a little, but worse it started to fade on the last bloom and now there is no more ink left.  As you can see from the comparison, the green is more vibrant and fills in better, but not much.

Here is a closeup of all the green.  Of all the colours I have used so far, the green seems to be the most reliable and has the most ink for your buck.

And here you can see some of the fading on the blue morning glory, which makes it look shabby and like I don't care.  I did, and was so careful when applying the ink.  The red on the Lady Bug has no integrity.  I applied with an even hand and yet it's blotchy, the same with the black ink.  These two, the red and black, lack the vibrancy of the green.  All in all, I will not be using sharpee for this kind of work again.  

I make one exception...the Sharpie Pen.  It has a superfine point and I think it will do to make some necromantic wands for ancestor worship.  In fact that will most likely be my next adventure in wand making.

The Epiphany

I was given a great gift today by my loving companion Sean :D.  I like to keep busy, but with this silly sleeping and bathroom business I've been housebound for 5 days now.  I'm getting cagey and more grumpy than usual and I kinda sit and look at my computer, look at my supplies, look at the TV, sigh, make a meal, eat and sleep.  I need more supplies to complete my projects.  It's hard to get into the head space I need to when I'm drawing because my spouse is very interactive and likes to give and receive attention often.
However today he needed him time, I could tell and he was about to not take it again, which of course makes him grumpy, I could see him eyeing the X-Box controller, and his hand reaching for it then pulling away.  I pretended I didn't notice for a bit so he wouldn't tie in one with the other.  I told him I had a bunch of craft work I needed to focus on and I hated not being able to get to it,   and handed him the controller.
With a big smile on his face he gave me my gift, when you open up Gmail there is a tab there called Site for making web pages and he also suggested that I might want to use it to set up an online shop for all my goods.  He's also going to help me with getting a Paypal account and a few other things I'll need to set up the shop, but then I'll have my own little business, something to help me retain some of my independence.  I had wanted to have everything connected and actually to go google with this venture the entire time and now I can.  Once I get a little further ahead, I'll set up a PO box and take full command of my work room turfing some of the stuff we aren't using because there is no room to cut fabric, let alone swing a cat.
Oh and when I look at exactly what the gift was, it makes me smile, it wasn't the knowledge of the website page builder that was the gift, it was that I needed it and he had been listening to me all along.  I feel awesome and well appreciated, because every woman really just wants to know she's been heard.
As for me, I've been working on the webpage all day, and I find the site builder confusing.  I'm going to be adding more and more to the site as I go, slowly adding my stock and keeping tabs of everything online. I think this is going to do me a lot of good, especially if I team it up with something like ad-sense or not... really not so sure on that one, but I will give it a look before completely dismissing it.

Surprise, Surprise...LOL

I went for a walk in my park today, but instead of going in my usual entrance which is here,

I wandered up the College Drive a little bit further towards the first turn-off to the right.  The reason for this is simple,  I decided that I would make a secret garden in the park and what looked like a perfect location was a small field in behind the scrub at the end of the Cul-de-sac.  I had looked up everything on Google Maps and Google Earth.  So I see the road, and walk in towards the Cul-de-sac that I know is at the end of a houseless street (according to the maps); however, this road is no longer houseless, there are, I believe four houses there, three closer to College Drive, and one near to the little round about.  Along this road is a fine selection of wild flowers that usually grow near woods, in the open areas.

I see these pretty blue flowers all over Nanaimo, along the roads and more wide open areas.

Broom is everywhere, and next time I'm remembering to poke a spare bag in my collector bag, so I can drag some home, dry it out and try my hands at making a besom style broom.

This little beauty was covered in purple flowers, and bees by the score were harvesting full throttle,how perfect I want an apiary in my secret garden, this would be ideal, so close and convenient.

This thistle too, gave me time to reflect on how wonderful this area would be.

'Well now!  This is exciting!' I thought and became giddy with delight at how close to the Hedge (the forest wall that seperates the tame and lawful from the wild and unlawful) this was.  I walked past the fancy and final house and my anticipation grew so much so that I could feel a big smile all across my face, only to be greeted by this:

and this:

Well I am a witch, a hedge-ryder, and a trouble maker extraordinaire.  I will not be held back by lame signs that mean to keep me from my goal.  I want a a secret garden and I will have one or know the reason why!  I put on my grumpy Ember face and trudged along the poorly blocked path into the scrub area just in beyond the rocks.  Ok, so no secret garden here, for there was downfall and roots standing on end, and big rock piles and no way to get past anything.  In fact, it was dangerous in there.  I knew that a new sub-division was going in not to far from the other end of those rocks, so there would be no privacy.  Although my way was blocked and this site holds absolutely no promise for creating my garden aspirations, there are some prospects on the other side of the lake, so all is not lost.  It is mid dayish and I don't do well in heat and sunlight.  I'm very fair skinned, and can be burn within 15 minutes of exposure to the sun, so I wear large baggy clothes and a hat that covers me up and provides shade, but still has a tendency to cause overheating.  I looked around my little lost area and in no time discovered a path that lead into a familiar part of the Park I'd been exploring.  I quickly made for the path with little more than a hint of regret for the loss of future garden and headed into the woods, my favorite part of any walk.

Looks like I found the forest spirit.  I want to come back and look at her, see where she's pointing, it looks like the other side of the lake, but I could be wrong.  All in all it was an excellent and informative walk.  I have lots of food for thought, now that my sleeping is back on track. 

 I finally got my partner to understand that I don't have to sleep with him when he works graveyards, but I can come and visit him, lay down until he falls asleep, do my chores, and return close to waking time and be there as he wakes up, then he doesn't miss me so much.  It has been difficult for us, this graveyard shift, but we are starting to get the hang of it and devell,op a new rhythem for a happy and productive life.

A quick definition on chores is in order as well.  I don't work, or at this point bring a penny into the house.  My partner completely supports me; however, I cook and clean, this is my nature, I love a neat house, and he is a tidy man, so it's not a bother.  He wants me to relax and enjoy my life, be as though retired.  He wants me to take the time to work on my arts, my crafts, my magic and my cooking, reading, writing, all the things I wanted to do, but never had time to do when I was supporting my kids all on my own.  He likes my art and he wants me to be the artist I was meant to be.  He supports me financially, emotionally, spiritually and even promotes my work to others.  Everything else aside, I am a lucky girl, to have someone like him and it's worth putting up with the shenanigans, guess that's what it means by unconditional love.  <3

I love my Park

So, another fine day and another fine walk in the park has me feeling that all is well with the world.  Each time I enter, I return with gifts from the forest; today it was some arbutus bark, a rather large peice that had fallen off the tree in front of me and the spirit in the forest was urging me to take it because it will come in useful quite soon.  How exciting, I can't wait to find out what it's for.  As well I found a fourway crossroad and made sure to grab a goodly portion of dirt for drying, sorting and sifting later.
I was under the impression that Indian Pipeplant is rare, however everywhere I look these days, I see it.  Either it's not as rare as it's been made out to be, or the woods is full of mycelium of the right kind that creates this.  After all, in the early spring there were quite a few fly agarics everywhere I looked as well as emetic russela.  What with the strange year and it's weather patterns being unseasonably off kilter, and my suspicion that there is mycelium throughout the entire park, it is no wonder that there are so many Indian Pipeplants.  If that holds true, my desire to gather some beautiful amanitas to dry and prepare for teas and oils etcetera should happen in September and be ready for final consumption by Samhain.  What a way to start my magical year.
I think the next place we move I will have a motorized scooter so that I can get around.  I've been forming this opinion, and as the years grow so does my desire for this increases .... The desire to move into the woods and live a completely different life, all but off the beaten track.  That is probably more of a pipedream, \which makes sense when you consider all the pipeplants I've seen laterly. LOL

A Walk in the Park

I am fortunate to live around the corner from Westwood Lake in Nanaimo.  If you google it, you will see a huge lake surrounded by woodland, part of which goes up a mountain.  I have walked up to the main beach from my place and that is an easy half hour round trip kind of saunter into the park.  There are a fair amount of people, but it's not overly crowded.  I use the entrance by the mobile home that veers left into the woods passing by a rather eerie tree with dessimated towels hanging from it and it feels as though someone had harboured the idea of skinning an animal there.  In late winter, early spring there was a rash of bizarre deer huntings by bow that left more questions than answers and I suspect this little outpost is a remnent of that hunting debaucle.  I don't mind a little eerie on my walk, so I just go in that way, and am always pleased with the results. 
Nearby I have found Indian pipe weed, Rusella mushrooms, and some amanita pantherinas.  If you turn right you can head towards the main beach and concession stand, this is usually where I turn around and head home when I'm on a short walk.  It's wooded and pretty, verdantly abundant, a good place to turn around.
However; this is not the route I took.  I live on Weaver, so I turned left at the top of the road, onto college drive and headed towards the Westwood Lake Trail.
This area has less traffic and so it is more fun to take pictures and root around a little before someone comes snooping along to see what you are doing.  I always have a pocket knife with me for snipping off bits of this and that, (not without permission of course) carefully so as not to leave the plant hurt.  It's a much longer route to the lake, but then the lake is not my destination, the woods are.  I was looking around at the bounty provided and was reminded of hunting for huckleberries when I was a kid and we lived right near Lynn Canyon Park. 

I was halfway tempted to start picking and eating, but then thought better of it.  I left the bright little red berries alone and continued to walk coming across some salelle.  I hate salelle berries, I think they taste gross, however; I have friends who just love them and claim they make great jam.

There is one thing for them, they sure look pretty with their dark green foiliage, scattered across the woodland floor.
I must admit, I am rusty, and there are some things I am having trouble identifying, so if you have any idea what they are I would appreciate it.  My fabulous book of wildlife is at my son's house, packed up to come here, but not available yet.

I'm curious to know what those white feathery floaty flowers are.

I would like to know what the serated dark green foilage and the blue berries are.

Also am interested in finding out more about the light green viney plant covering the forest floor is.

I'm going to try to figure out what these are because I want to know all about the herbs, trees, plants shrubs and mushrooms in the area are.  I love herbs and know they hold keys to all kinds of healing.  And it's right about now that I'm wishing I knew a shaman in the area who could help me train up in local herbarl lore.

Now of course I did have a purpose in going into the woods.  I was actually looking for some willow.  I guess I didn't look in the right places, because it evaded me.  Luckily I found a few other things that piqued my interest.  I harvested a nice long cedar branch, straight and true, bark on.  I had forgotten my offerings, but I did have a quarter in my bag, so I polished it up and gave it to the tree in thanks. 

I love where my studies are taking me and am working on more walks that last longer, go further and garner more wildcrafting.

Secretly though.... I want to find a little place, fence it in, put up a small tiny little house and live quietly..... Dream on Ember... Dream  :D