Thoughts on Wonderful Principles

Principle #1:
Universe relationship through gratitude
I have found that when I am thankful, I feel a certain peace. I feel like all is well. Gratitude is a wonderful thing. Expressing gratitude also allows one to be in tune and in perspective with ones surroundings. I am most happy for many things. When we seek the good and are thankful for what we receive, our gratitute lifts our spirits and allows us to soar. When we express gratitude, we complete the circle.

Principle #2:
Observance of Source/God in all things
When we see God in our selves and in all things, we begin to respect and find the sacredness of all. When I begin to see the Godhead in all of creation, I cant help but feel a greater love and connectivity. If I accept that God is also in you, I must therfor love you with all my heart. I have been taught to love the Lord My God with all my heart and all my mind. Now when I recognize and observe God or Source in all things, once again, the circle is complete.

Principle#3:
Nurturance of life
If I am grateful for all things, and if I observe God in all things, and if I embrace God in me, then I will naturally want to nurture life. I wont be able to help it. When one is comfortable with self, then one is in a great postion to nurture others. When we nurture others, we take the gifts given ti us, and we pass them on....we complete the circle.

And the greatest driving force of these is Love. Love is at the heart. Love is the divine expression. When I became one with Jesus, I was introduced to unconditional, undying love.... a force so powerful and beautiful that it set me free. Free to be grateful with out diminishing self. Free to not only observe and respect, but to truly love all things. Free to nurture without fear or selfishness..not because I have to in order to achieve something, but because I simply am and simply do. LOVE. It is the most powerful force known to all creation. It is the place that God dwells and it is in you. Spend some time....and be grateful.

Water Meter at Glen Afton 35km upstream

Its no secret that we have needed a good rain and thaw to replenish our lakes and rivers. Last season saw record low water levels. Things were looking equally as bleak until around April 25. As we see by the above graph, water discharge increased significantly. There is a water metering station about 35 km upstream from us measuring the Sturgeon River. The info is available online. My buddy sent me the graph and told me to get prepared. I was in Toronto at the time and my wife was giving me play by play.

Logs and roots floating downstream

Logs and all sorts of debris started floating down the river at significant speed.  This high flow is continuing even today as I look out my window. I can see foam no doubt eminating from Sany Falls. Sandy Falls acts as a bit of a gorge, holding back significant flow and releasing in mighty rapids

Highest water in years

My wife swore she could hear the falls from our house. My buddy Mike was quick to point out that we are likely hearing the rapids from the dam in town. Water is gushing through that dam at enourmous velocity. My friend Pete says the water hasnt been this high for years.

Jan 2010 at Crossings Community Church

Canada Post Picture Stamps

My mom sent me a card and on the stamp was her cat Timothy. It looked really cool so I went to the Canada Post website and made a stamp for myself. I had intended to use them, however, they looked so great on the sheet, I didnt have the heart to deface it. Instead, I gave the sheet to my buddy Ron who has the most extensive Canadian stamp collection I have seen. He is only missing one or two stamps for the entire Canadian collection. Now he has a one of a kind...talk about limited stamp runs! The sheet is 8.5x11 and I think they would look good framed. I also gave my buddy Ron, the invoice and he said...awesome...now I have some provenance! Cheers to stamp collecting and technology!

Algonquin Park Speckled Trout

He is Risen - Salvation is Ours

Shame and Forgiveness

Now salvation is ours.

Dweller by a Dark Stream

This is one of my favourite Easter songs. Today is Good Friday. I could have been me, who put the thorns on his crown..........

Find me in the river.......

Canadian Hero's

"Alex Mathias" by Kim Cowan



This is a great shot of Alex Mathias by Kim Cowan. It was likely taken during the Changing of the Season's Ceremony on Lake Obabika. Alex is from Misabi family and this is his ancestoral home. He does not beleive in land ownership, but in land stewardship. His people and this land had a long standing symbiotic relationship. This land served his family well, and Alex serves this land well. I have great respect for Alex. I beleive in respectful order and I consider Alex to be my Elder as well. I am one of many people that Alex has adopted with his kindness, generosity and wisdom.

Misabi Family Territory

Misabi Family Territory

Unceded Indian Land

Misabi Tribal Family Territory

My Eyes Give Me Away

"My Eyes Give Me Away" Copyright don wright

I was reading an article about artistic blue prints. The article was comparing a number of paintings and using things such as eyes and color selection. I decided to go back to a number of my older paintings to see how I could spot my blueprints. These are various eyes taken from various paintings.

I didn't realize that I gravitated to making my eyes in a consistent way. I painted these a couple of years ago. I noticed that my current eyes are different. Perhaps because I put my paints away for a while. Perhaps I was in a particular "mode" when I did these. However, sure as ^&%$, my blueprints are all over this work.

My Eyes give me away. That's partly why I find it hard to lie. My eyes give me away.....Eyes are like that.

Amazing Technology - Virtual Kitchen

When we bought the house, there was a slight smell of septic. The inspector said it was because of a few faulty flow valves. We repaired that. Then during the water system installation we spring a leak on some existing pipe. When we opened the ceiling to fix the leak, we found and open drain pipe that had been abandoned, but not sealed. Backwash from the drains caused smell and even septic to soak the dry wall. Jeesh that sucks. Then when we looked behind the drywall, we found a very poor frame job and little to no insulation....double jeesh. The moisture caused the rug to smell musty and it had to be ripped out. We have no choice but to gut the entire room.

Using a handy dandy web program, along with the measurements of the room and voila...instant virtual kitchen. There were a few bulkheads that I was unable to accommodate in the program. That is why there are no upper cupboards over the sink and around to the stove. There is venting that hangs too low. We will install pot lights into that to luminate the sink and counter instead.

We made up a materials list. Tomorrow night we will purchase the material required to re frame, insulate and re drywall. We will buy the flooring and have the basic room ready within a few days. A business acquaintance has the cabinets for me, and Pete already has appliances and a pantry. The sink goes back to back to an existing sink in the bathroom, so that is an easy install. The stove wiring was already there, as the kitchen was once directly above this room.

With any kind of luck, we should be reassembled within a couple of weeks. When we are finished, the basement will be a self contained granny suite.

Changes

Spring Birds in the Snow

My wife counted the birds. 24 Chirping Sparrows, 12 Junco's, 15 Grackles, 15 RedWing Blackbirds, 2 Starling, a fleet of Redpoles and one very beautiful Evening Grossbeak

They take turns at the feeder. Word has gotten out and now we are seeing all kinds of beautiful birds!  

oh..this just in....BluJays, Goose, seagulls, Mallards, Hooded Merganzers a woodpecker and 2 birds of prey. Oh and crows, ravens, loons and a Great Blue Heron..........and one very excited Thunderbird Budgie.

Changing of the Seasons Ceremony September 17th 2011

"Hand of Reason" Copyright don wright 2011

I noticed that the date has been set for the annual Changing of the Seasons Ceremony. Here is the link and a description from the page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Misabi-Adventure-Company/330576688021#!/event.php?eid=192375060806537

Over the weekend of September 17th, 2011 Alex Mathias, an Ojibway Elder, will host his annual Changing of the Seasons Ceremony to celebrate the fall equinox on his traditional family territory in the Temagami region of Ontario.

On Saturday there will be a 'Changing of the Seasons' ceremony, a group potluck lunch, visits to Spirit Rock, and guided hikes through the old-growth red and white pine forest. Attendees have the option of... participating in group events after the ceremony, exploring the area on their own, or simply enjoying some quiet time on the lake. There is no structured agenda for the weekend and Sunday is an open day which may include a guided canoe excursion for those who are interested.

Participants are expected to provide their own food, camping gear, and if possible, canoes. Boat shuttles can be arranged for attendees who are not able to paddle across the lake to the gathering site on their own. Many people will be located at the main campsite on the north end of Obabika Lake where the ceremony will take place, however there are numerous other sites around the lake that people can use when there is a larger group.

We recommend that people leave on Friday morning (it is an 8 hour drive from Toronto) to ensure they arrive with some daylight. If you need a ride or you have a vehicle with space for others, let us know - we will do our best to set up carpools for registered participants. Please be aware that the last stretch of the drive is extremely rough and slow going (directions will be provided once you have registered).

All are welcome! If you have never been to Temagami and have always wanted to go, this is a great opportunity to experience the wilderness in a group setting.

A minimum donation of $20 per adult is requested to help offset the costs of the event.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Amber Ellis at 416-599-0152 x11 / amber@earthroots.org

Temagami Old Growth Protection

Temagami Old Growth and Elder Alex Mathias

Here is a little video of one of my favourite places on earth. This is a place of true Vision Quest. This is a place of extreme beauty and importance. Thank you Alex for being a dedicated caretaker and much respect for how you share your wisdom and love for this land.

New Water System

 One of the deficiencies of our house was the water system. The water stank and had a bacteria count. The previous owner left the water test to the last minute. Though he was able to get a safe drinking status, I refused to finish the deal without better assurances. The water had tested bad in a previous sample. As a concession, the vendor agreed to buy me a UV filter, but it would be my responsibility to install. We moved in and began drinking bottled water. Our conscience hurt, so we swapped over to water cooler, and picked up free "Kangen" water in town. Obviously, this was no long term solution.

My son designed and installed a magnificent water system for us. Not only did he install the UV filter, but also several other filters. He replaced the 1/2' pipes with 3/4 inch pipes wherever possible. Our water comes from a shallow well beside the river. The water is filtered to 50 micron and then filtered again to 5 micron. It hits the UV filter and then is filtered with charcoal. This water is beautiful!!! It tastes great!! It is safe to drink!!

Just to put icing on the cake, my son installed an at source filtration system. It employs 1 micron filter and then a ceramic filter. The water that comes from here is the best!

Our hot water tank was furnace oil and located in the garage. It took forever to deliver hot water as this is the furthest to the point of use. The hot water heater was 13 years past prime and not to code. We decided to buy a new electric heater and locate it in the new "pump" room. Dylan and I installed that last night and at 3:30 am we were taking showers. I wonderful byproduct of this installation was hot and cold running water in the garage.

Our new water system will allow us to say goodbye to the water bottle industry. It will allow us to be more self sufficient. My water is now the best water I could ever hope for. It smells like spring rain and tastes like a mountain spring. My water pressure is better than I have ever had before. Yay to the blessings of great water!!!!

When I bought the place, I had paid for an engineers report and I was given a report of deficiencies. Our goal is to knock them all off the list..one by one. When we finish fixing all the deficiencies, I will call in another engineer for another inspection. We have been building a portfolio of our improvements. I bought this place 60K below asking and my goal is to realize that and more when it comes time to sell.

by the way...Evian spelled backwards is naive.....hhhmmm, I wonder.

Articles of Faith

Anishinaabe articles of faith

 

I didnt know what to expect. Before arriving, I prayed that I might no be led astray. My wife and I talked about the importance of respect, but also the inmportance of our own faith. We were trying to figure out where the line would be. Much to our surprise, there was no line. There was no faith confrontation. These articles of faith and worship were no differant than our own. I met the Great Spirit here and the funny things was, it was the same Holy Spirit I already knew. There was no leap of faith as there was none required. There was no confrontation and no condemnation.

We had the honour and priveledge of discussing these articles with an elder. He spoke the same language of Love. These articles all helped me to understand my relationship to God and my brothers and sisters. I held the eagle feathers in my hand and I was granted permission and authority to speak. I spoke of love, respect and responsibility and then passed the feather. We experienced great peace and I respect and honour my cousins articles of faith.

Niijii Thunderbird Guide

Niijii - Thunderbird Guide

Niijii discovered that he liked to chew up paper that is on my desk. While I am working, and generating orders, he walks around my desk and chews the corners off everything. He is fascinated with watching my hands on the keyboard and he is trying to join in. Niijii discovered that if he bites me certain places like my earlobe, then he gets a reaction. He found a soft spot on the back of m hand that gets attention too. He delights in it. When I am on the phone. Niijii begins to speak in tongues. It is prompting my clients to recall their child hood budgie stories. He loves this window......so do I. It is the view from our office.

Niijii Thunderbird Power

Niijii Thunderbird Power

Here is another digital art sent to me by a reader. We see Niijii emduing me with Love and Protection. Yes powerful stuff at work here. I keep singing this song in my head......"and windy has stormy eyes, that flash at the sound of lies"....while Nijji sings...wjdhciuwrh...dwct...234.5 ...bvvs....b jhavgtdatt argvw4etg...hahaha..he hasnt really learned to talk yet, but I sure know what he wants!

Morning Coffee - The Birds are Back!

I am so blessed! I sat here this morning with my wife and my bird Niijii. We were all rejoicing with the return of spring. Sue and I, having our morning coffee, watching the birds outside, while Niijii sat with us and sang to his heart content. He hears the other birds outside and has been trying to mimic thier calls.

The river opened up yesterday. Day before that, I was walking on it! This morning all the birds are back. Great Blue Heron, Hooded Mergansers,Canada Geese, Mallards, Grackles, Starlings, Gulls and yes even the Robins have returned. I am so blessed to witness events like this....to see the unfolding of spring, and the ever revolving circle of life and seasons.

I feel intense inner feelings every spring. Spring to me, represents new life, new birth. There is still a DNA strand or two, urging my feelings. Haha..I can feel the hornyness all around and it my wife looks like a centerfold model in the book of my dreams......"The Sexy Angler"...no no..uuumm...."Women of the Outdoors"....no...uuum "Fish, Chicks and Beer" ya thats it....no no wait, I dont drink beer..OK..."Fish, Chicks and BBQ's" ...any way...I digress....I merely wanted to state my joy that spring is Here!!

Ed and Martha and Duke Christmas 2003

We got this picture frame for Christmas. I think it was around 2003. The frame came with these stock sample pictures. We call them Martha and Ed and the dog we call Duke. We welcomed Martha and Ed to the family, and their portraits remains for all my friends to see. I have had people say...oh...who are they, I dont recognize them. We smile and say...oh that is Martha and Ed, and the dog is Duke. They say..Is that your uncle? We say...no...they are models. I laugh at the absurdity and it brings me joy. I play little mind games.........

Meet Ed. He likes flyfishing and photography. He is an early retired school teacher and likes long drives in the country. Martha loves safaris and loves to camp at their summer place in Bracebridge. Duke actually died....bless his soul. He was a good dog. He used to fetch the paper, but finally his love of chasing cars got the best of him.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

Today is Sue's birthday. She is the most beautiful girl in the world! What do you buy the most beautiful girl in the world? Whatever she wants! And what does she want? She wants a dump truck load of garden soil so she can begin to plant her gardens. I rememebr one birthday I gave her a wheel barrow. The most beautiful women in the world, are usually women who are easy to please....in my humble opinion. I suppose that goes for men too. If a person is hard to please, it usually means they feel no pleasure in other peoples offerings. I dont beleive my wife has ever judged a gift...hhhmm...well thats not true. Our first valentine as a couple, I forgot and had to make a hand made card at the last minute. She knew right away and boy did I catch ^&*%. So of course there should be some standard by which a gift is judged. Anyway..I am rambling...I need to go fix her a cup of Java.
dw

WHAT!!!!

WHAT!.......Who?.......Where?.......WHY?

Its the "What" that hurts you.

Its the "Who" that astounds you.

Its the "Where" that scares you.

Its the "Why" that makes you cry.

-

Its a Cats Life

Here is one of the reasons I own cats. They are like good medicine. They make me feel virtues like love, and joy, and peace. The big cat Carroll has been having a hard time adjusting to indoor living. He paces around and around. He meows in a most unsettled way. Then, after an hour of this, he resorts to companionship, or a pillow. Studies have proven the effectiveness of animal companions. Also, nothing like a little loving to make someone feel wanted, or valuable. Little kitty Geddy sees Carrolls stress too and he tries hard to be kind to Carroll..hahha and being a kitten, he tries hard to piss Carroll off!

Rainbow Thunder

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-395512/Incredible-pictures-moment-lightning-shared-sky-rainbow.html

Be well my friend.