| Tuesday, April 15, 2003 Happy Tax Day - Good day to be a Canadian! (John writing) I hope that whereever in the world you read this you are happy, fulfilled, and living in peace. We recently lived out what appeared to be straight out of a movie. (that really makes you want to read on, doesn't it?) Nicole and I were just putting our coats on after lunch and ready to go back to school. Then the doorbell rang. "Oh, one of Nicole's friend probably." Well, it wasn't. It was more exciting than a bear on our front stoop. It was, and I kid you not, the RCMP. That's right, 2 members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They asked a couple questions about where a local guy lived and before they could leave, Nicole asked me, in full volume, "Did you call them to come get me?!?" (You may recall that we threatened calling the RCMP as Nicole, age 8, was playing chess from a box that said "ages 10 and up.") Speaking of visitors, a week or so ago, the entire village (except us sound sleepers) was awakened at about 2:00 a.m. by a gigantic Coast Guard helicopter coming to transport a girl with contractions from here to Victoria, BC. Apparently the sound was so loud and so close, a few people thought that it was War on Kingcome: Saddam's retreat center. Including me (Kristin). I was up reading on the couch, and felt the helicopter coming in SO LOUD that I was really thinking that we were being bombed. It kept flying over and over the village, rattling the windows and the stove. I first panicked, but then I thought, what would I do if it were a bomb? There is nowhere to go to get away in Kingcome. So if it is, it is. (John again) I recently once again got the opportunity to go seal hunting. I have never been a hunter and have never successfully (depends on your point of view) shot an animal. I would, though, really like to have on my record that the first animal I shot was a seal. I know that it would all be used for meals and goods, so I'm okay with that. Just so you know - these are not the cute white furry seals on Greenpeace posters. These are the dark and fat "I can feed a whole village" seals. My buddy did manage to shoot a Goldeneye duck. He then proceeded to skin it, gut it and give it to us as a gift, which leads me into the next paragraph... We have some more family coming to visit on Friday! My dad, step-mom, sister and brother are coming from South Dakota. I bet they can't wait to have some Goldeneye duck hors d'vours - the duck is only big enough for about 1 bite each. Maybe a great Easter snack. Jesus and the Easter bunny would want it that way. (Kristin writing) John came in the house carrying that thing, trying to hide it. It dripped blood all over; well not really, there is probably one tablespoon of blood in the thing. (John) We are looking into ways and means to get this crazy cat of ours fixed before he starts spraying. I may take him out when I go to Vancouver and drop him off somewhere. We have looked into Home-Neutering kits, and I really, really do not want to pursue that option any farther. Any one know of a traveling vet? Old quote from Nicole, but still good: When we were out clam-digging and oyster-collecting, Nicole got the carnivore urge and stated, "I wanna find some live animal, bring it home and eat it." So we did. Clams and oysters and now she's hooked. I'll have to remember that one for when she wants to be a vegetarian. Finally, some sad news from Kingcome. Copper is a dog here that Nicole and I became very close to and was a model of a dog that we would like to have someday. Recently, some people had been saying that Copper was biting them. As a result, Copper was shot. We miss him terribly. We are also appalled at the form of justice that was taken, but we can do nothing about. Peace, John Kristin Nicole From Kristin: Three ways you can save the world (by consuming less, especially less plastic.) First a story. I tell Nicole that plastic is the devil and the destruction of the universe. I told her that over and over in a short period of time recently, and she believed me. A few days later she came home from school and said, "Mom, I think you and me are the only ones who think that plastic is the devil and the destruction of the universe." Apparently kids in her class did not agree. Anyway, maybe you'll believe me too. #1. make your own deodorant. most deodorants come in plastic containers, which are the destruction of the universe. If you make your own, you can use the same plastic container over and over until you die. It could really last that long. The recipe is in a letter from a few months ago. You can make it and then pour it into the old container and use it the same as the store bought kind. And my recipe has no aluminum, so maybe in addition to consuming less plastic you will save your breasts from cancer. #2. Make your own chapstic, same as number 1. #3. Buy cotton maxi pads. They are great. You can get them at http://www.gladrags.com. Buy a set and you may never buy plastic backed pads again. Maxi pads and diapers are the highest bulk items in landfills. Teach your daughters and the daughters of your neighbors about cotton pads. As world population rises, we all need to take better care of Earth than we have in the past. Do your part! One more: #4. Buy food as unprocessed as possible. Less processed = less packaging. Punish yourself every time you are even tempted to get a plastic bag at a store. Love more, waste less. :) |