Lessons From A Dryland Farm

Lessons from a Dryland Farm

Develop good habits. Rise early with the sun, a lot of things can show up to disrupt and hijack your day. Plant on time, manage the early weeds, and harvest on time.

Plan out your year to the best of your ability. Check the weather forecast, the market forecast, and check your storage bins.

Ask for help. There will be potholes with water in the spring.  Should you get stuck ploughing around the wet spots, don’t too embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. Everyone gets stuck sometime. You can save a lot of time and equipment from breaking.

Pick the eggs when the hens lay them. If you don’t the skunks will find them, and you’ll be left with the eggshells.

Choose a compatible partner as he/she will help you weather the storms of life and you will experience great joys as you grow and mature together.

Feed your livestock with good food. Skimping on quality feed will leave you with unhappy, unhealthy and underweight animals when market day arrives.

Plan on seven to ten-year cycles. There will be one or two bumper crops, some average crops and a couple of years when you will be lucky to just get the seed back. These times will help you learn patience and endurance which over time will serve you well.

Keep some good seed for the future.  Don’t sell or eat this seed. You may be tempted with high prices or your need for bread. There will a time when this seed is your lifesaver.

Put something away for your future, on the good and average years. You may experience five cycles in your farming lifetime. If you can save ten to fifteen percent and invest it regularly in good stock, you will have enough for when you can no longer spend long hours in the field.

Give some of your time, energy and profits away. There are neighbours and strangers who need your help. Be generous. It is good to help a neighbour stay on his land. What goes around, comes around.

Be good to your land for it was a gift to you. If you deplete the soil of nutrients your harvest will be less than average and eventually your land will reject you. Learn from nature.

Rotate the crops you plant. Different plants will replenish depleted nutrients.

Thank God. There are many reasons for a good harvest, and they are not all in your hands. We need the sun, the spring rain, the West wind, the long days, the cool nights, and the winter’s snow and rest.

Embrace each day as they are a part of the journey. Yes, there may be long days in the fields, sometimes twelve to even twenty-four hours. But they are only for a short while. 

Take one day a week off to be thankful. Meditate on life and spend time with your family. Ultimately this is what is important to live well and for which you were created. Be thankful for all things that come your way.

Seek to learn new farming methods, new skills, as they will enhance your farm life.

Dig a deep well. The water table will rise and fall. Drill deep to find sweet water, it will be life giving.

Enjoy new life; calves, chicks, goslings, wild rose buds, buffalo beans, fawns and your own children.  They all will give you great joy.

Treat your pets well. They can be great companions and friends. You never know when they might help you.

Share what you have learned with your children and all those who have a desire to learn and are teachable.

Love life, love the creator, love your wife and children, love the air you breathe, love the land, love all creation and do good and you will live well.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Dennis Kiffiak

Dreaming on the Beach

 

   Every once in a while, I have the time and opportunity to visit a place like Roberts Point in Washing State.  Its a time for reflection, letting my mind wander, imagine, watch wildlife, the passing of ships, hopeful fishermen and writing. 

On this trip I had the opportunity to rough out two poems you will find in the poetry section, Roberts Point and Beach Bum. I trust you enjoy them.

Magnolias

April is that special time of year when not only do we celebrate my birthday but we view the harvest of winter. The dormant rest now produces a flood of colours, textures, and scents.  It is a delight to soak in the subtle hues and powerful images; to take a petal and caress it lightly.

Whether strolling through Vancouver Island's Butchart Gardens,  VanDusen Botanical Gardens, or the Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, one gets to absorb the richness of trees and shrubs blooming

Magnolias are one of Spring's bountiful joys.

Easter

This Easter weekend was an eventful time for Beatriz and myself.  Friday evening our good friends Jon and Roisin had invited us to an event in downtown Vancouver. As we arrived a little early, we decided to stop at Stanley Park and munch a salad we had purchased en route. 

As soon as we parked Beatriz exclaimed, we had stopped in the perfect spot.  Directly ahead was a tall stump, and on top a Canadian goose stood guard. In a tree nearby were two bald eagles squawking and making a big racket. Between the eagles and the goose the conversation was lively.

You can imagine, Beatriz did not stop to eat, but jumped out of the car to start taking photos and talk to the birds. Not to be undone, I swallowed a few mouthfuls and clamored out to view the proceedings. Here are a couple of the photos.  

You guessed it, there were two geese there, one was sitting on its nest in the middle of the stump and the gander stood on guard. It was orchestra of sight and sound. We wonder how the goslings will get down.  Hummmmm. I think the eagles were discussing the same thing.

Then on Saturday evening Beatriz and I stopped in for the evening service at the Abby in Mission which lasted through Easter Sunday morning. We certainly enjoyed the Hallelujah acapella singing and as we lit candles, our minds were drawn to those around the world who for one reason or another would not be able to gather together with people of faith to celebrate Easter this year. Our prayers go out to them.

Upon leaving the cathedral at 1:15 am, we looked back to view this wonderful sight.

When Easter comes around my mind is often returns to the East side of Vancouver.

One day when working at U.G.M. on East Hastings Street, I looked up at the church across the way and noticed an eagle perched on  the steeple. It was an unfamiliar sight to me but later learned this sight was one that brought joy and hope to some of the first-nation residents living nearby.

I didn't have a large lens for my Nikon camera, 35mm - 55mm) and needed to think of a way to get nearer for a better shot. Meanwhile, I called Beatriz to come view this amazing site.

There was a two story elementary school nearby, so I thought if we could get in the school yard and climb the first set of stairs which was outdoors, we might be able to capture the photo I wanted. Meanwhile I hoped the eagles wouldn't fly away on a hunting expedition.

Later, in talking to the church's pastor, he mentioned the eagles had actually build a nest near the base of the steeple on a raised flat area. The church had become their home.

Meanwhile, the school caretaker saw me taking photos and we chatted with him about the eagles.  I asked if there was anyway of accessing the roof of the school to have a better view.

After some minutes of discussion,  the custodian graciously invited us inside where he pulled down a popup ladder, went up and unlocked the padlocked, roof trap door and said we could climb the ladder, poke out our heads, but not get onto the roof. The liability was too much for him to allow us onto the roof top.

The following two side photos are of the eagles on the cross, always on alert.

We are continually reminded to be awake, alert to all that is happening around us, what's transpiring inside us and be vigilant in our faith walk. 

Trust you all have had a meaningful time this Easter. He is Risen.

West Coast Totems

Wikipedia

"A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe.

Totem poles are monumental carvings, a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by First Nations and indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast including northern Northwest Coast Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian communities in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, communities in southern British Columbia, and the Coast Salish communities in Washington and British Columbia.

The carvings may symbolize or commemorate ancestors, cultural beliefs that recount familiar legends, clan lineages, or notable events. The poles may also serve as functional architectural features, welcome signs for village visitors, mortuary vessels for the remains of deceased ancestors, or as a means to publicly ridicule someone. They may embody a historical narrative of significance to the people carving and installing the pole." 

Our friend Carole Olsen took Beatriz and I on a most memorable sail to Prince Rupert on her yacht.

Travelling through the Inside Passage on the West Coast of British Columbia was a once in a lifetime experience. Along with the joy of viewing Orcas, eagles, wolves, ravens and the many wild life, were the delicious meals prepared by the first mate and captain.  That included fresh prawns cooked in a huge pot on deck immediately after emptying the prawn traps.

Beatriz became lost as she lay flat over the prow like a mast head with her arms outstretched, laughing and interacting with the porpoises that surfed below her in the waves generated by the prow of the ship as we plowed through the clear summer water. 

For a long while she communicated with porpoise after porpoise.  They called out and you could see others come from a half mile away. All came to play with her. They would cock their heads and when she would laugh out loud, they would tilt their heads, watch her with one eye and spit water at her. I thought for awhile I would lose her to their wooing and her wanting to slip in with them. 

One night we dropped anchor in a bay and watched the moon set over the inside curve of the island. 

Early the next morning I arose quietly so as not to awake anyone, grabbed my camera and climbed to the third deck, to the area outside the captains wheel house.

I was amazed as the sun rose at the beauty.  I scanned the shoreline and began to take photos.  There was about an 18 foot drop in the tide and the sea was glassy smooth. When I focused and zoomed in I had to catch my breath.

You can imagine, I could not keep this to myself. I quickly slipped back to our berth to awake Beatriz so we could enjoy the scenery together. 

My thoughts immediately flipped the images on their side and I saw faces, really totems.  

             

After arriving home I took a piece of paper, folded it and cut out a few snips.  Then I laid the cut out on the photos and voila, there were many, many faces.  Try it, how many faces do you find?

                                         


The scenery was breathtaking; the company of friends most enjoyable; the fresh salmon and shrimp still lingers on our taste buds; we still marvel at the totems.  I believe the first people had artists who view these images and decided, were even compelled to carve them on poles.  Oh yes, I think Wiki needs to rewrite their definition of how the totems began and yes, Beatriz still surfs with porpoises.

 

How many times have I dreamt of writing, posting and interacting with like minded poets, song writers, artists and those who enjoy reading word crafting and brush strokes!

Now thanks to our good friend Jon Borrill, here is my blogspot and soon to be my posts of poems, articles and a few canvases.

The photo, by the way, is me on top of one of the peaks of Mt. Baker in Washington state. Our family climbed up the North arm and built a few Inukshuks.