Forest Bathing In My Atmospheric River

 By Maryanna Gabriel

My first thought upon waking up is that I need to dig a ditch in the driveway. The "atmospheric river" is upon us. Water is still streaming down our road and my driveway seems to be a nice little drain. This is all due to the strip logging up on the mountainside. Funny thing about language. Who ever heard of atmospheric rivers before?

The Japanese are big on "forest bathing", or shinrin-yoku. It means there is therapeutic benefit to walking among trees. There are whole courses on it and even therapists who offer guidance through the process. Who knew I could have been capitalizing on this concept over the years. With all of the first growth on the property, I missed a great opportunity. I suppose it is not too late. One would have to be prepared for the river streaming through the sky though.

So I am forest bathing in my atmospheric river. 

Ho Ho Ho - North Pole Business

 By Maryanna Gabriel 

It is that time of year where the North Pole is getting busier and Santa recently had an important missive with the largest list yet. A few years ago it was only a candy cane. This year there are many items laid out in a graph.

Graph? Yes, graph. Am also worried there are no colours layered into the letter. On the good side there is some concern for the Claus's health and this is positive. So the elves have been at work. 

There apparently has been not enough snow in the North Pole, so snowstorms are not a problem, but lately there was an Aurora Borealis which has helped the elves enormously with the the additional light in the sky. They have a lot of lists to check but I am not sure they are using a graph system. Maybe my grandson could get a job there. He wanted to help Santa last year. 

I am trying to think what else Santa might need to know from my neck of the woods but I am guessing he probably has it all figured out. I love this time of year.

The Great Flood of 2021

Ditch work being done at midnight outside my house. 

 By Maryanna Gabriel 

Serves me right for quoting Julian of Norwich in my last post. 

The great flood. Well, things were really rocking and a'rolling here. After I went to bed, I could hear chainsaws and clunking noises, then engines revving. At about midnight I gave up and traipsed out to the street in my dressing gown to see what was the matter.

What was the matter was my neighbour had engaged a cat and they were madly ditching, while a river of water from the intense downpour coursed down our road. 

Salt Spring Island is a bit of a mess and so is my yard, but I am slowly cottoning onto how widespread the flooding has been in some places. I am very sorry that the folks in Merritt in the interior of British Columbia had to evacuated, and that people were trapped on the Trans Canada Highway. 

Embracing Cosy

 "All shall be well, and shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well."

-Julian of Norwich

By Maryanna Gabriel


After two and half months, I have come to the end of an edit. All forty four chapters, a huge
accomplishment. For some reason words seem to jump out of place when I am not looking. So it is a big pause for me right now and a happy one, especially given all my assignments are starting to come back with the best possible marks. The end of the tunnel is in sight for my Master's degree in creative writing. 

Pain Aux Raisins

It is a day to dress like a duck. Or week rather. Instead of "wind warning", or "snow warning", the weather says "rain warning". Rather than feeling glum, I am embracing cosy. This means making a huge attempt to get out of my fuzzy dressing down and turning on all the little Christmas lights. I have two strings alone in the living room, a cheerful way to light up the gray.

Then there is catching up with old friends with a call which has been nice this morning. And making pain aux raisons. But mostly, I am looking forward to writing my international Christmas cards. 

All is well. When in doubt, bake.