food

The Happy Place
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The Happy Place

Good morning Brave hearts.

It is spring and soon you’ll be planting your garden. Cultivating the soil, choosing the seeds, selecting plants which will flourish in your temperate zone. The garden, an oasis of nourishment and organic delight. The pesticide free produce of your own dedicated labour.
Food! We take is so much for granted. It will be on grocery store shelves in a timely manner, someone else’s job to provide and protect us. Someone else’s occupation, to nourish and negotiate for us. Someone to stock shelves, to intermediate for us, between the wholesaler and the grower. Someone to bargain and to provide nutrient rich product every day. We take it so much for granted. There will always be grocery stores. There will always be food. Our international negotiations are secure.
Why the need for a garden then? Is it just a past time, just a labour of love, just a hobby, a romantic spot, a place to socialize and a place to concentrate on food production. A space where your favourite tree grows and reminds us of happy times, of memories of childhood and growing years. A garden! That special sanctuary of your home, where the lives of plants live, and fulfill their own duty to the planet.
The plants fulfill a destiny of their own. Nurtured and cared for, they will provide for you, in sickness and in health. Specialized plants for herbology, teas, food and fragrance, stimulating your senses, cleaning your air and nourishing your body.
The lives of plants, create their own environments, for insects, birds, animals and us. A planting for flowers, a planting for food, a planting for scent, scenery, self-indulgence. The garden is the oasis of special splendor, that creates that time-honored happy place.
Luscious plantings of medicinal herbs, of toxin free organic produce, of edible flowers and heady perfumes. The scent, the sound, the relaxation, the view. To stand in the garden and smell the aromatic scents. To relax the mind in peace and tranquility. To restore the balance of hectic living, to calm and balance.
Soon mother nature will shed her winters skin, of snow and ice, and open her door of warmth and sunshine. Soon the far away rays of winters sun will melt the frozen waters and heat the frozen ground. The earth will shed her blanket of snow and reveal the eager, early life below.
Soon, you will plant your garden. As you do so, take a moment of your time to think about food, to find a portion of your garden for food production, and to help to support the earth, in it’s duty to try to feed the growing human population, of the planet.

http://foodrevolution.org/summit2/?orid=98788&opid=4, summit of world food from April 26 to May 4, 2014

written by Dr. Louise Hayes
April 18, 2014

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To your good health

Good morning Brave hearts!
Wake up to the aroma of a highly nutritious breakfast brew. Energy packed, vitamin filled, the morning dose of body and mind rejuvenating food that boosts your body and starts your day off running.
The national past times are coffee and tea. But what about you brave hearts? Do you feel the power of an uplifted mind in your morning consumption? Is your blended cocktail of fruits and juices starting your day off right. Does your body say to you, feed me well so that I can perform well. Listen to your body, it speaks to you in so many ways. Your body will ask for proper nutrition, water, exercise and meditation. It will ask for relaxation and exertion.
Your beautiful body, so graceful and perfect, the vessel for your mind and soul. So well-tuned, so flexible, so strong and well-muscled. A high performance body, diligently exercised by the command of a controlling mind.
Eat properly, speaks the wise and your body will be healthy. Exercise regularly, speaks the diva and your body will perform well and you will live longer. Care for your spirit, says the saint and your mind will be at peace.
To start your day off with the typical boost of caffeine is short term gain. A healthy start to the day, will take you through the day at a happier, more enlivened pace. A boost to your mind and a boost to your spirit. The wholesome nutrition of vitamin packed foods to launch you off on your awesome day. A day of work, of worthwhile endevour. A day of skills and sharp aptitudes. A day of socializing and play. The energy to take you throughout the day, combating fatigue and stress, is connected to your good health and your diet.
Awesome human, the demands of your body are not that high, just proper diet, proper exercise, congenial social circles.
What your body can do for you, if you care for it properly, is your life fulfilled in so many ways. More agility, more stamina, more strength, more daring, more adventure. A properly nourished body helps to focus the mind, think more clearly, sharpen skills.
It could start with something simple, like your morning breakfast brew.

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/weightloss/1-morning-drink-boosts-energy-kills-belly-flab/

written by Dr. Louise Hayes
March 15, 2014

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The grand dictator

Good morning Brave hearts!

Colour your world to the dictates of fashion. An array of beauty unfolds to greet you. The grand master of influence and adventure. A call to the superior mind, to the inferior will, to the jealous and the courageous, to be spoiled and to secumb, to the master of human destiny, to be fated and ill fated, for necessity, for income, for prosperity and for nation building.
Fashion!
The word echoes in the ears of centuries old man. The fine garments, the decorative interiors, the gilted gold and bejeweled ornaments. The fun of the grandeur, the privilege of the covering, the daring to be individualized and the refreshing outlook of a different approach.
Hail, great human! Come to the wild! Here is where all destiny awaits. In business and trade, in negotiation and marriage, in adventure and lifestyle. Come, live your lives in the great Canadian north, where the dictator surrounds you and compels your compliance. Look to the forest, almighty human, there is the answer to your needs.
The aboriginal peoples of Canada clothed themselves in the finest and most sought after garments in the world at the time. Fur and leather are the trademark of their apparel. Hunting and trapping are the trademarks of their lives.
The bountiful forest and the open tundra yield animal life by the thousands. The daring lives of the bold northern hunter as he skillfully sets his trap line and waits in eager anticipation of the dollars to come. The stealthy hunter who stalks a prey of fleet footed wild for food and for fur. What brings you here, oh brave hearts, to settle in the remote far north? A land of danger and destitution for most. A land of changes and peril.
Cloak yourselves like kings. The seal gives up hides of waterproof warmth, for snugly insulated footwear, warm and impermeable. No dampness there, no winters chill, no ice cube toes or frostbitten feet. A necessity of an age gone by, where warm mukluks, kept us warm and dry. A coat of caribou, deer or bear. For centuries old man clothed himself in the finest cloth that man could find, fur.
Bejeweled in feathers, claws and teeth, bone for knives and ornamentation, the life of the land drew the cunning and daring, the strong and agile, the persistent and healthy. The clever craftsman of ingenuity and necessity, created a culture, a life, a world of their own.
Drawn to the hunt, by need or adventure, the northern man is a rightful settler. The need for the wild, as it gives up it’s treasure, is returned in the dutiful knowledge that waste is intolerable. All parts must be used, in meat, in fur, in bone, in teeth. The wild gives up their lives so sparingly, that precious gift must not be wasted.
Cloak yourselves in fur and feather, leather and hides from hats to boots, to mitts to coats, to pant and shirts.
Oh great dictator, you dress so well, for fashion calls us from our warm abode to venture out into the cold, to the north, to Canada, to settle and trade and to become the nation that we are. The nation of the fur trade.

This clip is about building an igloo, but look at their traditional garments!
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
January 17, 2014

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Barren ground Caribou

Hail brilliant mankind

Cast your eyes upon the wilds of the great land. The wilderness stretches out before you and you are saved. The new land, freshly washed of glacier ice and snow reveals the tundra and the life within. Brave hunters, your lives await you there. Up, way up, above the treeline into the Arctic.
Cast your eyes upon the land and view the newness of the Earth. Your lives await you here, almighty human, the brave explorer, the clever hunter. The wild beasts roam and in your view is the vast herd you’ve been searching for.
Caribou!
Here in the far north is a large migrating herd of caribou. The home of the barren ground caribou as they move across the northern plains of the North West Territories. A way of life for nomadic peoples as they follow the herds for food and clothing. A lifeline, a support, a tradition. Beware, almighty human, the world changes.

Click to access 2011-2015_Barren-ground_Caribou_Management_Strategy.pdf

The barren ground caribou is in decline. It’s once magnificent numbers in the hundreds of thousands of animals is now declining and the great herds are vanishing. A way of life vanishes with them. Gone is the migrating hunter, who’s dependency upon the caribou sustained them in food and clothing. Gone is the sport hunter and with the loss of the wild herds eco- tourism vanishes as well.
Hail bravehearts to the call of the wild.
The exploitation of the far north is a blight upon us. Overharvesting of a national treasure affects our cultural identity. As an environmentalist and a conservationist, the predation of the wild is a long standing concern. Hardship for the people, hardship for the wildlife and loss of culture, a food source, a tourist delight and a way of life.
The sustainability of the land appears consistent. The food source for the animals themselves seems stable. Overhunting is identified as a factor in the rapid decline and the dwindling numbers of caribou are a threat to the sustainability of the wild.
Eager hunters, your bellies are full and hunting of the magnificent wild is no more.
The lands set aside for wildlife habitat is immense in Canada, but still, the plunder increases. The far north, the tundra, uncultivated, unproductive land, whose resource value is low, but for the wildlife that resides there, it sustains them. Specially adapted animals, whose lives have supported the indigenous peoples of northern Canada for centuries. To loose the herds of the wild is to loose our national, cultural identity. The migration of the early peoples, the fur trade, the choice to inhabit the north. The integrity of the wild is essential to us.
Hail mankind. The world is yours, to protect or discard, choose wisely.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
November 20,2013

Dog sledding
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Dog sledding

Good day, you awesome human

Today it has snowed. The chilly wonder of a winter’s delight. Our nations most favourite past times are here.
The dogs whine and climb out of their white, snowy blankets. A new day of mushing and racing is upon them. Friendly, eager playmates in a life of Canadian made fun.
The sun pierces the sky and casts it’s golden warmth upon us. A fabulous, chilly -35C. A perfect day. A day of winter delight, of breakneck speed through the wild land, of wind on your face and warmth in the air. A day of endurance, strength, preparedness, fun! The great planet calls to us from the landscape and we’re off. Off to an adventure, off to another day of grand pursuits.
The eons of time travels quickly with us. Generations of dog sledding flies past our feet. We must. In our minds we know that we must. Carrying on the history of nation building, the travels of voyageurs, the present day sportsman and adventurer, the tourist. In a land of long winters and brilliant dark sky the endless preoccupation with the joys of winter fun is a must.

As Canadians, these traditions fill us with joy and wonder. The long race of dog sledding, a time of daring adventure, a feat of a thrilling pursuit. An age of discovery, when dog sledding helped to open the country and helped to transport goods, food and people across the land. A method of transportation for early explorers. Across the great white, snow covered plains of the Arctic. Dog sledding carrying us, as Canadians, all across the land.
Mile upon mile the dogs will run, day after day. The race. Such a thrilling adventure for dog and man.
The dogs stretch their limbs and howl. Run! they cry and off we go.
The winter!
The transportation corridors change and sometimes are easier with ice and snow. A frozen lake is a short cut, the marshes and bogs are easily crossed. Better to travel in winter with ice and snow and the howl of dogs in your ears. Faster and less dangerous than running rapids with canoes and the winter forest shines with snow.
Culture!
What we do to save ourselves, to explore, to open trade routes, to fulfill our negotiated contracts.
The dog team is an integral part of our culture. It’s a need fulfilled. Across the great land to explore, to reach communities with goods for trade. To fulfill business contracts and to live.
Here, almighty human in the great white north is the destiny of a lifetime of adventure. It called to the early explorer. Come to Canada! Live the adventure! And so they did.
Criss crossing the nation from trading post to trading post with sleighs laden with supplies. A life of business enterprise. Dog and man, racing across the great plains of the provinces, dog and man, racing east to west and back again. Dog and man racing to the north, racing to the south.
Culture and tradition whistling in our ears.
The dogs, our coveted friends.
Praises to you brilliant mankind, for the peace of trade and for the joy adventure. The negotiated peace that saves our lives.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
November 12,2013

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The Pilgrims

Good day, you brilliant ones.
The feasting of Thanksgiving is passing, but as with all traditions and their historical significance, the celebration is only a reminder of the truth of its existence. To give thanks for life itself is the meaning of the day. The joy of sharing, the happiness of celebration and the relief of a bountiful harvest. Food. No hunger, no starvation, no more worry for the winter.
Traditions arise from many sources, but a holiday to give thanks for the bountiful harvest, which will provide for all during the long winter, was a holiday of feasting and sharing, a holiday of community and a time to end all suffering. No disputes amongst us on these special days. The days when the earth is praised for the abundance that it provides, the days when the Almighty is praised for salvation and the days when community is praised for peace amongst us and all of the benefits that peace brings to our lives.
Historically, the first Thanksgiving took place with the pilgrims in the 1600’s. The joy and relief of a season of toil, was gifted with a plentiful harvest which would last throughout the winter. The negotiated peace was honoured and a lasting peace was accomplished.
Relief. The joy of such a simple achievement. Food. A garden. A party. Prayers, praises, blessings and thanks. The joy of such a simple accomplishment. Food.
With this first Thanksgiving came the hope and dreams of years to come. Aspirations to build a community, a colony, perhaps a country. A home of freedom. The constant call of beleagured peoples. Freedom!
The natives were friendly. There was peace amongst us.

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

Now, from the first season of toil, comes the wealth of the land. Prosperity! With relief and gladness they sang their songs of praises, of worship, of joy. No more the suffering of distant disputes, the hardships of unrequieted trust. The loss of honour and dignity. No more the distant call of a distant drummer, to beat the path to their own self worth. Now, for this small group of people, in their own chosen world is a haven of safety for themselves.
The natives are friendly. They signed the contract. There will be peace amongst us. So much to give thanks for, so much to have joy for , so much to live for. Paths of their own choosing, a destiny of their own calling, an all encompassing grace.
Joy to you, almighty man, for the achievement of a great landing. Joy to you, you great negotiators, you great peacekeepers. Praises to you for the harvest and the crops and the food and for plenty. Plenty, for your survival, plenty for your daily bread, plenty to share and to plenty to give thanks for. With solemn prayers and joyful hearts, we hear you from your brilliant past.
Hail to you, almighty human, for the songs in your hearts, for the brilliance of your minds and for the skills of negotiation. The negotiated peace is prosperity, humanity and your heartfelt joy.
Praises for the ancient landing, praises for peace amongst us, praises for Thanksgiving and to all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
October 14, 2013
http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html
http”//www.empowernetwork.com/almostasecret.php?id=louisehayes

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Thanksgiving

Good day you awesome human

This weekend is the celebration of all of our harvest. A happy time, a prosperous time and a time of thanksgiving. Thank you for the gifts of food, for the sharing and for the discovery of the new world. Thank you for peace amongst us, for family and for friends. Thank you for the harvest, for the good earth and for the land to call home.
This is a time of joy in our land, a time of feasting, to overcome the shadow of dark starvation, of poverty and of loss. The toil of the land produces plenty and the harvest yields another season of healthy wealth. Another season of joy as our larders fill with the crops, put down from this years bountiful growth. We are the lucky ones to live our lives in a land so abundant.
The catch of the day lies just off shore. The fishing vessels from far off places come to our coastlines to cast their nets. The hungry from their own nations call to be appeased. Their fishermen travel long distances to find a place where they can catch fish. The times are the 1600’s and the new world is attracting settlers, merchants and fishermen from Europe.
The pilgrims have landed on Plymouth Rock and are settling in America. The natives were congenial. They shared in the harvest and helped the new pilgrims to survive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrims_(Plymouth_Colony)

The newly found earth sighs as it gives up its harvest to the grateful pilgrims. They have escaped to a life of prosperity and health. The soil is nutritious the yield is high enough. No more the starving plight of impoverished families. Famine or pestilence has been left behind. The new world is a blessing to them and the friendly natives do them no harm.
A community of sharing unfolds as the blessing of food is gratefully accepted and peace amongst us is the order of the day. Peace to all of us, who have been so fortunate as to travel to this great land. To meet the people who now live close by, who share the land, the wealth of the land and the bountiful harvest.
Praises to the great Earth for the plentiful food. Praises to the almighty human for compassion and sharing. No starvation in this land and the food itself gives time for other pursuits. America becomes the land of plenty. The land of dreams, of opportunity. The land of prosperity. From an ancient landing a reputation is born. Come to America! You will live well here!
Come they did. Across the Atlantic in nervous anticipation of a new life with new meaning. The joy of freedom flows in their veins. The pride of achievement swells in their breasts. The joy of living is their daily bread. They sing the glad tidings of gratefulness and pray their prayers of joy and hope. Starvation is banished. Poverty recedes. The merciful almighty hears their prayers and blesses them with abundance.
Joy to you, oh fortunate human and praises to the peacekeepers. The start of a new world, a new nation, new lives, arising from the good fortune of the congenial gift of mutual sharing.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
October 9, 2013
http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html
http”//www.empowernetwork.com/almostasecret.php?id=louisehayes

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Housing

Hail to you oh moral human.
Cast out the evil of insistent intruders, the interlopers who pry into your lives. Your own domain houses your privacy and only the chosen ones enter your lives. This place of peace and prosperity for you. Share it wisely.
The plunder of the planet is a constant concern. Another building constructed on green space, another housing development on acres of previously held farmland. More housing for the masses, less farmland for our crops. Oh feed us, almighty planet, from whatever nutricious soil is left.
The housing crisis is a serious detriment to the planet. One more apartment complex for the ever increasing numbers of single people. Single from divorce, from circumstance or from choice. The single population puts an unnecessary demand on the planet. Another home just for one, another apartment, just a bachelor, just for one. More and more space put aside for people who can’t, won’t or don’t want to share.
The rising cost of utilities to heat homes just for one. The rising cost of infrastructure to accommodate all of those buildings which have so many people living alone. Another apartment building with one bedroom and bachelor apartments, just for one, but the social and economic stress is high. All of that costly infrastructure, all of that costly development, all of that costly land put into apartments, condominiums and one bedroom bungalows, just for one person. Our taxation skyrockets to fulfill the requests of plunder. Our housing shortage is an artificial number. It’s contrived by the growing numbers of families ousted from housing by single people living alone.
Development becomes excessive. The family is abused by inappropriate housing. All that’s available is a one bedroom accommodation. All that’s available is a bachelor apartment. Where will they stay?
The demographic study shows more demand for housing. Complexes are built to fulfill needs to repair the costly demands of single people. All that space, all of that land, all of those utilities, to provide for the comfort of one person.
Price increases, taxation skyrockets, the land succumbs to yet another development, farming and farm land decreases, wild spaces vanish, the city encroaches. With yet another dwelling comes more shopping malls, more roads, more utility lines, more plunder and more crowding.
The large companies who house work crews have a genuine need for bachelor apartments. A person stationed in an area temporarily needs accommodation. The difference in value, between hotel living and providing an apartment is high in cost. The consumer pays the price. The value of commodities essential for living escalates to pay for housing for work crews who cannot find accommodation. Hotels welcome them, but society pays their wage. Every cost is returned to the consumer and housing costs for travelling crews is high.
Affordable housing becomes the demand of the day and another productive farm is overtaken by development. Where will our grocery come from? Our negotiations are stable, we can always purchase from abroad.
Almighty human, with the earth so fragile, each decision is an important one. Housing is always a crisis. Food and food production is always a crisis. The preservation of the environment is crucial.
Before you venture out on your own, think about the planet and your own safety. Your family and your roommates protect you and the social costs of people living alone is too high for our fragile environment to bear.
written by Dr Louise Hayes
October 6, 2013

Take Flight
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Take Flight

Good morning brave hearts.
The cooler fall air reminds the birds of the season of change. They call to each other to gather around. Come near! they sing. They clamour together and fill the trees, calling for each and every one of them to join the flock. It is fall. Time to move south.
The birds natural inclination to move to warmer climates, brings the masses of migrating birds together. The gregarious birds fly together for protection and flight paths. They keep each other in sight, the older ones, showing the way to the younger ones the way, the strong leading the weak. The birds will travel hundreds of kilometers in search of new food sources, shelter, homes and habitats.
The skies fill with the wonder of migration.
The long flight to ponds and forests in far off places. Will they still be there for the birds? Will those protected places that the wildlife need so badly for survival still exist? One more year of environmental protection, one more year of the survival of so many species.
Thousands fly south to warm climates, their small bodies too fragile for cold temperatures and as the leaves turn colour and fall, the protection of the trees vanishes. The winds are strong and the birds take flight to escape.
Will they return?
We protect our own forests for the salvation of the planet, air, weather, for us, for wildlife and for beauty. The forest provides a beautiful backdrop to our lives. The gracious trees, home to many animals, insects and birds provide homes, shelter from the elements, wind, sun and rain and food.
The brave birds fly on a course to the unknown. They will winter wherever they can find food and shelter. Wherever the compassionate human has protected them and the environments that they need for survival. Parklands, forests, back yards with shrubs and trees.
The migration is a marvel of distance and stamina.
How many will come back to us?
The quiet of autumn fills our ears as the chattering birds leave us behind.
The monarch butterflies have already gone on their long flight to Mexico.
http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/
Hibernating animals dig into the earth for their long winters sleep and ponds become quiet.
Trees shed their leaves in preparation for their own winters sleep.
The land is changing. The scattered seeds of summer plants find resting places in the soil. New life for next year.
Prepare for winter, it will come soon.
The peaceful land keeps us busy with fall harvest. Hay for the livestock, fall fruits and vegetables for us. The farmers markets swell with food and our own food baskets are heavy.
The earth saves us once again.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
September 23,2013
http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html
http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes

Solstice
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Solstice

Hail Brave hearts!

It’s officially fall. The autumn colours of the landscape are changing and a new brilliant hue of colour is upon us. This almighty man, is the land of our forefathers. The land of pristine beauty, of awesome wonder, of dreams fulfilled, of courageous challenge. A land for bold and daring adventure, a life of freedom. A new way, a new path to follow a new quest.
Here, almighty man, is the great land! All of your strength, all of your courage, all of your skills, all of your brilliance and all of your compassion.
Fine negotiator who accepted cultural diversity and multiculturalism as a natural human condition. Fine negotiator, whose attempts to assimilate brought peace and prosperity to the land. Clever peacemaker who spied an opportunity and felt a responsibility to save.
Save us! Called the dying as they slipped away. The path to prosperity was too difficult and too isolated.
Compassionate human, who lived so well, with such apparent ease, with prosperity, luxury and time for leisure pursuits. Art, games, athletics, tests of skills and feats of daring.
This is the new world. Lucky are we to be the fortunate ancestors of accepted mankind in a world so daunting and dangerous.
The pristine wilderness unfolds before us and calls it endless call to follow. Come, great human, into the great wild, whispers the forest, sings the rivers and howls the wind. Experience this peace and hear our song, we sing to you mankind, freedom!
Freedom! It echoed in the ears of our forefathers as they arrived by the boatload to inhabit a land of unknown challenges. A promise of lives fulfilled, dreams come true, plenty for all. The negotiated peace brought with it nation building, agriculture, economics, land, contentment and relaxation. Escape to the new world.
Gone was the overburdening landlord and the endless struggle against taxation. The homesteaders came to farm the land and now there is a harvest. It is fall, the colours are changing, the fruit is ripening, the food is abundant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesteading
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/living-the-good-life-zm0z12aszkon.aspx
Still, in our modern homes, we hear the voices of wisdom persistently nudging us. Move forward, brilliant human, but keep the past with you. Don’t forget your daring ancestors, that brave wilderness birth, the fear, the sorrow, the overwhelming pain. Don’t forget us mankind. Don’t leave the past behind. Remember the great peace that saved us and that is our duty to retain. The great peace, in a world of hardship, with a call to duty to overcome the challenges, inhabit all of the land, build a civilization, farm the land, be the almighty human! No so, bravehearts. Without the great peace, all would be lost.
Now, in this time of joy, when the crops are harvested, food is plenty, the winter is cared for, survival is promised. Now we rejoice in the autumn, with it’s changing colours, it’s cooler temperatures, it’s gifts from the earth.
The animals mate and they too will survive. The great earth, full of miracles, provides again.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
September 22,2013
http://www.bbcanada.com/10895-html
http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes