settlers

Gun Control
by

Gun Control

Good Day Brave Heart

It’s seldom a bad day with so much to do.

Exit the warm contentment of the cozy, familiar structure to the bright snow-covered future that awaits you in the outdoors.  It’s a fantasy world of snow laden trees, martins leaping along the way and birds chattering to each other.  What do they say?  Only your own spirits will determine their message.  The sundog shines in a glorious ring around the sun, indicating a weather pattern on its way.  The brightness of this glory world is the psychedelic wonder of yesteryear.  It’s no wonder that they thought that LDS was safe.

Minds bend in the staggering difficulty of the task.    The unfathomable human experiment of the day.

Hunting and trapping, the need to survive, the human is a new predator in this place.  Now the competition for the food supply has increased and new hunters are on the land.  Hunters with families and small mouths to feed.  Tiny tots with growing pains, hunger pangs and shill cries.  Feed us! cloth us! save us! The howls stop when the hut vanishes in the snow and the hunt for animal tracks begin.

This new human brings a new kind of weapon to the wild world of big game hunting.  Gone is the bow and arrow, now it’s the rifle.  Guns.  Guns to protect us, guns to hunt with, guns to be dependent upon.  Guns for survival, guns for livelihood, guns for trade and barter.  Guns.   Only the need for ammunition is a drawback in the use of guns.  Stock the larder with as much provision for the winter as you can, and don’t forget the main one, your gun.

Unlicensed weapons have as many as you want to.  No one is watching.

The stealthy aboriginal makes his way to your shelter.  Maybe you don’t have to hunt today.  Maybe all that you have to do is to trade him a good gun and a round of ammunition for a side of moose, a rack of elk and a hind quarter of deer.  Maybe he will give his own much needed furs, from that rabbit, for a gun.  The indigenous people need the fur more than the fur trader do, but wildlife is plentiful, and trade brings wealth to this family.  Wealth to one, survival to another, a deal is struck.  It seems like a win, win situation.  The stealthy aboriginal so experienced in the ways of this land, looking to improve his own lot in life.  A gun for his hunt, a gun for his prosperity and a gun to protect him from the devil.

The homesteader is saved.  No more psychedelic sunshine.  No more mind-bending winter exposure.  No more lethargic, seemingly drug filled indecisive wanderings.   He is saved.  Saved by the aboriginal bell of necessity.  The gun is more powerful than the bow and arrow.

A shot rings out on the still land.  The skilled new hunter has already conquered.  More will come looking for this kind of trade.  More will seek the European for guns.

Guns for survival, guns to protect us.  Guns.  A new way of life.

The Wild Canadian Year: Canada’s toughest season, with only the hardiest prevailing – Winter – YouTube

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

 

 

by

Build a Shack in Paradise

Hail Brave Hearts

The stormy waters filled with rapids, guide you further into the unknown.  Down the perilous pathway of water to a landing where unknown inhabitants greet you with curiosity.  Immigrants are unknown here. Migrants from other lands are unusual and suspect.  Strangers.  Strangers all are we.  Unusual groups of people meeting each other on land and territories already occupied by aboriginals.

A chance to land on untamed wilderness, but no, push on, push on.  Push on to the treasure, that pot of gold.  Follow your rainbow, find your dream.  The world was just as perilous then as it is now.  Tame the forest, fight for this freedom, if it’s worth fighting for.  Now that your path is dedicated to this life, this life you must live, or perish trying.  Live your great adventurers, this is the dream that calls you.  Live!  No point in complaining, in blaming and accusing.  No point in sorrow or despair.  This is the life that you’ve accepted.  Push on, oh brave hearts, that X on the map lies out in these regions somewhere.

The poverty of Europe, the wars, the disease, now left behind on this quest for freedom.  Fighters, maybe, escapees perhaps, adventurers always.  Come to Canada.  Your life lies here, if you can find your way.

The rivers of highways will guide you inland, inland to a place for  you to stay.  A place to build your home and to carve your future from the great wild.

The native peoples are somewhat quiet,  and somewhat peaceful.  If they will help you there will be a chance.  The land is fertile, but clearing is difficult, negotiations are made to occupy this place.  A place of wild wilderness, where the wildlife come into view.  A dangerous animal, a pretty deer, calling birds, but get on with it.  There’s no time to waste on wildlife viewing, no time to spare in planting the harvest, no time to wait in building a house.  Beware of the evils of the wild.  Too much muscle strain, too much isolation, a life too difficult for many.   However this is the chosen path, the way to divine freedom.  Flee from oppression, from the certainty of war, from starvation by poverty.  This must be better.  This X on the map.  This place, this freedom was worth fighting for.

Finally to arrive at your own place in paradise.  Rivers, forests, wilderness, wildlife, aboriginals, pestilence, strife and land.  The journey to this special place, the fulfillment of this dream, a destiny for all of us.  Now is the time to prove your education, skills, qualifications, abilities, aptitudes and determination.  Now is the time to build your house, your shack in paradise.  All of the time spent clearing the land, removing the brush, using the training that was taught to you.  Now you will know if you were a good student, listening well to an instructor so far away.  Now you will know if you are at the end of your journey, or if your new life has just begun.

Dream, oh great adventurer, of a life in a far off land.  Secure that piece of paradise.  Build your shack in the wilds.  Your homesteading life has begun.

 

Do-it-yourself house on the mountain. What did I find from that – YouTube

A house on a mountain with your own hands. Part 2 – YouTube

 

Written by Dr Louise Hayes

June 7, 2022

by

A Brave and Perilous Journey

Hail Brave hearts

In the era of yesteryear,  the land was young, and people from Europe sought passage to this place, seeking a new freedom, a quest for new life, a new self fulfillment, a new community, a new start in the world.  This was Canada, when it was young, a place for settlers to, call their home.  Strong people, adventurous, industrious, hard working and courageous, they flocked to this land for their rights to a new life.  Free of the constraints of power in Europe, the new colonialists forged ahead, seeking refuge, land, a place to farm and a place to call home.  This is us, in Canada.  Young, welcoming, offering a life to those who were willing to make the journey and to work for a life  like no other.

The wild calls, with it’s howling voice, its watches with it’s thousand eyes, it hears with it’s sharp ears and vanishes into the bush, only to emerge at night and howl some more.

The crack of a branch in the forest.  Who’s out there?  Only a wild cat?  Only a bear?  Who lurks in the bushes and stalks us?  In the quiet of the forest, when the wind rushes through the trees, the clamour of restless birds, announce the presence of the stranger.  In the wild of the waterways, the rushing water tumbles over rapids and waterfalls.  Dangerous rivers, dangerous portages, dangerous stormy lakes, all lead to the wealth of a land of promise.  The new land of plenty, if you dare to seek it.  Follow the treasure map to the X that marks the place.  Here you will find what you seek, if you survive the perilous journey to reach it.

How long will this journey take depends on you.  It depends on your skills, your health, your aptitudes, fortitude and negotiation., or perhaps, stealth and quiet.  It’s a dangerous game, but for the many who sought this refuge in the wild, the high stakes must have been worth effort.  The right to own land, to have a freedom.

1670s in Canada – Wikipedia

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean is just the beginning.  A 5403 kilometer start to an uncertain finish in old Quebec City.  Such a long and tiresome journey for the the hopeful stalwarts of the day.   Alas, this is not the X on this map.  Old Quebec is not the treasure for this group of immigrants, longing for a fresh new start in a wild and uncompromising land.  This refuge in the storm is not for them.  This fabulous  colony, so fortuitous, the weary, grateful travellers can cast their eyes on the potential that awaits them.  A city!  It’s possible.  It’s possible to tame this land.  It’s possible to farm here, and to enjoy the benefits of a tenuous freedom.

There are freedoms from some things, but the land and it’s inhabitants are still in charge.  Push on, oh brave hearts, push on.  Seek your fortune.  Find the treasure.  It’s promised to you, if you survive.  So brave hearts, if you should choose to accept this challenge, your good fortune and perhaps fame awaits you.  Good luck.

written by Dr Louise Hayes

April 11, 2022

by

The Power of your Garden

Hail Brave Hearts

Good health to you.  It’s all around us, in the food we eat, the daily exercise that we do, our social and spiritual interactions, education, work and play.  Heal us.

In the past centuries of homesteading natural healing was common sense.  To find the elements of medicine in our natural world, to relieve us from the threats of  common illnesses.  The day’s work must be done.  The days work cannot be left unattended.  A day off with illness was appalling for people who relied on the land for their survival.  Day after day after day, toil and work.  A days work was never done.  Plant your crops, tend to the animals, forage in the forest, sheer the sheep, knit your blankets, chop the wood, stoke the fire, day after day after day.

Salves and ointments sooth sore muscles.  Extracts and tinctures to ingest for your health.  Medicines from the great wild, from flowers, trees and grasses.  The soothing forest, the healing plains, find your medicines in the wildlands, there are cures out there.  A fine flower like Lungwort, a pretty daisy to ingest, a mighty spruce for your winter tea.  Plant your garden with healing remedies, to bolster the immune system against the constant threat of life threatening illness.

Plant your garden well, with vitamins, minerals, essential enzymes, herbal remedies.  Plant your garden to keep yourself healthy and to make you well.  A prized patch of Queen Anne’s Lace, showy Chicory for breakfast tea or coffee,  The careful selection of medicinal plants.

7 Evidence-Based Benefits of Wheatgrass (healthline.com)

The life of a homesteader in early Canada was filled with trials and tribulations.  A community of people, reliant on their courage and expertise to survive in a harsh, sparsely populated land where wildlife and livestock, collide.  The peace of the people, although essential, is not enough.  The forest and the land are filled with deadly surprises.  The forest and the lands are filled with healing and cures.  Venture out into the land, for it’s remedies that will save you.  Care and caution every day of your life, for what lurks in the shadows of the trees and tall grasses.

Hunting for wildlife is shared between wild predators and hungry humans. Livestock must be saved.

It’s an interesting life of essential skills and education.  How to build a house, how to build a fence, how to forage in the forest, what to plant, where to plant it.  Soil conditions, weather patterns, cold, stocking up for the winter, how to dry food, prepare meat, basic first aid,  sewing.  The list of requirements for homesteading goes on and on.  Build your cabin in the woods, beside cool waters, on fertile land.  A society of far flung people, a few kilometers apart, being the next door neighbour.  A neighbour right there, right beside, to help out if necessary.

In our minds that neighbour lives a long way off, but to an early homesteader, it was close by.  Their health and vitality was different from ours.  Cure yourself, you awesome human.  Plant your garden well.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 6, 2021

 

 

by

Those Divine Weeds

Hail Brave hearts

Still exploring, still living that awesome adventure, still looking forward to the next great day.  Still working those muscles, still struggling with pain.  Not so!  Your diet could save you.

On and on the canoe is paddled, on and on, those muscles work.  Through rapids, portages, endless days on the water, trap the fur, bring it home, make a fortune for that clever, illustrious businessman.  Be the vehicle to their desires.  Work your body, your mind, your spirit to the bone.  Leave your loved ones, travel with courage, bring home that cherished dime.

The difficult life of the courier de bois, the homesteaders that followed them and the settling of Canada.  The price that was paid in life and livelihood, as the courageous Canadians make their way into the great wild.  Survive you must.

The land takes it’s toil and exhausts us.  The strain and stress of this life is full of great challenges.  There are dreams of gold but hardship is plenty.  Tell us your secrets.  How did you survive?

In the great wild, there is plenty, if you know what to look for.  There was game to catch, fish in the streams, fruit, berries and edible plants along the way.  Some of this is medicinal and works to cure that obvious.  Vitamin C for scurvy, vitamin A for your eyes.  The long days of sunshine gleaming off the water, the eyesore from reflections from the water without sunglasses, the sunburn, the pain of it.

Somewhere in the wilds of Canada is medicine for all of this.  Salves, ointments, tinctures, treatments for cuts, bruises, scrapes and burns.  Somewhere there are treatments for pain, vision loss, inflamed joints, sore muscles, pulls and sprains.  Somewhere there is treatment for disease and mental impairment.  Our healing is abundant and our forefathers prove it.  Somewhere in the great wild nutrition is abundant and the natural world gives us relief from aches and pain, from disease and keeps us well.  Somewhere in the wild, there is food that will save us, if you know what to look for.

 

Lambs Quarters:

Why was Lamb’s quarters used as an herbal remedy?
The plant was used traditionally as an herbal remedy for eczema, rheumatic pains, gout, colic, insect stings and bites. Also a decoction made from the herb was used to treat tooth decay. The sap extracted from the plant stems was used to reduce freckles and treat sunburns.

Lamb’s Quarters Uses in Cooking and Benefits as a …

http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/lambs-quarters-he…
See all results for this question
Why is it important to eat lambsquarter leaves?
Lambsquarter is an important source of food that can be considered a key staple, while at the same time it is also an extremely valuable medicine. When the leaves are chewed into a green paste and applied to the body, it makes a great poultice for insect bites, minor scrapes, injuries, inflammation, and sunburn.
  • https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/ingredient/Lambs-Quarters/267

    Lamb’s quarters contains more protein, calcium, and vitamins B1 and B2 than cabbage or spinach, making it a wild edible fit for Pop-Eye, our favorite green vegetable hero. It is also rich in iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and A. Lamb’s Quarters warms your mouth, is slightly salty, sour, and mildly spicy.

  • Lambs Quarter – Wild & Edible www.thegypsythread.org

    https://www.thegypsythread.org/lambs-quarter-wild-edible

    2021-07-27 · Internal uses range from treating diarrhea, relieving stomach aches, and for scurvy (due to the high Vitamin C content.) Lamb’s quarter tea is also known for decreasing inflammation and increasing circulation. Lamb’s quarter poultices are said to relieve itching, swelling, and relieve burn pain.

    Yarrow

    In short, Yarrow has the following medicinal uses:

    • wound treatment
    • stops bleeding
    • digestive herb
    • diuretic
    • anti-inflammatory
    • anti-spasmodic
    • anti-catarrhal (removes excess mucous from the body)
    • diaphoretic (reduces fever)
    • lowers blood pressure
    • stimulates blood flow in the pelvic area (especially the uterus)
    • antimicrobial
    • used for hemorrhage
    • used for treatment in pneumonia
    • used for treatment in rheumatic pain

    Purple Aster

    • Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes.

      Wild Asters medicinal uses | V I Farms

      Are there any medicinal uses for wild asters?
      Wild Asters medicinal uses. The warm infusion may be used freely in colds, rheumatism, nervous debility, headache, pains in the stomach, dizziness, and menstrual irregularities. This, together with A. cordifolius, has been compared in value with valerian. Aster aestivus …is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative.

    •  Aster aestivus…is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative. Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes

    • Aster Plant Uses – Learn About The Edibility Of Aster Flowers

      https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/asters/edibility…

      2020-08-30 · The flowers and leaves can be eaten fresh or dried when eating aster plants. The Native American people harvested wild aster for a multitude of uses. The roots of the plant were used in soups and young leaves were cooked lightly and used as greens.

       

    • Daisies

    The Medicinal Herb Daisy The herb may be used for loss of appetite as it has stimulating effect on the digestion system and it has been used as a treatment for many ailments of the digestive tract, such as gastritis, diarrhea, liver and gallbladder complaints and mild constipation.

    Wild daisy is a plant. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicinal tea. People take wild daisy tea for coughs, bronchitis, disorders of the liver and kidneys, and swelling ( inflammation ). They also use it as a drying agent (astringent) and as a ” blood purifier.”

    The young flower heads or buds can be added to salads, soups or sandwiches; or the flower heads used to decorate salad dishes. The leaves can be eaten raw despite their bitter aftertaste, but are better mixed in salads or cooked and might be used as a potherb. The buds can be preserved in vinegar and used in cooking as a substitute for capers.

    Nutritional profile

    It is both an anti-inflammatory herb and a vulnerary (improves circulation) herb. Drink daisy tea for the plant’s health-giving and restorative properties. A modern study of wild edibles used during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–95) showed that daisies contain 34 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

    Common Thistle

    The roots have been used as a poultice and a decoction of the plant used as a poultice on sore jaws. A hot infusion of the whole plant has been used as a herbal steam for treating rheumatic joints. A decoction of the whole plant has been used both internally and externally to treat bleeding piles.

    Save yourself, with the delicious, nutritious weeds of the wild!  Our great ancestors had nothing else to eat.  The knowledge  of the food value and medicinal value of these weeds offered to us by the aboriginal people of Canada, saved us then and could help us now.  Eat, drink and be well.

    written by Dr. Louise Hayes

    August 22, 2021

     

by

Feast

Praises to the Magnificent Almighty Man

Eat hearty.  Tis the season for delicious cuisine.  A summertime of hours of work brings us the much needed harvest.  With gratitude for our living, our survival, and our fabulously healthy diet.  The smorgasbord has arrived.  Joy to us, for this magnificent and decadent celebration.  Thanksgiving is a must.

We turn our attention to the bounty of the Earth.  A time of joy, of family of friends and fellowship.  The hardship of the toil of planting culminates on this holiday which saves us.  Eat well and share. This holiday comes from giving, sharing, community, peace and fellowship.  It comes from caring for people and taking care of people.  It is a time for the home, for the harvest and the homecoming.  As usual, we feast and remember with gladness, the story of Thanksgiving and the happiness of the people.

Eat, drink and be merry, oh joyous ones, the nurturing of this gift of food is for your health, wellness and continued enjoyment.  A delight for the grand chef.

Recipes abound for this season with the additional goodness of the meal plan already resolved.  Traditional cooking at it’s best.  The larder is full, the guest list is easy.  We put aside our worries for a moment and retreat to our bubble.  The safety of a circle of close friends and relatives who we can share with.  This has been an unusual year, 2020, but we still persevere.  Our gatherings are small, our journeys limited in distance and number.  We are cautious with our meetings and grateful for the advances in technology that surrounds us with people who we care for and still need to communicate with.  We still dine in style and share our thoughts and conversation through the fortunate support of social media, cell phones, ipads , computer and other gadgets.  The life line is still present.  We are still able to connect ourselves to the wide wide world out there.

With praises we are thankful.  In history the wide ocean separates the people from their families.  There is no where to go.  There is nothing else to do, but to have faith in God and to trust in strangers who might help them.  They faced illness and hunger and so much despair.  One hundred and thirty lonely people, cast out into an unknown world of much hardship.  Save us!  They landed, and fell into a tribe of indigenous people, unknown strangers, perhaps murderers, they met them anyway, regardless of their fear.

How fortunate to meet a compassionate  person who extended an invitation of peace, food, fellowship and acceptance.  How fortunate to meet those kinds of people, even today.  The people who will break bread with you, share the larder, extend an invitation.  The days of yore, when a broken group of stranded people, encountered the unexpected in a strange and wild land.  Give thanks for those fortunate few who were so lucky as to be included.  Feast and be merry, joy to us all.  This celebration of food is the making of a great nation, of great friendships.  It is to overcome starvation, to live in peace, to be a community and a country.

These are our instructions, according to history.

\written by Dr. Louise Hayes

October 21, 2020

 

by

Saint Marie Among the Hurons

Hail Brave hearts

It is with great courage that we settle this country, filled with new adventures and difficult times.  It is with bravery that we meet these new people in their own homeland and on their own terms.  It is with faith and prayer that we negotiate a peaceful settlement, and with determination and recognition of the mission, that is required, proceed to our duty.  To the new land, and to the people of it, we meet.

Such is the sturdy vow of the missionary, the Jesuits who landed to fulfill their duty.  Bring the people religion.  Bring them to Christianity.  It is the solemn vow of the faith, these people must be saved.  Saved in the eyes of God, save their everlasting soul.  Save the people, even in death.

The mission was built in Huron (Wendake) territory, 1200 kilometers from Quebec.  Started in 1639 and lasting only 10  years, it was the first settlement in New France, in the province that is now Ontario.   It was set on a large tract of land between Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay, in  Huron territory.  The the mission itself was on the Wye River.

Only a small group of men made the long journey from Quebec City to this remote place.  All martyred for their faith.  The Huron themselves, were curious and peaceful.  They allowed the mission on their land and allowed the Jesuits to preach to them.  Some converted, some did not, but pursue the faith is a must.  Fulfill the mission of their lives, they must.  Bring religion to the people.  Serve God.  No matter what the price is , it is not too high.  Serve God.  Bring Christianity to the people with the intention of everlasting peace.  Peace on Earth, goodwill to your fellow human.

Canada’s first Christmas Carol, the Huron Carol, written in 1642 probably by Jean de Brebeuf.

Saint Marie among the Huron is a historical place of hope, dreams, hardship and abandonment.  The security of the Jesuits, lost to the increasing hostility of the Iroquois in the insistent war with the Huron.  Iroquois with guns, Huron with bow and arrow, missionaries with prayer.  Peace among us, oh mighty human.  This territory belongs to the Huron, the land of the Wendake.

http://www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca/sm/en/HistoricalInformation/TheSainteMarieStory/index.htm

But the dreadful incessant war proved the Iroquois to be a stronger and more aggressive people.  Intent on murder, they continued their assault on the Huron and would not leave.  Some of the Huron  who survived  fled to neighboring tribes, and to Quebec to re-establish themselves, on Ile de Orleans , just east of Quebec city in 1650.  By 1649 the mission was in ruin, burned by the Jesuits so that the Iroquois couldn’t inhabit it.  The Huron had departed, the Jesuits were gone.  Gone, but saved.  Other peace remained.  The fur trade was still active, with trade and negotiation still intact.  With the loss of this mission is an uncanny coincidence.  The city of Montreal, founded in 1649.

 

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 10, 2020

by

St. Christopher

Hail Brave hearts

The seas are rising and the crossing is dangerous. The water swells and ripples. The current is too strong and the rapids are too long, the danger of the crossing is too great for our skills. Save us! Or we shall perish. Be the strong and be the mighty, be the back that we can cling to, be our arms that plow the water, be our legs that withstand the current. Be our strength, be our courage, be our transport across the torrent. Hail to you, oh great Saint Christopher, patron saint of the traveler.

We are weary, tired and weak, you are the strong, give us your hand. You are strong, powerful and mighty, we are small, weak and puny. Help us with your bravery and the powerful strength of your body. Lucky are we to meet your acquaintance, the sight of such an enormous man. Courage and kindness to help these strangers, who are so desolate that they need his hand.

The crossing is difficult, the child is too heavy, all of the weight of the world on his back. This is the Christ Child the Redeemer of history, the merciful, the wondrous child. A small load, but so heavy, he carries our weighty sins. I am small but you are mighty, St Christopher, carry me.

Carry me across the turbulent oceans, carry me across the perilous land, carry me across the arid desert, deliver me home, by your strong hands. St Christopher we plead to you, save us, by your mighty strength. We are the travelers who need your company, your support, your superiority. we are the travelers who will perish without your generosity. Hail, St, Christopher save us! We know you can.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Christopher

For centuries you have saved us, with your mighty, muscular build. Save us always, oh great and mighty one, our adventures are still perilous. Take us across the swelling ocean, take us to our home in this brave new land. Save us in our journey, as we cross the turbulent sea, save us in our travel to this new country. You are the mighty, you are the strong, we are the week who depend upon you. Support us in the grand adventure, carry us across the seas. Stay with us while we explore this wild, untamed new land.

Hail to you oh St, Christopher, we raise your medal high. You have been so much to us, and to you, we are meerly passersby.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

by

Christmas in the Country

Hail You Awesome Human

The night is bright with stars so shiny, it is the time of Christmas Eve. The winter snow is deep and crisp, white and bright and full of it’s own delight. Christmas and winter are filling our lives. Fun in the snow and fun in the humanity of the season. Fill our lives with joy and celebration, fill our hearts with gladness and peace. Love for one another, joy to all of humanity, the child will soon be born.

Bless this season, all you fine people, fill your lives with joy. A baby will soon be born, bless the baby boy.

The hardship of the daily toil is sometimes overwhelming and dreary. Daily life can be difficult, tiresome and weary. Some are rich, some are poor, some are weak and some are far away. Now is a time for Christian giving, feasting and sharing and exchanging gifts. The tradition of family, friends and strangers, all connected to a child. Save us! Praises to you oh holy child. Save us!

Bring our loved ones to us, make their travels safe. Long journeys homeward, to our family to share Christmas Day. A tradition of joy that we celebrate with the world. Home for the holidays, all you Christian people. Celebrate the joy that this fine season brings.

The dead of winter for holiday delight. It’s perfect. Cold and wintry is the night with the fresh snow in the morning to greet us. There is nothing better than this season. Joy and caroling, Christmas is beautiful. A tradition of compassion, charity, giving, and friendship. The fabulous tradition of caring. Love one another, peace on Earth, goodwill towards your fellow man. May the blessings of the season fill your hearts with joy and kindness and be faithful to you throughout the year.

It is with great joy that we sing our songs, with duty and dedication that we donate our gifts of charity to the poor. Love eternally, love everlasting, that is the message of this baby boy. Jesus will soon be born, he rises again. From a birth in a manger to be king of our lives. A triumph for humanity, for the spirit of mankind. Rise in freedom, all of you fine people, shed your despair. Cheer and praises, the holy night is near.

Soon the wanderings of the spirit will end, soon the angels will sing, soon the stable will call us to rest, soon will be born, a king. Soon the darkness will reveal a light, soon the night will end, soon the witnesses of the glorious sight will be called, on this Holy Night.

A tradition of singing, of baking and feasting, a holiday most high. Gift giving and memories, the wisemen stopped by. Oh wise are we, to continue this tradition, in memory of a baby, so calm and bright. Such a wonderful gift, oh Holy Night. Oh Holy Night. Soon a child will be born.

The hardship of the colony, the death and despair that was endured, but strive oh Canada, your wealth and destiny will come. Oh homesteaders of yesterday, with toil and work and strife. It still is Christmas to all, regardless of where you are in life. In living the pioneer struggles, but the holiday looms in our minds. Yes, you must have Christmas, not just in your dreams. The holiday is for everyone, enjoy it before it passes. The festive season is with us, with fun and sharing and gifts. Laugh and sing, oh lucky humans, for the joy that this holiday season brings.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 23, 2019

by

Hochelaga

Hail Bravehearts

It’s a fabulous notion, to start anew, with fresh ideas, community, land and skills. Exciting and enticing, to feel the fresh air, to feel freedom, adventure to call this land your home. The tingling sensation of anticipation and joy. At last, a home. It’s a long way to voyage, to come to Canada, to serve in the conquest of a voyage so rare. To build it, so live it, the adventure of the century, to dwell in the new colony, to be history.

Now venture along the St. Lawrence, with it’s turbulent waters. See the sweet little town called Quebec, but travel, just a little bit further. Another 255 kilometers to the new city of Montreal. A fabulous place, built with the dedication of the colonialist. A fine mind set on conquering a new frontier. Another test of strength and courage, but also negotiation, acceptance and peace. A chance for a new home, a new life, but sharing. To share the land with strangers who will be your neighbors, who will, in their own way, help to make the nation and the colony survive. An unusual friendship, the European and the aboriginal, but so it will be, in the commerce of trade and in the harmony of the land. Peace be with us.

Mystery of the missing village of Hochelaga persists

From the voyages of Jacques Cartier, to the new settlers of the land, the joy of adventure is with us.

Jacques Cartier. A voyage of discovery in Canada, the search for a new land. Fabulous! To travel so far, to strive so diligently, to be courageous and educated is such fine arts as navigation, weather, geography, negotiation and more. It’s the skills of human intelligence that wins this fine race across the Atlantic Ocean.

A daring adventure filled with the unknown. A curiosity that must be resolved, the question of what’s out there? Bring back gold, riches and spices. Find a way to the orient! Adventure, oh braves ones, out to the sea, into the winter and to the dangers that it brings. Rest in the camp, die in the land, but bring back gold, riches and spices. Find the path to Asia! Be fantastic, be noble, be brave, be successful be obedient. Bring back gold!

It’s a brave new world, filled with brave new people who must be met and communicated with. It is with hard work and toil, that this endevour pays off so well. The people are kind. Joy be with us! Good luck and good fortune have found the explorers as they land on these shores among strangers who are congenial, or intended to be.

October 2, 1535 was a grand day, for a great nation. The expedition lands in Hochelaga an Iroquois village which will become part of the modern city of Montreal. Share the joy, share the harvest, share the land, meet the people, be our friends. Come, Jacques Cartier, eat with us, talk to us. Don’t be strangers. But the discourse lasted only a few hours before the Europeans returned to the camp upstream, after naming the hill behind Hochelaga, Mont Royal.

Foiled again! The wintry blasts of icy cold are too much of a burden to bear. By more good fortune, the camping party is saved from scurvy, which did claim 25 lives during the winter.

Come, oh fine humans, drink the Iroquois tea of white pine needles, to cure your scurvy and to save your lives. Drink to your good health, literally.

When spring finally came, in the merry month of May, the beleagured group of adventurers return to France with positive reports of a river to the west. The pathway to Asia, to riches, spices and gold, lay through the continent, in the land called Canada.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 17, 2019