Irritated Oyster - a poem

Irritated Oyster

by Susan Paczek

Irritated oyster
Go on, give it a whirl 
Take your source of bother
And turn it into a pearl

Irritated seahorse
When trouble comes don't stay
Abruptly change your course
And quickly swim away

Irritated turtle
Your enemies know full well
There's only so much you'll handle
Before retreating in your shell

Irritated starling
Don't be scared to sing your truth
Take a deep breath, darling
And shriek it from the roof

Irritated porcupine
If a creature wishes you ills
Grit your teeth, arch your spine
And pepper them with your quills

Irritated chimpanzee
After you've been burned
Try thinking positively
Find the lesson to be learned

Chimpanzee Mugs by Susan Paczek - stoneware, not fired or glazed yet

Two Little Pigs - a poem

Two Little Pigs 

by Susan Paczek 

 Once upon a time on a farm 
Two little pigs shared a barn stall
One thought life was gloom, doom and harm
The other thought life was a ball

The happy pig said to his pal one day 
"Let’s go romp around in all the flowers
The sun is out, the fields smell sweet with hay
We can play around outside for hours"

“Nope” said his friend “I’m staying put in this pen  

I think I see clouds forming over there 

And I can’t see why you’d want to frolic when 

There’s so much danger lurking everywhere"

Later when the happy pig was done enjoying his day 
He couldn’t find his pal so he asked a mouse
The mouse said “Oh. The farmer came and took your friend away
I believe he is down at the slaughterhouse”.

Papier Mache Pig by Susan Paczek

This Week's Favourite Things! March 24th - March 30th

1.  Our Excalibur Dehydrator, and flax crackers and fruit roll ups.  My vegan raw-foodist friends recommended an Excalibur Dehyrdator as 'the only dehydrator you'll ever need'.  So far we've mostly used it for kale chips and onion bread but this week I made flaxseed crackers and fruit roll ups.  Yum! For the crackers were made up from a couple recipes off the internet, with extra garlic and fresh parsely, dehydrated until crispy.  For the fruit rollups it seems the simpler the better, the best batch was apples, thawed frozen blueberries and a bit of honey.   Apple, banana, vanilla and sunflower seed butter was also good.  Suddenly I'm very interested in 50% off fruit at Superstore.  We got our Excalibur from Upaya Naturals and they were pretty awesome about it. 

2.  Recycled 1.89L tetra pak Almond Milk Containers for starting seeds.  I saw on Facebook once that cutting one of the bigger sides off an almond milk containers makes a great seed starting vessel.  It's true! I've got basil, cilantro, sage, watermelon and some flowers started and ready to be transplanted into this week's favourite thing #3.  Check out pics of what this looks like from another blogger's site.

3. Deep-Root Seed Starters from Lee Valley.  This is our third year using these and they're great, I started 3 x 72 cell trays of tomatoes and peppers last night and will be moving our started plants from the almond milk containers to trays soon.  Excited for gardening season!

4.  This article about how one Phd Student started a fight against the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) shut down in Ontario.  I think this article highlights how anti-science the current Canadian government is and makes me feel better about my decision to bug out from my career in favour of getting as self-sufficient as possible.

Two Ducks - a poem

Two Ducks

by Susan Paczek 

Once upon a time there was a pair of ducks 

Who landed on a secluded forest river 

With old-growth trees, flowers, does and bucks 

All the finery that nature can deliver 

Both of the ducks were hungry for food 

And had stopped there for something to eat 

One insisted a spot just upstream was good 

So he kept paddling there with his feet 

His struggle was making him extremely hungry 

So he had to eat more and more 

To feed his tired muscles and noisy tummy 

While his legs soon grew very sore 

The duck’s partner, who had been watching asked him 

“Wouldn’t floating down the river be easier? 

We'd dine at our leisure and barely have to swim"

He answered - the effort made his voice wheezier:

“Well maybe but I don’t know what is downstream
And what if this spot really is the best?
But my legs are quickly running out of steam
So let’s put your idea to the test”

The pair floated, snacked and chatted around the river bend
Having decided to give following the current a shot 
Their journey was so pleasant they wanted to do it again
So at the end they flew back upstream to their starting spot 

Earthenware Duck Ornaments by Susan Paczek

The Turtle - a poem

The Turtle 

by Susan Paczek 

Last night I dreamt that we were sitting out at a picnic table
When I saw a turtle walk towards us as fast as he was able

He was only small, he didn’t look very old

His shell was turquoise-blue, his stomach shiny-gold

To reach the sea there was a hill that he kept trying to climb
But he would get near the top and flip over backwards every time

“Tsk” I said and picked him up to carry him to the sea
But then I heard a loud voice and it said this to me:

“If you want to help that turtle then you have to put him down
If you carry him his legs will be so weak that he will drown”

So we sat and cheered him on until the night sky filled with bats
We fed him salad for supper and we sheltered him from cats

In the morning he met his challenge with renewed energy
He crested the hill at last and joined his friends out in the sea

Earthenware Turtles by Susan Paczek

The Rat And The Sheep - a poem

The Rat And The Sheep 

by Susan Paczek 

Once upon a time there was a rat

Who had a scheme to get a bunch of cheese
So he told his plan to some sheep that
Were impressed by schemes as great as these

“Sheep” said Rat “You give milk so rich and thick

That I want to collect it in pails
I will turn your milk into cheese right quick
And give you the lion’s share of sales!"

"You'll be able to live on fields of grass so green

With shelter made of the finest wood
You’ll find that I will look after you better than
Any human farmer ever could!”

“Baa Baa!” said the sheep "that sounds like paradise!"

They all went along with Rat’s plan
The cheese that Rat made tasted very nice
And sold well at Rat’s market stand

But Rat was a rat and overcome by greed

Soon he wanted the sheep's share too
So he found someone with a big family to feed
And sold them the herd to make stew

Stoneware sheep ornaments by Susan Paczek

This Week's Favourite Things! March 17th - March 23rd 2014

Been a busy week so no writing for me lately other than keeping up with this list!

1. This video, Jumping Jive by Cab Calloway with dancing by the Nicholas Brothers.  I first saw this years ago but was thinking this week how great it is:




2.  Old fashioned Vining Petunia seeds by Annapolis Seeds, and the tour we got when we went to pick up our seed order this past Friday.  In particular their greenhouse is pretty awesome. I'll be writing a post soon with a couple pics I took.  I tried their Petunia Seeds last year and was pretty thrilled with how many giant petunia plants I ended up with, to put all over the garden and in containers on our porch.

3. The paintings of Mark Grantham.  Mark is at the Halifax seaport Market on Saturdays upstairs selling cards, prints and mini paintings.  He is very cool!   I'm on break from art making but it has occurred to me that it makes a lot of sense to talk to 'successful' artists if one is curious about how to make a living as an artist.  He's getting ready for his upcoming show at Studio 21 on May 9th, reception 5pm - 7pm.  I love Mark's twitter feed, @MarkInHalifax, and think it's lovely that he posts pics of his work there.

4.  The Angel Therapy Handbook by Doreen Virtue. 

I just started reading this and am very excited! At first I was apprehensive about the whole 'angel' sensation but I really enjoy Doreen's youtube videos, twitter feed (@DoreenVirtue444) and facebook page.  This book is great and where I've had some psychic ability since a young age, it's making me feel more gifted than crazy!

This Week's Favourite Things! March 10th - March 16th, 2014

1.  This youtube video/lecture about channeling by Brian Tracy
"How To Activate Your Super Conscious Mind"



2.  The animation of Steve Cutts

I just found out about this today, I like his videos because he pokes fun at obvious things that we'd perhaps prefer not to call attention to as a society, and somehow the use of cartoons softens the messages.

There are a few more on his website or youtube channel but here are a couple favourites: 





3. Bob Proctor Reveals 'The Ultimate Secret' beyond the Law of Attraction