Grocery Shopping 2013 People on Salt Spring Island are not shy about giving their opinion on anything, which is actually quite helpful - although sometimes a bit funny. One of my new friend's opinion about grocery shopping is that she ONLY buys from Country Grocer (or GVM the locals call it - more about that later.) She won't set foot inside Thrifty's because it's not "Salt Spring" enough. Thrifty's is based on Vancouver Island, after all. Practically a foreign power in these parts apparently. Country Grocer offers local SSI farm products like lamb and pork occasionally.  Since we didn't have a commercial abattoir on island, farmers still take their animals off island for butchering. Well, yes, now we  have  an abattoir but there is some controversy apparently since the cost is higher than what it is in on Vancouver Island. Go figure. Farming life is never easy, and certainly island living adds to the difficulty, at least as far as raising livestock ...

CARETAKER 2013 My caretaker came with the place.  I thought it kind of fun that Elsy asked if I "wanted" him when I bought the place. Apparently he was quite fine with being passed on to the new owner. Not quite slavery since I pay him - more like an indentured servant. Anyway, something out of another century for sure. Having a caretaker is like having a husband without the built-in hassles of a husband. He mows the lawn and takes care of the firewood, without complaint. I am not required to feed him or do his laundry or listen to his endless stories. (I'm not sure if my caretaker has endless stories for sure, but I am referring to the stereotype of a long time husband - hearing the same stories over and over, for years and years, and needing to feign interest. You know people with that type of husband - maybe you are even one of those husbands yourself. I mean no disrespect - just trying to describe something.) Caretaking is an honored profession here and actually quite...

Nov 5, 2013 My first visit to Salt Spring was back in 2003 or so, on a day trip from Vancouver with a girlfriend. I remember walking onto the Long Harbour ferry and hitching into Ganges and being so impressed that someone picked us up right away! That was different than the city. There seemed to be a lot of people dressed like hippies, and Ganges had lots of art galleries. We walked around the Ganges Marina and Centennial Park and the downtown area. And then we rushed back. We just didn't have a clue.  So silly. I didn't know then that a day trip does not do the place justice.  Since moving here, I now tell many of my friends that day trips are not really a possibility. (OK they are - I mean, you  could  fly in and out, for instance. Or come on the earliest ferries in the morning and leave on the latest at night, but really how much will you be able to see? And you'll never get the island feel because you will be rushing around the whole time and you will m...

 Written Summer 2013 How did you get to Salt Spring Island? It's a common question here.  When meeting someone for the first time, Islanders ask, in a very friendly way,  "So, are you visiting?" If the answer is, "No, living here", the next comment will be, "Oh! Welcome! And how did you end up moving to Salt Spring Island?" At which point you can launch into your own how-I-decided-to-move-here story, and if you're lucky, the Islander will reply with their own moving-here story. It becomes truly a bonding moment.  The next question after that will be, "And where do you live?" You see, the Islanders all have very strong opinions about the different areas of the Island, as small as it is. I live in the south end, which is very distinct from the north end, and both are different from Vesuvius (also called central). 

Home Warm Safe Cosy and cozy hearth and fire All my life I have been looking for a place that feels like home. When I was a child, I tried moving to the neighbor's because their house seemed more fun. That didn't work out. As a teen, I moved in with some Jesus Freaks where I felt included, important and loved. I later lived in a communal house with 7 people and felt one of the gang. But it didn't last. When I married and we built a house, it felt like home. I had a mother-in-law and father-n-law just down the road and I felt included i that family. People listened to me and loved me and fed me and taught me things. I felt important to them and to my husband and his sisters, too. I had neighbours and felt part of the community too. I became involved in the dog show world and was definately a part of the scene. It wasn't home, but it was an extension of my home.