what's the wurd hummingburd

I love hummingbirds. I wear a ring 'round my middle finger that has a Native-style hummingbird etched into it. Until I had that made for me, I've never really considered hummingbirds too much. But now I see that they're often around when I go outside. And there's a huckleberry bush outside my bedroom window that attracts hummingbirds all day. Anyways...love 'em!

I'm sorry for being all accusatory about the non-contacting issue. I know I've been difficult to get ahold of because of the fact that I don't have a phone...aside from Shawn's, which is usually wherever he is. I'll say no more about it. Moving on!

It's so gloriously sunny today in Parksville, but the wind is blowing something feirce. Me and Shawn are going swimming at Ravensong later. After that, probably just some chilling at the beach or in the back yard in the sun! Then tomorrow, back to Tofino and work. I got my teeth worked on yesterday, and they did indeed have to put in a medicated dressing that I'll have to keep in for about 6-8 months. Tastes like cloves. Then, if my nerve heals up good, I'll get a regular dressing. If it doesn't, I'll need a root canal. It's a good example of how getting things done when they're still a small problem (like when I first found out about the cavity 5-6 years ago) is definitely preferable. This might seem like a pretty extreme example of irresponsibility to some of you...and of course you're right. For some reason, I take longer to grow up than most people. It's just always been that way.

But I'll tell ya, moving to Tofino was the most productive thing I've done in years. It seemed to have woken me up a little bit. I'm finally doing my taxes, for example. For the first time. Ever. And the cavity...and other, more personal things. There's nothing wrong with being lonely...but you should be conscious of the fact that you are. And at the same time of being made conscious of that, I've also been conscious of all the love/love potential that is already in my life. My tale is not full of woe - rather, it's at a pretty exciting point right now. I'm starting NEW friendships, a new business, in a new place. It's a time of great potential!

Now just before I leave, I'd like to put something out there that has been emerging as a top issue for me these days. In fact, this is IT, the thing that I feel most passionately about. It's the cause I've chosen to support. What's happening is 4 different things, all around the place where I live. First, there's the copper mine on Catface Mtn - which they are going to destroy the mountain for less than 3 percent of usable copper - blast the top of it off and push one side into the ocean, and the other into the old-growth rainforest. Copper is toxic, and all of that toxic waste is going to be pushed right into the ocean, and obviously this will destroy the natural habitats of countless types of Marine life. There's the clear-cutting of Flores Island, which they've already cut heli-pads on the island, and the 'sustainable' cutting that they'll do actually is going to be 90 percent of the Island. How that is sustainable, I do not know. People have gone and checked it out - the Friends of Clayoquat Sound - and they found the flagging tape not even 10 feet into the forest. Flores is a huge island covered in ancient old-growth, you can imagine the consequences, but not fully I think. Then there's a gold mine that they're going to drill for up Tranquil Inlet. A lot of these (catface, Flores) you will be able to see from town. Not only will it destroy the wildlife around if all of these things go through, but the consequences will be so far-reaching that Tofino would completely change. It would become a dead surf town - no one will want to go there anymore, because it will no longer be a wild, paradise vacation town. The migrating animals that stop around this area in the thousands (birds and fish) will no longer have a place to stay here...the salmon, the local species - their habitat and food will be gone. You'd look out at what is now the beautiful and pristine Sound, and you'd see big logging flats, you'd see the logging being done on Flores, and the mining trucks going up and down catface. I wish I could speak more elequently about it, but right now that's the best I can do. If all of these things go through, it really will destroy this area. It's never been this dire before. That thought breaks my heart! These are some of the last 3 percent of pristine, original untouched ancient old-growth forests. They are sacred, and if we lose them, we lose something immense.