This morning (Sunday), Heather left early to attend a Winter Solstice ceremony in Annapolis Royal.
Meanwhile, I am trying to adjust to the changes in government. At the municipal level, the departure of John Ferguson and Bruce Gillis. At the provincial level, Stephen McNeil has shut down the government process. What can we expect?
Clearly, the COVID pandemic will continue through 2021. Will we take the time to reinvent the democratic processes? Will we see a more inclusive approach towards communities and citizens?
Yesterday, I met with good friend, Paul Colville. As part of the conversation, we reflected on the changes in the rural economy of Nova Scotia over the last forty or more years. What was influencing those changes? Have the changes in our technologies made life easier or more challenging? There is the potential to be more informed, but what about the content of that information?
Every Sunday, I receive electronically, Brain Pickings. This week, the Annual Special : Favourite Books of 2020. It includes reference to twenty books. This is far too much for me to absorb.
What is not changing?
I could say, the birds looking for winter food, or the wintery weather. The view across the Valley to North Mountain. The need to load wood into the stove. And yet, if we look closely, these elements of the exterior environment are indeed changing too. In some cases, imperceptibly slowly.
The optimist in me, says that perhaps the human systems are changing too, also imperceptibly. And in what direction? My fear is that while we are caught up in the pandemic we, as a society, are unable to do two or more things at the same time. Even though, they are complexly intertwined.
Postscript
From Emergence Magazine, The Serviceberry: an Economy of Abundance, essay by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Podcast available at the link).
Ernest Blair Experiment 
Heather and Bob
Thanks very much for your charming card that arrived a couple of days ago.
It seems strange to be wishing you “Happy Holidays” given our current circumstances but Leslie and I do send you both our very best wishes and the hope that 2021 will get better and better as the weeks and months go by.
We have continued to keep our bubble very small and will be staying home alone for the next ten days and no contacts apart from a few Zoom calls with distant family. After quite a busy fall, this down-time is welcome.
Brian
PS Leslie has a small contract with Annapolis County Federation of Agriculture which, as I am sure you know, owns the exhibition grounds but does not run the exhibition. The work is all low-key internal stuff dealing with ACFA’s organizational housekeeping. She’s working with Jeff Wentzell on this.
Brian Arnott Principal Novita Interpares | Leaf + Branch
novitainterpares.ca >
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