Over the weekend, I had the time to read Sanctuary: the biography of Mary Majka, written by Deborah Carr.
Mary was born in Poland in 1923. She was sixteen when Hitler invaded Poland at the start of the Second World War. Eventually, she arrived at Pier21 with her husband, Mike, in 1951. They moved to New Brunswick in 1961.
“Mary Majka has done more to preserve the natural and cultural legacy of the Bay of Fundy than anyone in our time.” Harry Thurston.
“Through the example of her life, she has shown that by simply following our true nature, the nugget of passion that resides in each heart, we change our world. It doesn’t have to be large or grandiose; it just needs to be true”
Carr p.227.
On Sunday, Heather shared with me a Zoom talk given by Bob Howard to the Annapolis Royal Shambhala Group on biodynamic French intensive horticulture and the work of Alan Chadwick. This led to some preliminary online research. I found two books of Chadwick’s talks plus a memoir by Paul Lee on Chadwick and the organic movement in California. The memoir excerpts look very promising. I contacted Bob and he suggested that I check the YouTube video, Garden Song.
Meanwhile, Heather continues to organize our book collection. This brought to my attention, Mike Carr, Bioregionalism and Civil Society: Democratic Challenges to Corporate Globalism. It looks relevant today and should sustain me this week.
Footnote
Happenstance Books and Yarns is an independent bookstore in Lakefield, Ontario. They also sell knitting supplies.
Acknowledgements
Bob Howard for the reference to Alan Chadwick and the link, Garden Song. Heather for her attempts to put order into the book collection. Edward for his graphics contribution.
References
Deborah Carr, 2010. Sanctuary: The Story of Naturalist Mary Majka. Goose Lane.
Mike Carr, 2004. Bioregionalism and Civil Society: Democratic Challenges to Corporate Globalism. UBC Press.
Paul Lee, 2013. There is a Garden in the Mind: A Memoir of Alan Chadwick and the Organic Movement in California. North Atlantic Books,
Alan Chadwick, 2008. Performance in the Garden: a collection of talks on biodynamic French intensive horticulture. Logosophia
Alan Chadwick, 2013. Reverence, obedience and the Invisible in the Garden. Talks on the biodynamic French Intensive system. Logosophia
.
Eventually, I turned to the bookcase, and rediscovered the 
The challenge is to integrate these resources ‘back to the land’. Recycling these materials will complement the planting of seeds in the greenhouse and cold frame.
We will see a resurgence in gardening. We will pull off the shelves, books by Niki Jabbour and Adam Footer. We will read about the work of Bob Cervelli and others. We will seek advice from community gardeners; sharing ideas and seeds. We will investigate the properties of biochar. We will reinforce the edges of our pond.
It contained two interesting links.
Later in the day, I picked up a bag of Honeycrisp at Graves grocery store in Bridgetown. Grown locally at Inglis Farms in Tupperville. The Honeycrisp variety is a product from the 
Later, we received our first online delivery of Brickyard Red beer from 
“Shepherd was a localist of the best kind: she came to know her chosen place closely, but that closeness served to intensify rather than limit her vision”
If we want to understand our Geography, let’s start with 
In these unusual times, it is the small details that catch one’s attention. Going to the grocery store is a different experience. Once a week, I stop at 
Two years ago, I was in England and picked up Nan Shepherd’s 
In the background, you can see the roof of the arena. You can also see that there are not many people around. Social isolation.
My interest was the impact of COVID-19 on teaching GIS in the universities. Brent observed that this pandemic will change the relationship between education and online learning. This caused me to reflect on Wendell Berry’s comment about ‘machine civilization’.
The first was a 
After finishing graduate work in Biogeography, and spending time in Indonesia, I could not resist the 
Talking to Andrew (my son) on the weekend, the current procedure for visitors to Nunavut is two weeks quarantine in a designated hotel in Ottawa (or another transit centre) BEFORE travel. If the quarantine is successful, then one can visit. This provides a clear measure of the vulnerability of these Northern communities from the COVID-19 virus.
This week, we have tried to maintain our fitness regime through snowshoeing and walking. Unfortunately, the private gym at FE (
Postscript
Ernest Blair Experiment 