Did You Get Your Winter Freak On?

Well, I’m going to chalk that winter up to experience. Who knew that it would last for six months? I thought that was just a joke that we Red Lakers used to say, not our actual reality. Lesson learned, Mother Nature. Lesson learned.  Fortunately, it is part of our Canadian temperament to deal with the wrath that nature has thrown at us; teaching us to be strong spirited, tough, and a bit on the freaky, arty side. And I remember sitting in a sweaty summer Can-Lit university course that went on and on about the power of Canadian elements such as the weather and isolation; how these Canadian characteristics helped mold our psyche into producing a plethora of creative works.

There are over 35 million people in Canada now, spread out over almost ten million kilometers squared. That ends up being about 4 people living on each square kilometer of land in our amazing country. Ok, ok, so we have these places called metropolises where most Canadians congregate and share ideas and such, but for the most part we’re isolated, ok? Just work with me on this one. I’m going somewhere with this.

So here we are, hanging out with three of our (hopefully) favourite people on a kilometer of land, in a six month snow storm with nothing to do but get weird. Here are some suggestions on how to get weird in an imaginative way so that time and misery goes by quicker and you’ll walk out into the spring sunshine with some remarkable creations.

First of all, if you MUST, go into the internet quickly and get out fast. There are so many sites available now for idea development that it is easy to get caught up in the “I can TOTALLY do that!” mentality without actually following through on anything. Pinterest will suck your soul and leave you wondering what you actually did during the six month snow storm from hell. You probably did nothing but think about what you can do (…and snow. You’ll always be thinking about snow.)

Clear a space for yourself that is just YOUR space. Maybe it means the dining room table is off limits and everyone can eat in front of the TV for the whole winter. (Bad parenting move.  Awesome creativity move.) Maybe it means working on the floor of your laundry room. Just make it happen. Fill that room up with a collection of stuff that doesn’t make any sense to you. It will….eventually. One day you’ll wake up and know exactly why you have sparkly pink fun-fur and rusty hinges. It’ll work.

Scavenge. Go onto Facebook’s “Red Lake Area’s Looking For” page and tell them what you’re looking for to make your project a go-ahead. Check out the reclaim station at the dump. There is always something there that can be re-vamped into a gift for some unknowing victim, er, I mean, friend.

Even if it’s miserably cold, take the time to get outside every day to stimulate your senses. Sitting in front of a glowing box such as your smartphone or tv, especially at night, lowers your production of melatonin which makes it very difficult to fall asleep. I don’t know if that is 100% true and I’m not a doctor, but if you Google sleep deprivation and smartphones, there will most likely be some form of correlation between the two that isn’t healthy or conducive of creativity. So, you’ll be cold, tired and unproductive. Wouldn’t that be a ball of fun to hang out with over the winter…..

Finally, set aside some time for yourself in silence. Make a deal with your family so that you get at least an hour to yourself every day to just think, without distraction. Your thoughts might scare yourself, but that’s ok….maybe you just haven’t listened to them in a while. Just trust that you have your own ideas and that they’re worth following through on.

Keep in mind that even though the snow is gone, we are still Canadian and will be dealing with tumultuous downpours, summer hail storms, and days that prove that Hell exists. Tap into that Canadian tenacity and get your mojo working on those fantastic ideas any time of year!

(This article was originally written and published in the Northern Sun News on April 30th, 2014.)

Knickerknobs and Unicorns

So, I am kind of back into writing again, and now I'm actually getting paid for it. Yep. I've hit the big time! ;) I once got paid a $12 honorarium for a poem of mine that was published in an art gallery house magazine. It's all cool. I just like writing. So I do a weekly article for the Northern Sun News, and have been given the go-ahead to also put them on my (pretty darn inactive) blog site. These blogs are the articles that were written for the paper a month earlier, so some of you have already read these, and for some of you, it's all new. So, here we go!
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I abruptly accosted Lindsay on the frosty sidewalks of Red Lake a couple of weeks ago, determined that it was time I got back to writing;  to jump out of my little bubble world of security and publicly share my thoughts in the Northern Sun. Lindsey was game for some fresh perspectives and got the go-ahead from “the boss”.  We sat down to a superb Lakeview meal while we hashed out ideas for a weekly article based on Art. Gulp. I guess I’ve decided at 41and a half that my knicker-knobs are big enough and I can handle contrary reactions to what I may write. My poor husband is probably groaning as he reads this, internally pleading that the public goes easy on me to make life easier at home!

So I have been thinking, what is my reason for wanting to write for the community newspaper?  What do I have to offer that can’t be found through the wonderful world of Google? Probably not a whole heck of a lot but a humble opinion about what it’s like to be an artist, art teacher, and community art provider in the Red Lake district. (Are you Googling that right now?) Ultimately, what I’d like to share with you is a different perspective in a town that, at times, struggles with the concept of Art, and what it’s like to be one of those people that is perpetually pushing the importance of the Arts.

 I’d like to help  slay some of those astronomical myths that are connected to being an artist: that you’ve got to be a bit weird (if not completely freaky then at least having freak potential), you have to be left handed which is strictly correlated to being right brained, you have to have strange hair (preferably purple or cut into angles that defy logic, space and time), you have to really love unicorns who whisper magical ideas into your brain while you sleep at night (Oh wait, you don’t sleep because you’re an artist), you have to have zero tolerance for thoughts that pertain to mathematics or scientific inquiry, you have to understand what burns deeply in the soul of poets such as Leonard Cohen, you have to pick your meals based on what your favourite colour is that day, and blah, blah, blah. Sure, there are people that may genuinely meet all of those criteria and then some. That’s awesome! But most don’t, and are just like everyone else, trying to find a way to share their voice with the world. Art is not that cryptic, it’s not that scary, and it’s not that unattainable, and guess what? It’s also around you all of the time.

So I’m hoping that I can help explore that with you through these weekly articles. Together we can wrestle through concepts such as how to take advantage of technology in order to share our creativity globally, how to make our environments more visually aesthetic, how the history of our community is connected to the art history of the world, how to interpret conceptual art so that we don’t feel awkwardly uncomfortable when confronted by it, how to increase imaginative thought in our homes for our children and ourselves, how to become more actively involved with the Arts in our communities, and any other topic that you’d like me to pursue for you. Feel free to send me an email at funkydoodad@hotmail.com with any ideas for future articles and I’ll make sure to add it to my list of Arty goodies to ponder.

Now I think I should go and Google “knicker-knobs”…………..I’m curious.

(Originally written for and appeared in the Northern Sun News on April 213rd, 2014)

Wonderful Worm(ies)

I have had a lot of people ask me about my vermi-composting methods, so I thought I'd take the time to blog about it, because it's just not one of those things that you can write in 200 characters or less on a Facebook status or Twitter. Mind you, I do compost so nonchalantly, that perhaps I could. It's really pretty basic; add red worms to bin of soil, randomly feed, they eat it, they poop, and then I put the poop in my garden. I really am a negligent worm mom. If my worms were children, they would have been taken away a long time ago.

Here's what I do;

1. I have a rubbermaid bin which has drilled holes on the bottom. It has a lid which also has drilled holes in it. This sits on a rubber boot mat on my basement floor. I didn't even do this on my own. A friend gave me his. Not saying that I can't use a drill. I'm a pretty handy worman....er....woman. ;)

2. I keep a compost bin on my kitchen counter, a small one that doesn't hold very much. We usually use the plastic containers that spinach comes in. From there, I either feed the worms, or dump it over my deck in a big compost bin full of frozen veggies and fruit that the ravens love. People that love us don't care that we have a bin full of coffee grounds and onion skins on our counter. They're cool like that. My friend, Lila, says that she chops up her food in the blender and then freezes it, thawing it out when the worms are ready. She's a good worm mom. :)

3. When I feed the worms, I am not very nice. I don't shred the food like I'm supposed to, or anything like that. They break it down on their own. I think they like it; it's a challenge and gives them something to do besides poop and roll around with their buddies.

4. I feed them pretty sporadically, usually about every two weeks. Supposedly they're supposed to get a pound of food every week, so I figure that I am doing the binge/purge thing with my worms. They all have eating disorders. I do make sure to disperse the food evenly throughout the bin, but I have heard that you can put all the food on one side, and they'll travel over to it, and then do the other side the next time you feed them.

5. If you don't like the feeling of worms or poop on your hands, then you probably shouldn't do composting at all. I am all about the feeling, so I like to get in there and move things around every once in a while and stir up those little gaffers. Sometimes I'm sure I can hear them say, "Yahoo!" in their small little wormy voice.

6. I rip up newspaper and throw it in there. Brad came home with a bag of shredded paper once, which was a real treat. I also keep a layer of newspaper on top of the soil/poop, just below the lid, so that fruit flies don't get in. You don't want fruit flies or they'll invade your whole house. Trust me. People say that you should moisten the newspaper, but I never have. It gets soggy on its own.

7. Once you're ready to use the worm poop, get another bin and fill it up with some of the wormy poop. Then take a garbage bag (just one layer of the bag) and poke holes in it. Drape it over the wormy poop and over the edges of the bin. Then put more wormy poop on top of this (about two or three inches deep), and put light on them. Worms aren't known for their suntanning abilities, so they'll shimmy down through the holes into the other layer that is below the bag. I've also heard that you can pile the poop into cones and shine light on them and the worms will just travel down to the bottom of the pile and you can scoop the poop/soil off the top.

8. Once winter is over, take those worms outside and let them enjoy the heat and moisture of your big outdoor compost bin. They'll have all of that food broken down in no time. Even faster than MC Hammer can break it down. Yeah, I know, that's a cheesy line, but it's what's stuck in my head right now.

9. Make sure once the temperature starts to get cold again, that you bring a good load of worms back into your bin in the basement, to start the negligent binge/purge process all over again. I have frozen one too many bins of worms to learn my lesson, and Dave Erb just keeps rolling his eyes at me every time I coerce him into giving me another bin of worms for a bottle of wine. I vow this time, that my worms are going to have children, and great grandchildren, and so on, and so on.

10. That's it. Easy. But do you want to know a cool side note about worms? You know how you'll be walking down the road on a rainy day and you'll see worms all over the road? Well, most people think that it's because they get washed out of their worm holes, but that's not true. They actually take advantage of the rain to travel. It allows them to get from point A to point B quicker, usually to fornicate. So, these little worms are surfin' for love!!! So when you see me walking down the road picking up worms on a rainy day, you'll know that it's because I'm a die hard romantic. I just want them to get to the other side of the road to meet their lover.

Happy Holidays from the Pugsley Street Posse

I always want to start off every Christmas letter by exclaiming, "Where the heck did the year go?" and I'm sure you feel the same way. I remember "older people" always telling me that time will go by quickly the older I get, and now here I am, stuck in that time super highway, desperately trying to slow everything down! According to some physics theory, as Brad patiently tries to explain to me, the faster a motion is, the slower time will go. So why does it seem that when I'm rushing from the point A's of life to the point B's of life, I don't have enough time to do what it is that I intend to do? I think he'll have to re-explain that theory to me because it isn't fitting in to this artist's logic of the world. haha But what a deliciously fantastic year it has been; full of creativity, love, and adventure even if it has gone by at lightning speed.

Last winter started off with a lot of excitement, as Brad moved in at the beginning of December 2010, and shared Christmas holidays with Alexander, Sandy the Wonder Dog and I. We all got caught up in the chaos of feasting, jamming to carols, burning down sliding hills in dangerous positions, spending time with families, and kissing under the mistletoe. *blush* We headed down the highway to Brad's stomping grounds on Boxing Day where the Beckman's put on an annual skating party/bonfire. Alexander had his first hand at playing hockey and really enjoyed himself, not coming off the ice until he was literally numb. I on the other hand, didn't attempt to put on my old figure skates and preferred to sit by the fire and meet all of Brad's family, extended family and friends. What a fun crew!

It wasn't long before Brad had to pack his bags though, and headed "South" to Ottawa to attend Algonquin College for Part 1 of his apprentice for plumbing. We were very thankful for technology and the ability to keep in touch daily through Skype.  It made me think a lot about the war time wives and how horrible it must have been to not hear from their better half for excruitatingly long periods to time, if at all, which kept me humble and remembering how lucky we truly are to have the conveniences we have today. We continued to have our nightly reading time with Alexander and got through Book 3 of the Harry Potter series via Skype. It was also quite romantic to send and receive letters back and forth and send care packages to remind Brad of home. He was quite embarrassed, yet thrilled, when I sent him a big bouquet of sunflowers for his birthday and he had to carry them to class before having the opportunity to take them back to his dorm! All of that time apart was not in vain, as Brad got an almost perfect GPA, and even spent time tutoring other students and teaching some of the math classes when it was apparent that he was doing a better job of explaining the theories than the professor! (Oh, he's going to hate that I'm bragging for him. haha)

While he was gone, I was busily preparing for an art show, and spent most of my alone time working in my studio. Unfortunately the show was postponed, but will supposedly run this summer, so I will have an opportunity to re-apply for the show and hopefully show what happens when someone is holed up in a studio for two months!!! haha

Here's a link to my Facebook art page. Enjoy browsing around!

 At the same time, I was also in the process of preparing to direct a community mural program, as artistic director of three groups that painted murals around the theme of "My Red Lake". I was the leader for the teenage group, and we had a blast getting together once a week through the summer months, making a wild mural that focuses on what it's like to be a teenager in a small northern town. If you are ever going by the OPP station, check it out. It is posted on the Treasure House building thanks to the generosity of the Weaver family.  My son also participated in the program and painted a mural about his favourite activities; biking and fishing in the summer, and skiing in the winter. That mural can be seen downtown on the fence beside the pharmacy. I love that our downtown is coming alive with colour and creativity!

 Alexander also spent time in his studio, conjuring up his next award winning Science Fair idea. He won a "scholarship" from the University of Toronto's Young Engineer program and also an Ontario Hydro award for his idea about solar power and how variants in the colour of the light source changes the amount of power given to a controlled object such as a remote controlled vehicle. Where does he come up with this stuff??? I'm curious to see what he's going to design for this year, albeit the older he gets, the less I understand regarding his scientific interests. The important part is that I support him in what he does, and it's also a big time guarantee that I am NOT one of those parents that does their project for their child. haha

Brad and Alexander usually spend the weekends waking up early and scheming on different inventions and designs, theorizing about concepts around time and space and speed and force and all of those things that allow me to sleep in on Sunday mornings. They worked on a trebuchet this summer which is kind of a flingy catapult, and had a working model in the yard. The intent was to make a huge trebuchet on Brad's property out by Vermilion Bay. Eventually, we are going to see pianos and pumpkins flying great distances, so keep your head up if you're in the neighbourhood, and perhaps keep your cat indoors. haha Just kidding, kind of.
It was only fitting that Brad, Alexander and I went to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in Winnipeg this fall, so that they could tinker with replicas of his amazing inventions and I had an opportunity to get a closer look at his intricately detailed art work and learn more about the mystery behind the Mona Lisa painting.

                    
Summer came upon us quickly and we busily got to work on the "BoBeckman" farm, making the gardening plot a bit bigger, planting a ton of veggies and working on other landscaping projects. We finished off the rock pathway and Brad built a beautiful gate using birch trees and adding permanent planters at the bottom of the gate so that annual ivy can shimmy up the gate in the summer. My perennials (compliments of the late Leni Sadtler) worked double time this year, and I even had the opportunity to divide and share my plants, twice! Even though it was a hot, dry, fire riddled summer, we were able to use mainly rain water to keep everything lush and productive.  Brad and Alexander have big plans to create some kind of recycled water system with pipes (and God knows what) dug underneath the yard. Next summer we're considering making the garden even bigger, and I still want to have an outdoor tub to lounge in under the stars in the evening. I'll definitely have to invest in some mosquito netting!

We also had an opportunity to go on a super fun vacation after Brad and I pointed to a dot on the map and decided a road trip west would be fun. We did a bit of research but kind of let the wind just take us, with the destination of Saskatoon in mind. The goal was to go to the Saskatoon Ex. The true fun was in the journey there and back though, stopping in every small town along the way, exploring abandoned farmsteads, stopping in an artist community to give a critique of all the paintings at a local gallery (They asked me! It was quite entertaining!), stopping in at a sod house in Elbow, Saskatchewan, enjoying the sand dunes at Great Spirit Lake, coming back to a soaked tent at midnight, meeting a luthier who let us into his home to try out all of his beautifully made instruments and tour his workshop (eventhough he had to clean the house because his girlfriend was coming over), and of course, counting endless cows and hay bales. I love the prairies!

We even had the opportunity to meet up with one of my dearest friends, Steph, and her kids who were heading back to Alberta after being in Red Lake, while we were heading back home. Yet again, because of the power of technology, we were able to communicate via cell phones, meeting up at a greasy spoon on the trans-Canada, somewhere on the border of Saskatchewan and Manitoba for one last hug goodbye until we meet again. This road trip was a great way to break in the new truck we bought at the beginning of the year. I sure missed my big red truck, so we bought a Chevy Silverado and it's giving us the pleasure of tromping through the bush and across the country yet again.

We also spent an excellent  couple of days at the Winnipeg Folk Fest, with the highlight being KD Lang. If you ever get the opportunity to see her live, don't miss out. The ticket price will be worth it. She has a phenomenal stage presence on top of her incredible voice, and she'll have you weeping one minute and on your feet dancing the next. But keep in mind if you're going to the Folk Fest and you don't have intentions of camping, that you should seriously consider booking a hotel room well in advance. We learned that the hard way, after having to spend a creepy night at the Montcalm! I still pucker when I think about that experience! Lesson learned!

Here's a link to the blog about that "interesting" experience.

September came quickly and I was back in the saddle, teaching the awesome students that make my job entertaining on a daily basis. I swear, I learn more from them than they do of me. And nothing makes me more proud than to see them grow into the beautiful, intelligent people that they become in those short four years that I have the opportunity to spend with them. Many graduates swing by for visits and it's awesome to hear about their life journeys. That is one of the perks of living in a small town, I guess, because Red Lake has a way of bringing people back to see what they've left behind. It's not sooooo bad here afterall! :)

Along with our busy jobs, Brad and I also had the task of harvesting everything in our garden and deciding what to do with it. We made many a jar of pickles this year, along with pickled beans, cajun pickled beans, salsa, and canned tomatoes. We have a freezer full of shredding beets, carrots and more tomatoes to get us through the winter. Yum. But all of the canning created a ripple effect as we decided to make a cold room in the basement, which led to adding extra walls, which led to redesigning the whole space downstairs, and finishing the laundry room. Brad has almost completed the drywalling, taping, mudding and sanding of the den (his man cave and music room...haha) and I'll most likely spend the Christmas holidays doing a lot of painting and decorating.

But we are about to have our lives changed again, as Brad has decided to take a job at with KPDSB as one of their maintenace men. We are thrilled that he will have steady hours from 7 to 3 so that we can spend more time together as a family to do all of the crazy, kooky things that make us who we are. Change is good, and that's the way we roll around here!

And on that note, I'm off to spend more time with my kooky family and hope that you have the time to do the same with yours. We hope that your year has been filled with joy and that your future is filled with adventure surrounded by the people you love.

Happy holidays!

Love Rhonda, Brad, Alexander and Sandy the Wonder Dog