I love the annual word of the year from the various dictionary-makers – for what it reveals about our Zeitgeist. Feminism, youthquake and complicit are 2017’s, from the Merriam Webster, Oxford, and Dictionary.com. But we don’t just have to backcast. We can forecast too. And call down the power of a word, to focus or…
Category: pemberton
What Do You Actually Need to Be Happy: A Packing List (adapted for families)
I first had the chance to share this piece at Arc’teryx’s The Bird blog. Thanks to Sarah Leishman for giving me the green-light when I said I wanted to write “something about adventurers trying to maintain their minimalism after having a kid without writing a mommyblog…” My husband gets the job of going through our…
How to get your professional headshot done: the non textbook version
Jordan Manley took my portrait. I was short on a recent bio pic. My face doesn’t sell my work, so having an up-to-date headshot, despite what the enterprising types say, has just not been a priority. In fact, it’s something I avoid. But Jordan Manley was shooting photos to accompany my feature story and it…
Reclaim your Pantry: 7 easy things to start making yourself
Hello convenience shoppers. I am talking to you. (That bag of pre-mixed-and-washed salad you are tossing in your cart? You’ll get no judgment from me.) But please, let me try to convince you, even if you’re an entry-level do-it-yourselfer, that it is possible to reclaim kitchencraft. All you need is a couple of mason jars,…
How Patagonia’s Worn Wear Program Will Make You Love Your Old Gear
This story first appeared at Mountain Culture. The other day I resigned from my day job. I walked out of the CAO’s office and into the washroom and realized there was a hole worn through the elbow of my shirt. Good time to be returning to freelance life, I thought. At least I can keep…
What winning the lottery really means
When the $2.2 million cheque arrived from the BC Children’s Hospital Lottery Foundation on Thursday May 11, it was one week since Lana McKenzie discovered she had bought the winning ticket. She had $33 in her bank account. The 44 year old former receptionist at the Village of Pemberton, and her husband, “Dumpy” Shanon Dumbleton,…
Garlic Independence Day
I have not bought garlic at the store for at least 5 years. Not so much as a single bulb. I have achieved Garlic Independence. I don’t say this to brag. I’m proud of it, sure. But I also deeply suspect that the minute you announce publicly “I am an amazing garlic grower”, your just-now-reaching-for-the-sun…
Counting birds, wrangling hawks: how Pemberton’s go-to bird guy help me find my way home
If a cold and hungry hawk is going to get itself entangled in the netting of your chicken coop, attempting to source itself a nice New Year’s Day dinner, the best possible scenario is to be John Tschopp’s neighbour. The 40-year Pemberton resident unwittingly designated himself as my go-to guy for any bird-related questions, when…
What pops up when you go with what feels right
Lisa Vertefeuille’s Christmas pop-up shop has popped away now, but I still wanted to share this column, because I was so inspired by her grounded wisdom and the idea of always checking in with your feelings, even if it means doing a U-turn. Lisa Vertefeuille is a purveyor of happiness. It’s not her official job description,…
Mapping the Mysterious
“The Lillooet River is such a mystery,” says Veronica Woodruff. “It’s so murky. Even where it’s only ten centimeters deep in shallow spots in the middle, you can’t actually see the bottom.” An environmental technician and founding director of Stewardship Pemberton, Woodruff paddleboards the river all summer and lives right beside it. “It doesn’t have…
Lisa Richardson Bylines 