Quote of the Month
"The twelve months...
Snowy, Flowy, Blowy, Showery, Flowery, Bowery, Hoppy, Croppy, Droppy, Breeze, Sneezy, Freezy." - George Ellis
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A Bit of Gratitude
 Silent, but for the crunching of cold gentle hooves on crusty snow and the softness of frosty breath... Good Morning Mother Earth, and Good Morning to this New Year that rises... Thank you Father Sun, for shining a little longer and brighter every day, as we content ourselves with warms fires and distant memories of spring... Thank you, White Tails, for your enduring winter strength and continued grace and beauty all year round.
Happy New Year!
Our little Sutherland clan here in the Beaver Valley was happy to see the New Year brought in by beautiful, crisp snow-- tiny, perfect, delicate and intricate crystals falling and tucking us in under a white blanket as we shared time around a blazing fire. We would like to extend a Happy New Year to you all! May you find many tracks in the story-telling white stuff this winter!
2012 Schedule is Up! The long-awaited schedule for 2012 programs and classes has been posted on our website. Click here for a look. Classes coming up this spring include: Hide Tanning - April 25 - 29 Tap into your roots, see how familiar and intuitive it feels to scrape on a beautiful doe or buck hide Empowering Ancient Ways - April 30 - May 6 Deepen your connection to nature through Ancient Wilderness Living Skills. Stick Bow Building - May 17 - 21 Your handmade bow already exists-- all you have to do is draw it, sculpt it, gently coax it out of your stave. She lies in waiting.
And of course, the Headwaters Gathering will soon be open for registration-- can't wait to see you all there. Mark your calendars for the second weekend in May!
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What's Happening at Sticks & Stones:
We've Moved!
We look forward to this year with hearts filled with excitement and gratitude as we embark on a new chapter for Sticks & Stones. From one hilltop to another, our workshop is now located in the Beaver Valley. This has come to fruition through our new partnership with Kimbercote Farm, an ecological retreat centre and community space for environmental education, social responsibility programming and spiritual exploration. Sticks & Stones looks forward to invigorating and empowering this land and its community through stewardship-the integration of nature and culture, the strengthening of peoples' connection to their roots, the earth.
As we set up camp, we overlook beautiful rolling hills, forested valleys and river systems. At the base of our road is a unique maple-swamp surrounding this portion of the Beaver River, which stretches from and all the way to Thornbury where it exits into southern Georgian Bay. From the workshop it's possible to see all the way to The Lake on a clear day. Click here for an area map.
We look forward to welcoming you into our new space this year, whether your face is new or familiar. We'll see you for a workshop, and for our Headwaters Gathering, which is happening May 8th weekend. Check out the new Headwaters Website for more information, to register, or to apply to run a workshop this year).
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Sticks & Stones and GREEN THINGS!
Thank You White Pine - by Kate Sutherland
Our five-needle-bundled conifer friend White Pine, so gently you bend in the wind, so strongly and flexibly your branches grow, so that your twisting dance results in your famous sculptured form. What doesn't bend breaks, and you definitely bend. You are an inspiration to the rest of us: instead of stiffly raising our shoulders and getting sore backs as we plough face-first and head-down into wintry blizzards, perhaps we should learn to twirl and twist, spin with our arms in the air in response to the intricacies and subtleties of a strong breeze's fluid whispers, its licks of variation within the overall direction and shape. May we, like you Oh White Pine, dance in the face of adversity as we make our way along the path and strengthen our grounding in the earth. Much more fun, for one thing. Better for the soul. White Pine Tea
Not only is this magnificent tree a graceful mover, it also provides us with some health-boosters. If you are as conscious as I am of taking extra care to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy during the colder months of the year, you will come to appreciate this simple recipe:
4 cups boiling water
1 generous handful of fresh white pine needles, sheaths and twigs removed
If you're looking for a dose of vitamin C much more potent than what you'd get eating an orange, bring the water to a boil and pour over the needles to steep them as you would regular tea.
For a decongestant effect ,to help remove and cold settling into the chest, simmer the needles for minimum 10 minutes. NB: simmering the needles significantly decreases the amount of vitamin C you will obtain from the tea.
Drink 3 cups daily, or as needed.
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Tracking Club
Join us for a day of exploring the natural mysteries of our local ecosystems through tracking and wilderness awareness skills. Our meetings are open to anyone of any age.
Next Meeting: February 12, 2012 from 1- 4 pm
We will meet at 1 pm sharp at the Sticks & Stones workshop at Kimbercote Farm in the Beaver Valley.
Dress warmly and bring yourself a lunch or some snacks, and water. Email us to let us know you're coming, and for directions:
info@wildernessschool.ca
Headwaters Gathering
The Date is Set! May 10 - 13 2012
A traditional & ancient earth-based skills gathering, people of all ages and experience converge for a weekend of workshops, story telling, trading goods, sharing knowledge, stewardship projects and celebrating life. It's a wonderful place to gather and reconnect with each other, the earth and the natural world.
Check out our new website, and register at
http://www.headwatersgathering.ca
Stewardship
We welcome your support whether through your energy or by way of financial or equipment donations. Please contact us if you wish to take part in any project or would like to make a financial contribution. If you would like to donate equipment, please visit our "Wish List" to see where our needs lie.
If you have a stewardship project in mind or have access to land that is need of rehabilitation, please feel free to contact us, we'd love to talk with you about it.
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