Tag: Garden and Nature
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When Neighbours Cook: Summerland, Fire, and the Sunflower Café
Sunflowers from my Kamloops garden. A year ago, there was honey cake Last August I wrote a story about a small yellow sign on Victoria Road in Summerland, and about the family behind it. The Sunflower Ukrainian Café became a ritual for Mama and me: borscht that tastes like a Ukrainian winter kitchen, varenyky made…
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Neighbours Help. They Do Not Blame.
A response to the congressional letter on Canadian wildfire smoke [Photo: the sky near Ashcroft, British Columbia, July 19, 2024. I took this picture myself. The sun is a pale disc behind the smoke, and a STOP sign stands at an empty intersection. This is what wildfire season looks like where I live.] Last week,…
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A Bigger Safari: Nakusp Hot Springs, the Kootenays, and a Weekend With No Wifi
Earlier I wrote about our small Kamloops safari to Isobel Lake, where the big game was a herd of cattle and the gentle residents were a goose family on the water. The weekend before I fly to Nairobi, we went on a bigger safari still. Mama, Oksana, and Svitlana and I packed up and drove…
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A Kamloops Safari: Mama, Isobel Lake, and the Gentle Wildlife of Home
This week I fly to Nairobi for a conference, to the land of the true safari. But before any of that, on a Friday after work, I went on a different kind of safari, closer to home, and in many ways closer to my heart. I took Mama Lidia to Isobel Lake. If you have…
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The Last Tomato Check-In of 2025
Yesterday, Mama, Larysa, and I stood together in our Westsyde garden for what has become our annual ritual: the final tomato check-in of the year. Branch by branch, we carefully examined what remained, deciding what could ripen on the vine and what would make the journey indoors to continue its transformation from green to red…
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A Star from Ukraine: My Late Summer Garden Treasure
There’s something deeply moving about discovering a plant that bridges seasons, cultures, and memories. This autumn, my garden has been graced by Aster dumosus Early Blue (Айстра кущова Ерлі Блю) – a compact perennial that has become my daily reminder that summer need not surrender quietly to fall. The Gift That Keeps Giving From late…
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A Day at Mara Lake: Rest, Reflection, and Remembrance
After a morning of cherry picking, we found ourselves drawn to the peaceful shores of Mara Lake – the perfect spot to rest and recharge. Though we couldn’t make it to Kamloops for Saturday’s Stand with Ukraine gathering, we took a moment by the water to reflect on the ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy.…
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A Sweet Tradition at Peter’s U-Pick Orchard
Every summer, as the cherry blossoms fade and the fruit begins to ripen under the warm Okanagan sun, our family and friends make the same beloved pilgrimage to Peter’s U-Pick Orchard in Vernon. It’s become more than just a day trip. It’s a treasured tradition that marks the beginning of our summer u-pick fun, filled…
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From Krimml to Kamloops: When Water Teaches Resistance
Standing by waterfalls in Austria and here in Canada, I’m reminded that water doesn’t ask permission to flow – it simply moves, persistent and unstoppable, carving its path through stone and time. The roar of Krimml Falls, the rush of water near Kamloops (Margaret Falls) – these forces have been here long before our struggles…
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From Scarcity to Abundance: Our 2025 Cherry Picking Adventure
The alarm rang at 6:30 a.m. across Kamloops, but this year it carried a different energy. After last year’s touching journey to Peter’s U-pick orchard, where we discovered the beauty in scarcity and the sweetness that comes from struggle, we were ready to return with hearts full of gratitude and anticipation. What a difference a…
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Compote of Love: A Garden’s Abundance Recipe
For 3+ liters of shared joy, inspired by the generous spirit of Nanking cherries and the purposeful work of bees under Kamloops sun The Philosophy Like the bees that work tirelessly among fruit-laden branches, this recipe is about abundance shared, enough to fill mason jars to serve at family and friends gatherings. We take generously…
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Finding Balance in the Garden When the World Breaks
This morning I needed to see the bees. Not because I woke up wanting to garden or write about nature, but because I woke up to news of more lives lost, more families shattered, more care workers burning out from carrying unbearable loads. Yesterday’s forum on love, care, share was a stark reminder of how…