Drawing Some Conclusions about Collaboration

This is my drawing of our friend Brian, who moved to Bear River four years ago.
When Brian came to visit us in Bear River, he liked the vibe and decided to move a couple of provinces over to Nova Scotia. He gave Halifax a try and then Digby, but finally settled in our village.

Sketch in pencil and digital ©Flora Doehler, 2023

How to Grow zucchini + trick carnivorous insects

I adore zucchini and I use it in many recipes, in soups, lasagna, shredded salad, spiralized “spaghetti,” and more.

Organic Gardening in Winter at the Kitchen Table at Wild Rose Farm

In 2008 on a drive to Gilbert’s Cove on St. Mary’s Bay, Larry and I dropped into the Wild Rose Organic Farm and met owner Gilberte Doelle. I wrote about it in this blog and all winter we wondered how her non-heated greenhouse was faring. The following March when she held an organic gardening workshop at her farmhouse, Larry and I

An Evening Miracle

A few evenings agp. while grumbling to myself about this summer’s heatwaves, I bent down to spread grass clippings around the tomato plants. A flock of birds flew over me. Because the air was so still, the unfamiliar sound of their beating wings startled me and sent a shiver up my spine. When I lifted my head, they were already landing, one-by-one on the tallest tree.

Oil pastel sketch. “Birds for Emmy.” ©Flora Doehler, 2009.

I watched them fly onwards from treetop to treetop until they were out of site. I will soon forget about the heat of this summer, but I will never forget the sound of their wings moving towards a common destination.

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower 
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand 
And Eternity in an hour
–William Blake

Today at Gilbert’s Cove, Nova Scotia, I saw that world.

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Anxiety and the Coronavirus

It’s a super gorgeous Spring day here. The birds are singing again, the goldfish in our pond are awake and flashing their brilliant orange. You would never imagine that the world is battling a pandemic caused by coronavirus. and that we are self-isolating.

Growing Your Own – Just a Little Longer

Here in Bear River, Nova Scotia, the deadly night frost arrived  a couple of weeks ago and that was the end of tomatoes, beans and zinnia for this year!

We’re Having a Heatwave

The end of July in Bear River is going out on a heatwave. I’m thinking that a 24 hour snowstorm would feel good right about now. I love that summertime brings, well, summer, but I find the heat tiring….it’s hard to sleep and hard to be outside.

Meditating Chickens in Bear River

written on Feb 27, 2012
A few days ago, on a walk with Larry, we passed a neighbour and as is the custom here, stopped to chat for 20 minutes on the side of the road.

I mentioned that we were out of eggs and I was off to Digby to buy some. “Oh don’t bother doing that,” said my neighbour. “I’m housesitting for our other neighbour whose hens are producing lots of eggs and we can go over there to get some right now.”