Saturday, April 4, 1992 @

 Ifwe had a keen vision of all

that is ordinary in human life,
it would be like hearing the
grass grow or the squirrel’s
heart beat and we would die of
that near which is the other
side of silence.

George Eliot: Middlemarch
eee

How many of you remember
the Burgess Bedtime Stories
with all the little people of the
Green Meadows, the Purple
Hills and the Green Forest?

How many remember, Red-
dy Fox, Peter Rabbit, Blackie
Crow and Buster Bear, just to
name a few?

They were an integral part
of my early childhood, every-
evening-read-aloud sessions
and were as familiar to me as
my own family.

One of them was Chatterer
the Red Squirrel.

A saucy, noisy, bright-eyed
character with a reddish
bushy tail and a white tammy
who flitted about the tree tops
of the Green Forest and
warned all and sundry of in-
vading hungry predators with
his ratchety chatter.

- Since we lived at that time
in the heavily wooded area
along Burrard Inlet ,I was fa-
miliar with Chatterer and
most of his companions in the
flesh, one reason perhaps, why
Thave never done injury to any.
wild creature in my life.

When we moved from coun-
try to town, I lost-contact with
many of these small (and ina
few cases, not so small)
friends. When I became aman,

Reflections
and
Recollections

John CHARTERS

name, (tamiasciumns hudson-
icus), longer than he was.

With experience, he cut
down his round trip time to
about 55 seconds.

The long stick I put from
birch to fir helped a little for I
was afraid that he might slip

he certainly regarded as his
personal bonanza, he had
some epic encounters with the
larger birds at the food tray,
particularly the Steller’s jays.

One would boldly fly in and
perch on top of the feeder, the
rail or a nearby branch.

That call came about seven
years ago, late one fall day,
when a yellowish-brown squir-
rel appeared at the big bird-
feeder at the corner of the deck
—asaucy, bright-eyed fellow
with a curving bushy tail, tak-
ing a sip of water from the wa-
ter dish, then, while sitting
bolt upright, stuffing his cheek
pouches with both _ his
forepaws until he looked like a
severe case of the mumps.

When he saw me watching
him,he leaped in a flash to the
top of the feeder, over toa high
branch of the birch and raced
out along another long branch
to a twig, leaped across to an
equally fragile-looking twig of
anearby fire, across two neigh-
boring pines, headfirst down
one trunk to disappear abrupt-
ly into an abandoned bird nest-
ing box.

In two minutes, he was
back. And again, for hours on
end, stopping only long enough
to give me a harsh scolding
from the fir tree. I hadn’t been
certain of his identity at first
—his handsome tail was just a

‘In the later summer, he started harvesting the
immature green cones from the fir tree.’

and fall into the jaws of the big
stray black cat who stalks the
territory at all hours.

He never did, for rarely
have I seen anything so agile
in a tree.

That tail was an aerialist’s
baton.

He scarcely paused for any-
thing and he never missed a
step. His tail turned a bronzy-
red in the spring, a part,
doubtless, of his courting and
wedding suit.

In the fall, it dulled once
again to brown.

In his efforts to defend what

a

I put aside childish things, in-
cluding the reading of Burgess
Bedtime Stories. They still lin-
gered in the mists of memory
awaiting a call, though.

dark brown — a squirrel, al-
right, but what kind?

Then I heard that machine-
gun chatter and I knew — are-
al red squirrel, with a latin

The squirrel would rush
out, and the jay would fly up in
to a higher branch on the
birch, he following furiously.

While he was thus engaged,
two others would slip in to the
feeder and gulp down some
sunflower seeds, so that he
had to race back again.

He never did get near them
and they obviously regarded it
as a great game and told him
80.
It went on year after year
and was an endless entertain-
ment as we watched them
from the living room window.

a Oe S —
a ; P

The beauty of the squirrel was a joyous sight while living in the

country.

Cancer society sets lofty goals

Glen Freeman
NEWS REPORTER

Almost one in four Canadi-
ans will get cancer in their life-
time. :

But according to the Cana-
dian Cancer Society, “together,
we can beat cancer.”

In April, society volunteers
hope to raise $17,000 in
Castlegar alone, $6.8 million

in British Columbia and the
Yukon. :

“Last year we managed to
raise $16,000 right here, and
that was more than we had
ever raised before,” said unit
president Ruby Marsh.

“Of the money we raised
last year, almost $9,000 was
spent in this area on local pa-
tients.”

And even in these tough

- Seed grower

Local seed growers will be
sprouting up at the Castlegar
Cultural Centre Sunday at
1:30 p.m..

Castlegar herbalist Netta

‘will be instructing in-

Castlegar who are interested
in plants and seeds,” Zeberoff
said, “so we’re hoping for a
good turnout.”

Zeberoff says that one of
her main objects Sunday will
be to let people know what can
and what cannot be grown to-
gether.

“Some people think that

economic times, Marsh does
not feel that a $17,000 goal is
too lofty.

“Residents here have al-
ways been generous — I’m
sure theyll come through
again this year.”

Approximately 65 can-
vassers will be collecting do-
nations to go towards patient
service, research and educa-
tion locally and province wide.

s gather in Castlegar

- Squirrel’s triphammer heartbeat not forgotten

In the later summer, he
started harvesting the imma-
ture green cones from the fir
tree. They hit the new fibre=
glass cover with a tremendous)
crack —usually in the morn-

When he got into his stride, ?

there was a veritable fuselage’
of reports on the roof and the

ground would be littered with

green cones. »

At first, I thought that he’

enjoyed all the noise but when
I saw him disappear into the
woodpile beneath the deck I
knew that there was a serious
side to his frantic exertions.

He disappeared in the late i

fall, not even coming out for a
quick winter snack, nor did I
ever hear his rackety chatter
again and I assumed that de-
spite his speed, the black cat
had got him and I gave it short
shrift whenever I saw it.

Murderer!

Last week, I had the wood
pile torn out and at the bottom,
amidst a thick welter of pine
cones, I found his tiny, mum-
mified body.

He had died in his private
palace amidst the remains of
all his wealth — quickly I
hope, when the tiny tripham-

mer heart suddenly stopped |

beating.
I wrapped him in a paper

towel shroud and buried him ~
beneath a newly planted flow= ~

ering cherry tree.
We'll miss him for he gave
an extra pleasure to daily liv-

ing and a renewed life in old ©

memories of such small grains

formed, and they make an.end- |

less fascinating stream in the
hour glass of our days.

-by Slocan

tioner.

and colour therapy.

There are a lot of people you just plant whatever

you like wherever you like, but
that’s not the case,” Zeberoff
said.

Zeberoff will also be over-
seeing a seed exchange Sun-
day, because there is a “need
for more non-hybrid seeds in
the area.”

Heritage seeds are especial-
ly welcome.

Kinesionics explored

The Slocan Valley recreation office is offering a weekend
workshop with Cal Wheaton, a certified kinesionics practi-

Wheaton has gained an international reputation using
this system of natural healing. :
Bio-kinesionics incorporates the western study of the
movement of the body. with the eastern use of acupressure
points. The instructor also incorporates 50 other healing
methods into his instruction including massage technique

This course will introduce the participants to using mus-
cle testing (on themselvés and others) to determine such—
things as; food allergies and toxicities, acupuncture alarm
points, vitamin and mineral points, spinal adjustments, as _|
well as emergency stress release.

Wheaton has-been practicing his unique form of healing
for over 12 years. He lives on his farm near Prince George
when he is not travelling to clients across Western Canada.

The weekend workshop is to be held on April 25 and 26
at the Slocan Park Hall, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The fee for this two day event is $125. Interested partici-
pants must register by April 16 and there is a limited
amount of space available for it.

recreation

WY

JN
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