As we look upon the end of 2013 (how can it be?) I am filled with gratitude and look forward with excitement. This past year has been a joyous one for Canelo and I, although it did include some hard lessons and reminders that life takes effort.
The year began with a trip to the East Coast and Canada for a jaunt in the snow with our dear friends Opal and Francis. We learned to ski and a bit of french and enjoyed so many laughs in the sparkle of the water crystals. Upon our return Canelo jumped back into school and I into a great routine exercising daily. I took a really helpful parenting class called Hand In Hand, and became a Certified California Naturalist.
My mother Jen had a REAL vacation in Puerto Rico where she managed to enjoy snorkeling despite having a cast on her arm. She's currently planning a sleep shack remodel, one of the latest improvement projects at MendoDragon Community. This along with the raging Grannies, Cloud Forest Institute and other groups keeps her busy but she still takes time to be the best grandma ever! In September she spent time with my brother Gus and Maria while they awaited the arrival of there new daughter Helena, and then stuck around to help out a few days as they adjusted. She's going to take care of Canelo for two whole months in early Spring while I go to Ecuador for oral surgery. I am supremely grateful!
During summer Canelo and I went with friends Opal and Gin road trippin' up through Oregon, Washington, and over to Vancouver Island. We loved the free camping and wild hotsprings in the McKenzie River Valley of Oregon. In Washington and Denman Island we learned about Earthen Building with the amazing Mud Girls! We covered such skills as dry stack foundations, cob building, slip straw and earth plastering. I can now (hypothetically) dig a hole and build a shelter there with what's dug up. It was great fun and I am absolutely infatuated with Canada and Canadians! While we passed through Eugene OR we picked up Canelo and my custom made tandem bike. Our new ride that's going to take us around the world, "The Burnstad Powered Green Machine". You'll hear more about this later....
This fall Canelo started 1st grade, still at the City of 10,000 Buddhas, Developing Virtue Boys School. He is making great progress on reading and writing and he's a wiz in math! He lost handfuls of teeth over summer, 8 total - so far, and has his front, top and bottom, "grown up" teeth. He and I enjoy taking Kung-Fu classes together and we're now reading chapter books before bed.
As the year ends we are struggling with the changing of the guards... In Sept. our cat of 18 years died and soon after my 11 year old, sweet, doggy Poppy was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to be laid to rest beneath an apple tree and a rose bush. I am taking this as a sign that circumstances are opening up to make our future plans possible.
Our big plan is to tandem bike throughout the world, learning and sharing with communities (rural, intentional, indigenous, and spontaneous) about how to actively address climate change. In this way Canelo will become multilingual and he and I both will get to see the world while learning the vitally important skills we need to persevere into the future.
I spent his early childhood not focusing on the "problems" in the world so that I could be happy, balanced and present for him. Now, though, I am having a hard time answering him truthfully when he talks about his old age or a time when he'll have children. I wish I could promise him these things without a doubt. So as a "good" mother I've decided that I need to, once again, focus on environmental conservation, rehabilitation and politics, this time acting with joy and not martyrdom.
Which brings me back to why I am a so excited for 2014! Canelo and I have joined the Great March for Climate Action climatemarch.org. We'll be riding our tandem as the march travels between Denver and Chicago on its way to Washington DC. I think this is the perfect way to begin our global journey, to do something about this problem that is so great people, generally, cannot face it.
Earth is 4.54 billion years old, the last mass extinction was 65 million years ago, since then life evolved in conditions that allowed for the evolution of humans which has been in process for over 400,000 years. There is debate about how long human civilizations have been ebbing and flowing, but written history gives us a more or less clear picture of the last 5000 years. The human population has expanded in numbers and impact. In the last 200 years with the industrial revolution, and thanks mostly due to the use of fossil fuels, we've brought ourselves to the brink of man-made mass extinction as a result of global warming. Let me repeat, death of almost all life on the planet.
This could also be accomplished by other great human inventions like nuclear science, and over consumption of resources due to our market based economy. Surely the convergence of these and other factors, point to a climax of extreme proportions in this century. If we take decisive action now we could not only prevent our demise but fulfill our human potential by rehabilitating and taking care of the earth while providing all people with basic human rights; health, education and decent quality of life. If we wait five or ten or twenty more years we may be the last generation on earth.
If you believe, like I do, that we are born with a purpose then we might conclude that we're pretty special to be born right now. To think that after more than 75,000 generations it's come down to us.... if WE decide it is important, if WE are willing to work for it, if WE are willing to make the changes necessary for survival. I promise you that I, like everyone of my 75,000+ grandmothers before me, will do all that I can so that my son may have a future.
We're taking that first giant step with the Great March for Climate Action. I am also committing to doing 1,000 sun salutations in prayer for energy intelligence while on the road. I just know that it is going to be really profound for Canelo and I as well as a wonderful time. I would love it if you joined us for all or part of it!
I know it is hard to step away from our deeply entrenched lives but that is exactly what we have to do to break the chains that hold us in destructive patterns. Perhaps you already have other plans or just don't have the means (thank the machine) to do something like this. In which case I invite you to support Canelo and I with a tax deductible donation to the Climate March. http://www.crowdrise.com/freedaburnstaddenvertochicago We need to fund raise at least $2,000 to cover our costs but the march itself needs more to make it happen. No donation is too small. With the holidays ahead I know now may not be the easiest time to give money, allow me to request that you at least think about this issue and what you CAN do about it. If you are inspired to, please forward this letter onto friends of yours who might find what we're doing interesting and worth supporting. If you have even just a twinge of desire to join us, keep thinking about how you could make it happen, even for just a week! This incredible experience would be even better shared with you! I hope we'll get to see you at some point in 2014! Have a great year! Thank you for your friendship, and for sharing this crazy world with me!
Love,
Freeda Alida and Canelo Burnstad
The year began with a trip to the East Coast and Canada for a jaunt in the snow with our dear friends Opal and Francis. We learned to ski and a bit of french and enjoyed so many laughs in the sparkle of the water crystals. Upon our return Canelo jumped back into school and I into a great routine exercising daily. I took a really helpful parenting class called Hand In Hand, and became a Certified California Naturalist.
My mother Jen had a REAL vacation in Puerto Rico where she managed to enjoy snorkeling despite having a cast on her arm. She's currently planning a sleep shack remodel, one of the latest improvement projects at MendoDragon Community. This along with the raging Grannies, Cloud Forest Institute and other groups keeps her busy but she still takes time to be the best grandma ever! In September she spent time with my brother Gus and Maria while they awaited the arrival of there new daughter Helena, and then stuck around to help out a few days as they adjusted. She's going to take care of Canelo for two whole months in early Spring while I go to Ecuador for oral surgery. I am supremely grateful!
During summer Canelo and I went with friends Opal and Gin road trippin' up through Oregon, Washington, and over to Vancouver Island. We loved the free camping and wild hotsprings in the McKenzie River Valley of Oregon. In Washington and Denman Island we learned about Earthen Building with the amazing Mud Girls! We covered such skills as dry stack foundations, cob building, slip straw and earth plastering. I can now (hypothetically) dig a hole and build a shelter there with what's dug up. It was great fun and I am absolutely infatuated with Canada and Canadians! While we passed through Eugene OR we picked up Canelo and my custom made tandem bike. Our new ride that's going to take us around the world, "The Burnstad Powered Green Machine". You'll hear more about this later....
This fall Canelo started 1st grade, still at the City of 10,000 Buddhas, Developing Virtue Boys School. He is making great progress on reading and writing and he's a wiz in math! He lost handfuls of teeth over summer, 8 total - so far, and has his front, top and bottom, "grown up" teeth. He and I enjoy taking Kung-Fu classes together and we're now reading chapter books before bed.
As the year ends we are struggling with the changing of the guards... In Sept. our cat of 18 years died and soon after my 11 year old, sweet, doggy Poppy was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to be laid to rest beneath an apple tree and a rose bush. I am taking this as a sign that circumstances are opening up to make our future plans possible.
Our big plan is to tandem bike throughout the world, learning and sharing with communities (rural, intentional, indigenous, and spontaneous) about how to actively address climate change. In this way Canelo will become multilingual and he and I both will get to see the world while learning the vitally important skills we need to persevere into the future.
I spent his early childhood not focusing on the "problems" in the world so that I could be happy, balanced and present for him. Now, though, I am having a hard time answering him truthfully when he talks about his old age or a time when he'll have children. I wish I could promise him these things without a doubt. So as a "good" mother I've decided that I need to, once again, focus on environmental conservation, rehabilitation and politics, this time acting with joy and not martyrdom.
Which brings me back to why I am a so excited for 2014! Canelo and I have joined the Great March for Climate Action climatemarch.org. We'll be riding our tandem as the march travels between Denver and Chicago on its way to Washington DC. I think this is the perfect way to begin our global journey, to do something about this problem that is so great people, generally, cannot face it.
Earth is 4.54 billion years old, the last mass extinction was 65 million years ago, since then life evolved in conditions that allowed for the evolution of humans which has been in process for over 400,000 years. There is debate about how long human civilizations have been ebbing and flowing, but written history gives us a more or less clear picture of the last 5000 years. The human population has expanded in numbers and impact. In the last 200 years with the industrial revolution, and thanks mostly due to the use of fossil fuels, we've brought ourselves to the brink of man-made mass extinction as a result of global warming. Let me repeat, death of almost all life on the planet.
This could also be accomplished by other great human inventions like nuclear science, and over consumption of resources due to our market based economy. Surely the convergence of these and other factors, point to a climax of extreme proportions in this century. If we take decisive action now we could not only prevent our demise but fulfill our human potential by rehabilitating and taking care of the earth while providing all people with basic human rights; health, education and decent quality of life. If we wait five or ten or twenty more years we may be the last generation on earth.
If you believe, like I do, that we are born with a purpose then we might conclude that we're pretty special to be born right now. To think that after more than 75,000 generations it's come down to us.... if WE decide it is important, if WE are willing to work for it, if WE are willing to make the changes necessary for survival. I promise you that I, like everyone of my 75,000+ grandmothers before me, will do all that I can so that my son may have a future.
We're taking that first giant step with the Great March for Climate Action. I am also committing to doing 1,000 sun salutations in prayer for energy intelligence while on the road. I just know that it is going to be really profound for Canelo and I as well as a wonderful time. I would love it if you joined us for all or part of it!
I know it is hard to step away from our deeply entrenched lives but that is exactly what we have to do to break the chains that hold us in destructive patterns. Perhaps you already have other plans or just don't have the means (thank the machine) to do something like this. In which case I invite you to support Canelo and I with a tax deductible donation to the Climate March. http://www.crowdrise.com/freedaburnstaddenvertochicago We need to fund raise at least $2,000 to cover our costs but the march itself needs more to make it happen. No donation is too small. With the holidays ahead I know now may not be the easiest time to give money, allow me to request that you at least think about this issue and what you CAN do about it. If you are inspired to, please forward this letter onto friends of yours who might find what we're doing interesting and worth supporting. If you have even just a twinge of desire to join us, keep thinking about how you could make it happen, even for just a week! This incredible experience would be even better shared with you! I hope we'll get to see you at some point in 2014! Have a great year! Thank you for your friendship, and for sharing this crazy world with me!
Love,
Freeda Alida and Canelo Burnstad
Freeda Alida Burnstad, Program Director
Cloud Forest Institute
PO Box 1435
Ukiah CA 95482
(707)743-1287
alida@cloudforest.org
http://www.cloudforest.org
Cloud Forest Institute
PO Box 1435
Ukiah CA 95482
(707)743-1287
alida@cloudforest.org
http://www.cloudforest.org
