Today on World Wildlife Day, I share some conservationists and their ideas of early Canadian eco-friendly thoughts/concepts. Grey Owl is thought by some to be the first for us, despite some people referring to him as a ‘scam artist’ or con-man, letting our nation and the world believe he was actually of indigenous blood. (see more: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/archibald-belaney-grey-owl) But it was his Iroquois wife Arahero who persuaded him to begin educating others, and he in turn persuaded the wilderness/adventure-loving John Buchan, our Governor General from 1935 to very early 1940 and one of the main characters in my new musical “Rough Notes”.
More about Grey Owl here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Owl
This is another famous photo of both J.B. (Lord Tweedsmuir, although he was a commoner before he took the Gov. Gen. position) with Grey Owl and a hawk at the latter’s cabin in B.C. This photo was taken by J.B.’s right-hand man, Shuldham Redfern, another main character in Rough Notes:
Because we try to live as self-sufficiently as possible here, and because care of the environment means so much to me (I was 9 years old when I went on my first ‘rally’ – standing with my sister and a friend at the side of the highway outside our home with a banner reading “Don’t Litter” and several bags full of the garbage we’d just picked up along our ditches…), this issue that was also a passion of J.B.’s is one of many found in “Rough Notes”, all of which I am deeply attached to as ’causes’. See more here:
https://mckencroftproducti.wixsite.com/roughnotes
J.B.’s determination to bring Canadians together in a search for how to work as one with nature and our multi-cultures (many of whom already KNEW how to respect the wilderness !) is seen in these photos, up north in what is now Nunavut, in New Brunswick discussing the timber/logging concerns that were proving problematic even in the 1930s and on the porch of a fishing lodge outside Fredericton:
J.B. loved fishing, but he was careful to do it wisely and not wastefully. One of these books of which he also owned a copy is a REWARD still up for grabs in this last week of our Kickstarter campaign to try and see our musical, which so many have now invested time and energy toward, get a little closer to the stage this year: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rnmusical/rough-notes-a-musical-in-devt-by-j-ivanel-johnson 
Of course many of you have also visited Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in northern B.C. J.B. was determined to see several such parks open across Canada to protect our wilderness areas, and thankfully, this was achieved. His comments about how we use up our resources because we as Canadians feel they are limitless are below:
J.B. truly loved our Canada, and I am bitter that so many of his visions for our natural resources and wildlife have been disregarded in the 80 years since his death. It is one reason I’m determined to see his name and legacies are not forgotten by us.
And, as a special treat JUST for readers of this Blue Belldon Blog, I’d like to share one of the final choruses from an upbeat and partially humorous song I’ve written for the musical (presently being arranged for piano by a young up-and-comer you should be hearing lots more about here in Canada at least: Cameron Slipp. Ontario people may want to go see his latest new musical opening in a couple of weeks in Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/communication-arts/performances ) . While it IS a bit of a silly/joyous song, it doesn’t make its message any more trivial:
ALL: (cont’d) Habitat is where it’s at/ We can’t go taking this and that/Cutting trees, skinning a cat / McL: (speaks or sings) Be like Bear – follow the scat!
ALL: Share the Lair with fox and bear,/Rest the Nest with tender care/ Save the Cave, we must beware/For future lives we must be fair!/Leave the Beave – er dam alone/ Or some day our wilderness will be —- un—– known! (instrumental)
Habitat is where it’s at/This is our special cav-e-at/ There’s many needed neighbourhoods/ In the woods, in the woods  …. Habitat! Habitat!
Many of you enjoy reading about our work here on Blue Belldon Farm and often enjoy reading or hearing of Richard’s ‘antics’. In order to help me launch the Kickstarter campaign for the musical Rough Notes, he agreed to play multiple people coming in as ‘locals’ to audition for the roles in the show. Enjoy the teaser and the actual 6 min. hilarity below, and then please – if you can give just $5.00 or $10.00 to the Kickstarter, we would all be so grateful. The more backers we have the more chances we have of getting grants to ‘match’ our community support! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rnmusical/rough-notes-a-musical-in-devt-by-j-ivanel-johnson      Enjoy the silliness:
And again, as it’s World Wildlife Day today, I’ll share with you that 2 of my 5 works published/to be published this 2019/2020 year are about standing up for our environment and for nature and living off the land in HARMONY with it (click on either to make bigger)
So much thanks to all you readers who, as always, support artists like myself struggling along to get their voices (the voices of all humanity) heard. Here, one last time is the link to help this get just one step closer to being publicly heard/seen in the autumn of 2020.
And again, the website for more about the musical itself, with lots of photos and links: https://mckencroftproducti.wixsite.com/roughnotes
Thank you so much to each and every one of you. Julie (J. Ivanel) Johnson
The smell that night started making me sick
And all next day I was struggling
But opening the top half of the Dutch door,
Then closing it, freezing, took juggling
Between that fresh air method and
The burning beeswax - what else was used?
Oh, vinegar! So then our house stank
Of fish AND the latter-- and I was NOT amused.
Three days later, chilly and cold
'Cause the door was open for air
But the houseflies, blackflies and horseflies too
Were now inside and - we hadn't a prayer!
The second the snows melt away in N.B.
The blackflies are on us in swarms
And these aren't like Ontario ones -
They are smaller, and multiply as the air warms...
Only the females bite, they say -
But boy there are plenty of THOSE!
And though we're up high with lots of breeze
And with open land - ANYTHING goes
They are so small, and NOT very black
But the damage they cause is great
While trying to mow and harrow the fields
Richard's temples and neck were well-ate!
And while Mom plants the flowers, and I the veg,
We all three must bundle in armor
And poor Chevy, too, or he can't go to graze!
Ye GADS - the life of a farmer!
So Chevy goes out at night to eat
When it's chilly and damp and cold
And Cammie bleats from the barn for her pal
So there's all kinds of unrest in the fold!
And though their summer food is a problem,
Their winter food is now our main thought.
The field's been prepared with that new harrow
And now here we become MUCH over-wrought.
For in the long grass the blackflies rest
Awaiting the approach of fresh protein
That comes with our blood, those bastard swarms!
(If only they sucked FAT and made us lean!)
So we take turns on the back of the pickup truck
Which overheats constantly and stops
And we leave it and go on to something else
Then come back for more broadcasting crops.
You can see where my sock was tight
Because my pant leg was tucked in,
But apparently this doesn't much help
As my hairy legs are bitten heel to shin!
And today they are swollen and infected
And of course itchy as hell!
I reapply soda paste 3 times an hour
And curse the Mount of Blue Bell!
Yes the view is amazing and lovely
And the lilacs and tree blossoms too
But this week has been nightmarish for all who live
At the farm aptly named as "blue"....
And now Chevy's form of black-fly fever
May well be setting in to me too
But at least MY antibiotics are 'covered'
And won't break the bank as HIS do!
 P.S. Richard has helped raise more than 20 foster kids, as well as his own two boys.  They started out calling him “Pappy”, but the more hair he lost, the more they called him “Pippi” (as in he has no braids to stick straight out at the sides…)
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