Cowichan This Week – Look on the bright side

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Hi there,

I hope you got a break this week, whether it was yesterday’s official holiday or in some other way. This pandemic has been tough on a lot of people — I know it’s been tough for me. So, I’m taking advantage of the quieter summer season to reflect, recharge and ask for help (that’s a hard one!)

And when I want to look on the bright side, I can always return to yesterday’s essay by David Minkow, reflecting on the beauty of Cowichan and the people who live here. Huy ch q’u for that, David.

News and announcements

• Students at Ditidaht Community School, in the Nitinaht region, are connecting with land, language, culture and history through the Ditidaht Places Project, The Discourse Cowichan reports. 
• Members of the Class of 2020 have shown their resiliency and strength through a challenging year, The Discourse Cowichan reports. 
• Local RCMP are warning residents to be alert to scam phone calls, including some where callers falsely identify themselves as police, the Cowichan Valley Citizen reports. 
• Paramedics responded to 131 overdoses last Friday across B.C. “from Chilliwack to Cowichan,” the most ever recorded in a single day, CBC News reports. Overdoses have spiked during the pandemic due to disruptions in the drug supply, which increases the toxicity of the drugs.
• The deadline to give input on designs for a new weir at Cowichan Lake has been extended to July 12. 
• Nourish Cowichan has stepped up to keep children fed through the pandemic, CBC News reports.

Community events

• Now – Monday, Aug. 3: 🎶 The 39 Days of July continues, with full days of live-streamed performances by local talent. 
• Thursdays in July: 💃 5Rhythms outdoor dance sessions with Chantell Foss continue this month at Providence Farm in Duncan. 
• Saturday, July 4: 🛍️ The Honeymoon Bay Outdoor Market reopens for the summer season, 10-1 on Saturdays through Sept. 5.
• Sunday, July 5: 🎸 Join Vancouver Island musician Oliver Swain for a physically-distanced outdoor show in Duncan.

What did I miss? Let me know what events are coming up near you by sending me an email.

Photo of the week

Thanks to Tafadzwa Matamba of Little Zimbabwe Farm 🇿🇼 for sharing this photo and these words:. 

“It could have been the mournful cry of the eagle that woke me up from my dream-like state! My heart was filled with so much gratitude of this new beautiful day before me and had to offer my prayers and communicate to the mermaids,” Tafadzwa writes. Read the rest of the story on Facebook.

Do you have a great photo of life in Cowichan? Send me an email, I’d love to see what this place looks like through your lens.

In your words

We’ve heard such great feedback this week in response to Tuesday’s newsletter by freelancer Kit Cross, about the Hermit’s Trail in Chemainus. 

“This brought tears to my eyes, thank you for such a touching remembrance,” wrote Christine, in The Discourse Cowichan Facebook group. “I grew up in the same town, same trails and I remember the Hermit, he was gentle and peaceful. He said hi to me twice and I remember feeling like something special had happened in just a simple hello. Touched forever by someone I never knew but understood his need for the peace and quiet that exists outside of the society that most people live.”

Thank you, Christine! I’m so glad the story connected with you, and so many others. [end]