3 posts tagged “frontenac county”

Finally the sun shone. I experienced a little piece of heaven last night, with a hot shower prior to a lively meeting, and that is a good segue into one of the many questions people are asking:

Am I on the site 24/7?

Donna and The Kittles

Just about. I am stepping out for pre-arranged meetings only, and in my absence, there are other folks around. When the court negotiations are finalized and the Algonquins are no longer inside the gate, we will need to set up a schedule to assure that a minimum number of people are here overnight. If you can commit an overnight to the cause in the next month, please hit reply with your availability. But don’t limit yourself to that please, as visits are good for morale and you never know when media might show up. Which is another good segue. Most media have not covered this hunger strike, although they all got the information (including most every community newspaper in Ontario). If you have not seen it in your media source, big or small, please lift the press release off the CCAMU site, and send it to them with a question about why it has not been in, mentioning that it has been going on for however many days. As well, you could write letter to the editors to make people aware that I am here and share the info that way.

How am I doing?

Physically, I am fine. My blood pressure remains good and I’d guess that weight loss has been out five pounds. Retaining body heat and fending off the cold is a constant. Going for short walks, snuggling in close with the campfire and increasingly warmer clothes are taking care of it. Hugs from warmer bodies are never refused. [Does anyone have an “in” with an Arctic clothing company? It took five layers on the top, including a down coat, and three on the bottom yesterday to keep the chill off, so likely nothing I have currently will do when the temperature dips below zero.] I woke in the middle of the night wondering how our vegetable garden was faring.

How am I feeling?

Mostly very peaceful, whether in conversation or in silence and, strangely enough, during these days of upheaval at the camp, content as well. Early one morning I was teary eyed around camp relationships that weren’t what I’d like them to be (sound like any family you know ? ). After sitting with them, these feelings were soon replaced by ones of gratitude for what was/is.

What can I do?

A suggestion for something you can do, no matter where you live in the world, is to make and put out a sign that says “BRING GRAMMA HOME. Such a sign will get people wondering and asking questions and talking to each other. Thanks for returning to CCAMU’s site to check in. The letters and support I’m receiving is humbling, A moratorium will likely take people from around the world standing up to say “Enough. We are past the point where we can continue to sit back and allow business as usual.” Please keep spreading the word. Thanks.
Love Donna

Day 4 brought another overcast day. While it will be good to see the sun when it finally peeks out from behind the clouds, the weather fits the mood of those sitting around the campfire awaiting court news.

My middle daughter, Kassia, brought Zephyr (my youngest granddaughter) for a visit again today and my husband, Mike, has been a couple of times this week, bringing supplies that had been left behind on Monday. I’m grateful to them, and the rest of the family for all the love and caring that they show now and always and for their ongoing support of my efforts to stop uranium exploration and mining in Eastern Canada. What I am working to accomplish will not be possible without that and without folks like Devin Kohl, a grade 8 student, who wrote an awesome letter to the Perth Courier this week. Thanks Devin.

If anyone has a very small propane heater that they could part with temporarily, it would be much appreciated. After two hours of fiddling a couple of the fellas fixed me up with one that is a little too powerful for such a small space, but, for now, I can put it on for a few minutes morning and night under a watchful eye, just to take the dampness out.

Without phone or internet possibilities, it was great to have people stopping by with news of the election and the ‘outside’ world today again today.

We can go a long time without food, but clean water is essential to all life. With that in mind and with the rain holding off, I arrived at the site at noon, today, feeling a bit of trepidation and some anticipation. A short time later my home away from home arrived and the good folks at the site got busy and moved me in. I am indebted to the people who donated the tent camper and those on my support team. Without them, and other supporters, this would not be happening, as they are vital to the success of this campaign.

My debut into the public eye came about when a Global TV reporter and Jeff Green, from Frontenac News, arrived on site for interviews. Harold Perry officially welcomed me and thanked me for what I am doing here and I was able to share with him how much I appreciate the sacrifice that the First Nations have made in keeping our water safe. Some time later, I was also interviewed by a student from Loyalist College.

I’ve been getting lots of response to my action and I want to thank each of you for your comments and prayers. Please know that I am not doing this in isolation and that whatever you can do to help me get the message out is appreciated. Please call, write or email your elected officials. Tell them you want a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in Eastern Ontario. Or start an action of your own – a women in N.S. is organizing a coalition of grandparents to protest with us (wouldn’t it be grand if that went coast to coast, with people protesting in communities across the country) and some raging grannies are visiting the site on the weekend – or donate as you can, so that the people working on the issue can keep on keeping on. If you can come by the site, please do, as visits go a long way to keeping the moral up here.

Blessings
Donna