By Gayle Quin
The summer has gone by in a whirl, and through it all we have been blessed with meeting some very brave and special people.
Since last fall, Jim, Ted, myself, and some other brave souls from the club, have been delivering to home bound members up and down the island. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for sure. We have had members thank us for the ability to hold their daughter’s wedding at home on their own property with, simply, the help of two Ryanols per day to combat the pain of fibromyalgia, and offering their yard for Ted and I to pitch a tent in anytime we want. Some have shared their yards and drawn maps to their favourite swimming holes for us.
“I’m just an old hippy who knows cannabis is good medicine,” is a statement I hear over and over again, while delivering medicine.
There have been those with crippled and deformed hands, willing to endure through the pain of baking so others can enjoy their cookies. We’ve had people able to enjoy the simple pleasure of walking again with the help of our arnica massage oil. There have been those who have broken into tears of remorse, sorrow, and delight, sharing the greatest gift of all—their emotions. And there is need for so much more.
People need help through their therapies. There is nothing more frustrating than being told you need to do this or that, when you don’t have the energy to get out of your pyjamas!
I am reminded on every trip how lucky we are to live in a very special part, of a very special planet. We are rich with human resources, if we learn to access and help each other—especially those in the greatest of need. How can we say that we live in a compassionate society, when folks who are disabled and hurting struggle to look after each other, or worse, homebound and unknown? So, if you know of anyone that could use a helping hand, pleases give them our number or call for them yourself.
I’ve been brought to tears many times during these visits, but it helps me to keep going.
Autumn brings about my favourite Spiritual event of the year (next to Winter solstice)—All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween to non-Pagans. For me, it’s a time of reflecting on, and thanking, our ancestors. The “who we are and where we came from” is what shapes the “where we are going and who we are becoming.” It’ also a time to give special thanks to all who have helped me through the year. For me, it feels like New Year’s Eve. It is time for settling into the cozy warmth, and to enjoy and digest the harvests of the year, and the things I have learned.
And it is also time for Hempology 101’s Annual Costume Contest. It used to take me all year to decide what to dress-up as, but with Mr. Organized around, I don’t have that problem anymore. See you at the Court House at 7 p.m.!
Opps! I got excited and forgot to tell you about the day before! Sat. Oct. 30 is Team 420’s 2nd Annual Frisbee- Golf Tournament. We meet in East Sooke Park, and play between 2 and 4 p.m. It’s a lot of fun, and the park provides a spectacular setting. In case you didn’t know, we have made portable targets so we can set up a course anywhere, and have no environmental impact except for our foot-prints and ashes.
Team 420 has monthly games nights in the fields of the University West (UVic) the 3rd Thurs. of every month. Over the winter we will be playing frisbee-gol each week. In Spring, we will kick things into high gear with Team 420 entering into the TC 10K, The Zone Dodgeball Tournament, and regular California kick- ball at the school if enough people show up. The University West field is essentially between Quadra X Hillside X Blanchard (near Blanchard Courts) and the monthly events start at 8 p.m.
We are going to hold a Craft Night for club members and other vol- unteers. At the first meeting, we will most likely be making hemp pom-poms for Team 420 events, and deciding what folks are interested in doing. Hope to see you on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Ted and I have been going to Vancouver to help start a Hempology 101 Student Club at the University of British Columbia. We met two very inspiring young men, one with a medical cannabis interest, and another who wants to get the University growing hemp and experimenting with its many uses. There is every reason to suspect the UBC Hempology 101 club will be bigger and more active than the club at the University of Victoria.
Finally, International Medical Marijuana Day is fast approaching. We need donations for the art auction as soon as possible, as we like to promote the artists and show off the work in the club for a few weeks before the auction. For those who do not know, we have celebrated Nov. 15 as International Medical Marijuana Day in Victoria, since 1995. We have a rally at the Ministry of Health, and organize a silent art auction to raise funds for court and other legal troubles. Last year, we donated all of the proceeds to a member, Kevin Wilde, who had been busted growing a small number of plants for his personal use and was evicted from his home as a result. This year, we need the money for our bakery trial, and appreciate both the donations of art and the money folks spend at the auction.
The holiday season brings my favourite event—Cannabis Caroling. Every year, on the Wednesday night before Christmas, we march around town singing songs about cannabis and hot-boxing various government buildings. We start at the Ministry of Health, but it does not take long before we go to City Hall and hot- box the front alcove. The week after, we hot-box the front steps of the courthouse to bring in the New Year. For more events check out the events listing on page five, or the hempology.ca forums.
Safe travels everyone.
