“generosity is the disposition of the dwellers of paradise”
-aphorism attributed to the Prophet Muhammad

P R O S E 

Dear Sweet+Salty Friends,

It’s been 58 days since my last confession. Please forgive my delay. I sit here basking in the sunlight of our south facing window like the big cat I am. Winter waltzed in yesterday with her grey snow skies. I have been feeling positive about making the best of it. I was excited to pull my long royal blue London Fog coat ($12 at GIRO thank you!) out of the depths of the closet as I did not have much use for the winter garb out west. One winter on Gabriola I got away with not even owning gloves! The newest addition to my winter wardrobe is a sublimely soft wool scarf with the Gordon Tartan (grandma Marj’s pride) that my dad brought back from Scotland. It goes well with the blue coat and green alpaca mittens. We somehow got away with a beautiful and mild November here Upper Canada, with flowers still blooming and leaves still on trees. They all seemed to have dropped suddenly the past few days and I can now see the CN Tower through naked tree limbs. I have always loved staring out the window and though my bedroom is a cozy dark cave, our kitchen provides the vibrancy of light and ideal window contemplation I will need throughout the coming season.

I tell folks I am looking forward to a winter in Toronto. They look at me funny. I remember dark nights on Gabriola, attempting to go for a stroll after sunset and feeling I would be washed away by the dark rains, or overtaken by the spirits that haunt the forests. Everything closed by 7pm. Here, there are bright lights, and the ghosts are restricted to certain haunts, there is sunshine, and so much going on! When visiting with my west coast auntie and uncles recently, though it’s been a challenging year, when asked “how are you liking it?” I said very honestly that I’m truly loving it here, feeling very inspired, and finding my feet.

In other passing moments I am not so sure about winter, as there are four more months of this. I remind myself of my love of big cozy sweaters, cooking delicious food, books, movies, writing and contemplation time. I am also blessed to have a very warm and loving space to live, with a dear friend to share coffee talks and evening catch ups with on the regular. It blows my mind that only 4 months ago I was flying (failing) over my handlebars due to my brain being melted from the heat. My wrist hurts quite badly every morning, but I am tending to it and grateful to have time to pay attention to it. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned that I am in a 2 year(ish) long yoga teacher training program with the wonderful folks at Esther Myers Studio. It is a gentle and intuitive practice that has me actively listening to my body more than I’ve ever done in my life. It is changing my whole existence one little grain of sand at a time. It has been paramount in my injuries (past and present) and mindset, and I am slowly gaining autonomy over my chronic pain.

I have returned to singing for the public again after a long hiatus and ego dissolution. Does it ever feel amazing. It’s been a great challenge to restart and build it all again, but I’ve gained new perspective after stepping off the horse for a while and am beginning to get to know the wonderful folks of the vibrant scene here. Thank you to all of you who have supported me and kept my art going. I’ve got enough songs for the next album and keeping my channel open for ideas on how it will feel and sound. Very exciting! I am actively working on shedding my vices with a goal of inner peace, and am off the social media this month. It’s working pretty darn well I’d say.

I pause for a moment to glance out the window, entranced by the strength of the trees as the cold winds lead them in a vivacious dance of ¾ time. I am being called outside to join in. Before I go, I wonder, is there anything you would like to see in the
”Salty Licks Review” in the new year?

I am thinking of each and every one of you, sending you so much love. I wonder how you are doing out there ? I’d love to hear from you.

Big hugs and write you soon. Xo

S H O W S + S O N G S

A special little winter journey…

M U S I C

F E A T U R E D   F R I E N D 

CHAD PAB

Where are you? What'd you have for breakfast? And what are you up to today?
I'm currently living in Glasgow Scotland, and I've been here nearly a
year to the day. For breakfast I had oatmeal, a staple in my diet.
Today I went on a hike with my girlfriend and another Canadian thats
living in Glasgow. Otherwise I'm playing some music, which is mainly
Beatles covers since we just got back from a trip to Liverpool and I'm
very Beatles inspired right now. Along with my usual guitar playing of
acoustic originals I'm also working on learning the guitar parts in a
metal band I might be joining.

What three things in your life are you most grateful for right now?
I always try to remember to be grateful for my health, after all the
heart stuff I went through in 2020 I try to appreciate having a
healthy functioning body.
As a second gratitude I'm grateful that people are listening to the EP
I just released on Oct 25. Any long time fans of my music will
remember my two early releases "The Arms that Surround Us" and
"Yester-Days-Future" which have since been deleted from the online
world, so this new EP also titled "Yester-days-future" is a bit of a
compilation of those two releases but being updated musically, and now
with proper mixing and mastering.
Lastly, my third gratitude is having a nice place to live, in Scotland
you can rent a furnished place, meaning that it comes with all the
couches, beds, tables and all that stuff, so not having to buy any of
that was helpful. Also the fact that its nice and warm, just the
basics.

What have you got on the go artistically at the moment?
As i just mentioned above, I just released my latest EP on Oct 25 and
am promoting that at the moment. Its re-vamps and updated versions of
previously released songs that have been since deleted and are now
updated, as well as being properly mixed and mastered. I'm also in the
process of working out a couple solos that I still have to record and
am planning to release as a mainly instrumental bluegrass EP next
year.
In addition to this I'm also learning the guitar parts for a technical
death metal band that I might be joining if everything goes the way I
hope it does.

If I passed you an instrument, what song would you play us right now?
Likely something by the Beatles as I just returned from a trip to
Liverpool and am part of Beatlemania right now. Probably the song "For
No One". They're so good, I feel like everything kind of originates
from them. That or one of the tunes I just released on the 25th,
probably "Threnody". Which is a song for the autumn leaves.

What's been on repeat on your record player/streamer/tape deck/CD
player/ et al.?
Mellow songs:
Valley of the Silver Moon - Johnathan Wilson
Imminent Shadow - Spencer Cullum
Metal albums:
Duck Face Killings - Fulci
Absolute Elsewhere - Blood incantation

If we want to find your work, where can we go?
My music is available on all streaming platforms. If you want to
stay updated on social media you can find me @chadpabmusic and
@chadpabmetal on instagram, Chad Pabianek music on facebook, or
my website.

G O O D   O C E A N   N E W S

No, Orcas Probably Aren’t Reviving the ‘Dead Salmon Hat’ Trend, Despite a Viral Photo, Experts Say. Here’s Why

“Maybe it’s to impress another member [of the pod],” Andrew Trites, director of the University of British Columbia’s Marine Mammal Research Unit, muses on CBC Radio West, per CBC News’ Tessa Vikander. “Maybe they just like the smell of dead fish.” He adds that it could also be a sign of playfulness.

S A S S T R O L O G Y 
with s.o.

A lyric from my songs as your astrological predictions for this month…

Sagittarius - “I’m not asking forever, neither just for now, if you take the rudder, I’ll keep watch at the bow” - Riverkeeper

Capricorn - “I come from the cold, from the dark from the grey, but you and your pinks and them and their greens came along and saved my day” - Cherry Blossom

Aquarius - “The only thing the same is that everything changes” - Lake Song

Pisces - “life is the sea, one day nice and smooth, the next rough and mean, from the shallows to the depths, and every where in between…” - The Sea

Aries - “I am off to catch a wind and dawn a painted shell” - Autumn Sun

Taurus - “He left nothing but ash and black in his path, making room, for new life to bloom from his wrath” - Fire Moon

Gemini - “Run off to the woods picking nettles bare fingered to feel the sting, it cures everything” - Nettles

Cancer - “how big, how big, of a beauty was she? how wide was her smile? How heavy, how heavy her heart must’ve been, she’s gone to the deep for awhile” - Whalebones

Leo - “only water’s going to help us grow, keep us from sinking below” - Let it Rain

Virgo - “if you should break again, darling don’t you worry, we can turn our wounds into veins of gold” -Empire Hurricane

Libra - "there ain’t nothing wrong with some water in your face” - Pitter Patter

Scorpio - “If my pain were my friend babe, I’d like to kick it” - Pain Town

Stay tuned in & turned on

x.o.
Love
S.O.