Dear BE Life Magazine Subscribers,

Well, the Summer 2018 issue, “Lead Me Home,” was the last printed BE Life Magazine issue. We included a letter of gratitude for your support and encouragement over the last 2 ½ years and to inform you about the direction and future of Bear Essential Life Magazine.

We enjoy working on every issue and have met some great people whether they were advertising, writing, subscribing or accepting our free waiting room copies. But we must admit, it is presently very tough to continue to publish print material due to the impact that the internet has had on businesses and time management of individuals. Few people seem to have time to read newspapers or magazines anymore, as most would prefer a quick scroll through the internet because it fits the ever busier lifestyle we’ve adopted. Advertisers tend to find cheaper internet advertising, hoping to reach greater numbers. All this is understandable, but small print businesses find it difficult to compete with costs and perceived numbers. Without a large base of readers, advertisers do not benefit and without advertisers, the print costs are impossible to maintain. This is just the new reality we are facing. Thankfully, BE Life has grown and through much time and effort we have assured our advertisers of good value for their investment, but we face a decision of how to best use our family time in this rapidly changing world. We want every issue of BE Life to be of highest quality and maximum value to all involved, but this is a challenge that is increasing rapidly with internet influence. 

As a family, we have always believed in seeking guidance and wisdom from trusted counsel and as always we ask the Lord to direct our paths. So, at this time, we have chosen to discontinue BE Life, if even just for a time. Perhaps it will be circulated differently, have a greater internet presence, or involve others with new great ideas.  For now we will work diligently at all the other ventures and adventures in our life, strive to maintain priorities, and make every day count for what matters most. That’s what BE Life and our family are all about.  
                                                                   
So what does that mean for subscribers? We are glad to have been able to offer your prorated subscription fees to be returned to you (in cheque form) or if paid by paypal, then returned through paypal. However, we asked for your help in this area. Addresses change and many subscriptions were purchased for someone else.  We needed to know WHERE and WHO to send funds to.  A prorated return of funds was the first option. The 2nd option was to request and collect back issues as part of your subscription. We are now sending packages and requested reimbursements covered by your remaining subscription fee (including shipping costs in that). The 3rd option was to simply not respond and then all such funds would be donated to Wilderness Camp Ministries.  Deadline was September 15, 2018. We have waited for year-end to send out packages and refunds. Thank you for your patience in this matter. As well, a year end donation to Wilderness Camp was made on behalf of BE Life subscribers. Thank you.

In everything we give thanks and are eternally grateful for everyone who purchased personal subscriptions or gift subscriptions for friends, those who wrote stories which truly make BE Life “reader written,” and for those who stepped out and trusted us with their advertising and marketing over the last 2 ½ years. A huge thank you to the BE Life Team (you know who you are),  regular writers, family, friends, and an amazing print shop who all saw the “vision” of what we were hoping to accomplish with this simple life magazine.

Sincerely grateful to you, from the bottom of our hearts, for joining this journey,

Happy New Year from all of us,

The BE Life Family (Randy, Tara, Dale, Shane & Kole Barks)

PS- "The Heart of the Issue' (In Summer 2018) is found on page 10, above the door in the top left photo :) 

And more.... 
Back issues have been picked up from the Saskatchewan stores now. But some back issues may be available for purchase via snail mail (with an shipping cost). Just call us at 306-276-2144 for information. We want to send out a HUGE thank you to all the following stores who worked so well with us and were willing to support us locally. You are SO very appreciated and we will always be sure to tell others about your kindness and support! 

​In Nipawin at: 
Nipawin Save-U IGA
Nipawin Davis-Rexall Drugstore
K&J Fur Stretchers

In Choiceland at:
​Choiceland Co-op C-Store

In Carrot River at:
Carrot River Pharmacy

In Tisdale at:
The Tisdale Co-op C-store
Eagle Firearms

In Melfort at:
Heaven Sent Bookstore
Melfort Pharmasave

In Prince Albert at:
Canadian Tire
Prince Albert Co-op C-Store
Northwest Company Store

In Saskatoon at:
Indigo Bookstore (may have been removed)
MacNally Robinson Bookstore

In Yorkton at:
Coles Bookstore
Yorkton Home Hardware
Dam Beaver Trapping Supplies

In North Battleford at:
Ultra Print Services

www.BeLifeMag.com
www.facebook.com/BeLifeMag

  So as winter geared up for a great white, northern deep freeze,  Dale and Shane (our two oldest sons and part of the BE Life Team) ventured off once again to their "cabin in the woods."  We knew this winter would look a little different for them as Dale sequestered himself in the cabin determined to do some college assignments which would complete his Environmental Biology degree this spring. He had been looking forward to this time for almost 3 years, where he had attended classes in the city at the U of S with a crazy heavy class load. He was ready for some cabin life and some hands on biology...trapping!

Shane, too, worked so hard this last year. He used his carpentry skills on and off the job site as he successfully designed and built his own off grid cabin near us on the farmstead. Some days were especially long beginning at 5am and sometimes coming home and working until midnight or later on his own small cabin project. He, too was ready for some trap-line peace and quiet.

But apparently these young men cannot just relax on their evenings and days when they are not out trapping, doing school or biology work-they needed to start a new project. They have been working on creating video blogs (vlogs), complete with some great write ups of their adventures past and present. So check out their new Backwoods Boys Life , subscribe, comment and share! They truly do enjoy living and sharing their Bear Essential Life ! Check out the bonus video that illustrates their latest article in the Spring 2018 issue of BE Life: To Build a Fire. 

"Life is a Journey, Not a Destination"- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 It has been an incredibly busy spring and summer for many and with busyness, I think we all can lose the "moment". You know the one. The moment that was obliterated and rushed when it could have been cherished and valued, but all too soon we realize we missed it. Sometimes that moment comes during a discussion with your teen or husband, you know, that moment when your mind wanders off onto the list of dozens of tasks until you focus and realize you missed an important thought or feeling that was being shared. Or those moments when a valuable moment is missed as each family member rushes out the door without goodbye, a hug or a kiss. Life is about sharing the "moments", often with family, and recognizing the value in a moment before it slips away.

Randy and I had one such day of moments which he wrote about called the Adventure of Marriage. I have to admit, that was a day I will never forget, but I don't quite remember it the same way. But I will also admit, it was a day where in fear and frustration,  I missed a number of valuable moments. As I read Randy's version of the day, I wondered how we can have such different perspectives of the same situation. But that is my husband's way. He chooses to look at life with humour and to enjoy it as an adventure, no matter what life throws a him, and every challenge is an opportunity to grow and learn.  Me? I married into this life of adventure and often feel like I fall into these adventures just simply due to the company I keep!  I like the beauty of the bush, but I don't like bugs. I love the newness of the trail in the spring, but I don't like the mud, muck and mire. I love the safety and piece of mind I have in my cozy cabin in the north woods, but rarely do I enjoy the obstacles along the trail getting there.

In this particular adventure, regretfully, I lost a number of moments when I forgot to enjoy the journey getting there...even after the danger was passed...time with my husband, away from the busyness and obligations of life in 'civilization". This adventure in my marriage, was a reminder to me that life is not always about the destination, but most often it is about the accumulated moments in the journey of getting there...wherever "there" may be, for each of us. 

Here are some photos and video of that day. The Argo video is of us jack-knifed in the river with the trailer. The video of the river shows how the river went down in only 4 days!  The last photo is of Shane sitting on the bridge 2 weeks later, no overflowing water...BUT 5 days later, we had overflowing water AGAIN almost 3 weeks after my marriage adventure when the beaver dams let loose and the far north thawed some more :) But that is an adventure tale for another time.

I just thought that this little SNL video was too good not to share. Yes, it is a humorous "tongue in cheek" look at debt, but it has some really good advice as well. Part of living a simple life is recognizing what it means to live within our means. Although society in general "needs" credit to maintain a certain standard of living, there is great freedom in  simply living within an achievable standard of living. Most will never know the freedom of debt free living as life becomes a collection of "things."  So enjoy this little bit of humour. But consider the truth in it as well :)   

In the Spring 2017 issue of BE Life, Shane wrote up a short article on one of the most useful tools we have found to make ice fishing really easy. A cordless drill saves on a lot of time, effort and money. It really is this easy! Check out this video and if you missed the article, you can purchase that issue for only $5.95 +gst
in Nipawin at: 
Nipawin Save-U IGA
Nipawin Davis-Rexall Drugstore
K&J Fur Stretchers

In Choiceland at:
​Choiceland Co-op C-Store 

In Carrot River at:
Carrot River Pharmacy

In Tisdale at:
The Tisdale Co-op C-store
Eagle Firearms

In Melfort at:
Heaven Sent Bookstore
Melfort Pharmasave

In Prince Albert at:
Canadian Tire
Prince Albert Co-op C-Store
Northwest Company Store

In Saskatoon at:
Indigo Bookstore
MacNally Robinson Bookstore

In Yorkton at:
Coles Bookstore
Yorkton Home Hardware
Dam Beaver Trappign Supplies

In North Battleford at:
Ultra Print Services

Stateside:
in Jamesport, MO at H& M Country Store
in Bremen, IN at the Quilting Shop

​

Before I even get into this, I want to make two things clear. Well, three really. Here’s my disclaimer.

​1)      The losses caused by the fires in Alberta, most notably around Fort McMurray, are horrendous, and the residents who have suddenly found themselves homeless and/or displaced have my sincerest sympathies. I am in no way attempting to downplay the severity of the fires or somehow suggest that these tragedies are the justified results of humanity’s actions.

2)      I am not a climate change denier. If this comes across as me doubting the reality and potential eventual ramifications of climate change, you’re reading this post wrong. Go over it again and see if it makes a little more sense the second time through.

3)      I am approaching my fourth year in my environmental biology degree, so while I am by no means an expert, I do have some amount of insight into this sort of thing.

Alright, now that that’s out of the way I’ll get to the point. I have been seeing several articles finding their way across the internet claiming that the fires currently raging across Canada (most notably the fire near Fort McMurray, Alberta) are caused, directly or indirectly, by climate change. This is not true. While climate change is indeed strongly supported by scientific evidence and is certainly something to be concerned about, it is not a factor (or if so, to a minimal extent) in these fires. The aforementioned articles cite recent spikes of record-breaking temperature as evidence that global warming has led to the rash of fires however, this opinion fails to take into account the difference between “weather” and “climate.” While weather is measured over short periods of time, climate is measured over many years allowing us to more fully understand the long term trends in temperature and weather. A spike in temperature which results in an extra warm dry year is considered a variation, not the rule. A few dry years means little when considered against longterm trends. Throughout history, there have been many periods of dry years, followed by cool wet years, followed again by more hot years. Much of Saskatchewan was once the bottom of a sea (which dried up) so a hot spring/summer with little rain cannot simply be attributed to climate change.
 
Now again, don’t get me wrong. I fully believe that long term trends have shown a steady rise in temperature, however not to the extent people seem to think. Global warming is not about to heat the Earth to unlivable temperatures and cause everything to spontaneously combust—it is expected to raise the average global temperature by a few degrees. While this may seem insignificant, it is in reality a major problem. For example, water expands with heat, and the oceans are almost entirely comprised of water (surprise!). So even a change of a few degrees, when considered against the immense amount of sea water, will wipe out massive chunks of inhabited land. The melting of glaciers, and many other concerns also have immense ramifications. These fires however, are not among them.

Any claims that these fires are the result of climate change are either based on ignorance, or fear mongering. That said, these fires are absolutely attributable to human activity. Forests are meant to burn. They have been designed to thrive despite, and because of, disturbances such as fires. Fire eliminates dry debris, allowing new growth to gain a foothold in the forest. It removes large light-blocking trees allowing young trees and different species to receive the light they need to grow. Many species cannot survive without fire. And that’s where humans come in. We have moved into forest territories in search of resources or homes and, for our own protection, have disrupted the natural fire patterns that keep the forest in check. The debris that is normally wiped out every so many years has been allowed to accumulate, adding fuel to the blazes which eventually escape our control. Trees continue to die and rather than being removed by spot-fires, simply dry into tinder.

That is the true reason for the outbreak of these fires. Sure, dry years result in more favourable fire conditions, but it is our continued (attempted) prevention of natural fires that causes blazes like these to erupt into massive wildfires. That’s where the cause of these fires should be attributed. Misplaced blame is nearly as dangerous as denial of responsibility, as it prevents us from averting the same problems in the future. If we continue to consider cases like this to be merely the result of climate change, we miss the real cause of the rash of fires. It is not so much climate change that is causing these fires as it is humanity’s feeble attempts to disrupt a natural occurrence for our own benefit. We can only do so much. We cannot compete with nature, and when we play with fire, we get burned.
​-Dale Barks