my guest; WPR founder Wendy Huntbatch

Sending really big thank yous and hugs to Jennifer at Design de Plume for her wizardry and assistance in getting the SoundCloud player sorted out

Watt Box – intro and extro music for this edition of Vocal Vibes
from Mirage by WilliamCarey 2006

Carey Parder-Accoustic Guitar
Bill Wilton-Accoustic Guitar

hummingbirdstudios.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/williamcarey2

Wings In Flight
single track released 20 December 2011
Produced by Craig Newnes and Spencer Cheyne

Sora-Piano and Vocals
Cindy O’Neil-Vocals
Ben Plotnick-Violins and Viola
Spencer Cheyne-Symbols
String Arrangement-Donovan Seidle

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cindyoneilandsora
http://www.soramusic.ca

Birds Come Back
from Songs of the Year: Vol .2, track released 28 April 2011
Produced by Clea Roddick and Craig Newnes

Clea Roddick-Piano/Vocals
Noel Johnson-Vocals
Craig Newnes-Guitar/Bass/Glockenspiel
Spencer Cheyne-Drums

http://www.clearoddick.com/
http://clearoddick.bandcamp.com/

Raven
from Mirage by WilliamCarey 2006

Carey Parder-Accoustic Guitar
Bill Wilton-Accoustic Guitar

hummingbirdstudios.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/williamcarey2

Thanks for listening and for this email:

Tue, Jan 10, 2012

Hi  Cindy

Just listened to your talk with Wendy at the World Parrot Refuge. It was very interesting and informative.;  It is incredible and so very fortunate that we have people like Wendy.  It is heartbreaking to think of what would have happened to all those birds without the refuge.  Wendy, keep up the wonderful work and Cindy, thank you for making us aware of the World Parrot Refuge.  I am sure that there are many people out there like myself that had never heard about the Parrot Refuge. Best of Luck in raising funds for these wonderful birds.

Henri M

 Watch the video editon of this podcast - Discovery of the WPR

Mon Jan 16, 2012

Hi Cindy,

Life is slowly coming back into my body after the toxic infusion on Wednesday !!!  I have not done much at all except feel really yukky.  However – it  is the last time so I have a life to look forward to.

I will check out YouTube pretty quick.

Thank you for everything.   Wendy…

my guest; Calgary author Fenna Schaapman

The April 2012 edition is all about stuck places. You know that ‘why the heck does this keep happening to me’ feeling that follows us through life.  Join in on my conversation with Calgary author Fenna Schaapman as we discuss how to get rid of really big toddlers.

Your Next Change – Guidebook for the Stuck Places

EarthWord Books, 2010, 60 pages
ISBN 978-0-9738398-6-9

http://www.yournextchange.com

Watt Box – intro and extro music for this edition of Vocal Vibes
from Mirage by WilliamCarey, 2006

Carey Parder-Accoustic Guitar
Bill Wilton-Accoustic Guitar

hummingbirdstudios.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/williamcarey2

Does One Win
from Flight CD
Produced by Krisjan Leslie and Cindy O’Neil

Cindy O’Neil-Vocals
Jason Kendall-Guitar
Barry Erfle-Drums
Bruce Cameron-Persussion

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cindyoneil
http://www.cindyoneil.com/music

Moving On
pre-release track
Produced by Sora

Sora-Piano/Vocals

http://www.soramusic.ca

Doin It
from The First Song by Phyllis Wheaton, 2005

Phyllis Wheaton-Vocals
Jeff Muller-Fretless Bass, Accoustic rythm/Lead Guitar
Jim Munro, Phyllis & Jeff-Finger snappers

phylliswheaton.com

If you recollect, from January 16th and 30th (2012) myself and fellow Canadian song writer Sora launched a world wide donation event. The idea was to use our song about birds to help a bird sanctuary that I unexpectedly discovered shortly after unexpectedly recording the song about birds.

I was positive that my sincere desire to help combined with the ‘power of the internet’ and word of mouth would get outside flight for the over 800 birds at the WPR.

Well anticipation has turned to dejection on figuring out the tally. I’m sad to report that only 19 downloads of our Wings In Flight song were sold during the 14 days that the donation event was running. We’re giving ten percent of net proceeds from those downloads. That means that we raised a grand total of $1.30 for the WPR.

Yes, some would say this is an embarrassing situation, mortifying even, to have to share such poor results publicly. I don’t care about that so much as I do knowing that we didn’t help Wendy or her birds. Hopefully all of the emails sent out and Facebook posts created awareness of the World Parrot Refuge and with any luck prompted people to donate directly.

A very big thank you to anyone who shared details about the event, especially the 19 people who downloaded the song. You are wonderful!

Momma, don’t let your babies grow up to be musicians. Tell them to get a good day job. LOL.

best to you,
Cindy

Wendy racked up phone bills calling vets and pet stores across Canada giving them info about their birds, hoping beyond reason that they’d show up somewhere. She also scoured newspaper and internet ads for parrots for sale.

Through one such ad she eventually found Rio – their green winged Macaw – though he was in very poor health. Sadly, despite the fact that his mate was left safely behind the night of the robbery, she ended up dying of shock and depression within a year at the loss of her companion.

During their agonizing search Wendy and Horst started receiving calls from people who had parrots and couldn’t or wouldn’t keep them any longer. Within weeks they had 15 birds of the parrot family in their care and serendipitously the World Parrot Refuge (WPR) was born.

My surprise visit with World Parrot Refuge residents Idaho and Stewie

Flash forward 18 years and the WPR is a burgeoning home to over 800 birds of at least 70 species, most of which are wild caught or 1st generation captive birds. “Right now I’m looking at an 11 month old African Grey who came in 3 weeks ago, a divorce situation, … for every bird I have here there’s a legitimate reason in the eyes of the people that bring them.” , remarks Huntbatch. Quite often refuge staff doesn’t even get forewarning, people just show up with birds in various states of health from as far as Nova Scotia in Canada, and Southern Florida in the US.

Located in Coombs BC, the refuge is a home for life for parrots. The staff and volunteers make every effort for it to be the best home the birds have known. With a floor area nearly half the size of a (European) soccer field, the facility’s 23000 square feet is adorned with tree branches, colourful toys and bells.

Lengthy life expectancies of parrots means that for at least the next 75 years Wendy and her team will be very busy providing for their flock.  Though they’re happy to do so, finances are an ongoing challenge. “The cost of supporting what ever it is you do is overwhelming… And without money we can’t do what we do… Everything has just become so difficult to do.”

But serendipity has struck again and help is in flight for Wendy’s birds. It started with a surprise recording session orchestrated by my friend Sora. On Oct 15th she and I recorded Wings In Flight a song that we’d co-written years ago. On Oct 18th my fiancé and I happened to be driving down the Alberni highway right past the WPR and decided to stop in. How amazingly auspicious that Wings In Flight is all about birds, and I’m a BIG bird lover. While at the WPR I was struck by the sense that our song is meant to help here. Upon my return from the trip I spoke with Sora about the concept. She agreed and plans for a WPR donation event began.

From January 16th to 30th Sora and I will donate 10% of net proceeds from each download purchase of our new single Wings In Flight to The World Parrot Refuge.

When I phoned Wendy to tell her the news she exclaimed, “I’m really excited about this, I think it’s amazing, and we can put that money towards outside flight for the birds.” Little did I know that she and her staff had been trying to raise funds to build 9 exterior flights for the refuge. “We wanted people to donate towards outside flight for the birds, so they could be outside in the summer and ‘Give them wings’ was the slogan…They need all the daylight they can get to so that their bodies can metabolize vitamins A and D from their food.”

You can help give wings to over 800 birds by purchasing a download of Wings In Flight between January 16th and 30th. Just before hanging up Wendy said, “The title of the song is so perfect too…It’s really meant to be isn’t it.” I feel she’s right. Event details are at worldparrotrefuge.org. Wings In Flight is available for 99 cents at iTunes and CD Baby.

© Cindy O’Neil
Published in January 2012
edition of Walden Today

Want to publish this article?  Please email for permission of use.

Dec 7-8, 2011 © Cindy O’Neil

This piece came to me as I created my team page in preparation for the June 10, 2012 Walk to Fight Arthritis.

Dec 29, 2011 Edition of Northern Life

When you’re lyin’ awake at night,
The fridge is hummin’ like it’s on overtime.
Moments are hours dragging painfully along,
And your eyes won’t close

Can’t seem to shut it down.
Mind machine keeps goin round.
Sandman have you left the neighbourhood?
Hot milk, hot bath, cup o’ chamomile,
Any one would be so good.

When you’re lyin’ awake at night,
There’s not a single person you can call.
The crossword puzzle’s long since done.
And your eyes won’t close

When you’re lyin’ awake at night,
The book you’re reading ain’t boring enough.
It’s 4:23 in the morning,
And your eyes won’t close.

Can’t seem to shut it down.
Mind machine keeps goin round.
Sandman have you left the neighbourhood?
Hot milk, hot bath, cup o’ chamomile,
Any one would be so good.

Lyrics: Cindy O’Neil, Music: Cindy O’Neil/Derek Stoll
©1997 All rights reserved

Dec 27, 2011
I felt like sharing this piece today because these past few weeks insomnia has crept in most every night and I’ve found myself humming the tune.
Though it’s not a commercial radio track at all, I included this song on my Flight album. The chorus has a great little groove to it that I love singing.
Anyone who’s ever had to battle insomnia knows the angst within this tune.

sleep well,
Cindy

When I contacted the photographer Gig Laurin to ask permission to post the picture on my website, she commented,

“Because I am also an artist I found this photo mysteriously haunting and beautiful. I may someday make it come to life in an acrylic painting. …It saddens me to think that some of our society has a total disrespect for the environment.”

That was exactly how I felt about her photo. She captured that mysteriously haunting essence perfectly don’t you think?

 2 Points of View

I don’t know what happened
I don’t think I did anything wrong
I was left in the rain and started to stain
Now I’m somewhere I don’t belong

When I was fresh and shiny
We’d go for rides all over town
But as my tires wore I became a bore
Then they threw me here to drown

The little ones who see me
Feel as distraught as I do
They point and ask why as they walk by
To the big ones I’m just a thing someone outgrew

We see you through our reflection
We’re aching to pull you out
But despite deep roots and strength
Our limber branches can’t reach that length

We can only sway in quiet vigilance
Over your tiny frame
Graciously bearing inevitable harm
Seems that only we hear the silent alarm

Your paint taints our water with poisons
Rubber and vinyl degrade our soil
Unseen venoms, into the blood they seep
In days to come more than we will weep

I don’t know if the little bike still lies at the bottom of that creek. I’ll have to find out somehow. Hopefully someone has exhumed it from the waters.

best to you,

Cindy
Dec 7, 2011

Dec 11/11
Closing comments, tired of spam. Many thanks to those who have connected in genuine interest about the topic of this post.

Thank you so much to all of you who joined Sora and I on our chat this afternoon. Hi to Joy in Iowa, Nigel in NZ, Blair in Calgary and Sean, Daniel…

We had some tech difficulties off the top, but worked them all out to have a fantastic cyber visit with new friends and fans.

So at last, this is the cover art for Wings In Flight. Unveiled for all to view. Adrea Whirl is the girl with the vision behind this lovely image. We just got the jpg yesterday.

Last night I sent Wings In Flight off to CD Baby, where it will be available within the next week or so. Look for it on iTunes too!

I’ll have an update for you as soon as we know it’s live for purchase from iTunes or CD Baby.

lots of light,

Cindy

Dec 13/11
Closing comments, tired of spam. Many thanks to those who have connected in genuine interest about the topic of this post.

Trying to figure out where she could get such a large quantity of outer milk bags, Parry went to her daughter for ideas. The result was a mass collection by Miss McLaughlin’s grade 4 class which provided Parry with a whopping 5000 bags. Since October 2010 Mrs Parry has made more than 26 sleeping mats measuring 30” by 48” in size. No small feat considering she has osteoarthritis and it takes 30 hours to crochet one and nearly as many to prep the materials.

Lizzy the cat lounges on one of the sleeping mats Mirja Parry made for children in Haiti

She’s been a busy lady, washing the outer bags, cutting them into strips then looping them together into a colourful plastic chain which is rolled into a large yarn like ball. Once crocheted together the mats get sent to Barrie ON, then trucked to Nova Scotia where they are shipped to Haiti to be sent anywhere child sized sleeping mats are needed. Being plastic, the multi-coloured dream weavers are bug, water, UVA and UVB resistant. The well travelled mats keep kids from bedding directly on the ground.

Parry was saddened when she learned that a cholera outbreak in Haiti resulted in the first batch of mats having to be burned to prevent the spread of the disease. The outbreak began late Oct 2010 spreading to all 10 Haiti departments/provinces. By Mar 2011 well over 250 thousand cases were reported and more than 4000 people had died. The news only strengthened her choice to hand craft more sweet dreams for children abroad.

Should you decide to pay it forward and make a sleeping mat there are 2 sizes to choose from – adult and child. You’ll need 250 bags to make an adult mat. For a list of materials and more details visit this Kijiji ad posted from Barrie ON Ad ID 166621742. From there you can email Rachel Sauvé to get a pattern. One tip to get you started, Parry recommends using a #9 crochet hook.

© Cindy O’Neil
Published in November 2011
edition of Walden Today

Want to quote this article?  Please email for permission of use.

Dec 13/11
Closing comments, tired of spam. Many thanks to those who have connected in genuine interest about the topic of this post.