Can you feel it?

Editorial - The Regional, June 2012

Some people have a favourite month or season, to the exclusion of all others.  I never really have, though I’ve said “this is my favourite time of year!” at least once per season for many years now. The fact of the matter is I see beauty, feel hope and draw inspiration from all the seasons (though I could live quite nicely without quite so much snow, thank you very much).  And as each different time of year rolls around, I am inspired and hopeful all over again.

My mood when June arrives is a case in point.  Sometime early in the month, I inevitably start feeling a restless tug somewhere in the region of my solar plexus.  I can remember feeling this way when I was a child and always assumed it was caused by that long slow burn of anticipation caused by waiting for the interminably lengthy school year to come to an end.  But since I’m long past those school years and still succumb to the same sensation, I have come to wonder if I misunderstood its cause for all those years. 

Perhaps there’s something more elemental in this feeling… something that has more to do with nature’s slow creep from fresh-turned earth to lustrous green bounty.  All I know is that I welcome this lovely tingle each year, as I also welcome the lovely new growth on fields and trees and the restless energy I see building in all of our children as they start sensing their 10 month enforced slavery to book-bags and binders coming to a close for the summer.

And with June’s arrival, I’m drawn to spending time each day with my fingers in the earth, much to the chagrin of my manicurist, Lucie, whose unthinkable task it will be to beat my unruly cuticles back into submission and find a way to clean and soften this soil-stained skin once more. It’s been gently suggested that I wear gloves when gardening… but how do you garden if you can’t feel the soil’s warmth on your skin?  Inconceivable!   Lucie’s is a dirty job, to be sure, but vitally necessary since I love all the wonderful events our 6^th month brings to Caledon (Steak & Lobsterfest, Wines of the World, Caledon Fair, Caledon Day and the opening of the Farmers’ Markets to name just a few) and try not to go out and about looking like I just crawled in out of a ditch anymore than is absolutely necessary.

And that reminds me… speaking of necessity – there are a few things that we all need to be reminded of this time of year:

First, if you live in the country and plan to have any type of open fire this summer, you’ll need to purchase an open air burn permit.  After you’ve done that, don’t forget to call before you strike the match to the tinder.  For info on the permit and what it covers, call the Caledon Fire & Emergency Services Department (905) 584-2272. Ext 4303 for more information.

Second, if you haven’t done so already, make a circuit of your yard and look for sources of open water where mosquito’s breed.  Dumping all that standing water will vastly reduce the mosquito population in your yard.

And finally, it’s time to get back into the habit of protecting ourselves and our loved ones from sun and heat.  Use sunscreen on yourself and your kids, stay out of direct sun during the heat of the day and wear light loose clothing to protect your skin even more.  Carry water with you when you are outside and remember to check in often with elderly friends and relatives, making sure they are remembering to look after themselves as well. 

In our pages this month, Dr. Katie talks about sweeteners, Deb Robertson waxes poetic about gardening and David Mielke discusses “cookies” while Justin Popovic takes on doubt and Stan Cameron reminds us once again that Education Matters.  In addition to all that and the usual round of news, information and events, we also hear from the Caledon Public Library about all the wonderful events and activities they have planned for the summer.

With all that great content to look forward to, I hope you’ll take a moment to sink into a comfy lawn chair, slap on a straw hat and sit in the garden with this month’s issue of the Regional… enjoying the smells of summer and the drone of the honey bees at work as you read.

Milestones

Editorial - The Regional Newspaper: May 2012

Every birthday, I give myself a gift.  Sometimes, it’s a tangible item.  Sometimes it’s a day off. This time, I’ve given myself the gift of honesty.  In a world in which I often have to bite my tongue and say the expected, politically-correct thing, my gift to myself on this landmark year is to share my feelings.

As we wind our way through life, our experiences and the world around us shape us, bending the raw material into the person we eventually become. My personal journey has been one of growth, and I’ve often felt like the world’s oldest student – always driven to learn new skills, experience things I’d never tried.

Then, sometime around mid-life, things started to change.  In addition to learning and experiencing, I started to feel a certain dissatisfaction. Not with my lot in life, and certainly not with my family and friends – there, I’ve been blessed, and I know it.  No, this dissatisfaction stems more from a knowledge that so much is wrong and so little is being done.  It comes from knowing that so many speak of what should be done yet so few put the effort in to do it.  And it comes from the general knowledge that so many people will spend more time in endeavours designed to make others look foolish than they will to solve the problems in their own lives.

And what brings all this navel-gazing about?  In simple words, this is a milestone birthday for me and it has me examining myself and the world I live in.  It is a world where government and politics is more about posturing and personal gain than it is about the good of the people. It is also a world in which news is available in an instant, but is often suspect – fast becoming just one more thing that is manipulated to lead the average person around by the nose.  It’s a world in which even the food we are being sold is not real any more – filled with additives, genetically modified, covered in chemicals. 

And in all of this, I inevitably get to wondering… is this the world I wanted to help build as a legacy for my children?  Not so much.  I could be wrong, but I suspect many of us feel this way, in these turbulent, often troubling times. 

Am I depressed, disillusioned, down for the count?  I might have been when I was younger – might have felt weighed down by the sheer magnitude of what is wrong in the world and what is required to make it right.  But one thing I know. We may live in a world with many problems, but it is also a world of endless possibility.  And I’m a “glass-half-full” kinda gal. 

No – what I am is determined.  I’m determined to continue to make as much of a difference as often as I can.  I’m determined to try to seek out, experience and share as much good as I can.  And I’m determined to find ways to teach my children to make a difference too. 

Speaking of children… I’d like to take a moment to send a special Mother’s Day message my own Mom, Inez (whom we lost 16 years ago) and to my husband’s Mom, Lynda. Their unwavering support and love have helped shape all their children into strong, wonderful people.  I only hope I can do half as well with my own kids. 

This May issue sees return visits from all our favourite regular contributors, and shares a lot of great information about our little corner of the world.  I hope you enjoy reading it.

Shelly