in recent years Canada day has been a much quieter event for me…
for many years my beloved and I would have a gathering with family, friends and neighbours, and end the day with huge bowls of popcorn which we would consume as the fireworks went off at the Park…
chairs for everyone would be placed out on the street and there was lots of oohing and aahing at the fireworks as we munched on the popcorn…
this afternoon, I made a bowl of popcorn and munched on it thinking of the past and dreaming of a more inclusive future…
after forty plus years, the trees have grown so much that we could no longer see most of the display and over the last few years the Park hasn’t set off fireworks due to construction happening where the staging area used to be…
last year it felt like celebrating would be an insult to our First Nations peoples and so I spent time learning more of our sad history…
today I hung an orange heart on the front door and wore an orange shirt with red leggings… I continue to learn and support in ways that I am able…
I love this country and hope that we can do better… I am finding these to be very complicated feelings and continue to struggle with them…
I walked to the Park today… first time in I don’t know how long… at least a year, and maybe longer than that…
took a bit of self-talk to get out the door… I am certainly feeling braver on the whole with being around other people, but I haven’t walked any distance for a long time…
so happy that I did it… the streets were clear of water… thank goodness… and there were very few people on the sidewalks and paths…
walking through the forest in the Park always brings me joy… and they have new signs with wonderful quotes along the way…
the trail has been renamed Story Trail and is part of the Indigenous Youth Storytelling Program… what a great idea… the trail has obviously been cleaned up and there was even a hut made with fallen branches… I am hoping that it might be covered with leaves as the summer progresses…
going through the English and Leo Mol Gardens was a bit disappointing, although really, considering the weather, what was I expecting, lol… the gardeners were everywhere raking and cleaning up the spaces, but there were very few blooming things… I saw one tree, a few daffodils and maybe a berginia in a few different locations…
the great news was that it was basically empty so I had ample time to stop and look whenever I wanted…
there were many geese and I did spot a few goslings, which was delightful…
I was a bit tired by the time I made it back to the house, so I had a nap…
this morning I received an email from the David Suzuki Foundation about Healing Forests…
forests are one of my favourite places and I had already been thinking of Cathedral Grove and the banyan tree in Lahaina on Maui…
as a matter of fact I chose a tree mug for my tea…
for years I have walked through a portion of the forest at Assiniboine Park on my way to the English Gardens…
after making a donation to the Healing Forests, I came across an IG Live as they were broadcasting a ceremony from The Bay where it was transferred to the Southern Chiefs Organization…
the project looks amazing and is supported by all levels of government…
I have always found forests, whatever their size, to be restorative and healing, so these two things that came to me on Earth Day made me very happy…
I was surprised this morning when I looked out the window and spotted the hoarfrost on the trees…
it is such a gift of nature and looks so delicate (apparently like feathers)… I spent some time researching the difference between rime ice and hoarfrost, once I came across the term, lol… still not a hundred percent sure I understand…
hoarfrost always reminds me of my last drive with my beloved… he drove me around the Park and a few neighbourhoods so that I could take pictures of the beautiful designs that morning…
it was just a few days before his death…
but now, the sight of hoarfrost on the trees reminds me of wonderful times together;-)… I truly am blessed…
