A guest post about the Ecology Garden - just in time for Earth Day April 22nd

Submitted by W Keeler

HOW DOES YOUR ECOLOGY GARDEN GROW?

Spring is poetic justice after the meltdown of the brutal reign of the 1-Colour regime we call winter. The natural diversity of Cobourg Ecology Garden will green itself into another season of multicolourfulism.

From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,

-- Shakespeare

Fifteen years ago it was nothing more than a great idea with a little ground to root in. It was nourished with love, beginning with Minnie Pennell, chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee, in cooperation with enthusiastic partners Mayor Joan Chalovich and Cobourg Town Council, Engineering Dept, Community Services Dept. Department of Finance, and Dept of Parks and Recreation. Funding was received from the Federal Govt. Friends of the Environment (Canada Trust), Cobourg area Environmental Association, the Cobourg and District Horticultural Society.

There were scouts and students and others. Yes, yes, tree huggers, green thumbs, econiks, with lungs aching to breathe free. Give me Breath then give me Liberty.

A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King,
But God be with the Clown --
Who ponders this tremendous scene --
This whole Experiment of Green --
As if it were his own!

-- Emily Dickenson

The entrance to the new Ecology Garden had a wooden sign bearing these engraved introductory words, “If ecology is the study of relationships between organisms and their environment, then an ecology garden is a garden that is sensitive to and inspired by these relationships.” That’s the scientific description.

Spring is type2 onset-wriggling, nuanced, slight, mild shivers of warmth, nouns become verbs, wriggling with the itch of life, in the earth, inside seed pods, inside cocoons, inside female mammals, humans of mass creation.

spring omnipotent goddess Thou
dost stuff parks

Spring slattern of seasons
you have soggy legs
and a muddy petticoat

eyes are sticky with
dream

-- e e cummings

Cobourg Town Councillor and landscape architect, Miriam Mutton, who had been instrumental in the gardens initial design, wrote, “The main design aspect is to accommodate people and enable them to get closer and feel a part of the garden. [It] also uses exotics or non-native plants as a demonstration of how to combine plants in a healthy way for interest throughout the seasons.”

Minnie Pennell, chair of the organizing Committee, added that the garden is not only a place “to promote a natural environment, but also demonstrate methods of organic farming.” Organic, yes, organism to organasm in a single breakout season!

It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

-- Edna St. Vincent Millay

Who are the unacknowledged legislators who appropoetically aligned spring, poetry and Earth Day, and sang the Battle Hymn of the Poetic? The first Earth Day celebration at the Garden had a turnout of 40 people and that was at dawn. In a handful of years interest in the garden deepened, and Earth Day now attracts over 150 people. Did I mention that this ceremony of secular spirit happens at dawn?

Cobourg Ecology Garden is located at the foot of Hibernia Street on the lakefront immediately south of Legion Village, a local transit stop. A sizable parking lot is available across the street. Every day, in every season, people use the boardwalk that skirts the full length of the garden.

Councillor Mutton, explaining the initial site choice, wrote that “what distinguishes this Ecology Garden is access and location...it is in a high traffic place, easy to visit, it is relatively small and compact and has good sight lines for safety.”

It wasn`t long before the garden was given national exposure in the Globe & Mail by garden columnist, Marjorie Harris, who asserted that ``Public spaces reflect our values and define what kind of society we are.`` She visited the garden on a summer afternoon, describing it as `` bathed in golden light and filled with glorious scents.” She added that ‘It seemed the most enchanting place on earth.”

This is April’s way: a woman:
“O yes, I’m here again and your heart
knows I was coming.”
“Who most loves danger? Who most loves wings? Who somersaults for God’s

sake in the name of wing power in the sun and blue on an April Thursday.”

-- Carl Sandburg

The Cobourg Ecology Garden is well positioned to midwife the grounds surrounding the west pier of the harbour. The area has become an exciting location for daily landings and takeoffs by squadrons of Canada Geese one moment, Mallards another. There is a wildness to the place that compels us to commune with our inner wild nature.

Cobourg Ecology Garden is an outpost for a lakefront feature that will be as treasured by the local community, as Toronto is of the evolution of the Leslie Street Spit. It is a commitment to a relationship between nature and culture in very close proximity to each other.

Over the years the garden has become a living classroom for students from all area schools. A number of workshops are held next to the garden each year, running the gamut from composting techniques to growing herbs to growing ornamental grasses. July is the month for a well-attended garden party. See you there.

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

-- Robert Frost

No resolution from Council Monday

Despite being told on Monday last that Council will pass a motion reflecting its position on the hospital cuts to service this Monday, it will not happen. When queried about the lack of a resolution on the agenda, for Monday, the BurdReport was told that because Council will listen to Mr Tony Farren, a member of the "Citizens for Alternative Solutions", who is speaking on Monday evening, and that they also want to hear Mr Biron tell the public what he's telling selected invitees in private, Council will be making a resolution some time in the future after they hear everybody.

So thanks to all the people who had planned to be at the meeting on Monday to support the resolution, but keep your powder dry until the time is announced.

This stall certainly helps the Council members who are uncomfortable with having to make a decision on this. It was obvious from the Mayor's body language during the last presentation that he would have rather been elsewhere that night. Let's see what kind of gushing orgasmic welcome he gives to Tony Farren who represents the people that the Mayor is most familiar with - Rotarians and the cocktail set.

That brings us to another point now being raised by segments of the poulation - the non-support of the issue because some people don't like the messenger. Well folks the question is is simple - "do you want to have community services delivered by a community hospital?" because if you do just sign the bloody petition and don't bellyache about the people who are asking you to sign it!

Just so that it's not just a Ben thing - here's Patty

Wally K has sent over the other part of the presentation made to Council on Monday.

I was shocked

Click on this link if you have about five minutes to play. It is another innovative interactive election tool from the UK election campaign. Answer some questions and they will be analysed and then the machine will tell you which political party lines up with your views. As I said I was shocked at the final result.
How should I vote in the General Election 2010? - Telegraph

Spooner Puts Foot in Mouth Again

One thing about watching Town Council, you can always count on a moment of head smacking astonishment at something said by the esteemed Mayor and/or his Councillors. This week it was perpetual jokester Bob Spooner who provided the occasion with his co-ordinator's report.

He was describing his attendance, along with Councillor Mutton, at the GRCA Sportsmen's Dinner, when he said speaking of meals, he could tell the food was good by the size of the plate-ful Councillor Mutton had, which he said required a side plate too. Not satisfied with that, he elaborated that for a "diminuitive" woman, he didn't know "how anyone could eat all that food but she sure put it away".

After a brief millisecond of shock, nervous laughter erupted from the others, but it was quickly squelched and then Mr. Spooner's illuminating report continued. One can only speculate whether old boy Bob knew what a gaffe he had commited, or had to have it explained to him at home by his wife.

And to Councillor Mutton, who is indeed a svelte and trim woman, may I extend my sympathy for having to endure Mr. Spooner's companionship at that dinner, and my admiration for your patience and endurance in the face of all of it.

Time for a reality check

In this morning's newsclip at GoNorthumberland.net sits the following:

"The C-E-O of Northumberland Hills Hospital says hospitals can't be all things to all people.

Robert Biron says the decision to cancel diabetes education and outpatient rehab services will allow N-H-H to focus on its core mandate of providing acute care.

Biron says diabetes education is already provided by the Port Hope Community Health Centre but admits outpatient rehab available in the community is not publicly-funded."

You can pay me now or pay me later! If we don't treat diabetes properly, and it is one of the epidemic diseases of modern times, you will have to deal with it drasticaly after a while. In other words no treatment/counselling now or we will cut your toes/feet/leg off in a couple of years time.

The lack of non-acute care follow up - like rehab - will mean that readmissions are going to be the norm (Hey that's good for the hospital business, readmission gets paid more than outpatient care). So the hospital will be generating more money on readmissions but at what cost to human health?

One can see a hospital cannot just concentrate on acute care and if it does it so at its peril. See the light folks and make your voices heard in this issue.

For those of you without Channel 10

Here it is the delegation before Council last night. Thanks to Wally K for the video. Hey I wrote that before screening it and didn't realise that Patty's remarks were not recorded - they were far more enlightening than mine! Come out next Monday to see what the Council does about this issue.

Well we did it - said our piece

Last night the Northumberland Concerned Citizens addressed Council in Cobourg. Yours truly and Patty Park - video to follow - made a presentation that laid out the health care issues that will grow from the proposed cuts to community health. A big part of the presentation, although it took little time to explain it, was the emphasis on the role that Council has to play in this. Cobourg has invested heavily ($4.4 million cash and untold millions in-kind) and set the hospital into the centrepiece of its economic strategy therefore it is essential that they protect that investment. Patty did an exceptional job laying out how the "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and why it is absolutely necessary that Cobourg Council pass a motion decrying the cuts.

Council listened intently, although some really bad body language betrayed true feelings, and promised to make a decision next week after listening to an explanation, in a private meeting, (to be held on Thursday) from Mr Biron.

Finally let us all understand the this issue is not going to be solved by Mr Biron and the hospital board, it is a provincial gov thing. Rinaldi and his pals are not going to support this in any way ; that has to change! So the next thing to do is to pack the Council chamber next Monday and listen to Council discuss this important issue.

Vatican Forgives the Beatles!

John Lennon must be enjoying a huge laugh from his grave today as the Vatican has announced in a newsletter that it has forgiven him and the lads for those comments Lennon made in 1966. Trying to make the point that people had their priorities screwed up, he said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, which caused a huge outcry among conservative Christians and apparently the Vatican too. Former fans in the southern USA made piles of their Beatles records and burned them, vowing to never listen to the infidels again.

While that controversy eventually died down, and we all moved on, it looks like the Vatican didn't. Until now, that is. Funny how, in the middle of what just might be the biggest and most fractious issue faced by the Mother Church in its entire history, their higher-ups found the time to forgive poor old long dead John Lennon.

What to make of it all? Surely they can't think this will distract us from the Church's abuse crisis, but what other reason would there be for making this announcement now? As a non-Catholic, maybe I just don't understand how things work. All I am sure of is that John is chuckling down at us now from whatever version of heaven he imagined for himself.

A busy weekend for some.

A wonderful weekend, sunny and brisk, but some of us were busy. The Northumberland Citizens Coalition certainly were. Parading in front of Vic Hall and signing petitions. The embedded video is courtesy of Rick Jansen - thanks Rick.

Naturally the road claimed me. Talk radio was the only relief and it was again repetitive and entertaining. Boy those hosts do love to talk about the same things don't they? The Helena Guergis deal and the Polish airliner crash were the biggies. But in the HG affair the original report in the TO Star carried a throwaway line that stuck with me and has been bypassed by all the commentary heard so far. The reporter speculated that the reason that Rahim J got off his cocaine charge might have been because he agreed to roll-over on his dinner-mates for other charges.

In the case of the Polish airliner tragedy the "Spaceman" on AM640, carried on in the vein he always mines - that one-world government and the illuminati are to blame. This time with the backdrop of the "Katyn massacre" tied to Prince Charles's recent visit to ancient heritage sites in Poland and the strange happenings of past events on the same date. fancifull stuff but he does make the hours pass easily!

But back to the local campaign by the Health Coalition folks. Tonight the campaign to educate and encourage goes to Cobourg Council. Local folks will be asking Council to support the efforts to retain services and pass a motion to that effect. Watch it on Channel 10.