November 9th, 2016
Last night, my eldest came into our bed. She's a tosser and turner so we didn't get a decent sleep. This morning started off with the news that Trump would become the next US President. I felt like I was going to throw up. I have been needing to renew my passport but I put it off because my husband and I like to go to Ogdensburg, New York every week. We get groceries at Price Chopper, cheap gas for the truck and eat a fabulous buffet lunch at Buster's. I won't be venturing over the border any time soon so, next week, I'll be renewing my passport.
Vin and I were also waiting until the election to book our holiday for next March. We were planning on a trip to the Florida Keys but we knew there was a chance that Trump would be in power, meaning there would be upheaval and potentially riots. I don't feel safe in the US under Trump's "leadership". We had explored other options; Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas. We talked about booking our trip all week, we were going to do it today. However, we both had our hearts set on Florida and, as we looked over the properties in Mexico, as gorgeous as they seemed, we couldn't do it.
The parallels between Trump and Hitler are frightening. I wonder if we are about to witness WW3. My daughters are preparing for a Remembrance Day ceremony. A few nights ago, we were discussing the meaning of Remembrance Day. They see older men in uniform parading down the main street. They hear depressing music and long speeches about soldiers who fought for our freedom. They don't get it. I wish they had a grandfather to speak to, someone they know and love who has been through the war. So I talked to them about the boys in their class, the ones they like. I asked them to imagine that they are 19 years old, dating and that there is a war. I explained that, just like them, young women were in love and imagining a future with their boyfriends. Only, they were drafted, this means they received a letter stating that they had to go and be soldiers. These young boys were scared, they didn't want to go. They went far from their families, grouped with other young boys just as frightened as they were. They received training in combat and weaponry. Then, these young men were sent out to fight against other scared young boys from other countries. They had to protect themselves, shoot at other people otherwise they would be shot. Lots of these young men were killed or they saw others being killed. Some didn't come home, others returned but they were never the same. I wondered if I was traumatizing them by telling them all of this. However, I want them to understand that these older men were once young boys who did the unimaginable. They risked their lives to protect what we take for granted every day.
I took down the Halloween decorations and had an idea. We should all decorate our homes in honour of Remembrance Day. Red poppies all over the lawn, flags, messages on signs that say, Thank you for keeping us safe. Maybe if we had Remembrance Day decorations, people would resist the urge to bring out the Christmas decorations before Remembrance Day.
As we head into Trump's four year term, I am frightened, uncertain about the future of our neighbours in the US and worried about the impact of their election on our own peaceful nation. However, more than ever, I am grateful to the men and women who have served and still work hard to protect this amazing country of ours.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veterans. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Ferguson Forest Education and Training Centre
January 27th 2016
Last Friday, I was reading the NG Times. There was an article about an Open House happening at the Ferguson Forest office this afternoon. I rarely go to community meetings because they are held in the evening and I am busy with my children at night. I was pleased to be able to attend this session. From what I could read, Ferguson Forest was preparing to apply for funding through the Ontario Trillium Foundation in order to expand the scope of its services to include more wheelchair access, a meditation area, a wildflower meadow and a bird sanctuary. I wanted to attend this event because the title: Ferguson Forest Education and Training Centre, stirred my imagination. It summoned images of children, hopefully my own, participating in activities that helped them appreciate, understand, respect and enjoy nature.
At the meeting, we were greeted by Carl Doucette, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. On the wall, were plans for the arboretum. There were maybe 40-50 people in attendance, an impressive turnout. The goal of the meeting was to get ideas from members of the community regarding what they would like to see in the arboretum area of Ferguson Forest. The first step of any community development initiative is to find out what people want, otherwise a great deal of time and money are wasted as the public does not use the new space.
Carl explained that they are requesting funds under the "Activity" category therefore it will be a space devoted to various activities. They will choose the ideas that benefit the most people and encourage community members to explore their space. Throughout the meeting, there were ideas such as maintaining the toboggan hill, building a fenced-in dog park, creating a wheelchair-accessible labyrinth and an accessible path from Anniversary Park to Maple Grove, grooming multiple-use trails for snowshoers, pedestrians and skiers, selling Legacy Trees to line Veteran's Way and commemorative benches throughout the paths of the arboretum and, having a layout for Art in the Park where artists can teach and showcase their art.
The need for partnerships with community organizations and the necessity for the community to get involved were expressed. The group brought up the issue of communication. Ferguson Forest has many trails and beautiful spaces as well as programs that the public is not aware of. Carl says he would like to rectify this issue by using the local newspapers and radio station to promote their services and inform the community of changes to the arboretum as plans progress.
The group considered whether there should be washroom facilities on site then determined that it would not get approved due to washrooms being available in the office building, even though it's quite a distance away. Also, they have had issues in the past with washrooms being tipped over or vandalized. It doesn't help that the property runs along the Kemptville Creek, which is protected by the Rideau Valley Conservation Agency (RVCA) and, the Ministry of Natural Resources land. Therefore, there would be a great deal of red tape involved. Some people suggested the space should not only be educational and functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Others felt it was important to hear birds and Maureen addressed the need to choose and plant trees that would attract birds.
The new space would have lots of signage, an important part of the educational component, in order to guide people from one area to the next. They also discussed opening the roads during all four seasons. At this time, the roads are closed during the winter. I explained that I attended this meeting as a parent, wanting to see more opportunities to include nature in the school's curriculum for my children's benefit. I asked if they had a partnership with any of the schools. Apparently, they have approached the schools, looking for ways they could fulfill their curriculum requirements within their arboretum. There has been no response from schools but Scouts do come and use the space and enjoy their educational events. Also, the Municipal Centre's summer camp participants use their services and visit their space throughout the summer. Ferguson Forest has a standing offer to schools who wish to participate in a guided tour of their trails. One member of the group suggested the lack of response from schools may be due to transportation costs and liability issues. They plan to offer training to teachers. This would provide them with the knowledge to take students through the trails for a guided tour.
Today, I learned about an area that has already been developed at the Ferguson Forest Centre, called Kinderwood. Children run through the path and learn about what they can find in the forest so they know what to look for. I must visit Kinderwood with my children on the weekend. John stressed the importance of making this wonderful land that we take for granted valuable, just like Central Park in New York City, because if we are not using the land and demonstrating our need for it, we may lose it in the long run.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Last Friday, I was reading the NG Times. There was an article about an Open House happening at the Ferguson Forest office this afternoon. I rarely go to community meetings because they are held in the evening and I am busy with my children at night. I was pleased to be able to attend this session. From what I could read, Ferguson Forest was preparing to apply for funding through the Ontario Trillium Foundation in order to expand the scope of its services to include more wheelchair access, a meditation area, a wildflower meadow and a bird sanctuary. I wanted to attend this event because the title: Ferguson Forest Education and Training Centre, stirred my imagination. It summoned images of children, hopefully my own, participating in activities that helped them appreciate, understand, respect and enjoy nature.
At the meeting, we were greeted by Carl Doucette, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. On the wall, were plans for the arboretum. There were maybe 40-50 people in attendance, an impressive turnout. The goal of the meeting was to get ideas from members of the community regarding what they would like to see in the arboretum area of Ferguson Forest. The first step of any community development initiative is to find out what people want, otherwise a great deal of time and money are wasted as the public does not use the new space.
Carl explained that they are requesting funds under the "Activity" category therefore it will be a space devoted to various activities. They will choose the ideas that benefit the most people and encourage community members to explore their space. Throughout the meeting, there were ideas such as maintaining the toboggan hill, building a fenced-in dog park, creating a wheelchair-accessible labyrinth and an accessible path from Anniversary Park to Maple Grove, grooming multiple-use trails for snowshoers, pedestrians and skiers, selling Legacy Trees to line Veteran's Way and commemorative benches throughout the paths of the arboretum and, having a layout for Art in the Park where artists can teach and showcase their art.
The need for partnerships with community organizations and the necessity for the community to get involved were expressed. The group brought up the issue of communication. Ferguson Forest has many trails and beautiful spaces as well as programs that the public is not aware of. Carl says he would like to rectify this issue by using the local newspapers and radio station to promote their services and inform the community of changes to the arboretum as plans progress.
The group considered whether there should be washroom facilities on site then determined that it would not get approved due to washrooms being available in the office building, even though it's quite a distance away. Also, they have had issues in the past with washrooms being tipped over or vandalized. It doesn't help that the property runs along the Kemptville Creek, which is protected by the Rideau Valley Conservation Agency (RVCA) and, the Ministry of Natural Resources land. Therefore, there would be a great deal of red tape involved. Some people suggested the space should not only be educational and functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Others felt it was important to hear birds and Maureen addressed the need to choose and plant trees that would attract birds.
The new space would have lots of signage, an important part of the educational component, in order to guide people from one area to the next. They also discussed opening the roads during all four seasons. At this time, the roads are closed during the winter. I explained that I attended this meeting as a parent, wanting to see more opportunities to include nature in the school's curriculum for my children's benefit. I asked if they had a partnership with any of the schools. Apparently, they have approached the schools, looking for ways they could fulfill their curriculum requirements within their arboretum. There has been no response from schools but Scouts do come and use the space and enjoy their educational events. Also, the Municipal Centre's summer camp participants use their services and visit their space throughout the summer. Ferguson Forest has a standing offer to schools who wish to participate in a guided tour of their trails. One member of the group suggested the lack of response from schools may be due to transportation costs and liability issues. They plan to offer training to teachers. This would provide them with the knowledge to take students through the trails for a guided tour.
Today, I learned about an area that has already been developed at the Ferguson Forest Centre, called Kinderwood. Children run through the path and learn about what they can find in the forest so they know what to look for. I must visit Kinderwood with my children on the weekend. John stressed the importance of making this wonderful land that we take for granted valuable, just like Central Park in New York City, because if we are not using the land and demonstrating our need for it, we may lose it in the long run.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)