Midsummer Garden workshop this Friday

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My prayers were answered. Just the other morning I wrote about my colourful days in Mexico because, why? I had been feeling a bit blue. It's how I work: if feeling disillusioned, overwhelmed, or a bit down, just look for beauty and share joy. Rather than wallowing, by searching for beauty I unearth the reminders of how blessed I am.

Walking along the waterfront the other morning, no matter how many murmelis popped up in front of me, I had been ruing about how to rally folks to get the Midsummer Garden on its way? Where will I dig up volunteers? Everyone thinks it's a great idea....but where are the bodies? The helping hands?

Well, by the blessing of heavens and the earth, after I sent out that post, I received an email from Bryan, who is part of the Roots to Harvest garden that has recently emerged at the site of the old Cornwall St. School. He was wondering if I needed any help as he has a crew of rangers coming by on Friday, and they are eager to help other urban green space projects.

I stared at that email like it was a piece of chocolate cake. Too good to be true! It was like the movie August Rush: just send the message out there and keep your hope alive and it will come back to you answered. Yes! Of course, I'd love to take up this generous offer of helping hands! So, now there'll be a crew of folks to help shovel topsoil and make flower beds for the Midsummer Garden. Starting at 12:30, the Willow women will set up another garden stone workshop, so with the ones that were made during our Midsummer Festival, we will be well on our way to collect the stones for our diversity path that will weave among our flower beds.

Here is the signature tree of the Midsummer Garden. The saving grace. The one who called out and said she did not want to be ripped out and made into logs for someone's sauna. Who called out and said, enough parking lot over here already! She will be one of the focal points of the garden. We will create a small clearing before her for poets, musicians, performance pieces, or a small play on a summer day or evening. In the center of our garden will be an Anishnawbe sacred plant circle. It will honor on whose land we are on, and its healing power of sage and sweetgrass will remind us of the gifts that Mother Earth gives us each and every day.

Here is what we are working with. I've sent out an invitation to ask anyone interested in helping me transform this ugly empty lot into a flower garden to show up on Friday, in the morning to make beds and the afternoon to make stones. I'll get some pulla from Mike Setala at Kivela Bakery for break time, and who knows, maybe Urho will get his old accordion out of the shed and play us some oldtime Finnish dance tunes to make our work easier.

Also, if anyone has perennial flowers or shrubs to share, please bring them to our lot!
See you there!

A sunflower cross with a butterfly eye.