My memory is quite often short-lived but right now, at this moment, I cannot recall a summer that has been quite so cool and blessed with so many rains.
Really, I shouldn’t be complaining, for not often was it necessary for me to water the perennial plants that I grow in four-inch pots on tables in my back yard. Which reminds me to remind you that now is the time for you to plant the fall bulbs and perennial plants that will attract the bees, the butterflies, and the humming birds to your garden next year.
I also can’t quite recall a recent summer that I have been quite so busy. It started off with a couple of our environmentally oriented Greenspaces members helping me cut out somewhere in the neighbourhood of 450 bluebird and tree swallow house kits. That was to replace those that disappeared into the arms of happy kids during our workshop during the winter break at Greenway Blooming Centre at Breslau.
That was followed by making 50 more bat house kits to replace those that found homes through our Father’s Day workshop held at Little Tree Nursery in Fergus.
Shortly thereafter, 50 of the birdhouse kits were picked up for the Upper Grand Trail Group. One hundred more went to a summer camp at Belwood. Several bundles in teen numbers went out to be assembled at birthday parties.
And to culminate the summer, 200 more were cut out, crated and packed off by John Powers, the butterfly man from Cambridge, to be assembled during the Labour Day weekend by the kids at the Sick Kids’ Hospital in Toronto.
During the course of a single year, quite a number of environmentally conscious volunteers have been able to quietly put a happy smile on quite a number of young faces.
This week I’ll be back to Jim Dixon’s lumber company to lower his stock by one more skid of cedar.
Also this week, both Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 19 and 20), I’ll be up at the Fergus Fair manning both Greenspaces’ display of our bird and bat houses. In addition, of course, I’ll have pen in hand ready to sign each of the four books that I now have to offer.
So, there you have it, folks. If you missed picking up one of my books at the Arthur Fair this past weekend, you can do so this weekend at the Fergus Fair.
Failing that, I’ll be at the Grand Valley Fair Sept. 25 to 27 and at the Erin Fair Oct. 9 to 12. I expect to greet each and every one of you readers at one place or the other.
No excuses, don’t tell me you’re too busy, ’cause I’ll not refrain from using my mother’s expressive counter to that: “Then get off of your butt and make yourself busier.” It worked for her on me, so let’s see if it works for me on you. See you all at the fairs.
Take care, ’cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-843-4544