Fall is a Time to Reflect

2005-11 Fall is a time of contradictions, don't you think? We speak so often of the beautiful colours of autumn even as we dig out our flowerbeds, empty our hanging baskets and ceramic pots and generally begin removing the bright colours from our gardens. Moving the clock back one hour marks the end of another season and a time for reflection. For the gardeners it is a time to take stock of what grew successfully and what disappointed. We cut the grass for the last time, coil up the garden hoses, put away the empty pots and baskets, and start dreaming of next year. Even the bright red and gold leaves must be raked up and taken away, the fluttering wind socks rolled up and stored and the garden gnomes tucked into the garage until spring. Bit by bit all the colour is removed from the garden until only the bare bones remain. Beauty of a different kind now comes into the garden. The bird feeders replace the hanging baskets and the jays, woodpeckers and finches become the focus of the winter garden. Crows as well, of course. We live in a neighbourhood with walnut trees so it is a popular spot for crows and magpies. We have walnuts dropped, from great heights, onto our roof, deck, skylights and driveway. The driveway seems to get the most, as the birds appear to have learned that when cars drive over these walnuts they break open. Dropping them from the sky, holding them in the beak and banging them on the cement, hammering them against roof shingles - not nearly as successful as having humans drive over them with their cars. Even leaving them to soak overnight in the birdbath, which several of the brighter ones try, doesn't work as well as the driveway strategy. The CBC reported that crows in Japan have learned to drop nuts onto the freeway for the same purpose. Retrieving them safely is a bit of a problem, but the smarter ones have figured that out as well. Drop the walnuts close to the edge of the road, so retrieving them is faster and safer. Crows that are too dumb are simply removed from the gene pool. I must admit that so far 'our' crows have been very careful to not drop anything on the parked cars (well, almost nothing - no walnuts, anyway). We appreciate their care and so, when doing our regular sweep of the broken shells, are careful to leave behind any of the nutmeat. Fair is fair. Now that Halloween is over and the pumpkins have been set aside for another year, Canadians will be marking Remembrance Day once again. Tens of thousands of seniors from coast to coast will be out, regardless of wind or rain, to march with the veterans or to cheer from the sidewalks. I find it very encouraging that every year more and more young people are turning out to mark the day and to reflect on what it represents to their own lives. Veterans will be invited into our schools to speak to students about their wartime experiences and to answer questions. In most of our high schools students prepare and present the Remembrance Day programs. Often the afternoon program is for the school body, and an evening program is for parents, friends and family. If you have the chance to attend one, I urge you to do so. I know you will be profoundly moved by what you see and hear. From coast to coast History teachers are working hard to forge links between this young generation and those that experienced WWI and WWII. In a program sponsored by the Canadian Legion, students researched the lives of local boys who did not return from WWI. Winners were chosen from each province, and given the opportunity to fly to the battlefields of Vimy and Passchendaele to search out the graves of 'their' soldier. When they returned home they shared this experience with their school - not to trumpet the glory of war, but to show the cost. Many of the veterans who returned to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Holland took with them home -made Canadian flags. Each flag, drawn and coloured by students in primary schools, also contained a hand printed message from the students to 'their' unknown hero. The veterans placed the flags on random graves, and took the photos back to the students. It seems that, after decades of neglect, Canada's history is in safe hands. We invite you to tour the web sites offering information on Canada's war veterans and their history. The site 'Canadian Virtual War Memorial' is especially rich in the stories and personal histories of veterans and their families.

 

< Prev		Next >