Dandelions: Embrace or Despise?

What side of the dandelion fence are you on? Embrace? Or despise?

I embrace them, mostly because I have very little choice. My husband thinks there's nothing more beautiful than a field of dandelions. I'm not sure I'm fully in agreement; however, they do like quite attractive mixed in with the forget-me-nots which seem to be very prolific this year.

Dandelions have taken such a hold in Clarenville that when I see a lawn without them, that lawn looks odd to me.  You can't beat nature - might as well embrace them!

Volunteer Fire Departments: Worth More Than Their Weight in Gold

These past couple of weeks served as a great reminder of how valuable our volunteer fire departments are. We are know, of course, that they're called to fight fires within our town. Most people also know that they're called upon for the jaws of life for traffic accidents around this area.

But really, they can be called upon for any number of reasons. Last week, the Clarenville Fire Department was called to a traffic scene to assist with directing traffic on a busy street within the town.

This week, they were called to help put out a fire by Deep Bight. Pictured below is a shot of a water bomber helping out - more great pictures courtesy of Paul Tilley here.

The duties are varied and the geography served can be large. And of course, when they're finished with that, they go off to their regular jobs or back to their families.

Fire services are really a taken for granted service. People appreciate them for sure but until you actually need them yourselves, you don't really understand their value. More than ever, fire departments need to be aware of changes within the environment to be able to anticipate responding to challenges. Increased traffic, new industry, demography changes and development all have an impact. Like the communities they serve, fire departments need to be able to change to continue to be able to provide great service.

Biscan Cove Path - Another Great Part of the East Coast Trail

Such a beautiful May 24th weekend as this one is a bit of a rarity in Newfoundland and Labrador.  So when it happens, there's lots of focus on the outdoors. Yesterday, we grabbed my father, two human friends and a canine to hike a fairly new portion of the East Coast Trail, the Biscan Cove Path.  This hike will be officially opened on June 2, 2012 as part of the East Coast Trail Tely Hike.  Judging from the number of hikers on it yesterday, it's bound to be a popular portion of the trail. 

We started at the Cape St. Francis side headed to Pouch Cove. The 7.3 km trail has some lovely views. It can be lengthened by about a kilometre if you decide to go from the trail head to the Cape St. Francis lighthouse.

Much of the trail is in the shade of the woods with the coastal views also delivering a cooling breeze. The trail has lots of ups and downs but isn't that always the way in Newfoundland?

About half way, there's a lovely waterfall, a beckoning stop on a hot day!

At the end, we were rewarded with an iceberg. There aren't many places in this world where you could get a similar reward at the end of the hike. A couple of people in the group also saw a whale around Cape St. Francis.

This hike is another great portion of the East Coast Trail - it's waiting for you! I've done a good portion of the East Coast Trail but I've neglected the southern shore part sections-something to work towards this summer.

Tunes for Tyler

Many communities come together to help neighbours during illness. Next week, organizers and musicians in Clarenville will come together in support of two-year-old Tyler Hynes who has been diagnosed with acute lymhoiblastic leukemia. He will undergo chemotherapy treatment for six months in St. John's.

To help with expenses, there will be a benefit concert at the Clarenville Events Centre on Tuesday, May 22. Tickets are $15. Bands Slainte, Dadits and Disitit will be performing. It will be a feel good show for sure.

Within the next several months, a new resource will be open in St. John's that will greatly benefit sick children and their families. Ronald McDonald House is taking shape just minutes away from the Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre. As a contribution to this great centre, my mother and two of her friends have made quilts to donate to bring some sunshine into the rooms of the children who stay there.

Diversity in All Things - Including Books

At book club this evening, someone remarked that she would never have read Half Blood Blues if it wasn't one of our chosen books. That is precisely why I joined a book club. Let's face it, there's no shortage of books to read and it's very easy to go to the best sellers list.  But, like meeting new people, it's diversity that opens your mind to new possibilities and different realities. Half Blood Blues certainly falls in that category and it's a book that I enjoyed very much.

I also just finished Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers. If I had known what it was about before I borrowed it from the library, I probably would never have picked it up, mostly because it's billed as a Western.  Didn't the cover give it away, you ask? No, because I when I looked at the cover I didn't see two cowboy types with their guns. No. I saw a skull resting on some sort of monument.

Now I know that so-called Westerns (perhaps it's billed that way because it was difficult to categorize?) may indeed be entertaining with interesting characters who can be both ruthless and empathic.

Thanks Mrs. Melvin - I'm Teacher Appreciating You

This is, apparently, Teacher Appreciation Week.

I was very fortunate to have many great teachers. One of them was Mrs. Melvin. I suppose she must have a first name but it didn't seem important at the time.  Mrs. Melvin was my grade ten homeroom teacher and had the difficult task of taking my class (an odd mix of preps and sweathogs)--in their first year of high school and their first time in a co-ed school--and guide them through the dreaded subject of Literature.

She was appalled, simply appalled, at the inability of anyone in my class to use punctuation properly.  So as we slouched in our desks, she declared that we would start at the beginning.  And she started with when to use a period. When she said the beginning, she meant it. We were tortured. Period; comma; semi-colon; colon; quotation marks... This woman would not stop.

It only took about three years for me to fully appreciate what she did.  This post is probably full of errors and I know I'm no punctuation queen, but she did great work and I benefited from it tremendously.

Consider Running for Municipal Election If...

Inspired by today's designation of Municipal Awareness Day (a most unfortunate accronym) and a recent posting by My Blog. My Rules, here's my guide to help any of you considering running for municipal election.  

Run if:

- You think you can make your community a better place to live/work/play. If you want to run because you have a beef with the current council, do yourself and everyone else a favour and don't. 

- You have the ability to look at the big picture. Decisions need to be made considering the long-term and macro perspective.  Your buddy might want five sheds in his backyard but if everyone had five sheds, what are the implications for the town? The "greater good" needs to rule.

- You're able not to say yes all the time. You don't say no either. You listen. Every person has his/her perspective. There are many perspectives to an issue and it's your job to listen and come to your own decision.

- You can let staff do the job they were hired to do. If you're elected as a municipal councillor, it's not your job to paint the lines on the street. Don't take someone else's job. Know your role and the role of those around you. And most importantly, if they aren't fulfilling their role, address it. Quickly.

- You're medium-skinned. And I'm not referring to colour. Being thin-skinned is hard because people can be mean. But being thick-skinned means you may not have the empathy that is required to understand the plight of others.

- You can make tough decisions but more importantly, you can be honest about them. Playing the game of having one opinion in a committee meeting, another in a council meeting and another with your buddies is exhausting. And people catch on eventually.

Wow - who would run after that?  Good question!  Have you considered it?