Archive for May, 2009
Reading and Taking Action on Escarpment Views!
May 28th 2009It’s quite something to see that people are reading my writing and taking action!
I wanted to make sure that Barbara, the person I mentioned in my summer letter from the editor, had a copy of the issue, so I went to drop it off in her mailbox. As I opened the mailbox, I was surprised to see a copy of summer Escarpment Views with a big yellow sticky note on it. I couldn’t resist reading it. It said something like “Barbara, you’re named in the editor’s letter. You’re famous!”
It made me realize, again, that people are really actually reading our magazine. I should know that by now. It shouldn’t surprise me any more. Last week Mike was asked to sell a print of his central photo. Just this morning I got an email from a stranger saying he – and it is a he – “received a copy and read it cover to cover. Excellent stories.”
What’s significant about this reader being male is that magazine readers in general are overwhelmingly female. Yet we seem to have almost as many male readers as female. Apparently, we also interest adolescents, young adults and “tweens.” Mike has seen the teenaged children of a friend of his, being absorbed in a issue of the magazine. I was startled recently to see Mike’s young papergirl walking down the street reading our RevWear fashion article.
This is all welcome, great news. Still, it took me aback to see that someone else had read my editor’s letter and passed it on to Barbara before I had a chance to. I’m not yet taking anything for granted, so every instance of someone paying attention to our magazine is worth celebrating.
Eat Local Caledon Spring Festival
May 25th 2009 Saturday was a lovely day for the first Eat Local Caledon Spring Festival. Held on the large lawn beside the Inglewood General Store, it consisted of a few tables of people who are passionate about locally grown, seasonal food. A musically gifted minister played a variety of stringed instruments and sang cheerful songs in a shady spot not far from the store’s barbecue where hot dogs were for sale. Leashed dogs and puppies met each other and drew attention to their owners.
Fresh bread, maple syrup, garlic, rhubarb and asparagus soup was on offer, as well as potted herbs and heritage tomato seedlings.
After I bought the most wonderful Crabtree & Evelyn gardener’s hand scrub from the store’s gift room, Mike & I took a seat at a patio table that the store makes available outside the back door. Then magically, a train hooted and its engine and two cars slowly moved past us within 50 metres. I waved at the engineer, he waved back. I continued waving as the passenger cars rolled by; some of the passengers waved back. Who was having the most fun? Did they envy us our little festival on the lawn? No matter. Everyone was having a good time.
Local food, sensible transport — both are signs of a good civilization.