Volume 1 Issue 1 | | Editor: Colleen MacLeod | Published weekly on Mondays | #meadowlarkmonday
Welcome to the first issue of The Meadowlark. Thanks for stopping by! The purpose of this newsletter is to highlight good things happening in our community. Much of what you see below is curated from I love I—cana! on Facebook.
I hope you find something you like, keep coming back and maybe even contribute! (Intrigued? Read this). Please hit subscribe if you like what you see. If you change your mind later you can always unsubscribe. I will be looking at ways to get copies in the hands of isolated residents who are not on Facebook. You can help by emailing a link to this page to anyone you think may benefit.
I would sincerely appreciate any and all constructive feedback (post a comment below), but I am constitutionally unable to manage any negative feedback (it’s literally my biggest fear in putting this out there) and will simply ignore it.
Life
It’s a Pet’s Life
Pets are great teachers. You learn to live in the moment. A few minutes petting your softly purring cat or taking a quiet walk with your dog is a proven way to calm jangled nerves. And pets can be hilarious!
In the Garden
Robins, Robins Everywhere
A true sign of spring, robins are everywhere right now. How many can you spot in the picture below? Maybe get your children to try it? Do you know where in town I took the photo? There are no prizes save for first dibs. The answer is at the bottom of this post.
Grow Your Own Potatoes
These delicious vegetables are easy to grow (here’s a video showing you how). Just this weekend, a 5 variety seed potato delivery service was posted on our community Facebook page. I noticed several people requesting all 5 types (I know I did). Perhaps we can pool our extras and plant them in the community garden? Contact Cliff D. to get your order in soon!
Health
Zen Out
Julianne D. has been posting gentle flow yoga classes on on our community Facebook page. This is a fabulous opportunity to try yoga for relaxation! Thanks Julianne!
Bake Bread
My sister and I made bread together (or, more accurately, my sister taught me) with a recipe in our mother’s 1970s cookbook. My sister is in PEI, so we did this over Skype. If you don’t have a cooking mentor, you can find great bread-making instructions on YouTube — here’s one to get you started.
Bread is an excellent project to try right about now. Here’s why:
>>> It’s cheap and useful,
>>> It takes a long time so you can kill a half-day,
>>> You get a bit of exercise kneading and punching down the dough,
>>> The butter you use moisturizes your hand-washed-raw hands, and
>>> You get a delicious, carb-filled treat!
Arts
Reading Renaissance
If you have always meant to read a classic literary work, now is the time. Project Gutenberg has lots of free ebooks. Don’t forget the our local library is offering online story-time: check the community Facebook page.
Meadowlark Moment
There are many talented artists and photographers in our little community. Check out the Meadowlark Trail image gallery. While you are at it, send the committee a thank you!
Business
Free Pet Food Delivery
Brian Corry, Rascals – The Barking Lot
Hi Neighbours! My name is Brian and I live here in town. I’m one of the owners of Rascals – The Barking Lot which is an independent family business located in Calgary, Alberta. I’m starting a delivery service for pet food and supplies to residents. We have great quality food from all of the major distributors, at all price points and a Frequent Feeder discount. I will bring orders in once or twice a week, likely Monday and Thursday evenings. Just let me know what you need at least a day in advance (EMAIL me at brian@rascals.pet )and send an e-transfer, then I will deliver right to your doorstep.
Opinion
Feed the Food Bank
After hearing the government’s announcement of funding for food banks on Friday, I was moved to write a personal blog post which can be found here. I am currently looking for like-minded people to help organize a donation drive for the food bank and/or a local emergency fund. If you would like to help, send me a DM on our community Facebook page.
Extras
Number of Robins: 11. In all honesty, some are very hard to see and look like brown blobs in the branches. Here’s what I counted:
There were more than 20 when I came upon them with my dog. About half flew away. Did you find more than I did? Is this your yard? I’d love to hear from you!
