April showers have finally subsided and the sun is shining through that clear blue sky to bring life to those May flowers that are itching to bloom. As I write to you from a sun-soaked patio, sounds of spring are all around me. The warm breeze is keeping everyone’s spirits high as passersby sing a happy tune and greet each other with friendly waves and kind smiles. Oh, how I love the city when the sun shines!
Jeff Otto has been renaturalizing his community for a number of years. Since completing the Tree Tenders Volunteer Training course in April 2006, he has focused his efforts on encouraging front and backyard tree planting in the Pocket neighbourhood and revamping Phin Avenue Parkette.
It’s hard to deny the intimate connection we share with food. I was fortunate enough to develop this relationship as a child. Nothing beats biting into a freshly picked apple or tasting a pear while you’re still in the tree. Perhaps you also grew up with a backyard vegetable garden and were able to prepare your meals with the freshest possible ingredients.
Where do you like to go to escape from the everyday? I recently stumbled across a place where magnificent trees rise all around, with hundreds of birds calling to one another from their branches. It’s where wolves are free to roam and the Milky Way stretches across the sky in clear-view.
For the past three and a half years, LEAF has been my extended family. When I was first hired as Volunteer Coordinator in 2009, the committed group of volunteers and Tree Tenders welcomed me with open arms. I’ve never felt more accepted into a community. But like a tree, I have grown and the time has come to put out new branches.
