Spring - do you see the signs?

Again rejoicing Nature sees
Her robe assume its vernal hues:
Her leafy locks wave in the breeze,
All freshly steep’d in morning dews.

- Robert Burns

Do you see the signs of Spring in the air? Besides the sugaring of the maples, Spring has been telling me it is nearly here in other ways too.

This morning I was serenaded by the "Songbird Top-40" master himself, the mockingbird. Some think Spring is nearly here when they see the first robin. Not me. Robins show up usually just in time to get a whole lot of snow dumped on them. I look for my mockingbirds to show up. They are a much better judge of Spring.

I also look to the pussy-willow. Like the mockingbird, it is rarely wrong in heralding Spring. Once the pussy-willow catkins get all fuzzy and fun to touch, spring is nearly here. My pussy-willow tree says it is time. See a close-up of its grey and pink catkins to the right. This afternoon I cut a big pussy-willow bouquet to bring in and dream of the warming days.

-kim

Maple Weekend

The collection of maple sap is one of the earliest indications that Old Man Winter is loosing his grasp on the land. Sap collection buckets have begun to appear - maybe you have seen them on trees during your daily commute? Even if you haven't, be assured they are there and they are collecting sap so it can be turned into wonderful maple syrup and maple sugar products.

The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) celebrate the flowing of Maple sap each year. It is one of the celebrations of their ceremonial year. Perhaps you too can celebrate the coming of the Spring and of the maple sap. This weekend (3/20 & 3/21) is the start of Maple Weekend and it concludes the following weekend (3/27 & 3/28). Maple Weekend is a celebration of the maple syrup industry in New York State. Various maple syrup producers will be holding events and for the nearest one to you, refer to the Maple Weekend Map.

So get out of the house. Have some fun and celebrate the wonderful gift of maple syrup!


-kim

Ganondagan Winter Hike Slideshow

We have just put up a new slideshow for you. It showcases the beauty and serenity that can be found in winter hikes. The slideshow is of a hike that ranges from the Ganondagan Fort Hill trails to Dryer Road Park and back. We hope you enjoy!

http://www.ganondagan.org/slideshow/WinterFortHill.html

By the way, if you haven't taken a few minutes to write your representatives yet in support of Ganondagan, please do so. It was clear in the hike that many use the Fort Hill Trails for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, hiking, and more. If you enjoy these things, I urge you to write and make sure that they don't vanish! See our Save Ganondagan! page for more information. Many thanks in advance!

-kim

Save Ganondagan Video

Please see the following for a few of the reasons to keep Ganondagan from closing!!



-kim

Save Ganondagan!

Dear Friends,

As many of you may have heard, Governor Paterson has made serious cuts to New York State's parks budget, closing or reducing services to 57 parks in New York State. Although Ganondagan has been removed from the "cut list," funding is now slated to be handled by the Environmental Protection Fund and must be approved by legislature, which puts our funding at serious risk.

If funding is cut or Ganondagan is closed - even for one year - it could irreparably damage the land, the buildings and the programming, obliterating the 23 years that have gone into creating this national treasure.

We are asking for your help in making legislators and the Governor understand why Ganondagan must be preserved, now and in perpetuity. At our website, we give links making it easy for you to click on the link, find your representatives and send an email.

Ganondagan is many things to many people, and by sharing what Ganondagan means to you, the legislators will realize the many ways in which Ganondagan contributes to the state, the community and its people. In case you've got writer's block, we've drafted a letter with several paragraphs from which you might select two or three to cut and paste or to use as inspiration in your communications with legislators.

The Iroquois people have a philosophy called "The Seventh Generation," traditionally applied to environmental concerns, that all decisions, all actions, must be regarded in terms of how they will impact those living seven generations in the future.

Please go today to the links listed on our website, before it is too late, to make your voice heard, taking action to protect Ganondagan for at least seven generations, for your grandchildren and your grandchildren's grandchildren.

Nya:weh (thank you)!

PS. - Be sure to visit our website to see a wonderful slide show showcasing many of the things that would vanish if Ganondagan closed its doors. See the show at: www.ganondagan.org/about/SaveGanondagan.html.

The Gift of Food

We have recently re-designed our Recipebox web page. It now has a greater focus on the foods indigenous to the Americas. Besides recipes, we also have a brief introduction to the history and origins of the food items. Some of the foods that were cultivated and harvested by the Native peoples of the Americas may surprise you. Did you know that the peanut and chocolate were first grown and harvested in South America and Central America respectively?

We have also doubled the number of recipes we are offering and have included images of the various food items. We hope you will enjoy this new resource and try some of the recipes. Also, be sure to check back often since we will be adding additional New World food items as well as new recipes!

Speaking of the traditions of food, I recently picked up a magazine that featured "heirloom," forgotten recipes - recipes that have been made for generations but have largely been forgotten. We all have recipes that have been passed down to us. I included one such recipe (Scalloped Corn in the corn recipe section). This recipe has been made in my family for at least 4 generations. It is a simple recipe that takes canned sweet corn - something put away during the harvest season and adds a few common farm-fresh ingredients to create a something-from-nothing dish. It is simple but tasty. And in eating it, you can appreciate the creativity of our ancestors to stretch what simple and sometimes meager food items they may have had into something more.

So in our re-launch of our Recipe pages, we would like to offer you the opportunity to submit your recipes featuring New World food items for possible inclusion in our Recipebox page. If it is a family tradition or if it has an interesting story that can be briefly shared, please feel free to send that along with your recipe. It is sometimes those bits of color and history that truly make the recipe! Send your submissions to us at friends@frontiernet.net. Thanks and enjoy!

-kim

Parks & Trails New York - Call to Action: Don't Close my Park!

Urgent: Parks to close unless you speak out!

If there's one time New York's parks need your help it's now.

The Governor's proposed budget slashes funding for state parks. If the budget passes as is, there will be no choice but to close parks, according to Parks Commissioner Carol Ash. How many and which parks are still unknown. But it's likely that one of the parks or historic sites you love and use will be on the list.

Please take just five minutes to help parks by contacting your legislators this week. Read more on how you can take action...

-kim