OK, so I have got to start blogging again - even though I have less than no time.
I miss spending time writing and trading comments with my friends in the blogsphere. Going to try to get back at it again. The plan this time is to ease back into this habit once again. Lets hope that I can keep these blogs coming with some regularity.Today I attended Foodstock. Lots of protests going on these days and this is one that I can get behind whole heartedly.
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| Prime Class 1 Farmland in Melancthon Township - the location of Foodstock |
Ontario has some prime farmland in the area I drive through on my way to Collingwood, just north of Shelburne . Highway 124, which runs north from Shelburne all the way to Georgian Bay in the centre of Collingwood cuts through the middle this wonderful potato growing land. Maybe soon to be x-wonderful potato growing land for 8,000 acres which have been proposed to become Canada`s largest aggregate quarry. There are two things which threaten the countryside in these parts, in the eyes of the locals and some not so locals. One thing generating a lot of protests are the windmills which are slowly marching north (Go to the Town of Shelburne website if you want to see) - but explaining that is another blog. The other item which is more certainly threatening the countryside and is not debated by anyone who lives near or travels up and down highway 124 is the proposed Mega-quarry.
Quoting from a Reuters news release:
The project, which would supply crushed limestone for Toronto's booming construction industry, has counted value investor Seth Klarman's Baupost Group as one of its investors.
Highlands Cos, the company behind the quarry, plans to carve out the huge pit on thousands of acres of potato fields it has bought up about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Toronto.
I might add that I am not sure the above news release is entirely correct. According to some of my research the limestone to be quarried may actually be destined for distant countries as the supply is way more than Toronto would absorb.
As I am told, many of the local farmers sold their land to Highlands Cos. after being told that the land would be maintained as farmland. They are sick that the land will end up as a giant hole in the ground (see below) , and an eyesore for the folks in the area. More importantly, it would ruining the water table for the farmers around who did not sell out. Being at the highpoint in the southern Ontario landscape, headwaters of 5 rivers supplying water to a large rural area, it could threaten the water supply for a lot of folks.
I have put together this little bit of a photo-diary to tell you about the event, which was a fundraiser for the "No Mega-Quarry" cause. If any of this has struck a chord and you weren`t able to get out and leave the suggested $10 donation in exchange for the food and music - go to No Mega-quarry and leave your donation now.
Go here if you want a full news report of the event.
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| Photo taken from the David Suzuki Foundation web site explaining the environmental impact of the mega-quarry. |
Go here to the David Suzuki Foundation to find out why the Mega-quarry is a bad thing for the area.
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| Support for the No Mega-quarry group comes from all quarters. |
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| Paths criss-crossed through the woods with a foodie tent every 5 yards or so. |
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| Long lineups but for some pretty scrumptious food. We entertained while waiting by telling jokes. Did you hear the one about (oops - can`t say that one in mixed company!) |
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| Not only were there 100 of Toronto's top Chefs represented but also many local top drawer eateries. This one is on our list to visit when next in Thornbury. |
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| It was pretty cold and rainy, but the sun broke out a couple of times. |
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| Not only were there roving musicians, but also there must have been a poet leaving his/her thoughts hanging about. |
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| Chef Michael Stadtländer got my vote for the best dish (a spectacularly tasty cabbage soup garnished with squash) but also for speedy service and rustic ambience. |
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| Chef Stadtländer serving up his soup from a massive pumpkin! |
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| The fields were rather muddy, it being a cold and drizzly day, but we all had our wellies on! Lots of room for the 28,000 in attendance to stand and listen to the local Ontario music. |
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| We got finished our tour of the food tents to catch a bit of Cuff the Duke. |
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| Hayden was next on stage after a talk by a speaker from the David Suzuki Foundation, who explained the implications of the Mega-quarry to the local water table and environment. To follow were Ron Sexsmith & Colleen Hixenbaugh and Members of the Barenaked Ladies. The finale featured Jim Cuddy and Cuff The Duke. |
Music to Dance Around the Kitchen With
I have been listening to a lot of Chris Issak these days. Here is one that I was rockin' around my kitchen to earlier tonight as I cooked up a storm. I am on a diet - the Dukan diet to be exact. This diet (similar to the Atkin`s diet but a bit more sensible) requires that I eat copious quantities of meat and fish and dairy. So Sunday night's ritual is to get out my George Foreman Grill and cook up 3 or 4 types of heavy duty protein foodstuffs and pack them up in lunch size containers so I can continue ridding myself of my muffin top. Yes, I know - need to join a gym also - I am working up to that. Anyway, the song following has found it's way into my brain and is on continual loop.
I want you to want me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin you to beg me
I need you to need me
I want you to want me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin you to beg me
Put on old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt
Get home early from work if you say that you love me
Baby, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
Feelin all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin.
Baby, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
I want you to want me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin you to beg me
I need you to need me
Kick on old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt.
Get home early from work if you say that you love me.
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
Feelin all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin.
Baby, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
Feelin all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin.
Baby, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin?
I want you to want me
I'd love you to love me
I'm beggin you to beg me
Oh I need you to need me
I want you to want me
I want you to want me
Posts
It always bothers me how the land is scared by mining and lumbering operations, but not so much as other things bother me because, over time, Nature can heal the wounds mankind creates on the physical Earth.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me more are structures like those abominable "windmills" used for generating electricity. They are an eyesore perhaps like no other, and they kill birds to a degree done probably by no other man-made device including aircraft at airports.
I cannot recall the words exactly, but in his novel, "Centennial," James Michener wrote that there is a literal war in progress between those who would destroy the environment and those who would preserve it. He wrote those words more than thirty years ago, and things are only getting worse.
It's kind of sad for the farmers who just want to preserve the land they grew up on. Unfortunately the world is not always a nice place, and we have to deal with reality. There's always going to be trade off though. A bad decision for some will be a prosperous opportunity for others. That's why we have to learn the truth about the world for ourselves.
ReplyDelete