Heritage Park Gets a Truck Load of Manure

Why is this big news today, in the Earth day buzz? What is so blogable about such an event? It is the nourishment of the residential school orchard. Once overgrown with 14 foot blackberry plants it is slowly coming back to life. Perhaps it is a symbol of these intense times, a symbol of the restoration that is taking place in Mission and in my life personally as well.

Jared and I went down to the Park today. For those of you far away, here is a video about the park that we are speaking about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbMdBEV9EDM

Found a five leaf clover this afternoon when  thinking about "This Multi-faceted Diamond Community" and the visioning Mission forum that I was told about.


Heather Sterling the Park gardener, (I call her the GARDEN LADY),  took Jared and I on a tour of the park through her eyes. So many plants are edible there now. She has planted three mulberry bushes honoring the Japanese pioneers.

Taken the original wild strawberries from the orchard and planted them near the rose garden. You will have to listen to the  conversation we had about it.

 Of course the best was off air when i was more relaxed. But you get a sense of the greatness of this individual, her passion and complete dedication to making this world a balanced place.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cdgood/2010/04/23/education-and-sustainability-1 I would love to illustrate a walking guide to the park through her eyes. 

Heathers tour was completely fascinating. From the orchard, ( after the load of wormy steamy horse crap fell on the ground that a man name "ART" dumped).There were 13 loads that day.

We were driven in the back of her truck to the grotto.( a silo like structure with a cross on top= Mission's symbol) She took us into the grotto turning off the alarm. The  pews and floors were covered in bugs. Flies mostly, but bees and hornets and ladybugs from white to red. They were thick candles and marble table. Crunch crunch under our feet. She adds them to the rose garden for nutrition as well.  This composting idea took four years for it to be approved of and we witnessed it! How fortunate to be able to follow a whim and have it take us to such a destination.

Heather now is a leader in her feild and mentor for youth( worked with canada world youth)   and her work is becoming known and respected world wide for the non-pesticide rose garden and heritage seeds.

http://www.heritagepark-mission.ca/stmary.html Here is a link to learn more about the painful history of this park and understand the significance of restoring the original orchard. Bringing up the pain to be healed is part of the work of this new eight month Diamond cycle ending Nov 1.