April 2020
Where you live creates identity, informs culture, and serves as the basis for philosophy. For Native people, everything in nature is animate. Wherever you live, the Creator has provided everything needed for a good life. The job of the community is to know and to understand the intimate relationships that exist among the other animate components.
Trees and plants are a major part of place. Generations of Indigenous people have observed and experimented with the living organisms within their community. This has led to a deep understanding of their uses as well as the relationship to other flora and fauna in an ecosystem. All of this provides an understanding of an individual’s or community’s place in the universe.
Maintaining a balance of these sustains health for all members of place – humans, plants, and animals. For this reason, health and plants, whether consumed or not, establish harmony. Sickness is always due to an improper balance within the system.
I read this the other evening and realized how seriously out of balance the world is at this moment. While we have little control over what is going on in the world right now, we can each do our best to work together and contribute to the sense of community around us.
The landscape committee has continued to work throughout this troubling time to make improvements to the neighborhood for all to enjoy. Phase One of the King Street Rejuvenation project is complete, returning some balance to the Mews. Trees and plants now line the Mews side of the King Street fence.
If you haven’t had a chance, take a walk along the King Street fence to see the new landscape behind Courts 2 and 3. This area in particular has been out of balance with standing water after rain, a perfect mosquito breeding spot. Excessive water has led to additional tree loss, too. Returning this space to native plants should help control this problem.
Make no mistake though, this area is not a storage area for unwanted items. Currently, the Mews offers trash solutions for large items such as broken toys, Christmas trees, charcoal, and dead shrubs. Please do not place trash or other items in this area. Charcoal disposal is explained here:
Finally, the Landscape Committee is thankful for the residents who have volunteered to water. Let’s give a big shout out to Tom Anderson, who is letting us use his outdoor spigot, Carolyn Creevy, Penny Glass, Judith Guerny, Garon King, and Janice and Larry Peters.
Your Landscape Committee, Sue Davis, Fern Birtwistle, Penny Glass, and Jamie Boone
Fairlington Mews 