Autumn Notes

This autumn has been wet and overcast and the leaves have been slow to turn to fall hues. In the past week, we have enjoyed more colour but with little illumination from the sun as drizzly, wet weather has persisted. Every October I watch the sunrise over the Grand River Valley from a vantage point high on a sandy cliff in Homer Watson Park. The view is stunning most years but it was muted his year. We have missed the cold nights that create mist over the valley in the morning and fall colours are dull in cloudy weather. 

Last week I walked in this park at sunrise and then drove to another natural area close to Paris, Ontario. 

The trails here are beautiful and traverse wetlands, hills and small lakes and streams. Many birds make their home in the FWR Dickson Wilderness Area with a few species willing to approach humans for handouts. 

A Tufted Titmouse was spotted here for the first time last November. It mated successfully and there were four or five of them last week along the boardwalk. I love Chickadees for their friendly and cheerful dispositions, but the Tufted Titmouse takes the prize for cuteness! 

After lunch, I hopped on my bike and explored the Huron Natural area close to our home.

The sun peeked out from the clouds from time to time. This trail leads to a recently discovered archeological dig of a Neutral Nation settlement that was occupied 500 years ago. Our region is located on the Haldimand Tract, an area that extends six miles on either side of the Grand River from its source at Luther Marsh to its mouth at Lake Erie. It was granted to the Six Nations in 1784 following the American Revolution in recognition of the indigenous people fighting as Allies of Great Britain. Our city is built on land traditionally cared for by the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabe and Neutral Peoples.

Today, Six Nations of the Grand River lands comprise of less than 5% of what was originally granted. I was thinking of these things as I walked the trails. I also thought about the current conflict between Israel and Palestine. I am reading a book called The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi. There are parallels between the treatment of Indigenous people in North America and the experience of Palestinians in the Middle East. Our grandchildren are half Palestinian/Canadian and I owe them an understanding of their cultural history. 

It has been said that borders are drawn in blood and this is true in many areas of the world. I am increasingly grateful for the peace and security we enjoy in Canada. I recognize the privilege of being able to wander around our local countryside by myself in safety. I pray for a world that is not driven by vengeance, hatred or greed, where justice, truth and love are extended to people everywhere.