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Editorial

Hello and Happy Spring! At least I think it’s spring, although the three-foot snowdrift in my yard may indicate that Mother Nature is still sun-bathing elsewhere. In Ottawa, we have yet to experience those heat wave days or rain showers that rapidly melt the greying snow. My hope is that by the time you’re reading this, my yard will be snow-free and ready for my lawn chair.

As you may already know, my favourite season is spring. I love the warmth of the sun, the intense blast of colour that explodes from one day to the next and the smell of the rain. I love the feel of the soil in my hands and the joy I feel when my perennial garden reappears each season. Last fall, I planted 100 new daffodils, scilla and tulips in a large bed at the front of my house. Although I know in my mind’s eye exactly what it will look like I check the view each morning - patiently waiting for the glacier-like snowdrift to recede and reveal the beauty beneath.

My first article for Homebase - way back in Summer 1990 - was a submission for the Off the Wall column called, Gardening - A Mother’s Perspective. I bring this up for two reasons. The first is that MAW is having a gardening workshop in Ottawa on May 16, 2001 (see page 7 for all the details) that discusses gardening with children. The second reason is that, as my children have grown, our gardening relationships have also flourished. My biggest gardening concern when my daughter, Rae, was little was making sure that she didn’t eat all the soil. We now discuss what seeds we should start indoors and how many varieties of cherry tomatoes to grow. I really enjoy spending time in the garden with my children.

The Goddess and Heroine theme, announced in the Winter issue, proved to be very popular and garnered several excellent pieces of prose and poetry. Another theme that piqued your interest was Christina Comeau’s idea to write about great places to travel. We received many travel suggestions and I decided to place the articles throughout the magazine rather than in one section - makes it seem more like travelling! The poetry submitted for this issue is really quite exceptional - powerful, poignant, sensual and downright good. Check it out for yourself on pages 46 and 47. This issue of Homebase welcomes several new writers - Michelle Cole, Ingrid Ermanovics, Jennifer Logan, Atoma Ziv, and Katherine Munro, as well as many of our veteran writers. Your articles and illustrations are what make Homebase work. Please check pages 50-51 for submission guidelines and pertinent information.

MAW is conducting an outreach campaign this year. We want to be in as many libraries and resource centres as possible. If you would like to introduce MAW to an organization in your community, MAW will supply a Homebase subscription and brochures. We would really appreciate your help.

Cheers,

Lisa Menard
Editor, Homebase