June is named after the Goddess Juno, the god of women and marriage. Perhaps this is why June is traditionally favoured as the month of summer weddings. Speaking of weddings and anniversaries, I am pinch hitting for Dennis this week as Joan and Dennis are taking a well deserved vacation in western Canada to celebrate their 50 years of marriage. Best wishes and thanks to this power couple for all they do for our community.
The community gardens at the park have received their spring cleaning/thinning and they look awesome. A big thank you goes out to Judy Tantalo who captains our community garden group. Helen Hogan and Karen Lillie were also on duty to lend a huge helping hand. I joined in to provide some comic relief for the ladies. Gardens will continue to need weeding/tilling throughout the summer. More volunteers are needed and you don’t need a green thumb to join in. You can private message Judy (Judy Matheson Tantalo) on Facebook to let her know you would like to help.
As has been noted the village is blooming with spring flowers and shrubs. For example, I see lots of daffodils, bleeding hearts, tulips and phlox all over the village. Now with June comes the Lilac bushes bursting with white and lavender along fence lines, back yards and roadways. I will remind you that the Lilac was the official flower of the former township of Vespra (now part of Springwater Township). It is encouraging to see residents making improvements to their homes and properties as I travel around the village. Kudos to the five residents who recently had their driveways freshly paved as they look great.
Speaking of pavement, it reminds us all that this time of year is very busy with local traffic on our roads. We see lots of construction vehicles with new housing starts on Cottonwood Drive & Davis Way.
The farm community is busy with planting and seeding crops so we see lots of slow moving farm vehicles on our roads. There is a lot of extra activity to be aware of when you add in walkers and bikers! This is a reminder to slow down and drive the speed limit plus stop at all stop signs to take that extra time to look for oncoming traffic. We can set a good example for visitors passing through the village plus build a culture of safety for all our residents.
Dennis has mentioned the community sign board on Wilson Dive many times in the past and I am pleased to note that there has been an uptick in usage with various announcements on the board. June is a month with many new graduates, so why not recognize these special events with a posting on the board. Remember the contact information is antenmillssign@gmail.com so just let the folks know!
Knotty Knitters have continued their enthusiastic gatherings at the hall each Tuesday afternoon. They will be taking a summer hiatus with their final meeting on June 23rd featuring a potluck lunch before starting again in September.
Canada Day is just around the corner. Remember to get the Maple Leaf out to celebrate our 159th national birthday. July 1st falls on a Wednesday and most people will have a holiday for one day so it would be easy to have our own community party at the park. We need a volunteer to step forward to quarterback this event.There will be other volunteers so just put up your hand and you can be the leader of the band. Call Dennis or message him. Sports, games, food (BBQ, strawberries?),music are all themes that will make a fun, community driven celebration. Ball hockey is already on the agenda and it could just be a two hour event, over the lunchtime.
Next Saturday, June 12 is the annual community wide garage sale in the morning. Karis has indicated that the numbers are down a bit from last year but it is still a good event and if you haven’t signed up yet there is plenty of time. Just check out the information on the Anten Mills Community Facebook page.
Finally to echo Dennis, THANKS FOR READING, BE WELL, STAY SAFE and SAY HI TO YOUR NEIGHBOUR!