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| Lake Ontario, Spring, by MLHolton |
For many, early April marks sacred ceremonies that honour ancient rites of renewal & rebirth.
2020 is no different. I have been watching from my window as buds emerge on trees, daffodils pop up and rhubarb patches emerge from the damp soil.
I've ventured out a few times, in solitude, at dusk, when there are no other humans about, to just marvel in the continued resurgence and re-emergence of
OTHER Life on this, our amazing home planet. Spring smells are so aromatic, especially down by the lake ...
Over the past few weeks, as we've all been confined to our homes for our own and others health and safety, I have, like you, seen numerous videos of how the near terminal ceasing of human activity has impacted the Earth. Dolphins are swimming in the canals of Venice for the first time in decades. Los Angelos is smog free, as are many of the major industrial cities throughout China. Cumulatively, it's a vivid reminder, not only of our impact, but of
our responsibility to the fundamental health and well-being of this place, our collective home.
Who cannot see the OBVIOUS benefits of fresh air, access to clean water, and the varied fruits of cultivated lands for our own health?
This connection to the planet, more specifically, to the rich land beneath our feet, is very much a substrate of
TRILLIUM, my third novel. I was delighted when it was recently listed in Hamilton's largest newspaper as a
recommended #SPRINGREAD. Damn right:
The Time Is Now!
When I started
TRILLIUM in the spring of 2018, I had a palpable sense of urgency to 'get the message out' as soon as possible so others could prepare. ... No guff.
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| Spring Rhubarb, by MLHolton |
TRILLIUM is, aside from the surface story of three entangled and entertaining families, a blueprint about the
necessity for
#localfood harvest and networks. It outlines, through fiction, how generations of neighbours help each other in the planting, gathering and harvesting of needed crops. Agriculture and animal husbandry is an activity as old as humankind itself.
TRILLIUM demonstrates how these grassroot alliances establish human bonds thicker than the loftiness of any grander 'national identity'.
Our immediate civil society is built on these links. Families grow when families cross-pollinate and germinate. These deep generational roots are what bind us together in our communal humanity. It is times like this that we truly come to understand and appreciate the recurring and rejuvenating aspect of what makes a
#goodneighbour.
To be clear, globalization does not offer this sense of community. In contrast, globalism is an airy scheme that profits jet-setters, bankers, billionaires and rootless tax-avoiding corporations. It does not bind us, the commoners, within the locality of
#families. Globalism does not know your voice or your face. That kind of intimacy only comes from day-to-day interactions at the grassroots level where 'I know you & you know me'.
As we do emerge from the devastation and impact of this horrific and horrifying pandemic, please let us remember our
#goodneighbours. Remember what really makes our unique local civil communities work in times of crisis.
If you need a friendly reminder, please do pick up
TRILLIUM. Share it with your #
family - your grand-parents, your spouse, your children and your grand-children. Re-establish a deeper understanding of
#families, and the tangible blood network of
kinfolk.
Work harder at sharing your isolated and alienated Self in real ways with those who stand near you in real life. - Live in the Real World with all your Senses Wide Awake and Active.
The Time is Now!
Spring Blessings to you All.
Margaret Lindsay Holton / Canadian Artist & Author
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Extract from The Spec article ....
5. 'TRILLIUM
By Margaret Lindsay Holton
TRILLIUM,
no modest undertaking, is a novel whose action stretches over 250 years
of
#Niagara peninsula history, as it follows the branching out of three
diverse families - the Hartfords, O'Sullivans and Di Angelos. Short-listed
for the
2019 Hamilton Literary Awards, the book is divided into nine
parts with titles like seed, roots, harvest, second harvest. It
covers much changing ground, from the agricultural to the industrial
to the computer age in the sweeping way that Holton is known for.' Get it now >
TRILLIUM.
