EDITORIAL

Give peas a chance

Fresh peas from the Old Aylmer farmers’ market have never tasted better.  Surely, the peas weren’t grown in magic soil, but the taste says there is more to these peas than simple soil, water and sun. That just may be the case for Old Aylmer itself. There is more to this neighbourhood than bricks and mortar.

Here in the newsroom of the Bulletin, we are perhaps best placed to understand what special blend of passion, determination, bricks, mortar and sunshine it takes to keep Old Aylmer thriving. Sitting at the apex of the year, the news items still roll in. Aylmer is a busy place, its residents bustle, ensuring it is liveable for all walks of life. Crosswalks and pedestrian/driver relations have been a big issue; with a city responding with better signage. Protecting everyone, residents who mobilized saw positive action. This is just one example of positive action we at the Bulletin see, investigate and share week-in and week-out. We reflect and ponder.

The team at the Bulletin works so very hard to provide local news. We need a rest too, so on July 27, there is no publication. We will be browsing the farmers’ market and rue Principale like the rest of Aylmer.

Or, we will hit the road. In this week’s edition, in the July 6 edition and in the coming weeks, readers will find plenty of information about where to explore locally. These places are at our doorstep. The farmers’ market is a local pleasure, we all agree. And I urge you to trust that there is more! West Quebec’s treasures are right there and if the Bulletin staff has laboured to bring reliable details of budget plans and zoning changes, you can be sure we do the same for leisure activities too.

Maybe readers can help? Use the guides we have been publishing, but take photos along the way. Social media is a fun way to share treasures, so go ahead, tag the Bulletin! We post on Instagram and Facebook as well accept email submissions. Upon our return at the end of July, the staff at the Bulletin expect to see how much readers enjoyed exploring the region. Are the peas from the Shawville farmers’ market sweeter? How about the apple cider? Are the waterfalls in Luskville as impressive as the Coulonge Chutes? Or how about the Black River Falls, where the cover photo of the Destination Pontiac insert was taken last month?

A reader mentioned recently that July can be challenging because it is the very heat of the summer she waits for all year. As soon as it rolls in, she feels the maudlin sense that it is leaving – and another long year of waiting for the fleeting warmth of July sets in. Her husband cried: “Wait a minute! We have weeks of glorious weather and leisure time ahead of us, why rush it?” They are both on to something. They are on to that magic that makes peas from Old Aylmer sweeter than from anywhere else. It is the peace in popping the peas out of their shell, with the heat of July swirling around that makes time both rush forward and stand at an infinite standstill; all at the same time.

We in the buzz of a newsroom will let the world rush past us for an infinite instant. We will savour Old Aylmer. And in that moment when the pea is peace, perhaps we will know the magic that makes it so very sweet.