When you think of library soundscapes, what comes to mind? Is it the whisper of pages turning as someone peruses a book in a quiet corner? The loud exclamations of a child spying a favourite DVD. Perhaps it’s the rhythmic tapping of fingers on computer keyboards. Conversations between friends and neighbours bumping into each other in the checkout line. The muted slap of CD cases being browsed. Giggling school kids working on a group project. The crisp snap of a newspaper stretched across a table. A baby’s cries as a parent hurries to find a storybook.

Memorial Park Library will be hosting a unique synthesis of sound and silence on Monday, April 9 from 12:00 – 1:00pm. “Together Calgary” is an hour of accompanied silence offered by accomplished cellist and singer Morag Northey. This is a non-religious cello meditation available to Calgarians of any or no faith, a time and place “for all people to enjoy these rich, healing tones and silently just be.” People are encouraged to meditate, pray, or daydream, sit, pace, or stand – whatever way they are most comfortable enjoying Morag’s improvisations.

For more information about Morag and Together Calgary, visit her website: http://moragnorthey.com/

We've enjoyed an extraordinarily mild winter this year, although the pessimist in me is certain the weather gods will make us pay later, probably in May. And even though we haven’t had to endure knee-deep snow and weeks of frigid temperatures, it’s still a relief to know the official start of spring is imminent. We’re all searching for the slightest tinge of green in the landscape to reassure us that everything has not been irreversibly desiccated by the incessant winds that have plagued southern Alberta. The hardcore gardeners have been nursing their seedlings along for weeks already. And the procrastinating gardeners, like myself, are surveying with regret the soggy piles of leaves and perennials that we neglected to clean up last fall.

If you’re an urban Calgarian wishing for your own soggy pile of leaves or a place to plant your seedlings, you’ll be interested in an upcoming program on Community Gardening in Calgary at Memorial Park Library. There’s been a surge in urban agriculture over the past few years: more people are growing vegetables, fruits and herbs in their own yards, and community gardens and orchards are proliferating rapidly. There are approximately 52 public community gardens in Calgary now, up from 21 in 2009, and just 9 in 2008.

Apart from the obvious benefit of being able to consume fresh, flavourful produce, there are myriad reasons why you might want to join a community garden including: practicing sustainable living, improving the urban environment, being physically active and creating connections within your community.

To learn more about community gardening in Calgary, register for our program on Saturday, March 24, presented by the Calgary Horticultural Society. And check out these links to more resources and information:

Community Gardening - Calgary Horticultural Society