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  Preparing The Garden Ready for W inter Every fall for many years, I laboured in my garden for hours digging, weeding, pulling out flowers, and leaving behind a barren soil devoid of any plants at all. I spent many hours of grunt work turning over the soil thinking it needed to be aerated and loosened up. I had no idea that my back-breaking digging turned out to be completely counterproductive. If I had, had a giant magnifying glass, I would have seen with my own eyes how I was harming the billions of microorganisms and creatures living in the soil. I might have seen earthworms that I exposed to the cold air slowly dying of dehydration or quickly being devoured by predators. As well, I might have crushed beneficial predatory beetles like ground beetles and ground-nesting bees which overwinter in my garden soil. Sometimes, I saw centipedes and millipedes quickly scurrying to safety. They were able to escape through protective tunnels. But, it turned out with my sh...
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  Birds as Military Heroes A lot of people are not aware of the importance of birds to the military during both World Wars. During the wars when modern technology like radio and phone lines were unavailable or compromised birds like homing pigeons were a crucial, reliable, and undetectable method of communication for the military for centuries. They were used in both World Wars by various nations including the US Army Signal Corps and the British armed forces. Homing pigeons are recognized for their extraordinary abilities to find their way home over long distances. They are also known as messenger and carrier pigeons. They are fast, athletic, and trained to return to their loft. During both wars, pigeons carried very important and critical messages. They were highly valued due to their homing abilities. The  vital messages were written on very thin paper placed inside a very light weight canister. The canister was attached to the pigeons’ leg. The pigeons were ...
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  My New Year’s Wish for 2026  My wish for 2026 is for kindness to rule everything we undertake around the world.  Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to others.   Be kind to wildlife .  Be kind to Morher Earth.  Kindness is free. Kindness is contagious. Kindness can spread very easily.   Kind people share.  Kind people are empathetic.  Kind people are generous. Kind people are helpful.  Kind people are considerate.  Kind people do not hate. Kind people use kind words not clenched fists. Let’s start a global pandemic of kindness. Gwen Petreman 2025
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  World Migratory Bird Day, May 10, 2025 World Migratory Bird Day May 10 is officially celebrated on the second Saturday of May in Canada and the US. It is a special day that is celebrated all around the world. People from all walks of life come out to recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate the myriad of incredible benefits provided by birds. (World Migratory Bird Day in the Americas, 2025.) There will be display table in the foyer at the Barrie Public Library with bird information including Barrie’s official bird the Belted Kingfisher on May 7, 8, 9, 10 during library hours. May 10 volunteers will be present 10 am - 1pm. to provide activities and share knowledge about the theme and Barrie's Official Bird. Weather permitting, there will be a walk to the waterfront to see urban birds on the way and hopefully see the Belted Kingfisher at the waterfront. Did you know without birds our Earth would have very few trees? Most birds from the smallest fluff of feathers to large toucans help...
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AVIAN INFLUENZA

   AVIAN I NFLUENZA Many people are concerned about the outbreak of avian influenza. Avian flu has been reported in 108 countries and has caused the death of more than 300 million birds (Dec. 2024). It began in 2022 and has affected – domestic poultry, waterfowl (Mallards, Canada geese), raptors (Great Horned Owl, Cooper’s Hawk, Red- Tailed H awk) shorebirds (Storks, Plovers) and other species of birds and some mammals (in many parts of the world.) Chickens are highly susceptible to avian flu with near 100% deaths in some outbreak strains like H5N1. (CDC, March 19, 2025) As of Jan. 2 025, 136, 327, 327 domestic poultry were affected with H5N1 flu and two months later as of March, 2025 USDA reported 166, 891, 036 domestic poultry were infected.  (CDC, March 2025), At present, the current strain of avian flu cannot spread human-to-human.   This may change quickly if the virus mutates.  Wild migratory waterfowl, especially ducks a...
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BOOKS BY GWEN PETREMAN

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You can contact me at 705-309-7452     Aesop's Fables (5-9 year olds)  A great number of teachers and TL's are buying Aesop’s Fables for   their classrooms andthe school. Aesop's fables have been specifically rewritten to address the variety of reading levels found in primary classrooms.  This is an ideal book to be used for the whole class from grade 1 to grade 3.   The book is a great buy as it contains 20 fables with lessons that   resonate with decision making when it comes to appropriate behaviour.   Perhaps one of the most quoted fables by parents and teachers is the one from the Grasshopper and the Ants - f irst, you work and then you play.  A Wish for Haidan (7-9 year olds) This fairy young boy  who is granted 3 wishes on one condition.  Trying to meet this condition brings astonishing  changes to his  environment and  his life.  This book will inspire young readers to become  more engaged i...
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