Meadowood Store Garden Centre: The Meadowood Store's Garden Center is jam-packed with starter plants and veggies, bag soils, manure, and fertilizers. Chris Burger says he won't be under-soiled. The folks at the Meadowood Store Garden Center will match sales prices just about anywhere. Kids, come in and paint a rock to make Rocky the rock snake grow longer. Enjoy the relaxing drive to Meadowood, where the bargains are tariff-free and are big. Bigfoot big. The Meadowood General Store in Dashwood is the home of Bigfoot. It's a convenient spot for beer, wine, and spirits, groceries, deli, propane, and lotto. Come in and have your picture taken with Bigfoot inside or outside the store at 1221 Meadowood Way in Dashwood.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and his dog, Gracie ran through the fields so wide. With dreams in their pockets and stars as their guide, everyday’s an adventure under the open sky. In their world of stories, time just flies by. 

Peter McCully:  A cleanup adventure at Englishman River Park. Peter bounded down the stairs, his sneakers lit up with each step. Today was going to be the best day ever. The morning sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, making Gracie's white fur glow like fresh snow. "Good morning, Gracie," Peter called to his American Eskimo dog, who was already waiting by the back door.

Her fluffy tail was wagging in excited circles. Gracie wasn't just any dog with her bright eyes, pointy ears, and cloud-like fur. She looked like a fox and a teddy bear had become best friends and decided to be a dog together. Peter had gotten Gracie for his fifth birthday and now that he was seven, he couldn't imagine life without her.

"Peter, have you finished your breakfast?" Mom asked, peering over her coffee mug. Peter quickly gulped down the last of his cereal. "All done. Can we go now? I don't wanna be late." Mom smiled. "The community cleanup doesn't start for another hour, but I know you're excited." Peter nodded eagerly. Last week at school, his teacher, Mrs. Williams, had told the class about the special cleanup day at Englishman River Falls Provincial Park. It was a beautiful park near their home in Coombs with tall trees, magnificent waterfalls, and winding trails that Peter and Gracie loved to explore. "The park needs our help," Mrs. Williams explained. "Litter can hurt the animals and plants that live there."

Peter immediately raised his hand. "Can I bring my dog, Gracie? She's really good at finding things." Mrs. Williams smiled. "As long as she's on a leash, I think that's a wonderful idea." Now, the big day had arrived. Mom helped Peter pack a backpack with water bottles, snacks, and a small first aid kit. Dad had already loaded the car with gloves, trash bags, and Peter's special grabber tool that he decorated with stickers.

"Don't forget Gracie's leash," Dad reminded as they headed out the door. "I've got it right here." Peter attached a blue leash to Gracie's collar and she gave a little hop of excitement. Somehow, she always knew when an adventure was about to begin. The drive to Englishman River Falls wasn't that far, but Peter spent the entire time telling Gracie about all the ways they were going to help the park. "We're going to all pick up garbage," he explained very seriously. "And make sure the animals have a clean home, right, Gracie?" Gracie tilted her head and gave a soft woof that Peter was sure meant absolutely.

When they arrived at the park, Peter was amazed to see how many people had come to help. There were families with children, older folks with walking sticks, and even some teenagers who usually acted way too cool for everything.

Mrs. Williams waved them over to a picnic table where she was handing out colored vests and maps. "Peter, I'm so glad you could make it," she said. "And this must be Gracie. What a beautiful dog." Gracie sat politely, her tail sweeping the ground as Mrs. Williams gave her a gentle pat. "We're ready to help clean up the park," Peter announced proudly.

"Excellent," Mrs. Williams handed Peter a small green vest. "This is for you to wear so everyone knows you're part of our cleanup crew." She pulled out a tiny bandana. "And this is for Gracie. She can be our official cleanup mascot." Peter beamed as he tied the bandana around Gracie's neck. She looked very important now.

"Okay, cleanup crew!" called Mr. Johnson, the park ranger. He was a tall man with a bushy beard and a kind smile. "Listen up for your assignments." The crowd gathered around as Mr. Johnson explained the plan. "We'll divide into teams and cover different areas of the park. Remember safety first. If you find something sharp or something you're not sure about, call an adult to help. And make sure to stay on the marked trails." Mr. Johnson unfolded a large map. "Team A will take the main picnic area. Team B will cover the upper falls viewing platform, and Team C will handle the lower falls and Riverside trail."

"Which team are we on?" Peter whispered to his mom. "Team C," she replied. "The Riverside trail is perfect for us. It's one of Gracie's favorite walks." Peter felt a thrill of excitement. The Riverside Trail was beautiful, winding alongside the Englishman River with tall trees creating a green canopy overhead.

Sometimes if you were very quiet, you could spot deer coming to drink from the river or eagles soaring above the treetops. Each team was given a different colored bag: red for recyclables, blue for general trash, and green for compostable items. Peter took his duty very seriously, carefully explaining to Gracie what would go in each bag.

"Plastic bottles go in the red bag," he told her as they started down the Riverside trail, "and apple cores go in the green bag." Gracie listened attentively, her ears perked forward, though Peter suspected she was more interested in the squirrels darting through the underbrush than in the proper waste sorting.

The cleanup began and Peter was surprised by how much trash they found. Hidden behind rocks were crumpled candy wrappers. Tangled in the bushes were plastic bags. Even stuck in tree branches were deflated balloons.

"I don't understand why people would leave their garbage here," Peter said, frowning as he used his grabber tool to pick up a crushed can. "The animals could get hurt."

"That's why what we're doing today is so important," his dad said, holding open the red bag for Peter to drop the can inside. "Some people don't realize the harm their actions can cause."

Peter worked carefully, filling his bags with each piece of litter that he spotted. Mom and Dad were impressed by his determination. Even when the other children from his team started to get tired or distracted, Peter kept going, with Gracie trotting faithfully by his side. After about an hour, the team had made good progress along the trail. The trash bags were getting fuller, but Peter noticed the people were starting to miss things—a candy wrapper here, a bottle cap there. Small items were easy to overlook, but not for Gracie.

As they approached a clearing near the river, Gracie suddenly stopped. Her nose twitched and her ears stood up at attention. Then she began to paw at the ground near the base of a large tree. "What is it, girl?" Peter asked, coming closer. Gracie continued to dig, her paws moving quickly against the soft earth.

"Gracie, stop digging," Peter said, tugging gently on her leash. "We're supposed to be picking up trash and not making holes."

But Gracie was persistent. She looked up at Peter with her intelligent eyes and then back to the spot she'd been digging at, as if trying to tell him something.

"I think she's found something," Mom said, coming over to investigate. Peter knelt down beside Gracie and peered into the small hole that she created. There, partially buried in the dirt, was the corner of a plastic bag. "Good girl, Gracie!" Peter exclaimed. He used his grabber tool to carefully pull the bag free from the earth, and it wasn't just one bag.

It was connected to more plastic and more and more. Someone had buried their trash instead of taking it with them or putting it in a proper trash can. "Mom, Dad, look what Gracie found!" Peter called out. Dad came over, his expression changing from surprise to concern.

"This isn't good," he said, helping Peter unearth what turned out to be several plastic bags filled with picnic garbage: food, wrappers, paper plates, and even broken toys.

"Why would someone bury their trash instead of taking it home?" Peter asked. Mom sighed. "Sometimes people think that if they hide their garbage, it doesn't matter, but burying it can be even worse than leaving it on the ground."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Because buried trash can leach chemicals into the soil and water," explained Mr. Johnson, who had come over to see what they'd found. "And animals might dig it up and get sick from eating it."

Peter looked at Gracie, who was sitting proudly beside her discovery, and felt a surge of pride. "Gracie knew it was there, even though we couldn't see it."

"Dogs have an amazing sense of smell," Mr. Johnson said, patting Gracie's head. "She could probably smell the food residue on the wrappers." Peter's mind was racing. "If Gracie could find this buried trash, I wonder if there's more that we can't see."

Mr. Johnson looked thoughtful. "You know, that's an excellent point, Peter. Would you and Gracie like to be our special hidden trash detectives for the rest of the cleanup?"

Peter's eyes widened. "Yes, please!"

Mr. Johnson spoke into his radio, and soon the news had spread to all the cleanup teams. Peter and Gracie had a new important job. While everyone else continued collecting visible litter, they would follow Gracie's nose to find the hidden trash that no one else could see. It was like a treasure hunt, but instead of finding gold or jewels, they were discovering things that people had tried to hide from sight.

With each discovery, Peter realized something important. Just because you couldn't see a problem didn't mean it wasn't there. The buried trash was still harmful, even if it was out of sight. By the end of the day, Team C had collected more trash than any other group, thanks largely to Gracie's special talent.

When all the teams gathered back at the picnic area to weigh their collections, Peter and Gracie were the center of attention. "Before we announce the totals," Mr. Johnson said, addressing the crowd, "I want to recognize a very special cleanup crew member. Gracie the dog has shown us today that sometimes the biggest problems aren't the ones we can see right away."

Everyone applauded as Gracie wagged her tail, somehow looking both proud and a little embarrassed by the attention.

"And her owner Peter," Mr. Johnson continued, "has reminded us that taking care of our environment means being thorough and caring about more than just what's on the surface." Peter beamed with pride, giving Gracie an extra pat.

"In total," Mr. Johnson said, "our cleanup crews have collected over 300 pounds of trash today. That's 300 pounds that won't harm our local wildlife or pollute the beautiful river." The crowd cheered, and Peter felt a warm glow inside. He'd made a difference today. They all had.

As they were packing up to go home, Mrs. Williams came over with a special certificate. "This is for both of you," she said, handing it to Peter, "for outstanding environmental detective work. We couldn't have done it without you." The certificate had both Peter and Gracie's names on it with a paw print next to Gracie's. Peter couldn't wait to hang it on his bedroom wall.

On the drive home, Peter was unusually quiet, thinking about everything that he had learned. "You seem deep in thought," Mom said, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

"I was just thinking," Peter said, stroking Gracie's soft fur as she slept beside him, tired from her big day, "about how sometimes the things that can hurt the environment aren't easy to see. Like that buried trash. If Gracie hadn't found it, it would still be there making the soil and water dirty."

Dad nodded. "That's a really important insight, Peter. Environmental responsibility isn't just about cleaning up what we can see. It's about being aware of all the ways that our actions affect the world around us, even when those effects aren't immediately visible."

"When we use too much water or electricity?" Peter asked, remembering other lessons they discussed at home.

"Exactly," Mom said. "Or when we buy things with too much packaging or don't recycle properly."

Peter looked out the window at the trees passing by, and he thought about the river, the falls, the animals that called the park home. He thought about all the hidden trash they'd found today and probably all the trash they didn't find. "I think we should go back again," he said, "not just for the official cleanup days. We should go regularly with our own bags and gloves. Gracie and I can be park protectors."

Mom and Dad exchanged proud glances. "I think that's a wonderful idea," Mom said. "We could go once a month and maybe some of your friends from school would want to join us."

Dad said, "You could start your own little cleanup club." Peter's mind was already racing with ideas. They could make special t-shirts and badges. They could keep a chart of how much trash they collected each time.

Maybe Mr. Johnson would even let them put up signs in the park to remind visitors not to litter. By the time they arrived home, Peter had a whole plan worked out. As they walked through the door, Gracie gave herself a good shake, as if to try to remove the day's work from her fur.

"You were the best cleanup helper ever," Peter said, kneeling down to give her a hug. Gracie responded by licking his face, her tail wagging with joy.

That night, as Peter got ready for bed, he carefully placed the special certificate on his nightstand, promising himself he would hang it up first thing in the morning. Gracie curled up in her bed in the corner of Peter's room, already fast asleep after her exciting day.

As Mom tucked him in, Peter said, "I learned something really important today."

"What's that, sweetheart?" Mom asked, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

"Taking care of the earth isn't just about doing big things sometimes. It's about doing small things all the time and caring about problems even when you can't see them right away," he yawned, feeling suddenly very sleepy. "Kinda like Gracie, who could smell the trash that we couldn't see."

Mom smiled. "That's a lesson some adults still haven't learned," she said. "I'm very proud of you."

As Peter drifted off to sleep, he dreamed of rivers running clear and clean, a forest full of animals living safely, and of Gracie, his wonderful dog leading the way of many more adventures to come.

In his dream, they were both wearing superhero capes with special symbols: a paw print inside a globe—the emblem of the Park Protectors, guardians of the Hidden Treasures of Nature. And in the corner of the room, Gracie twitched in her sleep, perhaps dreaming of the same thing, or maybe just of the extra treats she had gotten for being such a good environmental detective.

Either way, it had been a perfect day, a day of discovery, of learning, and of understanding that taking care of the world around us is a responsibility that goes deeper than the eye can see. It was a lesson Peter would carry with him always, just as surely as Gracie would always be by his side, helping him find the things that mattered most, whether they were hidden or right out in the open for all to see.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and Gracie, the finest of friends. With tales of wonder that never end. In the pages of books, or stars up above, They find their magic in laughter and love.

Meadowood Store Garden Centre: The Meadowood Store's Garden Center is jam-packed with starter plants and veggies, bag soils, manure, and fertilizers. Chris Burger says he won't be under-soiled. The folks at the Meadowood Store Garden Center will match sales prices just about anywhere. Kids, come in and paint a rock to make Rocky the rock snake grow longer. Enjoy the relaxing drive to Meadowood, where the bargains are tariff-free and are big. Bigfoot big. The Meadowood General Store in Dashwood is the home of Bigfoot. It's a convenient spot for beer, wine, and spirits, groceries, deli, propane, and lotto. Come in and have your picture taken with Bigfoot inside or outside the store at 1221 Meadowood Way in Dashwood.