Oct 2 2022 - Lost and Found

 

Did the Oktoberfest post make you wonder about fascinating stories of Lost and Found?  Have you ever lost something valuable and wondered where it got to?  This is what makes some lost and found stories so interesting.  There is a "found" portion to the story.  That's the case with this fly-away parrot. "Darren Chick, a British man living in California, had a lovely little pet parrot named Nigel. Nigel slipped out one day, flew away, and became lost. Somehow he wound up at a garage sale, where he was purchased by a pair of elderly Guatemalan-Americans. They named him Morgan, after the rum (it has a parrot on the label), and taught him some Spanish phrases. Nigel Morgan the rum-loving British expat parrot lived happily with his new family for four years, until he escaped again. This time he was found and taken to a vet, who initially mistook Morgan for her missing parrot. The vet checked the parrot's microchip and determined that it belonged to Chick. Chick wept "tears of joy" after reuniting with Nigel, but was baffled as to how the bird had picked up not only Spanish phrases, but also dog barks, a garbage truck imitation, and the opening bars of The Good, The Bad And The Ugly theme. What the hell kind of adventure had he been on all these years? Chick was about to find out. The granddaughter of "Morgan's" owners saw a newspaper article about Chick and Nigel's unlikely reunion, and emailed the paper explaining that her 86-year-old grandfather had been heartbroken by the bird's escape, especially since Morgan had been a comfort after his wife's death. After hearing this, Chick decided to give the bird back to the man." What an excellent set of headlines for lost items HERE: An Actual Human Skull A Wedding Dress With Matching Shoes Pieces of the World Trade Center A Missile Guidance System A 5.8-Carat Diamond Ring 50 Vacuum-packed Frogs A Headstone ... Already Engraved A Prosthetic Leg A Live Lobster The live lobster is an Uber find.  "Uber has created its Lost and Found Index, a comprehensive list of interesting items riders leave behind when they exit a vehicle. "While many of the lost items are mundane (phones, sunglasses and keys), others leave us begging for the whole story. One rider left behind a life-size cutout of the Will Ferrell character from the Christmas movie "Elf." Another forgot an entire paycheck, while an equally forgetful passenger misplaced their live lobster in the back of a car. Regardless of whether it's a Valium prescription, a hat made out of wood or a bulletproof vest — what's the story there? — Uber reports passengers are most likely to leave behind items on a Saturday night."

This picture was taken at Lost Horizons, a specialized garden nursery near Milton. It too is lost,  but now it has been found under new ownership in a new location in Campbellville. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 26 2021 - Let's Lantern Tonight!

 

I think we set in our "Western Ways." We mostly ignore an opportunity for a Lantern Festival.  This is the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year.  It is marked with massive displays of lanterns.  Wikipedia tells me that festivals are held in some western cities - in London and various U.S. cities.  New York's is the largest.  But these seem more like a commercial version of the traditional Chinese festival.  At the same time, I realize it is hard to just 'adopt' them.  These sorts of traditions have ancient roots in religious celebrations.  That's what makes our holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and so on so special for us.     On the other hand, it is never too late to adapt.  So let's check nearby.  Niagara Falls is an international attraction so should have something for tourists who celebrate the lunar new year.  Of course it does! And here it is:   "Buy your ticket now! Seasky International Light Show is coming to Niagara. This visually spectacular lantern and light festival will allow you to explore over 30 magical light displays on the illuminated trail that you can walk at your leisure. Light up the darkness and bring a smile to your face!"  The pictures are amazing - great big displays  Here's the website HERE.  However, we're in the COVID gray zone so we're in lockdown, and tickets are on hold right now.  With only two days left, it seems a shame to have only found out about it now - early December was the opening.  However, the opening was postponed, so let's hope for next year to celebrate this event.  What else made me think of lanterns today?  The Snow Moon 2021 is out.  What a huge moon it was - both last night in the east and this morning in the west.   Today, February 27 is the 'big day' so take a look out and enjoy the lantern festival we have. Doesn't this pretty entrance gate look perfect for such an event as the Snow Moon?  This is the Moon Gate entrance to the gardens at Lost Horizons nursery.  The white sign says "Display Gardens". And here's what we would experience at the entrance to the Seasky Lantern Festival 2021. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dead Body in Grimsby

Wake Up on the Bright Side  Everyone once in a while Grimsby takes over the news.  It has only three east west roads, so when the QEW has major issues, the town quickly fills up with gridlock.  Yesterday's event was titled 'OPP investigating after dead body found in a car along QEW'.  There were lanes closed for many hours. I checked online today and found that there was an update 6 hours ago - BUT this was BBC news with an arrest after "man found dead in Grimsby house".  So there we are, the two Grimsbys with their own dead body stories.   My real topic, though, was a question about batteries.  Something so every-day that I'd forgotten how they work and what they are made of.   Q:  Are solar batteries the same as rechargeable batteries? A:  Nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH) will have up to three times more capacity than the same size Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery, meaning they are capable of lasting longer and more reliable. NiMH batteries in your solar lights may cost a little extra but they are more environmentally friendly than NiCd batteries. I got to go in search of battery jokes.  What an interesting topic for jokes. Here are my three selections of battery jokes: Robin: The cars not working Batman: Did you check the battery Robin: Whats a tery So did you hear about the tennis ball and the battery that got into a fight? The battery was charged and the tennis ball is waiting to go to court.  Manager: “Well, you made one battery customer storm off angrily and another giggle on his way out.” Employee: “I guess you can say they were… POLAR OPPOSITES.” Two more images from Lost Horizons, Acton, Ontario garden nursery of the rare and unusual.

And after thrice...

What comes after once, twice, thrice?  Nothing.  These three are the only words of their type and no further terms in the series have ever existed. There are many researchers out there and the anitmoon.com forum had a post on this, claiming there is a series from Wiktionary.  It turned out to be unverifiable.  However, the entertainment is excellent: ... Wiktionary's list of protologisms as terms coming after "once" for "one time", "twice" for "two times" and "thrice" for "three times".  quarce: Four times  quince: Five times  sess: Six times  sepce: Seven times  okce: Eight times  nince: Nine times  dekce: Ten times  elfce: Eleven times  duss: Twelve times  baikce: Thirteen times" Thrice has fallen out of favour and common usage. Its usage has fallen steadily since 1810, so we can conclude it is no longer in common usage.  I found a reference to this in another response in an English language forum.  It claims that the last straw for the expression thrice occurred in It Happened on the Way to the Forum.  The blame is put Zero Mostel with his witty line "He raped Thrace thrice". A comeback may be on the way:  when William and Kate had their third baby, William was buckling his new son's car seat into the car. He had a short interaction with the adoring media and crowd outside of the hospital, where he held up three fingers and joked, "Thrice the worry now!" There are at least 2 thrice jokes: Jarul goes to church and he decided to get baptized. The pastor dipped him thrice in the baptizimal pool and said, "You are baptized in the name of the father, and of the son and of the holy spirit. From now on you are no longer to be called Jarul but Joseph, and you should never drink beer again." Jarul went home and took a cold pint of beer, recalling what the pastor said he headed for the kitchen and dipped the pint of beer in a bowl of water thrice saying from now on you are nolonger to be called Budweiser but orange juice.  And another: Q. What happens when a lion roars thrice? A. Tom & Jerry cartoon begins. I drove to Acton yesterday to see Lost Horizons - a garden nursery with beautiful display gardens  It was definitely worth the drive to Acton.

Found at Lost Horizons

Lost Horizons is located near Acton Ontario and is an extraordinary nursery.  It also contains display gardens designed by owner and collector Larry Davidson.  For those who are looking for a garden boost in August, there is a wide variety of plant materials and types of plants for sale.  These will appeal to the specialist collector and to the average gardener alike. There is lots to choose from and the plants are in excellent condition.  

Here's a flower portrait of Echinaceas for sale at the entrance benches.