Nov 12 2024 - Where not to retire in Canada

 

Are immigrants and Americans going to start flooding over the border?  We wonder.  Google searches have trended dramatically:  "leaving the country" and "how to move to ..." - with the search for "how to move to Canada" peaking No 6th.  A survey earlier in the month said 21% of Americans would consider moving.  In that article, Canada was at the top of the list of countries of interest. Currently, though, there's an eerie calm in the press - focused on how much Trump can accomplish.  All the barriers and hurdles are being outlined in great detail. It seems like they are trying to quell the panic.   So the headlines have started creeping in - best and worst places to retire in Canada.  What would be the criteria?  Culture, healthcare, weather, crime, cost of living, taxes, education, job opportunities.  It turns out there are lots of places people don't want to retire to in Canada.  The article says that Vaughan, Ontario is one of these.  It is part of greater Toronto - north of the city centre. It has a colder climate than Toronto and heavy traffic being part of Toronto.  It is packed with large single-family homes that drive up the cost of housing and make for driving congestion. Think more broadly though.  If we were appealing to more wealthy, liberal U.S. citizens looking for a more stable place to live, we'd have lots of choices.  There's an article from an American point of view:  8 reasons you don't want to retire in Canada. Bad climate, cost of living and housing, health care for permanent residents only, complicated taxes for U.S. citizens.  Here's the summary advice: "If you want to retire to a different country, you may want to steer clear of Canada. As always, we suggest that you take the time to visit possible retirement locations in advance. You’re also going to want to work with a tax professional to ensure that you’re aware of the implications of retiring in Canada." It seems like a smorgasbord of choices in other articles. Like the buffet of living options:  Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Mexico, New Zealand, Italy, Canada Ireland and France in ranked order.  Pie in the sky thinking for now.

I took this picture of the Bloodgood Japanese Maple tree around the corner. a few years ago.  It was brilliant red against a snow fall mid-November  The tree is a massive size.  so I thought a portrait of it would be nice.  All the background detail - the house, etc had to be painted over in photoshop.   I would like a more interesting background, but haven't figured out the technical details.  There is "white" in the mass of the tree, difficult to deal with.    I think I will continue to "fill in" with red leaves, and then go for a painterly background.

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Nov 18 2020 - Avarice and Greed

 

Avarice and Greed - are they different from each other? As nouns the difference between avarice and greed  is that avarice is excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greediness after wealth; covetousness; cupidity while greed is a selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions. That comes from wikidiff.com - another of the many parts of Wikipedia.  So let's find out some avarice and greed jokes.  Here's the first from upjoke.com, the website where jokes are voted to the top. Why did the chicken cross the road? DONALD TRUMP: I've been told by my many sources, good sources - they're very good sources - that the chicken crossed the road. All the Fake News wants to do is write nasty things about the road, but it's a really good road. It's a beautiful road. Everyone knows how beautiful it is. What do you get when you combine corporate greed, sleazy politicians, and willful ignorance? A climate crisis! The Stanley Cup final will feature a morally bankrupt city, that is built on corruption, greed, and deceit... Against Las Vegas.  I found this short, thin stick covered with flammable chemical at one end.I rubbed it firmly against a rough surface. Suddenly I felt completeness and purpose in life. All the negative feelings such as bitterness and hate melted away. I started to see divine beauty around me and I was able to forgive everything. My mind was still. As I looked around me, I noticed there was no more fighting, envy, war or greed. Peace at last! Love conquered the world. What I found was...a match made in heaven. Isn't this curious how the the jokes are sort of about greed (as compared to avarice) except for the Donald Trump joke.  Seems to make sense, though, doesn't it. Today we start the cross-over to Christmas colours from the Fall leaves.

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June 29 2020 - Our Maple

The Canadian Flag has the Sugar Maple Leaf on it - it is our native species.  Not the Norway Maple - it is our invasive species.  They are differently shaped, as covered by the Globe and Mail on the weekend.  The Globe had pictures of the two configurations and showed who used which one. Air Canada uses the Norway Maple shape is represented.   I did a bit of searching - there are lots of maple leaves used on logos. There's a maple leaf on the Canadian Tire logo - it looks like a Sugar Maple.   There's a tiny Sugar Maple on the McDonald's Arches.  The Globe pointed out the continuing embarrassment - the 20 dollar bill, released in 2013 and immediately became the subject of criticism for being like a Norway Maple.  Here's the response: "The central bank said the image on the new bills was purposefully designed not to represent any specific species but rather to be a combination of various kinds. “It is not a Norway maple leaf. It is a stylized maple leaf and it is what it ought to be,” said Bank of Canada currency spokesman Julie Girard. Jan 18, 2013" Most entertaining for me is the Maple Leaf Hockey team maple leaf logo.  It has its own world altogether.  It was a 47-point Maple Leaf when it debuted in 1928.  The latest:  "The leaf, now with 31-points, is a nod to the opening of the Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931 (the old one had 35 points), while the 17 veins represent when the team was founded (the 13 veins at the top of the crest alone also signify the team’s Stanley Cup wins)."   So here's the Sugar Maple on the left and the Norway Maple on the right. You can see the difference.  There are lots of logos to look at to check which one they use.  One way to tell when you are next to each tree?  A Norway Maple has white sap and a Sugar Maple has clear sap.  Find out more differences HERE.     And our pictures today show the difference between Charles Daly Park this weekend vs a few years ago.  The lagoon isn't very separated from the lake.  All the trees were taken down.  A stone retaining wall was put in at the east end.  Last season the shoreline was flooded and closed.  The cost of remediation along Lake Ontario's Niagara shores was $1.6 million.  I looked at the narrow band of sand on Saturday and wonder how it will look in a few months.  There is such shifting sand in Lake Ontario - there may be a sandy shore returned or no walk way left at all.

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June 2 2020 - 'Totally Fresh' Wedding Trends

Into the month of weddings. Just what are the trends for 2020?  Here are the two that stand out for me in this article on theknot.com "Magical Mysticism...  If there’s one theme you need to know about 2020 wedding trends, this is it: mysticism is in. This spiritually charged vibe combines all the things: crystals, saging, palo santo, even aura photobooths. Don’t force this though, make it work for your unique couple style—send guests home with a rose quartz crystal, the classic stone for love, or ask your guests to pass around your wedding rings during your ceremony, imbuing them with good energy and well wishes." "The New Amenity Basket ... Think of this as the ultimate wedding trends #extra. Instead of treating guests to just mints and hairspray (psst, here's what else to include in a wedding bathroom basket), make their trip to the loo more memorable. Stationing tarot card readers, magicians and champagne stations just outside restrooms ensuring the party doesn’t stop, even if you leave the dance floor. " This article is immediately followed by How to Postpone Your Wedding Due to Coronavirus. What do you think?  Cancel the crystals and aura photo booths? Today's image is scanned Japanese Maple leaves, given an artistic touch with Topaz Impressions.

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Are You Professional?

The five traditional professions are architecture, clergy, engineering, law and medicine (in alphabetical order). They are also considered the most prestigious  - perhaps over thousands of years, prestige and respect have accumulated. A profession has special characteristics - advanced qualification and training is important.  Also attributed to top professions is a sense of service with the implication of a broader meaning involving moral or ethical foundations and practices.   So where are we today in terms of the top professions? Have things changed? The World Economic Forum has an article on the world's most respected professions around the world.  Here's their top ten list: 1. Doctor 11.6 2. Lawyer  9.5 3. Engineer 9.1 4. Head Teacher  8.1 5. Police Officer  7.8 6. Nurse 7.4 7. Accountant 7.3 8. Local Government Manager 7.3 9 Management Consultant 7.1 10. Secondary School Teacher 7.0 I wondered about the difference between third world and first world countries.  I  went in search of an American Poll and found a 2014 Harrison Poll indicates that American adults identify doctors, military officers, firefighters, scientists, nurses, engineers, police officers, clergy, architects and athletes.  There is another Harris Poll that includes a few new ones: video game developer, entrepreneur, chef, musician, EMT, journalist, and veterinarian. So a little variation is coming forward now. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) has determined that out of 800 occupations,  chief executive or general administrator, public administration top the list.  Manager, medicine and health is second.  You can see the article HERE.   In my search I found some funny answers and websites: one is called askmen - astronaut tops their list over doctors. Prestigious and exclusive. I've been looking over at the cemetery with the Japanese Maple that surrounds a tombstone.  I haven't taken any pictures as the colours are not great this year - maybe colours will come later, or maybe the leaves will fly first. These pictures are from last year.

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MMMaple!

This is a big occasion - having a birthday this big is going to be fun.  The Stanley Cup will be on display in Rideau Hall in Ottawa today from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Stanley Cup Champions Mike Bossy, Paul Coffey, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Bernie Parent and Bryan Trottier will be on-site from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m The public invitation: to take a picture of yourself with this oldest trophy, famous hockey players and the portrait of Lord Stanley in the background. Closer to home it is time to 'tap into spring' as the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival is on all over Ontario, Quebec and the North-Eastern U.S.  This is an emblematic crop  for us -  Agriculture Canada has developed a "flavour wheel" that details 91 unique flavours that can be present in maple syrup. These flavours are divided into 13 families: vanilla, empyreumatic (burnt), milky, fruity, floral, spicy, foreign deterioration or environment, maple, confectionery, plants forest-humus-cereals, herbaceous, or ligneous.  The questions that popped up for me were: Q Is maple syrup made in Europe? A Unusual -  sugar maples grow in north-east North America and production was developed by indigenous peoples.  North American Maple Syrup is exported to Europe for expatriate consumption. Q Why was it used by the abolitionists during the American Civil War instead of cane sugar and molasses? A Sugar and molasses were produced by slaves. Q Is the maple leaf on the Canadian flag a sugar maple? A Yes - that's the maple leaf we love so much. Q What about other types of maples -  can they produce maple syrup? A Yes - even the ubiquitous and weedy Manitoba maple, considered a scourge of urban gardens (despite being a native) can be tapped for syrup.  Like most maples it has half the syrup/sweetness of typical sugar maples. Even black walnut can be tapped. I've purchased birch syrup in the past.  There are 22 varieties of trees that can be tapped for syrup.  My Norway Maple out front is one of them.

I'll Take Mine Fried

I made it in time to capture the fiery foliage of the Cemetery Japanese Maple.  It is entwined around a headstone, which is not visible in these photos.  November is their month for vivid colour - as long as it doesn't get too windy.  That's always a dilemma here in Grimsby with the wind off the escarpment or the Lake. I planned to capture the large tree in front of one of our heritage homes and the leaves are gone - they dropped in one day.    And around the corner from me is the largest Japanese Maple I've seen in Niagara, with the glorious red colour on the tree and in the driveway. From the den garden website: "In Japan, maple trees are known as kaede (楓/"frog's hands"), as well as momiji (紅葉), which means both "become crimson leaves" and "baby's hands". Momiji is commonly used as the term for autumn foliage in general in Japanese, but it is also used as a term for maple trees. These names come from the appearance of the leaves, which resemble the hands of a baby or a frog. The scientific term for Japanese maples is Acer palmatum."   "In Japan's Osaka prefecture, the red and orange maple leaves are a sight to see during the fall. As is the case in the rest of Japan, people go out in droves to see the beautiful fall scenery. However, in Osaka, locals also go out in droves to collect the leaves and turn them into a deep-fried delicacy! Fried maple leaves are a very popular snack in Osaka, and apparently have been for at least a thousand years. The city of Minoh, located in the north part of the prefecture, is particularly famous for their fried leaves. The maple leaves are dipped and fried in tempura butter, which give them their unique taste. The secret of Minoh's success with fried leaves really isn't much of a secret at all. Chefs there usually store their leaves in barrels of salt for one year, which makes their leaves particularly tasty!"

Perfect November Day

I was in Toronto yesterday and had the great fortune of experiencing the most perfect Autumn day.  I walked from Queen Street up through the University of Toronto, along Philosopher's Park to Bloor.  The autumn colours in Queen's Park were at their peak, with people walking, sitting, reading, and enjoying the perfect day.