Aug 21 2024 - September Vacations

 

We've had a few cool days and it brings to mind the upcoming September weather.  Perfect temperatures, everything green and lush, so isn't it time for a vacation?  I seem to be noticing ads for vacations and articles on vacations.  The articles are about the high costs of vacations or the high impacts on the residents being vacationed upon.   The ads give the promise of big discounts - can you imagine promising up to $4,000 off per couple.  What would that river cruise vacation cost?  A budget cruise is said to cost $250 per person per night and go up towards $1,500 per person per night.  The comparison is called purse-friendly vs budget-busting.   So I go on a "virtual tour" of these river cruisers, and what I see is the same as realtors videoing the inside of homes for sale - a wide angle lens that makes the 10 x 15 foot room look 20 x 30 or more.   What if we could add some scent/smell of the place we're wanting to visit, some of the breeze in the air, wouldn't we be able to reproduce a vacation at home? And not have to worry it is a wide-angle lens, just enjoy it. Welcome to Virtual Vacation - the website that lets you experience the world from home!  It is HERE.   So I chose a walking tour of Toronto and the video begins - it is winter, it is snowing and snow has accumulated on the sidewalk. It is early evening.  What street are they on?  I'd say maybe King West - the theatre district or Dundas Square (now renamed). It is Dundas Square and we just walked past the subway station entrance.  Looks frigid.  Walking across Dundas square is a little boring and where does it take you?  To class at Ryerson (renamed as well).  We circle back to the intersection of Dundas and Yonge.   This is boring.  It doesn't make me interested in seeing Toronto in any way.  It was a thought, though, seeing other places with no effort involved.  I'd put this in the category of distraction websites and not virtual vacations.  Once they get the reproduction of all the senses, it will be something interesting Here are a few places one would like to see on a walking tour of Toronto. The Aga Khan Museum, the CN Tower from Bloor Street, and the fabulous City Hall.

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Sep 11 2022 - On This Day

 

Another memorial day today.  The 9/11 memorial.  American writers consider this the day that changed everything.  It seems to me it was the first time the US had to coordinate all of its arms of government - ordering all civilian aircraft to land, officially shutting down the National Airspace System, the military took control of the skies, with airplanes having to leave the skies immediately.  Halifax received 7,000 passengers, Vancouver 8,500. In Gander there were 6,700 people landing amongst a community of less than 10,000.  North Americans (Canadians too) became transfixed with the individuals who died in the attack. There's a memorial in St. Catharines at Happy Rolf's farm on the lake shore, with the names of each person from Niagara, and a tree planted in their honour.  The 9/11 Commission report identified the lack of coordination and communication between the CIA and FBI as much of the cause, and that this was determined to be a preventable disaster. It hasn't changed our sense of the magnitude of the experience. We were millions who watched the events.  There were hundreds of thousands in New York who experienced the events at the ground level.  There were thousands around the world who experienced the shutting down of the airspace.  All of us  saw the clear skies and lack of pollution as a message, too.  As an act of terrorism, its impact was vast. Such a different sort of memorial we will experience with Queen Elizabeth's funeral.  That will be a celebration of a life well-lived.

This tree is in then cemetery near me.  It is entwined around a gravestone, and seems a fitting image of the fire and destruction that we commemorate on 9/11. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Sep 6 2021 - September Songs

 

How many September songs are there? Spinditty says there are more than 60 songs about September. The list is HERE.  My attention is attracted to Frank Sinatra's album September of My Years, made for his 50th birthday in December 1965. Sinatra recorded "It Was a Very Good Year" for the album live on a Walter Cronkite CBS News Special on Frank Sinatra in the spring - it was broadcast closer to his birthday - in November.   A year of celebration of Frank Sinatra is how I think of that album, and it was rereleased in 1986. Considering all the many September songs there are, I want to give a name to this subject category.  And what came to my mind was  "Septemberism" - where great reminiscing and nostalgia are the main themes. This name was taken - but long ago.  I find out that this was the name of a Portuguese political movement in the 1830s and the name of the insurgents in a Bulgaria uprising in 1923.  There are lots of September uprisings in history.  Unlike songs with September where there are lots of lists, there really aren't any lists of uprisings by month. So who is to know if September of the most popular uprising month.  It might be Spring. While Frank Sinatra's songs were reminiscent and nostalgic, our own experience of September this is is one of apprehension because of the fourth wave of COVID.  In amongst the many September jokes, I found these two COVID jokes: I just got off the phone with a researcher in China. He says it's not worth getting the Covid-19 now, as they are expecting the Covid-20 PRO to be released in September.   Please, don't get Covid-19 They are releasing Covid-20 in September and it's much better. Little did we think there would be a yearly release - and Covid-21 is available anywhere near the unvaccinated now. September 20th is a Full Harvest Moon this year - names for September's full moon are: Autumn Moon (Cree) Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe) Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe) Moon of Brown Leaves (Lakota) Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine) Here's one of my moon rising interpretations.

Sep 2 2021 - The Month of Birthdays

 

This is the month of most Birthdays, according to several articles.  Another says that it is August for the U.S. But supposedly the most common birthday on the planet is September 9th, followed by September 19th.  What about this question?  Do humans have mating seasons? This is the LINK to a heat map showing the countries from the Polar Zone to the North Temperate Zone to Tropical, Equator, and then South Temperate zone.  The map shows peak birth months shifting farther to the right as one moves down the latitudes.  Once you’ve entered the middle latitudes, or the tropical zone, September and October become the highest-ranking months by average number of live births per day, followed by November and December, with some spilling over into the next year. There are a few studies on this. The Journal of Reproductive Rhythms says the ideal time of the year to conceive is when the sun is out for 12 hours and the temperature is between 50 and 70 ° F. For reasons that are not totally understood, these are the perfect conditions for conception, either because they stimulate sperm production or ovulation--or a combination of both. And the earliest birthday mention?  The Bible has the earliest mention of a birthday - around 3,000 B.C.E.  and it is Pharaoh's that is referenced.  It was their birth as a god, or coronation date, not the coming into the world as a human. Then the Greeks have a part to play. The Greeks offered moon-shaped cakes and put candles on them for the glowing radiance of the moon to celebrate their lunar goddess. Celebrating the common person's birthday? That is attributed to the Ancient Romans - for men only.   All of the articles say that female birthdays weren't celebrated until around the 12th century.  But alas, there is no history of female birthday celebrations and how they were missed out for so long and then came into being so late. And our final contribution comes with a bit of a sour note, given birthdays are about sweet and sugary cakes.  Don't look to Christian history for any happy contribution to the celebration of birthdays.  Early Christians considered birthday celebrations evil as humans were born with "original sin" so were tied to pagan gods.  It wasn't until they caught up to the civilizations before them and decided to celebrate the birthday of Jesus around the 4th century, that birthdays got new status.   The extensive Wikipedia entry also shows the heat map of births through the year. And our picture today for September's calendar is the wonderful Sumach.

Aug 31 21 2021 - Things of September

 

September is something to look forward to here in Niagara.  Compare that with February.  February is more snow and more cold.  September brings change, cooler temperatures in the air, with the warm temperature of the soil.  It brings lots of events that celebrate the harvest - the final crops are maturing and the vineyards are full of grapes. September is a celebration month here. Will there be a Grape and Wine Festival this year?  Yes, there will be a festival.  It is the 70th anniversary.  It takes place September 18 - 19 and 25 - 26.  There's no mention of a parade this year, but Montebello Park and other places will have events. This is also the best month for annual flower bloom.  Growing beside Brian's lilies in the Lilycrest Hybridizing field is an array of annual flowers, grown by Mark, the owner's daughter.  She had planned to send them to market, but got called back to work, so they are unpicked and the field is full of bloom.  Zinnias, Cosmos, and Sunflowers that must be 10 - 12 feet high.   When should you expect apples?  I think September is the time frame for apple picking to start.  I can ask Michelle Seaborn who runs the Grimsby Market.  She has the apple orchards at her Silmaril Farm with a pick-your-own every weekend in the Autumn.   Finally, September is the back to school month in Ontario.  It is interesting for us older people - what we experience is more people out and about:  we see people out in the morning and later afternoon.  School buses are on the roads, children on the sidewalks.  There is congregating in September that is enjoyable.  Even with COVID worries and cautions, we'll see more people out.  Today's picture - found at one of the Niagara wineries.

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Sep 26 2020 - How the Days Fly

 

"Time Flies when you're having fun."  Or: "How time flies." Alexander Pope's version: "Swift fly the years."   And the originator: Tempus fugit is a Latin phrase, usually translated into English as "time flies". The expression comes from line 284 of book 3 of Virgil's Georgics, where it appears as fugit inreparabile tempus: "it escapes, irretrievable time". I think that is September's experience.  Warm days, cool days, cold nights, then warm days again. So much happens in September that we are 'overrun' with the experience.  And it is an enjoyable one.  Here, in Niagara and Ontario where the leaves turn colour.  Perhaps less so other places, as it ranks only mid-way in the much quoted 2005 American poll.  Is it true that Albert Einstein said "Time flies when you are having fun"?  Here's what one article gives as the entire quote from Einstein:  "When You’re Having Fun Time is an interesting beast, because it is relative. Put your hand on a stove and time moves slowly. Boredom draws our attention to the passage of time which gives us the feeling that it's slowing down. Watch an excellent movie with someone you love and time flies by. Ultimately it may come down to how much you believe that time flies when you're having fun. Always choose your actions wisely!!!" I can't imagine Einstein using three exclamation marks.  But there is a low chance that I can prove this as I've just gone to the wikiquote.org website to look for the quote, and there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of quotes in the article on Einstein.  They list them by year, by event, by person, by disputed, by post-humous, and so on.  There are many quotes because he said many interesting things. So right now Summer and Fall sit side by side in the trees. Here is the green and red of a Sumac yesterday.  And then there will be none.  And we'll say:  "How time flies". Enjoy this wonderful weekend!

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Sep 11 2020 - Summer Vacation?

 

Will children in school be writing essays on "How I spent my summer vacation"?  Here's what the learning app thinks of summer vacation activities - I think this is written by a someone much older and was written quite a few years ago.   How I Spent My Summer Vacation Essay For Kids Summer vacation is the best time of the year as it gives me a chance to relax and explore new things. It gives me an opportunity to take a break from my daily study routine and adopt new hobbies like gardening, dancing and painting, while also having fun with friends. This summer, I visited my grandparents’ place which is located far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. My cousins visited our grandparents too during their summer vacation and we spent the whole day playing outdoors. Our grandfather loves gardening and we helped him plant saplings and water the plants in the garden. Our grandmother prepared delicious and mouth-watering dishes for us and we relished every bite of the food. Towards the evening, we all used to sit together by our grandmother’s bed and listen to her mesmerizing stories. Thereafter, all of us used to go to the terrace and play games like hide and seek. At night time, we gazed at the stars and listened to the interesting tales about the moon, stars and the sun, narrated by our grandfather. I had a wonderful time spending some priceless moments with my grandparents. I feel blessed to have such a caring and loving family, with whom I enjoyed my summer vacation thoroughly. Here's an image from the archives taken on University Avenue in Toronto,  lovely chalk art, with the theme that's perfect for September.

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Classes Start

"Welcome back students - classes start."   The first day of school is a Wikipedia entry that traverses the world - starting with the A's - The Americas:  "A common pattern in North America and Europe is for school to begin in September, while in the southern hemisphere mid January to late February is common, with a few countries near the equator having a September start. It is most common in Canada, and parts of the US to start school the day after Labor Day". And as for Education in Canada - here are the statistics: "Education being a provincial responsibility, there is no Canadian national standard. In Canada the school year for elementary and high school consists of 178 to 200 days, depending on jurisdiction, but several days may be deducted from this total for professional development and administrative duties, resulting in approximately 187 teaching days per year for most jurisdictions. Elementary students receive approximately 950 hours of instruction and secondary students receive approximately 1000 hours per year". What about a bit of humour with the statistics: Q -What food do math teachers eat? A -Square meals! Q -How do you get straight A’s? A -By using a ruler! Q -What kind of school do you go to if you're: a surfer? Boarding school a big giant? High school King Arthur? Knight school an ice cream man? Sundae school We're looking at t a wonderful planting at the Denver Botanical Garden - in the background is Eupatorium capillifolium 'Elegant Feathers' - a new plant for me.  We know the Eupatorium native species here - Joe Pyeweed - an attractor of Monarch butterflies. plant. This would be a lovely display for the Night Garden - dreamy pale yellow and white flowers.

That's It - September is here...

That's it - September has entered our vocabulary and so we slide into the Autumn leaves, back to school, cold snaps in the weather, shorter days.   Yesterday's walk down Yonge Street and west along Bloor reveals a changing landscape - significant changes.  Yonge and Bloor's new building on the southeast side looks interesting and unusual. I was happy to see that it will be a landmark building. The southwest side where Stollery's was is also under development - only a hole there.   I had to take this first picture of the sidewalk along Bloor with all the markings on it.  The sidewalk was renovated about 7 years ago into an exclusive black granite sidewalk with gorgeous plantings along the street.  So we can see they've painted on the granite.  Yikes.  I expect the BIA will have it sandblasted off afterwards. When I would exit the subway in the morning, these sidewalks were being hosed down every day in the summer. And the next image is the Bay subway entrance at Yorkville.  It is now is only Presto entry, so my ticket wouldn't work.  This location is a moment of  abstract architecture, so always worth checking out each time I am there.  I could hear music up above - a Jazz trio playing for the lunch time crowd. A city walk demonstrates what makes Toronto so vibrant and exciting.

Back to School

Welcome back,  School began this week.  Even for those who aren't going back to school, there were so many years of school that it comes back to you anyway. Teacher: How can you make so many mistakes in just one day? Pupil: I get up early! Teacher: What time do you get up in the morning? Pupil: About an hour and a half after I arrived at school. What would happen if you took the school bus home? The police would make you bring it back! Mother: Does your teacher like you? Son: Like me, she loves me. Look at all those X's on my test paper! Mother: How did you find school today? Daughter: I just got off the bus and there it was! Son: I'm not going back to school tomorrow ! Father: Why not ? Son: Well I've been there a whole day, I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk, so what's the use ?

Burning Man Countdown

Somewhere in our minds is the "Countdown to September".  It may be Labour Day, which signals the ending of summer, or the start of school. There are all sorts of apps for counting down to Labour Day, to September 1st, to January 1st, etc. What about the countdown app that is the Burning Man Countdown.  I checked out their important dates and upcoming events. The 'Burning Man Community' has events centred in Nevada and San Francisco. They are a 'network of people inspired by the values reflected in the Ten Principles and united in the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world." So my two images today, charred stumps that land on Lake Ontario's shores seem fitting for this theme.  The first image seemed to me to be 'first step' .  Perhaps it is an escapee of the 'burning man community'. http://burningman.org/countdown/