Marilyn's Photos - July 2 2025 - Which Country is up next

 

Which country is up next?  Celebrating or commemorating its existence.  There's quite a cluster on July 1st - Canada, British Virgin Islands, Burundi, Hong Kong, Madeira, Rwanda, and Somalia.  Up next is Curacao with their National Anthem and Flag Day on July 2nd, then Belarus on July 3rd.  Finally, the United States on July 4th (with its arguments over whether it should really be July 2nd).  It might be independence from France - that's Algeria on July 5th, Cape Verde's independence from Portugal and Venezuela's independence from Spain. All the differentiations of a Nation Day. Our celebration day is about a coming together.   The Wikipedia description:  "commemorates the creation of Canadian Confederation, the process by Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into one federation called the Dominion of Canada in 1867."  The Province of Canada became Ontario and Quebec.  Other countries celebrate their "independence from."  One looks at a list of conquering and colonizing nations such as Spain (Kingdom of Spain), Portugal, United Kingdom (or the British Empire), France, and so on.  Isn't France distinctive with Bastille Day - the storming of the Bastille on July 14th 1789.   Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on September 16th - the beginning of the War of Independence from Spain.  It probably took a while to complete. Not one country celebrates itself on December 31st, the last day of the year.  Turn to January 1st and there's more optimism. Cuba, Haiti and Sudan celebrate their national day. China seems to have a few days and it celebrates January 1st as Founding Day.  But then China has much history as a nation.  I wonder how long it takes to study their history in school. And what about Australia?  On January 26th it celebrates Australia Day, commemorating the establishment of a British prison settlement at Port Jackson in 1788.  It is also known as Survival Day and Invasion Day - lots going on there. And the United Kingdom?  It does not seem to have a recognized national day and celebrates the King's Official birthday.  Nothing for Wales or England.  Ireland has March 17th (of course) Saint Patrick's Day, and Scotland has the Feast day of Saint Andrew. With all the events in the world, one starts to wonder about the birth of a nation.  Some seem to  evolve, some are unifications of similar or disparate groups.  Others are declarations through conflict.  I wonder how these beginnings are embedded in  social fabric of a nation. Canada seems quite young.  Who is the oldest nation?  It is considered to be San Marino, tracing back to 301 AD with unbroken self-governance. There are older nations based on different criteria.  Look at Egypt - it was founded in 3150 B.C.E. - the estimated beginning the reign of Narmer.  And who but England would have the oldest constitution - the 1215 Magna Carter.   I seem to think that Shakespeare could only have come from England because of this historic start.

Here's something I created quite a few years ago - light painting with a sparkler in the dark  Seems like a good image for today.

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Marilyn's Photos - July 1 2025 - Verse 2

 

We are not strong on national anthems.  Once finished primary school, the lyrics drift off from the minds of most Canadians.  We recently updated them to be "more gender inclusive" or less discriminatory.  O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. Would you like to learn Verse 2? O Canada! Where pines and maples grow. Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow. How dear to us thy broad domain, From East to Western Sea, Thou land of hope for all who toil! Thou True North, strong and free! God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. Now on to Verse 3: O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise, To keep thee steadfast through the years From East to Western Sea, Our own beloved native land! Our True North, strong and free! God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. And finally, let's finish with Verse 4: Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer, Hold our dominion within thy loving care; Help us to find, O God, in thee A lasting, rich reward, As waiting for the Better Day, We ever stand on guard. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. As long as there's the True north strong and free, we're ok with fixing the first verse and ignoring the rest. That was enough work. So let's stick with that and if you fell strongly today, sing the first verse a few times.

All those chairs, so many choices.

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Marilyn's Photos - June 30 2025 - Strong Words

 

When we were children, if someone was going to have "strong words" with you - it meant trouble - a scolding or similar.  At least it was verbal.  Today strong words are called power words.  0- persuasive terms meant to evoke emotional responses and influence actions.  Trying to retrieve the origin is a dilemma, as the phrase isn't acknowledged as a phrase.   I did find 'strongly-worded' as in She sent a strongly-worded letter to the manager.  He received a strongly-worded email from his boss.  The committee issued a strongly-worded statement against the proposal. Do you know that when you search for strongly-worded jokes, Dad jokes is what comes up: What do you call a fake dad? A faux pas. Why do dogs float in water? Because they’re good buoys. What should you do if your puppy isn’t feeling well? Take him to the dog-tor. Why couldn’t the lifeguard rescue the hippie? Because he was too far out, man. Anything can be called a Dad Joke.

More roses from the RBG rose garden.

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Marilyn's Photos - June 29 2025 - Off the Beaten Path

 

Don't we all want to be off the beaten path these days?  Somewhere not known by others. Wouldn't that be "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.  That poem seems to be speaking to a desire to be off the beaten track, too.  And thinking it may be written later in life as he refers to a yellow wood of autumn:   I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Or maybe not.  He wrote the poem at age 44 and died at 88.  At the half-point.     He died in 1963, before John F. Kennedy himself died - at age 46 in November that year. John F. Kennedy led the tribe for Frost's funeral.  At Kennedy's inauguration, Frost had read  one of his poems as part of the ceremony.  This scene was described in a New York Times article from 1963: "Invited to write a poem for the occasion, he rose to read it. But the blur of the sun and the edge of the wind hampered him; his brief plight was so moving that a photograph of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson watching him won a prize because of the deep apprehension in their faces. But Frost was not daunted. Aware of the problem, he simple put aside the new poem and recited from memory an old favorite, "The Gift Outright," dating to the nineteen-thirties. It fit the circumstances as snugly as a glove. Later he took the unread "new" poem, which had been called "The Preface," expanded it from 42 to 77 lines; retitled it "For John F. Kennedy: His Inaugural" -- and presented it to the President in March, 1962."  I can't find the photo referred to.  The retrievals don't seem to respond.  But I came upon the Life article with pictures of the inauguration.  My goodness, that was Camelot! Here it is.

Here are our beaten paths - the Echinacea wWalk in the Rose Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  The second is the Jordan valley path up to Cave Springs in the winter.  Here are our beaten paths - the Echinacea wWalk in the Rose Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  The second is the Jordan valley path up to Cave Springs in the winter.

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Marilyn's Photos - June 28 2025 - Portage and Main sees the light of day

 

I've somehow thought that Portage and Main might be the centre point of Canada.  In fact, it is called the crossroads of Canada and it is close to the longitudinal centre of Canada.  So forcing pedestrians to cross the heart of Canada in complicated underground tunnels is a nasty metaphor.  It isn't the one AI says - "can be viewed as a metaphor for prioritizing vehicle traffic and economic development over pedestrian accessibility and the vibrancy of urban spaces."  That's actually what happened in 1979 and the impacts can be measured over the decades.    How did it come about?  "Trizec promised to build two office towers and a hotel on the southwest corner of Portage and Main, along with an underground retail space that would double as a heated, sheltered crossing for pedestrians, saving them from Winnipeg's winter winds." So aren't we back to one of my themes - "Money is the root"  - everything can be traced as coming from money and going to money.   How do I conclude this?  It is the explanation of the reopening of Portage and Main.  The report was that it would cost a whopping $73 million to bring it up to current safety standards and maintain it.  Add to that four to five years of traffic delays.  Removing barricades and redesigning crossings and curbings, and then install lights - that was in the $20 to $50 million range.  So we who use our feet have a $ value in Winnipeg.   I return to the metaphor of Portage and Main as the centre, or heart, of Canada.  The intersection became the centre of plebiscites,  mayoral platforms and continuing political debate. So much activity seems to indicate there is "Canadian identity" at stake here.  And so the battle has been won -  the heart of Canada will again see the light officially on July 1st 2025 at 10:30am when the pedestrian signals start. There have to be jokes about this most famous intersection:  I tried to make a joke about Portage and Main, but it was too congested. Why was the map of Winnipeg always getting lost? It never had a proper *Portage* through the city. Why did the pigeon get a job at Portage and Main? He heard it was the crossroads of opportunity. I tried to make a joke about Portage and Main, but it was too *crossing*.

This is Martagon lily time -lots of little fairy flowers on a long stem - so a pretty show in the garden.  I remember a grower showing me pictures of his Martagons in his Winnipeg garden - they were 3 to 4 times the height of my lilies - probably more than 30 flowers on a stem six feet high.  I wonder if that makes Winnipeg a destination town.

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