Parts of Canada already have snow on the ground...
But here in Ottawa the weather is still warm...
Yesterday was a busy day for black squirrels out running in the leaves!
Later, there was a peaceful - if early - sunset...
Every day we lose about 3 minutes of daylight...
The only flower I noticed in our yard was this one mauve flower lying low. A cheerful souvenir of summer.
Today is Canada Day - the day I traditionally take time to reflect on how wonderful it is to live in this country and to be Canadian!
Last year we had a Canada Day dinner with friends...
The salad (before dressing was added) resembled a Canada flag - thanks to radishes, tomatoes - and strips of red pepper (to make the shape of a maple leaf). Real food artistry!
Then we played a Canadian trivia game!
Fun!
This year, the weather forecast is for extreme heat - so we may stay indoors - which is fine with me, too.
Our symbol for Remembrance Day is the red poppy - a flower that grows in military cemeteries in Europe.
Last year, the art studio where I often take painting and pottery classes had this interesting poppy display: a web of poppies hanging from the second floor down to the first. And nearby, a large crocheted poppy.
Beautiful!
There are all kinds of commercial vehicles out on the roads - but I've never seen one like this... A van transporting worms - or "vers" in French.
I assume these are worms sold to fishermen. I've occasionally come across stores that sell plastic cartons of them in the country...
So many questions come to mind:
Who in the city sells worms? Is it a lucrative business?!
Who packages them? (And how?! I can't imagine the worms would just crawl into the plastic cartons...!)
Where do they find these worms? Or do they "farm" them - the way fish are "farmed" in ponds?
How long are they "good"once packaged?
Is there a "best before date" that expires?!
One final thought: As a former teacher, I imagine that a worm packaging plant would make a memorable field trip for kids... with a lot of animated discussion to follow. (But hopefully no "free samples" to take home on the bus!)
Finally, I googled the company name; it appears to be a thriving business.
(And to think, I would never have wondered about any of this had I not noticed the van!)
Happy Canada Day!
Canada Day is always a time for me to reflect on the great blessing it is to live in Canada... with its political freedom and its many other benefits, like free healthcare for all.
A year ago, we were reminded of how wonderful it is to live in a country where all residents have access to free healthcare after our daughter-in-law suddenly needed heart surgery - and had it, free of charge, in a world-class hospital at the Ottawa Heart Institute.
Terry remembers how, in his childhood, when his mother developed lung cancer - in the days before Canadians had free healthcare - her three-year medical ordeal totally depleted the family's finances, leaving them bankrupt.
So thankful to live in this beautiful, peaceful land... where medical needs are provided, free of charge, to Canadians.
Came across the interesting fact that - a little over 100 years ago, at the beginning of the 20th century - cheddar cheese was Canada's second largest export... after timber.
Above is a replica of the giant chunk of cheese produced in 1893 in Perth, Ontario for the Chicago Columbian Exposition.
It weighed 22,000 pounds. The mammoth cheese received extra publicity when it crashed through the floor as they were setting up the display.
I wonder if the resulting publicity led to a boost in Canadian cheese sales.
Some years we stay home. And others - like last year - we drive to local small towns.
Last year saw us in Almonte - half an hour away. My son had recently moved to the area.
We had a lovely meal beside the local Mississippi River… (A river that shares its name with the mighty Mississippi in the USA, although they aren’t part of the same river system. The names of both rivers originate from the same Ojibwa term - “Mishi” meaning “big” and “zibi “ meaning “river.”)
My daughter sent me this list of 11 Canadian seasons...
It's so true! (We're always hoping for spring...)
I'm not sure who determined where we are right now, but it looks about right!
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, Canada remembers those who died in war.
Theres always a wreath-laying ceremony in Ottawa that is broadcast on television throughout the country.
But I love the way smaller communities memorialize those from their midst who died.
Recently, in Perth, I came across dozens of banners with names and pictures of many who served in the armed forces - both men and women.
It must be poignant for those who knew them personally to see their pictures again like this...
And remember...
Today - December 21 - is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. I remember learning that oh, so many years ago when I was a child. But it really didn’t mean much to me.
My father, on the other hand, always counted down the shortening days, and happily informed us when days started lengthening again!
I remember thinking: Really?! What’s the big deal?!
Now that I’m older, I share my father’s joy!
Last December I decided to keep track of sunrise and sunset times here in Ottawa - to see how things change day by day. I did this with the help of the weather app on my phone. These are my tracking sheets.
For me, it was an exercise in awareness... I discovered that - here in Ottawa - the longest days had 15 hours and 41 minutes of daylight. I say days because there was a period of about 2 weeks when sunrise and sunset changed very little, hovering between 15 hours 41 minutes and 15 hours 39 minutes, between June 15 and 28.
Now in mid-December, we have about 8 hours and 44 minutes of daylight. That’s not much different from last December 23 when I started tracking - and there was 8 hours and 43 minutes of daylight.
The difference between our longest in June and shortest days in December is about 8 hours. For a sun lover like me, that’s a big difference!
I also became aware - when visiting our daughter who lives a 6 hour drive southwest of us, that the sun rises and sets about half an hour later where she lives.
Should I continue tracking for another year...? I may. There’s a certain satisfaction in just being aware.
November 11 is Canadian Remembrance Day. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canada remembers those soldiers who fought in Canadian wars - especially those who died.
There is usually a large crowd at Ottawa’s tomb of the unknown soldier every Remembrance Day and the ceremony of laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier is televised all over Canada. Terry and I headed downtown for the service one year. Both his father and grandfather were Canadian war veterans. My father’s father died in World War I, when my dad was only 4.
I find it moving to see the remembrance monuments in small towns, like the one above in Almonte...
This one in Manotick...
And this one in Merrickville.
In a small community where everyone knows everyone, when anyone dies, it’s like losing family member.
Today is Canada Day!
I’m not sure what festivities are being planned here in Ottawa this year - in part because the pandemic is limiting large gatherings... But also in part because recent discussions in the news have turned our eyes to some regrettable parts of our Canadian historic past.
Whatever goes on around me, I will still be celebrating Canada, thankful that I live in this peaceful, beautiful land!
#thankfultobecanadian
I used to enjoy going on field trips with my children when they were in elementary school.
Spring “sugar bush” outings were always popular. Not only did we see how maple syrup was made from early times - tasting maple toffee was also a highlight.
But nothing stays the same. The last time I went to a sugar bush, there were no buckets hanging on trees. Instead, plastic tubing captured the sap which flowed to a large central container.
I wonder if they were always decorated with pictures of animals - and if they were made in different sizes.
I did find a you tube video that shows how to make birch bark buckets. Glad to see that this traditional craft won’t be forgotten.
Today is considered the “shortest day of the year” here in Canada, which really means that we have the least hours (or minutes) of possible sunlight.
A week ago, our daylight hours were between 7:35 and 4:20...
As a child and teenager, I remember thinking: What’s the big deal?!
But now that I’m older, I also notice daily how dark my morning is until the sun comes up and how early darkness comes in late afternoon.
Do we become more sensitive to daylight hours as we age?!
During my teaching years, I remember arriving at work before daylight, at 7:15 and leaving in the dark at 5 pm.
Another day missed!!
I wonder if we’re all affected by daylight - or the lack of it - in the same way...
