Canada Day

Happy Canada Day,
on July 1st!

Happy Easter!

Art Show

Yoko Ono is the 85-year-old widow of the former Beatle, John Lennon.  She is an award-winning artist with a show currently on display in Toronto at the Gardiner Museum.

The show is an interactive one called "Yoko Ono:  The Riverbed" [until June 3]; and it features a lot of smooth stones which can be held in the hands while focusing on different thoughts or feelings...there's some broken pottery which people can repair...and people can help to create a web of strings which signifies our connections to other people....  I think this is a fascinating and very meaningful exhibit!

For more information, people can go to:  www.gardinermuseum.on.ca

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

As far as I can tell, these are some crab apples which I photographed near my home last September.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving Day will be on next Monday, October 9.

Happy Birthday Canada, 150th Year!

July 1st marks our 150th birthday...!

This photo is of a maple tree, if you look closely....  We have a maple leaf on our flag, as most people know....

My parents came to Canada from Europe many years ago.... When I was around 10 years old, my father had a setback in his business and wanted to take the family back to Europe....  But my mother talked him out of it....  My life probably would've been quite different if we'd left...but Canada has been a good place to live....

Happy Birthday!

Children's Summer Camps

Was reviewing my charitable donations over the past year and found I have room to do a little more....  Also, the Scott Mission in Toronto was advertising for donations to their children's camp programs....  My own church also runs a summer camp for various age groups and for the blind.... I decided it'd be very nice to contribute towards underprivileged, city children being able to spend time in nature...!  I know I've had a lot of time to enjoy nature in my lifetime; and I'd like to share with the children....  [Have made a donation.]  Would like to encourage other people to do the same, if they possibly can....  [There are various organizations which run camps....  And there are also some day camp programs in the cities, which can be good....  Will include the link addresses for the programs above:  www.scottmission.com     and     www.campfrenda.com  .]

Have been learning that in life we really need to reach out to other people....  It makes us feel better and feel good....

There was a parable told by Rabbi Haim Romshishok, according to Wikipedia, where people were seated around a banquet table....  They all had extra-long utensils and found it difficult to eat....  In the hell version of the story, the people kept trying to feed themselves and were doing a poor job and feeling miserable....  But in the heaven version, the people started feeding each other and were successful.  They felt satisfied and happy....  And it seems that's how it is in life...!  We can't manage on our own....

Guest Nature Art--2

This poster is posted with permission from the Nature Conservancy of Canada and from the photographer, Aaron McKenzie Fraser.

Have mentioned this organization in February of this year and I wish to promote them....  They're doing a good work preserving nature areas across Canada....

This blog post may be shared on social media, as all the posts in this blog can be...but if anyone wishes to share the poster by itself, please give credit to the photographer....  Thank you.

Toronto Nature Areas

A photographer named Robert Burley has released a new book this month and is also having an exhibition in Toronto this month....  The name of the book and show is "Enduring Wilderness" and the photos are from nature areas in Toronto....  I think this is an exciting project!  For more information, people can go to:   www.enduringwilderness.robertburley.com   or www.robertburley.com.  

Nature Art--42

The trillium is Ontario's official flower....  In this area, they usually come out just in time for Mother's Day in May. There are white, pink, and red trilliums, as far as I know; and it's illegal to pick them because they grow very slowly. They'd become extinct if everyone started picking them.  So, we can enjoy photos and seeing them directly in nature places!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone!

These photos were taken some years back at the Centennial Botanical Conservatory in the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The website for Thunder Bay is:  www.thunderbay.ca.

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Irish and their friends...!  My son is part Irish, also.

Happy New Year

Another new year is upon us!  I wish everyone the very best in 2017.

One time, I was visiting at the home of relatives on New Year's Eve, and they had family members visiting from further away.  We were sitting in the living room talking and then we started sharing with each other what blessings we'd had in the past year....  We each told what we were grateful for. And it turned out to be a very beautiful and peaceful way to meet the new year--even though we didn't stay up late...!

Myself, I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions because I'm continually trying to improve myself--on a regular basis and not just on New Year's Day....  But I think New Year's is a good time to stop and look at yourself, if you're not already doing it.

Christmas Flower Show

Have heard on the radio this morning that the Allan Gardens Conservatory in Toronto has a Christmas flower display....  Apparently, they're open all year....  Their link is very long to type in but if people Google "Allan Gardens Conservatory" they'll find it easily....

Happy Holidays, or not?

Some people feel down during the holidays.  I suppose there are different reasons why.... In the past, before I got therapy for some mental health issues, I had a caring Christian family doctor who used to encourage me. She always said, "Do something for someone who's worse off than you are!" I did that and it made a difference to my life! These days, it's not hard to find charities or people who need help....

[The above photos were taken at the home of a family member several years ago.]

Wildlife Photography Exhibit

If people would like to see some of the world's best wildlife and landscape photography, would like to tell them about the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario....  There's currently a display of the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year," which came from the Natural History Museum in London, England....  [www.rom.on.ca] There are many photographs by photographers from around the world, and I was happy to hear about it on the radio this morning....  Apparently the display at the ROM will be available for the next several months.  And as far as I understand, the exhibit is travelling to other locations around the world. [The link for the Natural History Museum is: www.nhm.ac.uk.]

American Thanksgiving

Would like to acknowledge that the American Thanksgiving Day is coming up next week--on Thursday--and I'd like to wish my American friends and family a happy holiday!  In Canada, we had our Thanksgiving earlier, in the month of October....  I sometimes like to celebrate both the Canadian and American days, actually, because I find the Canadian day too early and I'm not quite prepared....  And I appreciate the holiday, otherwise, and don't mind extending my time...!

"Thanks giving" for the fall harvest was part of the original celebration, I believe, if not the entire purpose...?  This year, I had a nice garden for the first time in a long while; and I was a little sad when the gardening season was ending....  But I realized there's a lot of fruits and vegetables which come from the fall harvest time, [in the stores and at the farms], and I decided to make a special use of them this year....  Have been baking and cooking, and enjoying the food!

In this area, the fruits we have are apples, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, and grapes in the fall--but especially apples!  I live near an apple-growing area; and the others aren't too far away.... Then we have cabbages, squashes, turnips, and pumpkins, etc.  And pumpkin pie is a common tradition for Thanksgiving!

Remembrance Day--Part 2

This is a photo of the cenotaph in Oshawa, Ontario.

www.oshawa.ca

Remembrance Day in Canada

Our Remembrance Day is coming up this Friday, November 11. It's a day to remember and honour our war veterans and also the current military people who are serving our country.  Myself, I certainly appreciate our freedom; and I believe our past and present soldiers and their families deserve our support.