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An account of my travels, garden, interests, with lots of pix because I love my camera!!

Christmas Greetings

Wishing you All a Wonderful Holiday and may you find

Joy & Peace

Sunday December 21, 2008 - 11:50am (PST) Permanent Link

SUNLIT ORCHIDS

I am happy to say that I finally got my lemon orchids to bloom !! I changed the medium last year from a moss mix, which it came in from the nursery, to plain bark and this seems to have made the difference. I feed with Schultz Orchid Food, half-strength every other watering. I have a pink orchid too that was in moss and I've recently changed that one to bark. I feed with Schulz Orchid Food, half strength every other watering. Since then, I have a new leaf forming. I have also changed the striped orchid I have but it doesn't seem to be doing much but at least its still alive!! I guess it depends on the person whether you use moss or bark, but the latter obviously works for me. I kept the lemon one on my light table until the stem and buds formed and then when the first flower started opening, I put it in on the kitchen table to enjoy!! Orchids like lots of light but NOT direct sun. For the photo above, I put it in the sink under the window with the sun shining in. This is what gives the black background. I have eight buds so far and hopefully I'll get a few more. Last time it flowered , when I bought it home from Terra Nurseries, it last for about five months. Fingers crossed it will be long- blooming again.

Orchid Flower History, Symbolism and Origin: The orchid's name originates from the Greek orchis, meaning "testicle," and its history is one of lust, greed, and wealth. Some orchids are called "ladies' fingers," "ladies' tresses," or "long purples." Orchids were collected extensively during the 1800s; once, four thousand trees were cut down for the orchids growing on their branches. There are nearly 25,000 varieties of orchids. Greek women thought they could control the sex of their unborn children with orchid roots. If the father ate large, new tubers, the child would be male; if the mother ate small tubers, the child would be female The paphiopedilum orchid was named for Phaphos, a temple on Cyprus where the love goddess Aphrodite was worshipped. The most famous orchid, the vanilla orchid, was said to give strength to the Aztecs, who drank vanilla mixed with chocolate. The orchid is a flower of magnificence that brings a universal message of love, beauty, wisdom, and thoughtfulness. In China it signifies refinement, and the innocence of children. A pink orchid conveys pure affection; the popular cattalya orchid denotes mature charm, and is often used in corsages for Mother's Day.

http://www.flowerfresh.com/orchids.html

Pix by Wynjym

Tags: flowers, orchids Sunday March 9, 2008 - 04:53pm (PDT) Permanent Link | 8 Comments

PETER - PENNY ???

We have a new garden resident, a Virginia Opossum. One of our neighbours saw him/her coming out from under our front stoop steps while we were away in Mexico and he has obviously stayed around. Another neighbour feeds him/her suet etc. in the mornings, so he/she knows he/she is on to a good thing in this part of his/her world!! I guess we'll eventually find out what sex it is but for now it's fun just knowing we have a marsupial around, they are the oldest mammals in the world. Fossil remains have been found from the age of the dinosaurs, 70 million years ago!!! I think that's pretty neat

Virginia Opossum

This is the most common "weird animal sighting" about which Toronto Wildlife Centre receives calls. Many people have never seen this animal before. However, Opossum numbers are increasing in Ontario as a result of a lack of natural predators and warmer winters in recent years. If you see an Opossum in your area, consider yourself lucky that you have just seen North America 's only marsupial (the females carry their babies in a pouch)!

If you do encounter an Opossum, it is useful to have information on how and why these animals behave in certain ways. About the size of an adult housecat, the Opossum can be a surprising animal to have as a neighbour, and many people call with concerns about this unexpected guest.

The good news is that Opossums are non-confrontational creatures if left alone. When they feel threatened, Opossums try to appear intimidating, but their behaviour is largely for show. They will stand still and open their mouth wide, showing you their many teeth in hopes you will run away; if this doesn't work, they will try to turn and get away; if the Opossum feels it has no chance for escape, its last line of defense is to go into a coma-like state, drooling and emitting a foul odour in hopes of convincing the predator that it is dead, and therefore unattractive prey. So if you have witnessed some strange behaviour, you now know why!

If you have seen an Opossum and, after reading the above, believe that it is sick, injured or orphaned, click here.

http://www.torontowildlifecentre.com/pages/faq/faq.html

This information is obviously for the Toronto area, however, I'm sure the procedure for helping wild animals applies much the same everywhere.

http://www.opossum.org/#quiz

Pix by Wynjym

Tags: mygarden, wildlife, ontario Tuesday January 29, 2008 - 04:52pm (PST) Permanent Link | 10 Comments

THE MICHAEL LEE-CHIN CRYSTAL ...

... the FACE OF THE NEW ROM, TORONTO

The new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal - The Royal Ontario Museum,Toronto

After the Christmas celebrations our grandson, Ethan stayed with us for a couple of days and we took him to see the new Dinosaur exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto. It is housed in the new Michael Lee-Chin's Crystal, in the Temerty Dinosaur Galleries. It was an awesome exhibit, the highlight of which in the Basosaurus named "Gordo" and of course the T Rex in running pose!! What a sight that was, massive head with lots of huge teeth to match!! This new Crystal makes a striking futuristic juxaposition to the old ROM building and if you look at the photo above you will just make out the long neck of "Gordo" through the bottom part of the windows near to the lampost. I tried to take a pix inside but this dinosaur is so very huge that it was impossible to get it all in. I have added the information below from the ROM's own site and also you can read further about the finding of "Gordo" story. It's quite amusing and interesting. Makes you wonder what else is "lost" in museums around the world!!

Inspired by the ROM's unique mandate - to build bridges of understanding and appreciation for the world's diverse cultures and previous natural environments - Michael Lee-Chin's extraordinary $30 million gift to the ROM is an act of both gratitude and hope: gratitude to this country for the opportunities it has given him and his family, and hope that his example might be an inspiration to young Canadians to act on their aspirations and become leaders in their own communities. The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal is named in recognition of his exceptional generosity and the remarkable vision behind his gift.

After an international search that attracted more than 50 firms, the Berlin-based Studio Daniel Libeskind was chosen in February 2002 to lead the Renaissance ROM team*. Born in Poland and raised in the US, Libeskind was a virtuoso musician before he studied architecture. He has designed buildings around the world, including the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the Danish Jewish Museum in Copenhagen and the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester.

Inspired by the ROM’s gem and mineral collection, architect Daniel Libeskind sketched the initial concept on paper napkins while attending a family wedding at the ROM. The design was quickly dubbed the 'crystal' because of its crystalline shape.

"Why should one expect the new addition to the ROM to be 'business as usual'? Architecture in our time is no longer an introvert's business. On the contrary, the creation of communicative, stunning and unexpected architecture signals a bold re-awakening of the civic life of the museum and the city."

- Daniel Libeskind

The Lee-Chin Crystal is part of Renaissance ROM, the Museum's renovation and expansion project. Considered to be one of the most challenging construction projects in North America for its engineering complexity and innovative methods, the Lee-Chin Crystal is composed of five interlocking, self-supporting prismatic structures that co-exist but are not attached to the original ROM building, except for the bridges that link them.

The exterior is 25% glass and 75% extruded-brushed, aluminum-cladding strips in a warm silver colour. The steel beams, each unique in its design and manufacture and ranging from 1 to 25 metres in length, were lifted one by one to their specific angle, creating complicated angle joints, sloped walls, and gallery ceilings. Approximately 3,500 tons of steel and 38 tons of bolts were used to create the skeleton, and roughly 9,000 cubic metres of concrete were poured.

http://www.rom.on.ca/about/crystal/index.php

Massive Barosaurus skeleton discovered at the ROM

New ROM Curator reveals the rare skeleton of “Gordo”, the largest dinosaur ever to be displayed in Canada

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) held a news conference today to announce the unusual discovery of a massive Barosaurus skeleton in the Museum’s own collections. The skeleton will form the centerpiece of the ROM’s new James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs, opening the weekend of December 15 and 16, 2007 on Level 2 of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. When completed and installed, the Barosaurus will be the largest dinosaur on permanent display in Canada.

The Barosaurus will stretch along the north wall of the east Crystal in the Temerty Galleries, where it will be visible from Bloor Street through the angular windows. When installed, the ROM’s Barosaurus will be the only sauropod skeleton consisting largely of real fossil bone mounted in Canada, as well as the largest dinosaur skeleton on display in the country. It will also be the only 'real' Barosaurus mounted in a life pose in the world. (The American Museum of Natural History has a cast skeleton mounted, and a vertebral column in a glass floor.)

"This is a fascinating and somewhat humorous story, and one the Museum is extremely pleased to tell,” said the ROM’s Director and CEO William Thorsell.

To read the story please follow this link:

http://www.rom.on.ca/news/releases/public.php?mediakey=tcycf5vd0p

(Pix by Wynjym)

Tags: rom, dinosaurs Sunday January 6, 2008 - 06:12pm (PST) Permanent Link | 4 Comments

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY, HEALTHY, PEACEFUL & LUCKY NEW YEAR 2008!!!

The New Years Poem

Here's the start of a brand new year.
A new beginning offered here.
The slate wiped clean to start anew.
A chance to change some things we do.
.
Perhaps there's something just for fun
You've longed to do before you're done.
Maybe there's a place you know of
that you'd really like to go.
.
New Years is the time to make
Those resolutions you soon break.
It's not that to yourself you're lying
The main thing is you keep on trying.
.
The New Years most important use
Is when it's used as an excuse.
A starting point to get things done
A time when journeys are begun.
.
A day and date to get involved.
A hope for issues soon resolved.
A time to rid ourselves of strife.
To make improvements in our life.
.
Of course we know it's fair to say
That we could do this any day.
Every night that we survive
Becomes the next day of our lives.
.
But we resolve our joy and fear
With hope for the upcoming year.
And with some luck we'll find the way
That started on a New Years day.

by Robert Hann

(Pix by Wynjym)

Tags: newyear, poem Wednesday January 2, 2008 - 05:11pm (PST) Permanent Link | 4 Comments

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