Where's Fido?

There are well-know dog names - Fido, Rover and Spot.  Where do these names come from - particularly Fido?  Here's a case on not remembering much Latin from Grade 10 Latin class.  Fido means "to trust, believe, confide in".   Did you ever meet a dog named Fido?  If you had known Abraham Lincoln, you would have met his 'faithful' dog Fido, always by his side.   It was in 1941, when Fido became one of the best known dogs in Italy,  and then around the world.  This dog came to public attention in 1943 because of his demonstration of unwavering loyalty to his dead owner.  Fido was a rescue dog brought back to health by Soriano.  They would go to the bus stop each day and Fido would watch Soriano board the bus for his job.  Fido would stay in the town square for the day, and be there at the end of the day to greet his friend at the bus stop. However, this was during the second world war, and one day Soriano did not return - the factory had been bombed.  Fido waited and waited for Soriano on the day of Soriano's death, and then finally went home.  He returned every day for fourteen years - watching and sniffing the air, waiting for Soriano.  Soon Fido's unwavering loyalty became widely known.  Magazines ran stories of Fido, movies were made, and he was awarded a gold medal.  Even Time Magazine covered Fido in 1957.  He had his own sculpture created "Monument to the dog Fido" - this was during his lifetime - he was famous and revered. When Fido died in 1958, his obituary was in the paper, and he was buried near his owner.   Are there other dogs with such remarkable stories?  Yes - there are at least three who are famous for similar reasons - the Japanese dog Hachiko, the American Shep, and the Scottish Greyfriars Bobby. Today's picture is a yellow Baptisia blooming in the Sunshine Express greenhouses.

March Ending

A rainy day is forecast for us today.  So I brought out the conservatory flowers to remind us that rain is good in the spring. These are Cineraria, a pot plant traditionally grown in the spring here and showcased in cool conservatories.  A native to the Canary Islands, one can imagine these daisy bushes in spectacular blues, whites, pinks and purples growing everywhere. I can always count on these at Sunshine Express Nursery and  at the Niagara Falls Floral Showcase Greenhouses during the Easter display.  View this email in your browser

Poinsettias in Niagara

Justin Trudeau's eulogy to Castro as a 'remarkable leader' has given rise to responses that raise our national reputation for satire to new heights.  Here are two replies: 'Though not universally liked by his compatriots, Mr. Ceausescu was a leader in urban design and affordable housing' 'Today we mourn the loss of Norman Bates, a family man who was truly defined by his devotion to his mother. ' Read more responses "here" at #TrudeauEulogies. Today we have a few more close-ups of the wonderful Poinsettia.

Exam Question: Calculate Easter

Perhaps Spring is early this year because Easter is early - on March 27th in just over a week.  The garden centres in Niagara sell a lot of potted flowers for Easter.  Sunshine Nurseries on Carlton Street on the NOTL side of the canal is full of blooms.  Pot plants, perennials, and annuals are on show.  You see the 'sea' of flowers in the top picture and an interpretation of the pretty flower Ranunculus in the bottom picture. There was a question the other day on how do we calculate Easter.  I gather from a search that there are dozens of ways of calculating Easter. This link to  the U.K. Independent Newspaper article describes the Easter calculation.  Here are two of the key calculations. "For most of its history Christians have calculated Easter independently of the Jewish calendar. In principle, Easter falls on the Sunday following the full moon that follows the northern spring equinox (the paschal full moon). However, the vernal equinox and the full moon are not determined by astronomical observation." "In 325CE the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox."