Washing Up

Today's sinkhole search brought up an ABC news report that hadn't shown up before.  It listed stories about sinkholes and the latest story is a sinkhole being discovered on top of a US nuclear site where a tunnel collapsed exposing railroad cars full of waste. The site has day-by-day stories of sinkholes in the news feed. For example, earlier in the week a water main break in New Jersey created a sinkhole that swallowed a SUV.   You can watch the video of them pulling it out.  There are other videos - one from Jan 17, 2017 with a 55,000 pound excavation truck partially swallowed by a sinkhole in Georgia.  My initial interest today is the invention of the dishwasher. I was listening to its gentle swooshing and wondered how it came about. Invented by Josephine Cochrane in 1887, it was intended to do the dishes faster than her servants, without any breakage.  Daughter of steamboat inventor John Fitch, she was wealthy and entertained often.  Like her father, she was 'inventive' - she registered her patent and trademarks and showed her dishwasher at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.  She founded a company to manufacture her dishwashers, which eventually became KitchenAid.  The UK Independent has a picture of her here along with the story of the invention. If you would like to see pictures of dishwashers from the 1940's and 1950's, then the website automaticwasher.org is the site for you. It covers topics relating to vintage, classic and antique automatic washers and dryers.   With the 1960's economic growth, all manner of appliances became common and affordable, relegating dishwashers to the invisible cupboards of the kitchen. Today's picture is of a Grimsby Beach cottage.  On a house tour last year, I found out that many of these homes' interiors are kept close to their origins and are missing this modern appliance.

The Bright Side of Mother's Day

We're on the Bright Side of Mother's Day.  It is ok to go to the Dollar Store to buy a greeting card...what about all the other things you find there. I had no idea that Dollarama originated in Montreal in 1910.  It started as S. Rossy Inc. and then progressed to a store similar to Woolworth's.  Generations of Rossys have run the store - the most famous is Lawrence Rossy.  In 1992, the first Dollarama store opened in Matane, Quebec, with all items offered for $1.  There are over 1,000 Dollarama stores in Canada by 2015.  Its value has risen 600% since 2009. One can find out how well people like their jobs at Dollarama - go to ca.indeed.com and see the more than 1,000 reviews by workers. I am fascinated by their  ability to sell cheap versions of well-known products.   "The difference between a classic Dixon yellow pencil and one made by Dollarama is a matter of fine print. They both have green bands near the eraser; they both read “HB” and “#2,” and they both come in translucent packages, sharpened." Their success is attributed to dealing directly with suppliers, no advertising, cash or debit card only.  And basically there are no returns, unless one can prove beyond doubt something was faulty. One article identified them as "occupying a crumple zone between frugality and anti-consumerism...The frugalist in me would suggest to look for decorations that are cheap at dollar stores if you were looking for decorations, but the anti-consumerist looks at these as ephemeral items, just months away from occupying a landfill or at best some remote corner of the house, gathering dust." Didn't I have a lucky day with the gorgeous clouds in the sky above the orchards.  This is at Mountain Street, Grimsby.  I've taken pictures of this barn and pear orchard during the autumn.  And what a view of Toronto from up here.

N11 - Calling All Gardeners

Wake Up on the Bright Side  Every month has an 11th day, and I think about the N11 set of numbers. So today, we look at this a bit. "In November 1967, the FCC met with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) to find a means of establishing a universal emergency number that could be implemented quickly. In 1968, AT&T announced that it would establish the digits 9-1-1 (nine-one-one) as the emergency code throughout the United States." If we were in the United Kingdom, it would be 999.  112 is the equivalent in the European Union.  There are eight numbers in the N11 code set.   2-1-1: Community services and information (eg: United Way of America) 3-1-1: Municipal government services, non-emergency number 4-1-1: Directory assistance 5-1-1: Traffic information or police non-emergency services 6-1-1: Telephone company (telco) customer service and repair 7-1-1: TDD and Relay Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 8-1-1: Underground public utility location (United States);[1] non-emergency health information and services (Canada) 9-1-1: Emergency services (police, fire, ambulance/rescue services) (4-1-1 and 6-1-1 are commonly used within the U.S. but not officially assigned by the FCC) The first city in North America to use a central emergency number was the Canadian city of Winnipeg, in 1959.  999 was used at the time, and was switched over with the U.S. introduction.  Today on May 11th, we can celebrate NATIONAL TWILIGHT ZONE DAY.  To discover all of May's "National Days" check out National Day Calendar.

Our Surprise Tulips

We drove on the picturesque Sulphur Springs Drive in Pelham a few years ago during the Porsche fun run day.  The road was closed due to flooding for two consecutive years.  So it wasn't a surprise to see the report that it was washed out Wednesday night.  Another year of missing this beautiful drive.  I keep seeing the headline on the red-and-white Canada 150 tulips that are blooming orange in some gardens. Home Hardware the major retailer that sold the bulbs in the fall says that they are "taking each individual case very seriously."  I find this most entertaining.  The CTV news story gets 'to the bottom' of the issue - a packaging problem not a hybridization problem.  They quoted Mark Cullen, our gardening guru here in Canada.  The article concludes: “In the Netherlands, orange is their national colour,” Davis said. “Maybe this is their way of getting in on Canada 150.” We're looking at the spring version of the renovated RBG Rock Garden. I am looking forward to seeing it when the water fills the meandering pools and the fountains  are in action.

Grimsby Beach

Yesterday's rain got so intense that it stopped work for for today's plant sale.  I went down to Grimsby Beach to see the flooding, and the first picture is the parking lot, with water covering almost all of it.  The waves crashed against the shore rocks, overwhelming the pier.  The winds whipped up the water turning it brown with the sand.  As soon as I lifted the camera, it was plastered with water on the lens. Today's forecast looks similar to yesterday's.  My plant sale may be a 'wash out'.  I have posted a rain replacement date of Friday May 26th 3:00 - 6:00pm on the kijiji and craigslist ads.  I hope a few people brave the weather today besides me.

The Month of May

Wake Up on the Bright Side  The month of Nay comes from Maia, the name of a Greek Goddess.  She was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea.  Alternately, the Roman Poet Ovid said that the month of May was named for the mayors  Latin for "elders" and that June is named for the iuniores or young people. I wonder if May is a bit late for spring awakening in Rome and so checked out its spring.  It's from early April to late June.  Wisteria is in bloom by mid April. There are azaleas and orange blossoms. Rome's rose garden starts to bloom by late April and continues to mid June with more than 1,100 roses. The cherry blossoms bloom from mid March through the first week of April.  Rome's birthday is April 21 according to the ancient tradition that it was founded in 753 BC by Romulus. Our wisteria buds are showing their purple colour, so we can expect them to bloom in the next week or two - a beautiful combination of sight and scent.  This is a daffodil growing field on 9nth Street - I'm told it is part of the Pioneer Greenhouse operation.

Who is the Wisest?

Albert Einstein Quotes come under wisdom quotes. He is synonymous with wisdom.  Here is a sampling from wisdomquotes.com True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness. When I examine myself and my methods of thought I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. A scientist is a mimosa when he himself has made a mistake, and a roaring lion when he discovers a mistake of others. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving. A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Is there an answer to who is the wisest person?   Here is Quora's answer- a list which starts with Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Pearl S Buck, Maya Angelou, and Steve Jobs.

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