Richest Person Ever

The Globe and Mail reported this week that the richest man in the world has $150 billion.  He's Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.  He's the richest person in history. This is more wealth than anyone since Forbes started its rich list in 1982.  Bill Gates had a net worth around $149 billion in 1999, and has since given away billions to charity so has 'lost ground'. The Independent UK article says that the nine richest men in the world have more combined wealth than the poorest 4 billion people.  In another article by author Tim Worstall in Forbes, he says that the average American today is 90 times richer than the average person in Central Africa.  And richer than the historical human being.  He proposes that outside addiction or mental health problems, there is no one in the U.S. today who suffers from the usual human description of poverty.  Real poverty is defined as $600 a year.  Brad Delong pointed out that historical living standards never fell very far below $600 for long, because if they do then they become dying standards. Tim Worstall, the author, makes a poignant observation: "...we sure do have a lot of people still talking about poverty so what are they on about? The truth is they're not talking about poverty at all. They're talking about how some have more than others: inequality." Which is where we started: wondering over the wealth of the richest person ever.

No Exit for Marilyn on Marilyn Street

Dezi and I walk around the neighbourhood each morning for her exercise chasing bunnies.  There are many so she is well exercised.   Marilyn Street is one of the streets we walk on and it is a No Exit street.  In other municipalities I've seen No Outlet.  I wonder what the difference is.  Isn't outlet a bit complicated for something as simple as "not a through street", or "no way out"? Here's outlet: A vent or similar passage to allow the escape of something.  Something which allows for the release of one's desires.  A river that runs out of a lake.  A shop that sells the products of a particular manufacturer or supplier.  A wall-mounted device such as a socket or receptacle connected to an electrical system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment or appliances. Here's exit: A way out.  He was looking for the exit and got lost .  A passage or gate from inside someplace to the outside, outgang.  She stood at the exit of the house looking back and waving at those inside .  The action of leaving.  He made his exit at the opportune time.  Death.  The untimely exit of a consummate politician. Synonyms for exit are:  (a way out) egress, outgang, outway * (the action of leaving) egress, outgoing, departure Outlet seems a bit extreme - to imply that a car or person at the end of the street needs escape. Seems a bit existential to me.  If we take the last definition of Exit, though, we're at the extreme aspect of living.  It too has an existential quality.  Perhaps I shouldn't think of this in the context of Marilyn Street. Our pictures look at the Lily Show today.  The bottom one has David Maltby and Brian Bergman overseeing the show stems in the wonderful RBG atrium.

Lilies and Lilies...and Roses

It is the Ontario Regional Lily Society show this weekend at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington.  I got a chance to visit the newly renovated and redesigned Rose Garden, and the pictures today show the views through the garden. The garden opened at the end of June after a two plus year renovation.  The roses are now combined with companion plants, so create a healthier eco-system garden which will be more interesting throughout the summer.  Rose gardens in the past have required a lot of management for watering, diseases and pests - think of the rose garden as a monoculture.  This is not a very healthy system.  RBG is leading the way with a holistic approach for us to learn from.   I'll be back there today to check out the other gardens such as the renovated Rock Garden.  And of course, take more pictures of lilies.

Loot Bag Etiquette

What was the value of the loot bag for the Oscar nominees?  Forbes came out on top of the retrieval list with:  "Inside the $100,000 Oscars Gift Bag of 2018." It is named the "Everyone Wins" Nominee gift bag.  It went to the 25 nominees in the acting and directing categories.  The participating companies donate the items and pay a promotional fee of at least $4,000 to have their products included.   Distinctive Assets is the company putting this all together.  It has 'toned down' the extravagance - in 2016 the bags were worth $230,000 each.  In this year's bag, there are three vacation packages - Greece, Hawaii, and the big one to Tanzania:  12-night Tanzania vacation for two This package from International Expeditions is the most expensive gift, costing more than $40,000. The journey includes spa services, a private safari guide, wild game drives and a hot air balloon safari with champagne breakfast. Here's a summary of what's included:  'This year’s offerings include a slate of skin-care, weight-loss and anti-aging products designed to fend off the inevitable progression of human life, as well as something called “Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation.” The bag features fancy chocolates from Chocolatines in flavors unknown to the proletariat such as “Champagne Diamond” and “Ginger Sake Pearl.” We sampled the “Pomegranate Balsamic Ruby” but couldn’t taste the ruby'.  The full list is on thesuns website. What happens afterwards to the dozens of products?  I wondered about whether they are transferable - can they be given away as gifts?  Another article says that occasionally, celebrities are required to turn down gift bags because they have signed conflicting endorsement deals.  Others give theirs away; George Clooney opted in 2006 to donate his bag to a United Way charity auction, where it sold for $45,100. And still others object to the mere idea of gift bags on moral grounds — in 2007, Edward Norton called them “disgusting and shameful,” suggesting that the Academy instead make a charitable contribution in winners’ names.  Is there a downside to this windfall?  Yes - a big tax bill.  From time.com:  "But while these giveaways are usually thought of as freebies, that’s not how the IRS sees them. The tax man considers everything in the bags to be income, and therefore subject to the same tax rates as wages and other windfalls like gambling or lottery winnings".  That's how the Oscars/Academy got out of the business and Distinctive Assets took over.  After 2005, the contents were taxed. We're looking at another beautiful orchid from the Royal Botanical Gardens orchid show in February.

Twenty Plants to Beauty

Wasn't it two days ago that I looked at the duplicate place names?  Last night I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, ON and heard a speaker from Burlington, Wisconsin.   He is Roy Diblik, a garden writer with a garden design vision that focuses on modern design using native plants and creating 'native landscapes'.  One of his areas of expertise is understanding plants as members of a living community.  He is not amongst those people who view a plant as a potted possession. He made it clear that we garden selfishly and without consideration for the plants and their needs and requirements.  Roy's method of gardening is to create communities of plants that are 'companions' - meant to grow with each other. They cover the soil, keep out weeds, and create naturalistic gardens that can live on for decades.  They maintain themselves without the need for mulch or fertilizers.  This is possible when we give them their natural conditions.   Roy worked with Piet Oudolf and is best known as the plantsman behind Oudolf's midwestern garden designs.  He designs and creates award-winning public gardens in the Chicago and surrounding area. Best known is Lurie Garden at Millennium Park in Chicago. This is a bit of a wake-up call for someone like me who loves to go to the garden centre and purchase the latest new hybrids.  Roy can create a stunning garden with about 20 plants. There's a great deal to learn from the simplicity and discipline he espouses.  Here's Roy's website, Northwind Perennial Farm. Today's pictures show the Toronto Botanical Garden's front walk way garden.  It was designed by Piet Oudolf, and gives you a sense of the style of garden that is the subject of Roy's designs.  Our pictures show scenes through the seasons.

Thanks Giving

Our Thanksgiving holiday weekend celebration completes, and next is Halloween and its traditions.  Our Thanksgiving tradition came about in 1957 with the declaration of a holiday.  The date varied before then. Unlike the Americans, there isn't a "First Thanksgiving".  But it seems to me theirs varies too.  The "First" is said to be October 1621 and lasted three days - and is about the Pilgrims (who were not Puritans).  However, there is a Shrine of the First Thanksgiving at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia.  The date of that Shrine is 1619.   Our pictures today show our current decorative traditions - a 'country' scene displaying the pumpkin and squash harvest, corn stalks, and chrysanthemums in harvest colours. These were taken at Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington. The last picture is in Hendrie Park across the road from the greenhouse display. The entrance gates are beautiful and the plaque beside indicates the dedication to the Hendrie Brothers.  William Hendrie, a Scottish immigrant, purchased the land in the 1870s for his racehorse farm. In 1931 his son George donated the property to Hamilton Parks Board as a memorial to William and his brothers. Ten years later the property became part of RBG. I await the light this morning to 'see' the fog - there's a fog advisory that says visibility may be near zero in some places.

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.

Snow in the Headlines

Today's weather headlines:   Blizzard barrels towards northeast Snowstorm slams northeast Here are more great headlines about snow: Ice Scream! Now, Melt! The Brrrfect Storm From snow to whoa Gee bliss - New York socked by snow Snow fly zone No-mageddon:  The Washington, D.C. snow hole Snow Maggetin' Gipped The Snow Must Go On S'no Foolin' BONUS:  Have You Been Plowed? How many snowflakes are in a blizzard?  Is there a number big enough to represent a snow storm's parts?  Of course there is, and someone has created a table to show us this at thealmightyguru.com.  Here's the introduction: "Ever wonder what a number with 228 zeros after it is called? No? Well who asked you anyway? Actually, it's called a quinseptuagintillion. Duh! Here is a list of all the big numbers up till the infamous centillion. Just some more incredibly useless trivia for you from TheAlmightyGuru." I scrolled to the bottom and clicked on Pointless to see a page with  "all the useless knowledge I've posted over the course of my page. I've been told many times that I know too much about everything, and not enough about anything. As you can see from this page, it's pretty much true. I'll continue to update this page with more and more pointless data just so you'll know all sorts of things you never really cared to know in the first place. I'm doing this as a public service. You're welcome."

RBG Rock Garden

I finally got to the Royal Botanical Garden's newly renovated Rock Garden yesterday on a beautiful November day with the sun lowering in the afternoon sky. It took a few years, and quite a bit of money to renovate the gardens.  It boasts a grand modern entrance building, and accessible walkways down to the rock garden.  It is significantly revamped.  As I looked at various areas, I could see how different it is now.  Even with the mature trees still in their places, the renovation is profound.   The water was emptied from the ponds so the full effect is missing in the late fall.  Still the autumn colours are showing in the Japanese maples, dogwoods, viburnums and the grasses. The landscape architect firm was Janet Rosenberg Studio.  I looked for reviews by the professional trade to see what the verdict is.  I found one article in Canadian Architecture covering the basic overview of what was accomplished. Nothing else so far.  I wanted to know if the result has elevated the rock garden to star status. A sunken garden has the potential to be pure magic. So it was great to see the re-do of the ponds and paths as they were in poor shape.  The new ponds and waterways are the major features and they are empty now, so I may have to wait till spring to get the full effect of the fountains, waterfalls and bridges.  It might be possible to capture some snow images - I checked to see if the Rock Garden is open in winter and daily hours are posted, so we'll see what happens.

Spring and Summer

I was at the Lincoln Rotary WingDing Festival on Friday evening.  It is a chicken wing festival, with live music, lots of food trucks and a view of Lake Ontario at sunset, as it takes place at Charles Daley Park in St. Catharines.  This is one of the beautiful parks with a natural lagoon where the big brown trout go to spawn.  It also has an endless sandy beach.   So someone at the festival told me there were water restrictions in the town of Grimsby.  This morning I looked it up and find that the Town of Lincoln has water practices every summer with the odd and even days of water for the home address that matches.  I've been told this is the worst drought year since the 1980's.  Today's pictures show the difference between the RBG Conservatory spring garden in April and in July.  Which do you like the most?

Show Lilies

Yesterday was Brian's second favourite day of the year - it was the Ontario Regional Lily Society Flower Show and Competition. It is held at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  He had picked a few stems in my garden, especially a gigantic pink Amarossi which was taller than 7 feet with many flower buds.  It opened perfectly for the show so became one of the Award winners.  A flaw on a petal made it lose the Best in Show award. You can see one of Brian's hybrids in the garden in Grimsby and how tall it is - I claim the Grimsby soil is extraordinary, and these lilies are good proof. Another surprise at the Show was the handbook on growing lilies - Let's Grow Lilies!   I'd forgotten the cover has my photograph on it - taken in Brian's Lilycrest Garden hybridizing field. And finally, the show has beautiful floral design competitions.  Here's a favourite - the handbag/purse competition.  Everything is made of  floral and leaf material.

New Gardens at RBG

These Royal Botanical Gardens pictures were taken  before the garden was closed for extensive renovations.   The magic of this garden is its sunken setting.  Like Butchart, one comes to the garden at the elevated entrance so surveys the whole garden.  Then one enters down into its magical paths where flowers, benches, and collections of plants draw one's attention.  RBG's strength was its spring time plantings.  It treated the garden as a canvas to be painted using tulips. I'm going to check it out today.  I'll see a completely new 'garden' in this special setting - a  new look, new design,  new plantings, new building, new everything.  Stay tuned. The RBG arboretum is nearby and has an extensive collection of spring flowering trees.  I hope you have a chance to visit by the weekend.  While our spring is glorious, it seems to be quite short.

Join me April 10, 2:00pm!

Join Me! Next Sunday I will be the speaker at the annual meeting of the Lily Society.  This is a free event open to the public.  And this is one of my favourite topics and activities - finding 'public' gardens within easy reach.  I would be so pleased if you can be there. April 10, 2016 2:00pm - Ontario Regional Lily Society (at the Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West. Burlington, Rooms 1 & 2)  Great Public Gardens in Your Own Backyard If you live within the Golden Horseshoe and surrounding Toronto area, you can visit more than 30 public gardens within easy driving distance. Some will be new to you and others will be familiar.  You'll see them all at their best.   Get your schedules out because you'll want to get to these glorious gardens so close to home and easy to visit.