If you missed this, here it is again

Wishing my friends in the US

a very happy Fourth of July!

(Posted also last week on Skywatch Friday)

Note: I am quoting below, without permission, from Verbatim: The Language Quarterly, back issues of which, I understand, will be available online in the near future. Meanwhile, I thought this bit of fun was a lot of fun.

Grammarians take note!
"We (at Grammarly) gently poke fun at the messes people can get into with English, and the misunderstandings that arise from the language."

I'll be watching for it to come online, but now I'd like to quote a few choice bits, as Canada's neighbours to the south get ready to celebrate their Independence Day holiday.

Revere

"One of the causes of  the Revolutionary Wars was the English put tacks in their tea. During the War, the Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. Finally the colonists won the war and no longer had to pay for taxis.

Jefferson

"Thomas Jefferson, a virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had gone to Boston carrying all his clothes in his pocket and a loaf of bread under each arm. 

Franklin

"He invented electricity by rubbing cats backwards and declared, ‘A horse divided against itself cannot stand.’
Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

Washington

"George Washington married Martha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. Then the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution, the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.

Lincoln

"Abraham Lincoln became America’s greatest Precedent. Lincoln’s mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. When Lincoln was President, he wore only a tall silk hat.
He said, 'In onion there is strength.' Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope.

He also freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation, and the 14th Amendment gave the ex-Negroes citizenship. But the Clue Clux Clan would torcher and lynch the ex-Negroes and other innocent victims. It claimed it represented law and odor.

On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theatre and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show.

The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth’s career."

(from Verbatim: The Language Quarterly)

Posting a few days early for

Fiona's memorable meme

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

Trek across Alberta to B.C. coast

Not a trek, not really, at least not on foot, but this month we did drive from southeastern Alberta to southwestern British Columbia with visits to Revelstoke, Kamloops, Ashcroft, Hope, Aldergrove, Coquitlam, Langley, South Surrey, White Rock, Crescent Beach, Kelowna, and Golden, BC.
It was quite a lot of driving for my husband, who didn't complain about not knowing know my friends and relatives very well, except my brother Clint, our other punster. Thanks, Dick!

Bonnie smells golden flowers in Golden, BC

"Do you think there might be rabbits here?""

"Are these the same flowers, only different?"

Of course we took our bouncy forty-pound Bonnie-Belinda dog, so Dick always had something to do.
This dog would keep anyone busy, family or not: go-for-a-walk, go-for-a-run, even stop to smell the flowers in case a tree or bush was hiding a rabbit or, something new to her, a chipmunk!

"Flowers under a blue sky. It doesn't get much better than this!"

After visiting friends in Kelowna, BC, where I grew up, we headed back to Alberta via Golden, BC, a place neither of us had visited.
We were impressed.
Two rivers run through this small town of fewer than 5,000 people, so Golden is a tourist mecca for water sports.
The larger and more widely known of the two rivers is, of course, the Columbia, which flows from its source in Columbia Lake at an elevation of 2,700 feet (830 meters) near the crest of the Rocky Mountains southwest of Banff National Park, all the way across the border to the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Washington.
The town of Golden's smaller, faster river is the Kicking Horse, beloved of sports enthusiasts addicted to white-water rafting.

For  Fiona's  Our World Tuesday

The greenest green I've ever seen

Crescent Beach was "my beach" when I was a child visiting my grandparents.
I loved to see the ocean, and the mountains above the city of Vancouver in the distance

Sometimes British Columbia, Canada, where I was born, surprises me.

I was born on "The Wet West Coast" but grew up in the near-desert dry of BC's Okanagan Valley. When I finished high school, however, my father moved us all, lock, stock, cat, and dog to their favourite place: White Rock, B.C.

Crescent Beach near White Rock, BC, here facing
the town of Blaine, Washington

Eventually I became used to the dampness
of coastal living
but I suspected it wasn't really
for me even though I loved the ocean, the ins and the outs of it, and I loved to see the greenery.


Everything is green on the B.C. coast and I, in particular, if not both of us, loved the lush look of it.

When my husband and I travelled from our home on the Canadian prairie and over the Rocky Mountains to the coast for a visit with my family, I loved it all anew. For a while I even ignored the pain in my old aching body!

I cannot say we saw no rain, because there were a couple of hours on two different days when we got wet but we saw much to love in the greenery, especially on sunny days when it contrasted so well with a blue sky.
(Our return trip through the Rockies is a whole 'nother story, to be kept for another day.)

We stayed in Langley  (above and below) for easy access to Vancouver

although we never really got as far as the city

The tall evergreens were blowing in the wind this day as Dick walked
our Bonnie-Belinda in the dog-designated area outside our hotel

Best of all, the sun was shining through a pastel blue sky!

Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear

Posting today for Fiona's marvellous meme

Skywatch Friday

Down by the river side

Coulee — Wikipedia says "a deep ravine" and I add "carved by a river, over a long time."

South Saskatchewan River, right, beneath coulee walls.
For Skywatch Friday, June 15, 2018

Coulee with one deer (see? centre, near bottom)

Coulee with three deer

Richard Schear photos

Posting for Fiona's meme Skywatch Friday

Meanwhile...I know I have posted, more than once, that anonymous comments will be deleted. I enjoy comments, but I cannot accept any from anonymous sources. —K

Antelope disappearing? Oh, deer!

Numbers of Alberta deer species are disappearing, as well as pronghorn antelope, which might not have disappeared—apparently they might just have changed location. We loved seeing them, and we miss them.
We have deer, however, and in the winter they come to eat from our ornamental crabapple tree. They're so beautiful to watch!

Female White Tail Deer

White Tail Deer Fawn

Male White Tail Deer

We used to see herds of pronghorn antelope not far from our house, but for several years now they are gone from this part of southeastern Alberta, seemingly not to return. However, nature can surprise us at any time. 

Male Pronghorn Antelope

Female Pronghorn Antelope

Mule Deer "Stotting"
(trotting with all four feet
 off the ground)

Mule deer

grazing

(Wikipedia)

Ever since we moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta, we have enjoyed watching deer eating the ornamental crabapples off the tree in our front yard. I am no naturalist, and I still confuse white tail deer and mule deer, no matter how many times I'm corrected. But I'm happy to see them, and that's what counts in My World.

Posting for Fiona's OUR WORLD TUESDAY

Watching skies at home

At this time every year I always post photos of the beautiful skies of southeastern Alberta, where I live with my husband Richard and our funny little terrier-mix Bonnie-Belinda.

The photos seldom change from year to year, of course, because there isn't much new out there, but the sky does change, and I always love the view we have when standing on the deck, looking down the path to the back gate.

Bonnie cleans
her own paws

A new feature this past year or so has been the delight of our garden and household, our sweet, funny little terrier-mix, Bonnie-Belinda, who 'owns' the back yard.
She allows access to us, but only to us. At the front the door, visitors get short shrift, along with the patented Bonnie bark, but she agrees to let them in if we vouch for them.
Cyclists and neighbouring dogs are another story, however, and subjects good for another day.


Posting here for Fiona's 
SKY WATCH FRIDAY
(I admit Bonnie is a little low-slung to qualify for Sky Watch photos, but we like to include her whenever, as Fiona surely understands.)

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz

Time for Auntie Kay's annual photos of her perennials. Bear with me, folks, I'm at it again.
A new twist for 2018: Auntie Kay doesn't remember the names of all her trees.
No, not names like 'Mary' or 'Jim' or even 'Myrtle' — just doesn't know the genus, the species, specifics, or special features.  
"Sigh," as Auntie Kay is wont to say.
It's been a great month weatherwise, not so great memorywise, so bear with me folks.
It's Spring, I gotta do it before summer starts this week!

SO, LET'S CALL THIS MYSTERY 'MERRY'
EVEN IF IT ISN'T A CHRISTMAS  TREE 

"Merry" has been tantalizing me, and some of my long-suffering friends who have tried to help, but we can't come up with a definite identification, even after posting photos on Facebook. Sigh.
One theory has it that it might be lavender. Research shows it might not. I hope it isn't, but only because I don't remember having a lavender bush or tree, and one would think one would, especially a tree-shrub-whatever with such obviously old stems and branches?
(NB: after several blogging friends have studied the subject, it turns out that my most mysterious mystery tree is honeysuckle, even if it doesn't look exactly like my little honeysuckle bush.)

FIRST THREE ARE CLOSEUPS OF MY MIGHT-MAYBE-BE-LAVENDER BLOSSOMS

AND BELOW A CLOSEUP OF THE

ANCIENT TREE-SHRUB-BUSH THAT BORE THEM, 

DEFINITELY NOT A NEW ADDITION TO THE 'GARDEN'

SO...back to my usuals, starting with the ubiquitous Ornamental Crabapple Tree below—

an annual favourite of mine and, I hope, yours.

THE EVER-POPULAR HONEYSUCKLE, BELOW, OR WHAT'S LEFT OF IT

AND WE MUSTN'T FORGET THE NANKING CHERRY TREES

WITH STEMLESS FRUIT GROWING RIGHT OUT FROM THE BRANCHES

DOES ANYONE RECOGNIZE THIS TREE/SHRUB/WHATEVER

THAT VOLUNTEERED TO DROP
ITS ITTY-BITTY WHITE FLOWERS ON THE DECK?

EVEN MY BIG NEWPUSH-BROOM CAN'T SWEEP THEM UP

AND MY BELATED SPRING
GARDEN POST WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE

WITHOUT A LONG SHOT FROM THE DECK TO THE BACK GATE

This, then, is my world

Posting for Lady Fi's wonderful

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

REMINDER: ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED

The beginning of the end

Before the 21st century had time to grow old, the planet Earth turned cold. At the same time, volcanic eruptions and ferocious, swirling storms tripled and quadrupled in frequency.


The moon, half covered with the detritus of Man's overwhelming population, could no longer be fully seen from Earth.

Most of the world's population starved, as oceans filled with plastic and could no longer support life, any more than could countless miles of trash-covered tracts which had once been profitable farms.

Sending garbage to the moon had been the brainchild of a man ruling a large, powerful country. His poorly-paid labourers gathered waste and packed it into huge rockets built for one-way travel. Overpaid scientists then sent the garbage rockets on their way.

The disposable space ships were timed to self-destruct on the face of the moon, thus spewing their garbage, all of which would then orbit the earth along with skeletons of satellites from the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Space — living space — residential space — was still at a premium on Earth. Millions of starving people crowded into tenements, shacks, and tent cities, while the wealthy sat in air-and-water-purified mansions, eating food cultivated for them (and them only) in huge greenhouses.

Somewhat frivolous fiction written for Fiona's

Sky Watch Friday 

—in hopes we'll always see the sky!

Aussies co-authoring garbage

My old friend Professor Robin Jeffrey and his friend, anthropologist Dr. Assa Doron, have written a new book called Waste of a Nation published by Harvard University Press.

The book is about garbage and India, or India and garbage, whichever you prefer, but does not send the same message as do articles or books about pollution that have been published elsewhere in the world.

In this new book, their take on the subject of garbage is as different from mine as is India from British Columbia where Robin and I grew up, and is also as different from anywhere in Canada as is Australia where he and Doron both live.

Robin Jeffrey, left; Assa Doron, right: Book Talk (photo from Wikipedia)

In reading about this book, I have found that North Americans and others in this world deal with garbage in a far different way than do the people of India.

Map via Wikipedia

I was surprised, as I think you will be, that the big problem isn't pollution of the waters surrounding India to the west, south, and east, but rather the way in which waste has been handled for centuries compared with the impact of new technology on the people who once took care of their country's garbage.

Large-scale waste management as we now know it...with Sweden being today's model and other countries thus inspired...might become a serious problem in India rather than a solution.

The management of waste in India was handled by its specialists for centuries with no interference from scientists and their ilk. Of course, waste itself is a problem everywhere, as we all know, but solving today's pollution problem with technology might not be the end game for India.

I haven't read Waste of a Nation because it hasn't yet arrived by mail from Australia, but I have been apprised of its content by one of its authors — not only apprised but also surprised, because I have always been used to the view that so much of the world has on the subject.

We sit in our houses or apartments or condos, and we travel in our cars or trucks or camper vans or motorhomes, spewing waste gases into the atmosphere and dropping bottles, cans, papers, wrappers, and other detritus into bins or, heaven forbid, onto the roadside, some of which will be picked up by vast garbage trucks every day or week, depending on the location, and the rest of which will be left to moulder by the wayside or be eaten by animals who cannot digest it properly. Yet so many people in 'civilized' countries see ourselves as superior beings, or at least see our systems, as superior.

We've probably all been raised to believe that in waste as in everything, our way is the right way, and have only recently started to realize we could be wrong. (For recently, think 21st Century.)

It never occurs to North Americans, for instance, that a much, much older civilization might have been dealing with waste in its own way for centuries.

I look forward to reading this book by Assa Doron and Robin Jeffrey in order to learn more about those ancient practices, and how they compare with waste management in 'our world'!

POSTING FOR

OUR WORLD TUESDAY

HOSTED BY FIONA IN SWEDEN, 

WHERE THEY DO KNOW BETTER

NOTE: ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED

Random sky shots north and south

Attack of the frigate bird, Galapagos Islands. (No one was hurt in the making of this blog post.)

South (above) 

...and North (below)

Dick riding an Icelandic horse...in, of course, Iceland!

I didn't ride a horse, but I hugged (yes, hugged!) many of them.
Icelandic horses love cuddling.

And then south again...

Dick and our sister-in-law Maria in Cancun, Mexico.

My brother Clint Davies, right, 

his wife Maria, lower left

my husband Richard Schear,

bottom right

 Dick clicks...so many photo ops, so little time!

POSTING FOR
LADY FI'S MEMORABLE MEME

SKYWATCH FRIDAY