Mary Soderstrom's Blog, page 5

 
In the morning everyone needs to freshen up a bit.  Glad to see that the ducks are back in our neighborhoood. 

 

 ...would smell as sweet, so said the Bard.

But what happens when people don't agree on how you spell your name?

On my birth certificate, my name is Mary McGowan, daughter of Donald K. McGowan and Ella Fraser McGowan.  My uncle Paul, though, spelled the family name MacGown, and my grandfather, David, McGowan.  But Dave's father, Lachlan, spelled in McGown in the inscriptions inside book of his that I've inherited.  

Apparently so did one of Lachlan's cousins or uncles, Thomas McGown who settled near Parry Sound and made a fortune--or so it seems--in gold mining.  Coming back from a camping trip on Lake Superior, some friends saw this sign near Parry Sound.  

And these are all literate, even  well-read folks!  Not surprising that sometimes names get messed around-with!

How the world has turned around in the last week! Or at least the prospects for a good outcome to the US presidential race!

I am two weeks to the day older than Joe Biden, and while I respect him and many of the things he has done, I could not see how he could have the energy to lead the nation for the next four years.  So glad he was a mensch and has stepped aside.

So Kamala, you go, girl! We're with you!
 

Titled "The McGarrigle Sisters," this sculpture by Glen LeMesurier is one of many in the northern sector of Mile End that combines cast-off materials to make art.

Makes me feel good when I see it.

 

It's la Fête nationale in Québec, whose flower is the fleur de lys.  Great timing, as iris have been in bloom for about a week, making a great show this year.

June is a great month for flowers...

The grass in our small backyard is getting pretty long, but I'm putting off cutting it until the forget-me-nots have gone to seed.  Then I'll shake the seed over a bare patch in one of the planter boxes and finally cut the grass.

Would much rather have flowers than grass.  So much prettier...
 

 Saturday the new Preservation Storage Facility of the Library and Archives Canada was open to the public for the first time.  

There were crowds waiting to get in when the doors opened.  They got a glimpse of what it takes to keep Canada's memories intact...

 Why plant grass when you can have this instead?

So glad to see that other people are letting nature take its course.

The other name for this in English is Dutchman's britches, or so my grandmother told me.  In French it's sometimes also called the equivalent, coeur saignant, but using its botanical name, dicentra, is pretty nice too.

I love the way it emergences from the ground as soon as the weather warms up, and wihtin a week is knee high and in bloom. 

 Came upon these daffodils when out walking near the Champs des possibles, a park that is being left to re-wild in the Mile End district, not far from the CN train line. 

The arrondissement planted a lot of bulbs last fall in curb extensions and they're looking great these days.  But here it looks like somebody just dumped some bulbs...or did they?  Usually if you don't bury them  critters like squirrels will eat them.

Whatever, these have survived and are looking splendid when things are only part way to greening up.