Dandelions

Did you know that dandelions did not originate in North America? What a surprise! They came as a source of food for people and bees, but for centuries they have been a popular medicinal herb. Diane Kent is president of the Ontario Herbalist Association and has been a professional medical herbalist for the last 10 years. Kent freely admits to her love affair with dandelions and describes them a beautiful and cheerful flower.
She says that dandelions are not only beautiful, but one of the most versatile herbs out there. She adds that dandelions contain high levels of vitamin A, B, C and trace minerals such as zinc, iron and boron. "There is an enormous amount of nutritional value in dandelions," says Kent. "The dandelion probably has just about more potassium than anything else in the world. Most of the nutritional value is in the leaves, the root I generally use it for a cleansing format."
Dandelion tonics and tinctures help cleanse the live, regulate blood sugar, and soothe gallbladder inflammation and chronic constipation.
All of this information will help me look at dandelions with more respect.

Red Hatt-itudes

Over the years, I have come across many red hat accessories, people at red hat gatherings and even gifts. Recently, a friend gave me a sun catcher and it came with the following thought:
"If a woman's work is never done, why even start!" Something to think about before you lift that broom.
Unfortunately, I need to lift that broom, dust mop and right now get the dishes done.

Nora the cat

I have many friends and acquaintances who are talented and studied for many years to be able to perform as well as they do. Sometimes, I am sure that when they find sites like this: http://www.catcerto.com/ they must work very hard to control their emotions. I love animals but to have a cat receive this much attention is beyond my understanding.

Nora is a lovely cat and certainly she loves the piano but talented? She has been on numerous television shows with her owners interviewed (congratulations to her owners for their work getting publicity for the cat). When you check the sites that she is on I hope that you will understand my confusion as to why she is receiving so much attention.

What a strange world we live in!

Invented word

Golden bungee,n: A lucrative severance package that pays the executive to step down from his or her current position, but then pays them to continue with the company in another role. (Buzzwhack.com)

Tennis tournament

As some of you may know, I love tennis. Right now, I am trying to recover from a bad fall. My left elbow will have a scar that matches my right elbow. Do not remember what cased the scar on the right elbow because it has been a long time since I fell and hit this elbow. This time, I hit my left elbow and my hip. Not moving well right now. The first night, I slept with pillows on both sides of me so that I could keep my arm up. Could not type for any length of time which is why I have not posted entries for a couple days. Yesterday, when I walked to the to store ( I am trying to walk a short distance every hour to keep my muscles loose) I could just get across the crosswalk before the light changed. Wow, what a shock! I was happy to get home and rest and relax again. Today feels a little better.
Now, the point of today's entry, the Rogers Cup Ladies Day which was Tuesday. I went with a friend who I play tennis with. We have been playing together for over 15 years. Lost track of the exact number, a few years ago. We started the day off with the breakfast presentation. Part of the presentation is a bag of goodies. In the past, we have been given dishes for pates, last year, lovely mugs, this year is was toilet paper. Granted it is environmental but what a surprise to receive toilet paper! Oh did mention the mascara? Have to figure out who I know that uses mascara. Most of us are not big on makeup. Not sure why but it is not part of our list of priorities. Despite the disappointment of toilet paper, we did see many excellent matches and did not leave the tournament until 8:30 p.m. What an wonderful day and evening. I am ready for next year.

Cobourg

I must visit friends more often. Amazing the number of topics that come up after visiting. Today, I am driving to Cobourg to visit friends who moved there a few years ago. The husband loves his garden which is half an acre and is filled with flourishing plants. I am always inspired after visiting his plantings. I might even do some gardening tonight when I get home if the insects are not too eager to take a bite out of me.

Looking forward to sometime to browse, have lunch at the lovely Buttermilk Cafe or another establishment of my friend's choice. She is better at choosing since she knows the town. We will also visit a hosta garden and I am going to pack up some pots for the gardener. Good way to continue my clean up. It is slowly starting to progress.

Looking forward to logging off and hitting the road.

Happy trails to those people who are going to travel.

5 Cents a ride!

Yesterday, I visited St. Catharines with a friend. Went to see my aunt and uncle who have been living in St. Catharines for a few years. For a break, three of us went to Port Dalhousie to see the beach and the carousel. What a wonderful treasure. The Lakeside Park Carousel in Port Dalhousie is a Charles I. D Looff original carved between 1898 and 1905 in Brooklyn, New York. Animals carved by Marcus Charles Illions, an employee in Looff's company, are also featured on the Carousel. Relocated in 1921, the Carousel came to St. Catharines from its earlier home at an amusement park in Scarborough, Ontario. It was purchased to be part of the amusement park flourishing in Port Dalhousie and was one of 58 attractions. In those days, more than a quarter million people crossed the lake in steamships to visit Port Dalhouse on weekends.
What a bustling place Port Dalhousie must have been ! The carousel costs 5 cents for a ride. What a bargain! Worth the visit to St. Catharines.

National Hobo Convention

I don't usually read USA today but was given a copy on the weekend. I can not help myself, I read nearly everything that crosses my path! Well, here is interesting news. The National Hobo Convention, held annually since 1900 in Britt, Iowa, population 2,052 held its 110 convention this past weekend. www.brittiowa.com/hobo/index.htm is certainly a record to be noted.
Britt, Iowa has defined Hobos as migratory persons willing to work any task for the daily goal of "three hots and a cot" (three meals and a place to sleep). Tramps beg for handouts and Bums are too lazy to roam and never work.
Hobos generally are traced to the post-Civil War years. Many veterans hopped cars on freight trains to try to find work. Railroad companies discouraged this, but most were tolerant.
Now fewer hobos rider the rails. Some hitchhike. Some make long bike rides. Some even have their own wheels.
Britt's Hobo Foundation offers shelter with showers. Fun and games. Free food and drink. Mulligan stew is a staple.
On Saturday, the annual Hobo King and Queen were crowned.
Interesting that this culture has survived so long.

Leaside Garden Court

I find the Art Deco style fascinating and certainly beautiful in its simplicity. Recently, an article in one of the many city papers that I pick up on my travels (doing drops offs and just exploring the city) mentioned the Leaside Garden Court apartments and their wonderful Art Deco Style. I have always found these apartments fascinating. Apparently, unlike modern apartments that have long corridors joining the many units in the building these units are approached by front doors at the front of each section. The apartments were mentioned in a book by Tim Morawetz, who studied Art Deco style while at Carleton University. He now gives tours and has written a book about Toronto and the Art Deco style. We have not torn down all the Art Deco buildings. I suggest that people find out more about Tim Morawetz's tours and also his book: Art Deco Architecture in Toronto: A Guide to the City's Buildings from the Roaring Twenties and the Depression. I must find a copy.

Explore your city and find out what treasures you have.

Buckingham Palace

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you sent a letter to Buckingham Palace? Well, it will be answered. I went shopping this afternoon and one of the stores that I stopped in had a letter from Buckingham Palace. When I suggested that it was a fake, it was explained to me that all letters sent to the palace are answered. In case you are wondering, the store had sent a letter to Buckingham Palace inviting the Queen to the store's opening. No, this store is not like a Harrods or in our case another Hudson Bay Company store. The store is a relatively small dress shop and the second one of the chain of two stores.
I have to think carefully about the topic for my letter but I will send one.
Oh yes, the address:
Her Majesty The Queen
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA

Happy letter writing.

Hammer Band

Moshe Hammer is helping at-risk kids change their tune.

The classical violinist runs the Hammer Band, a non-profit organization that helps turn elementary students away from violence by engaging them in music.

"We teach them twice a week with free violins and music lesssons," Hammer said. "The idea is we want them to come in to practise so it gives the kids something to do after school and many of them do it."

Moshe Hammer has a web-site for his organization: www.thehammerband.com

What a wonderful venture and hopefully others will give and help change the lives of children.

Dahso Chocolat et Cafe

It seems that different things come and go and chocolate cafes are the newest rage. Was going through a newspaper and looking for ideas for my blog and found an ad for Dahso Chocolat and Cafe which features Praline Chocolates ( do not remember pralines having a great deal of chocolates when I was in New Orleans but I guess that there are variations on a theme), sugar-free chocolates and Belgium waffles. I love waffles and the thought of having a Belgium waffles is mouthwatering. I just might take myself over to the cafe one day and try some. What a lovely thought!

Hope that you are able to find a chocolat cafe in your neighbourhood. I picked up a Where Ottawa booklet on the weekend, will check if there are chocolate cafes there.

The website for the cafe: www.dahsochocolat.com (it is underconstruction). Will check next week. Love looking at mouthwatering photos.

Weddings

Just finished unpacking and sorting after returning from a wedding in Ottawa. Drove there and back by myself, I know that is hard to believe but I did it. People who know me know that I do not enjoy driving on major highways. Have been known to do some driving on the major highways but prefer quieter back roads. That is what I did today and I am glad that I did because a couple times, I hit some very heavy rain and would not have wanted to be driving full speed and barely able to see.
After putting things away and dealing with paper work, it is time to reflect on the wedding. The bride was lovely, her dress very tasteful and the groom of course handsome.
I know that there are customs associated with weddings but one I think that I would like to see changed is having the friends of the bride on one side and the groom's family on the other. Why not mix them up and then there is some chance that they will get together at the reception. Just a thought.
There are things that I find fascinating about weddings such as relationships between the two families. Most often it is a challenge integrating the two but it can be done.
I wish this married couple all the best and look forward to the next wedding.