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I am thinking in cosmic proportions.
The kids gave me a telescope for Christmas and I am having a blast gazing out into the abyss. The night sky in winter is crisp and clean here in Canada. Like a Sedin Brother's snap shot. And the moon has this mysteriousness about it that is hard to explain without seeing it in person.
I have not had this experience before: planet and moon gazing through a telescope. The kids had heard me talk about the neat stuff that I could see with my naked eyes while standing on the deck out the back of our house. On a cloudless night I like to count airplanes taking off and landing at Pearson International Airport, which is about 50 km due south west of here. From time to time I would see the planet Jupiter or a full moon and on rarer occasions still I would see an eclipse or something of equal interest.
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Winter Rolls on, Spring Lurks.
Recently I told someone that I have been busy working with the organizers of Canada Blooms, the Flower and Garden Festival taking place this month on Wednesday, March 16 through the 20th. Their reaction was, "Oh. Is it that time of year again?"
When you are really involved in a thing, you have your head down and you are working away at it, meeting deadlines and creating a few more. Time is short; days are full and passing all too quickly: this can give you a feeling in your stomach that is not so nice.
Then you look up at the moon and realize that it turns at a rate and in a direction that has nothing to do with you or your work.
Such is my feeling today as I reflect on the 15th edition of Canada Blooms.
Here are some facts:
- 2,000. The number of volunteers that will put the festival together. Without them the event would not exist.
- 50,000. The number of flowering bulbs that are being planted at the Direct Energy Centre for Canada Blooms.
- $9 million. The value of the 17 feature gardens, floral works-of-art, celebrity gardens and entrance gardens with all labour, materials, plants and professional design in.
- $0. The cost to people who attend the festival for the gardens (the $18 entrance fee covers the cost of the venue and administration). The cost of the gardens is carried by the professional members of Landscape Ontario who donate their time and resources to build the gardens.
- 100,000. The expected attendance at the event.
- $600,000. The amount that has been raised over the 15 years of the festival for charitable causes of a horticultural nature.
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Where is Mark this Spring?
* Tuesday, March 15 - Saturday, March 19, 2011
Canada Blooms: The Flower and Garden Festival
Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario
www.canadablooms.com
* Saturday, March 19
Markham Spring Home Show
Markham Fairgrounds, Markham, Ontario
www.markhamhomeshow.com
* Saturday, March 26
The Burlington Lifestyle Home Show
Mainway Recreation Centre, Burlington, Ontario
www.jenkinsshow.com/burlington.htm
* Saturday, April 2
International Home & Garden Show
International Centre, Toronto, Ontario
www.home-show.net/homeandgardenshow
* Friday, April 15
Proven Winners Outdoor Living Extravaganza
Angus Glen Golf Course, Markham, Ontario
www.provenwinners.com
* Saturday, April 16
The Mississauga Lifestyle Home Show
Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
www.jenkinsshow.com/mississauga
* Saturday, April 30
The West Nipissing Garden Show
West Nipissing, Ontario
www.westnipissingouest.com/events
* Tuesday, May 3
Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre
Orillia, Ontario
* Saturday, May 7
Wilson's Home Hardware Building Centre
Barrington Passage, Nova Scotia
* Saturday, May 21
The Warkworth Lilac Festival
Warkworth, Ontario
www.warkworthlilacfestival.ca
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Seedy Saturday and Sunday
Are you imagining Spring? Looking for heirloom seeds? Do you have seeds to trade? Then Seedy/Saturdays are your places to be! There are two Seedy Saturday/Sunday events coming up!
On Saturday March 12th, come to the Scarborough Seedy Saturday at the Heron Park Recreation Centre, 292 Manse at Lawrence Ave E ( 5 blocks S/E of Kingston Rd).
There will be a chance to exchange seeds, to buy heirloom and organic seeds and learn more about bees, worm composting and backyard gardening. Learn more about gardening at workshops from those Gardening Gurus --The Toronto Master Gardeners. For more information contact Katie Fullerton at [email protected] or 416-691-5173.
On Sunday March 27th, North York Seedy Sunday will help make your gardening dreams come true. The event will take place at the Lawrence Heights Community Centre, 5 Replin Road, from 1:00-5:00pm. Buy and exchange seeds with some of Ontario's finest seed vendors, with a focus on organic, heirloom, and local. Enjoy free workshops & children's activities. Purchase yummy snacks and network with other gardeners. For more information, please contact [email protected].
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