Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives…
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Plastic Overdose
Episode 4 of The Agency podcast, called Plastic Overdose, is now available. You can listen to it here or grab it at iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Play or TuneIn. We hope you enjoy it.
Indigo Bunting
Here is our latest mosaic project, an Indigo Bunting. This one is about a metre, beak to tail. It’s made with smalti glass tiles as well as some broken crockery.
We do all sorts of custom mosaics for home and garden. You can see many more at our mosaics pages.
Basketeers
This afternoon we attended the Basketeers Luncheon and Fundraiser here in GTA. Basketeers is a great program helping out women who are leaving shelters and starting over. The idea is that donors fill big baskets with an assortment of items needed to start up a new household. It’s sending a helping hand in a way that says you’re important, you count, people care about you. We’ve been donating baskets for several years. If there is a chapter in your area, I encourage you to help out if you can.
A typical basket costs between $150 and $200 to fill. Some are donated by individual donors, others by groups of friends or coworkers. Cheryl Stoneburgh started this grassroots volunteer organization 20 years ago. In her first year, 14 baskets were donated to one woman’s shelter. Last year, 55 shelters were supported in Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Cobb County, GA – that’s 1770 beautiful and useful baskets. Basketeers has assisted 18,786 women over the years with a new beginning basket.
You can find a list of Basketeers chapters on their website – Edmonton is a new addition this year. The website also tells you everything you need to know to prepare and donate a basket as well as the drop-off dates for each area. In GTA drop-off is November 23 so there is plenty of time.
Here are a couple pictures from the luncheon today…
Mr. Froggie
Froggy went a-courting and-a he did ride,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
He had Miss Mousie by his side,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
He took Miss Mousie on his knee,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
He said, “Miss Mouse, would you marry me?”
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Kee-mo-ky-mo captain keero bominishee ky-mo.
Seva-nicka boma-nicka clatta-boner-mick
Dona rick doma clatta-boma ky-mo.
Mrs. Rat went down to the town,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
To get her niece a wedding gown,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Mrs. Frog went to the king,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
To get the bride a wedding ring,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Kee-mo-ky-mo captain keero bominishee ky-mo.
Seva-nicka boma-nicka clatta-boner-mick
Dona rick doma clatta-boma ky-mo.
Where will the wedding be?
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Way down yonder in a holler tree,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
What will we have to eat?
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Two blue beans and a grain of wheat,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Kee-mo-ky-mo captain keero bominishee ky-mo.
Seva-nicka boma-nicka clatta-boner-mick
Dona rick doma clatta-boma ky-mo.
First came in was a butterfly,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
She had a pudding and a pie,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Next came in was a bumblebee,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
He had his fiddle under his knee,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Next came in was Bishop Bug,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
On his arm he had his jug,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
He gave the groom a drink or two,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
He said, “I’ve come to marry you,”
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Kee-mo-ky-mo captain keero bominishee ky-mo.
Seva-nicka boma-nicka clatta-boner-mick
Dona rick doma clatta-boma ky-mo.
Well, the feast was ready to begin,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
When a big black cat came a-slipping in,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Mr. Rat jumped over the door,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
The bride and groom ran under the floor,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Kee-mo-ky-mo captain keero bominishee ky-mo.
Seva-nicka boma-nicka clatta-boner-mick
Dona rick doma clatta-boma ky-mo.
Well, I hope you like this wedding song,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
It’s another hundred verses long,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Rosemary, sage, and thyme,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
I’ll sing you the rest some other time,
Clatter bona rig dona ky mo.
Kee-mo-ky-mo captain keero bominishee ky-mo.
Seva-nicka boma-nicka clatta-boner-mick
Dona rick doma clatta-boma ky-mo.
(Jimmie Driftwood version)
Butterflies & Asters
September is a perfect time to see butterflies and asters.
Go for a walk in just about any naturalized area around the GTA right now and you will see several species of asters. Last week on our nature walk at Rouge Urban National Park, Miles Hearn pointed out at least 8 species. This monarch butterfly was photographed on some New England Asters, one of my favourite species.
The Family Flower?
This lovely wildflower is called Knapweed. It’s quite common in our area. I took this shot in the Hydro corridor meadow area of Rouge Urban National Park, where Knapweed grows near the path. I wonder if any Knapiks had anything to do with the naming of this flower back in the day?
Blue-headed Vireo
I snapped this shot of a blue-headed vireo last week at the Rouge Urban National Park on one of the Miles Hearn nature walks I enjoy so much. These birds are insect eaters. They hang out at mid-height in the trees, flitting about, foraging for bugs for lunch.
Judy
Tonight we ventured out to our local Cineplex to see Judy, a film which focuses on a brief period near the end of the life of Judy Garland, starring Renée Zellweger. It’s a film which recently premiered here in Toronto at TIFF. I’m neither a big fan of biopics nor of Judy Garland and so I went to see Judy without huge expectations – but I’m really glad I saw this film.
Judy may not be best picture material, but go see it for Renée Zellweger’s brilliant, tremendously expressive and committed performance – it’s not to be missed.
Here’s a trailer I found over at YouTube….
Old Friends
27th Street 