Garden Shows

Sometimes, when I think I've arrived at that point in life where my world and my activity level is starting to shrink, I panic. Then, after giving it some further thought, I realize it really hasn't. What has occurred is that I've become more discriminating and selective. This is possibly a good thing. After all, we want to make sure we use all remaining time on earth wisely don't we?

It's that time of year again, Spring. I'm grateful for each new one I get to experience. Although the threat of forecast snow for today does not thrill me, I know that there are those obsessed gardeners who are getting very restless if not frustrated. I'm not one of them. That's not to say I don't enjoy and appreciate pretty yards and flowers because I do.

Last month, I attended Canada Blooms at the CNE grounds in Toronto. Since I went with a friend, we had a wonderful time as we always do, taking advantage of photo ops with giant costumed bees and and staring at each other with curiosity and puzzlement over the garden club creations. Our enjoyment had little to do with the show. In fact, we found the exhibits to be huge, over the top, and unrealistic for the average home gardener. It seemed more suited to owners of greenhouses, lawn care specialists, landscape designers, and people with their own professional gardeners. Then there was the amount of walking, walking, and more walking...a huge facility with lots of trees.

On the weekend, hubby and I attended the Peterborough Garden Show. We've been in the past and have found it to be compact and useful. It takes place in an arena and all space is used efficiently. One of us cleverly suggested purchasing advanced tickets so we did so at a local flower shop on our way to the show....a wise move. We got in quickly at opening time and avoided long lines waiting to purchase tickets. http://www.peterboroughgardenshow.com/

We moved through the facility easily, finding many fascinating displays and people more than willing to answer questions. There was something for everyone...exhibits for the beginner and for the avid gardener alike. There were displays of vegetables, flowers, garden ornaments, conservation, and much more. It was terrific and it was manageable. There was even a man dressed in lederhosen to advertise the upcoming OHA convention taking place...where else?...in Kitchener.

Even the food, in this case cupcakes (second last photo), looked like lovely flowers. The socks, were colourful and the pairs did not match...loved them so much I bought a some. Wish I'd purchased more. I laughed at the whimsical items that make people happy. The floral arrangements were colourful, simple, and obvious.

Finally, there were the signs. There were indoor signs and outdoor signs. Signs seem to be the modern way of expressing one's opinion and of sharing truths without really saying anything. These two signs caught my eye. One reminded me of a family member, and the other is obvious. If I am available in April, the Peterborough Garden Show will definitely become an annual event.

Streetwalking Update...what I've learned.

I read that people who set goals for themselves, with deadlines for completion, have an 89% lower risk of developing alzheimer's. I read this in a women's magazine, so it is probably about as valid as an article that would suggest that I'll be the next Prime Minister of Canada. On the other hand, where's the harm? I have now set an end of the year deadline for my streetwalking (see February 2/10 blog). This is a good thing because circumstances have caused me to slack off in the last month. Part of my new found motivation is a fear that with the rapidly encroaching housing developments, new streets will be built before I am able to conquer the current ones. Another worry is that the dreaded winter season might be a bit more aggressive next year than the previous, thus providing fewer hiking opportunities. Finally, and more honestly, if I don't get on with this, I might lose interest. So now I have a deadline. To date, I have completed walking about one fifth of the town's roads.

I have learned a few things during my journey.

After climbing over an assortment of mudpiles where roads were supposed to be, I learned that maps are not always accurate. There are many streets that have "no exit" but show great promise (in some mapmaker or developer's imagination that is).

My map did however help me with a challenge that I've experienced ever since moving here. I finally solved a mystery.

There is a clearly visible water tower with our town's name etched across it just before our highway exit. This same water tower sits a few streets north of here. In the past, I have walked downtown on numerous occasions, "attempting" to use the tower as a landmark. Obviously, I thought, turning in the opposite direction of the water tower would send me on a southerly path where 3.8 km later, I would arrive downtown. Apparently, obvious is not always so obvious.

Over and over again, on every trek, I walked in circles, making no progress toward my destination. How would I ever get to the library, the bank, or any store that might be having a sale? I've heard one definition of insanity as "repeating the same behaviour and expecting a different result", but in my defence, I knew I had to be correct. It had to work one of these times didn't it? The water tower was north and downtown was south. Obvious. When I would eventually pass the local elementary school for the third time, I'd usually resort to asking a lawn mowing local for help. I would immediately be directed to streets that couldn't possibly work, nonetheless, I listened to the instructions and magically, they always got me downtown.

So when I began my formal streetwalking in February, I started on some of the familiar roads in my own neighbourhood. I suppose I could have cheated and crossed off the ones that I had toured so often with and without the dog. Nope, I decided to start fresh. Map in hand, off I went. I highlighted every step I took so that I knew precisely where I was. And where I was when I saw it, was definitely, unequivocably, without a doubt, facing east! There it was, looming large, right in front of me...the water tower. How was that possible? Baffled, I turned north to go around the block and back home. That's when I saw it, through the bare trees, looming large, right in front of me...the water tower. I almost gave myself whiplash flipping my head back and forth, back and forth to confirm my discovery. Suddenly, my many circular trips made sense.

Heading home, I grumbled to myself, "What town needs two water towers anyhow? Stupid. Confuse me all those times. Hmmmph". So here ends, "The Tale of Two Water Towers".

Streetwalking, the oldest....

I haven't always liked walking. In fact, I hated it. I'm not certain at what point I developed an appreciation of this seemingly pointless activity. I know it wasn't during the winter of my formative years when I lived in the north and crossed a frozen lake to attend school. I'm also pretty certain that it wasn't in the spring as I ran home through the woods while encountering assorted mid sized wildlife.

Perhaps it was during the car-less years in the suburbs before my children were born. It was an experiment...one year, no car, let's see how we survive. The ex and I were fed up with the all too frequent and expensive repairs and maintenance, not to mention insurance. We disposed of the vehicle at a dealership in a neighbouring town, trekked home approximately 5 miles and the rest is history. We became physically and fiscally fit.

The experiment lasted not one, but three years. During that time, walking became the main form of transportation. When it was absolutely necessary, we rented. After buying a house some distance from work, I hiked there and back. Sometimes, laundry would accompany me. I transported it in my car trunk, aka a suitcase, washed dried and repacked it before marching it back home.

It was great when I found a colleague interested in joining me. Each day, I met her part way and we hoofed it to work. Hard to imagine that our feet plowed through some of the most inclement winter weather and, just as when driving, we compensated by leaving home early. Snowshoes might have helped, but I'm not sure where we might have parked them. Eventually, as the weather improved, walking turned to jogging.

Fast forward many, many years. I was a busy single parent. As an inexpensive exercise regimen, I took daily walks with two of my neighbours. We had all joined a weight loss group and enjoyed our evening strolls and gossip fests. The further the hikes, the more successful we were at keeping out of the kitchen and away from snacks.

When I moved from that neighbourhood, I was forced to create a new route for myself. At first, it was somewhat boring and the frequency of my walks decreased dramatically. It was around this time that I discovered the joys of talking books. These became my new walking partners. Besides that, when I became overheated I was forced to stop at the local pub to cool down before continuing on my jaunt. It was liberating, it was literating and it was libationating. Invented words, but it worked for Dr. Seuss.

Last weekend, I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" where Julie tried to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook. It gave me an idea. I picked up a map of Cobourg from the library. There are exactly 250 streets in this town. My plan is to walk the length of every street...just walk. I do not have a set time goal. So, here comes the challenge. Do I also have to walk "to" every street thus repeating some roads over and over, or do I allow myself the luxury of driving to some of them, then walking? At this point, I'm leaning toward option A, walking from my house to and along each street. But then, at this point the weather is terrific for walking.

So the oldest form of transportation, my old hobby, has become a new goal. I'm looking forward to finding out what I learn.