I trust all readers
have appreciated the info on this past
year's monthly 'Collage'.
Beginning in January
2015, I'll present a new format of interest.
(I'd also welcome
suggestions from you ~ my reader
audience.)
From Planet Earth
Calender
Nature's Light Show: The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is a
spectacular display of moving lights in the sky. Visible in the northern sky, it most often
occurs from September to October and from March to April. The phenomenon is so striking and so unusual,
that even learned folk through the ages have been at a loss to explain the
cause. While the effect is dramatic, the cause is simple:
The sun gives off charged
particles called 'ions' that trail into space at speeds up to 750 miles (1200
km) per second. Forming a solar wind, the 'ions' interact with the edge of
Earth's magnetic field. When the particles
collide with the gases in the atmosphere, they start to slow...producing
the spectacle that we can see with our
own eyes. The dancing array of colours
consists of...red, green, blue and violet.
Did You Know?
(from the Canadian
Wildlife Federation 2014 calendar)
The Black-Capped Chickedee is a small songbird found
throughout Canada. It is the Provincial
Bird of New Brunswick...and is well adapted to Canada's cold winters.
Message from the
Canadian Red Cross
Its December calendar
depicts a dramatic Northern Lights scene
in shades of swirling
greens and smoke gray fields...
photographed in Gilbert Plains,
Manitoba.
Imagine if a 'natural disaster'
separated you from your family. What if armed conflict tore your community
apart...and you did not know if your loved ones were safe??? The Red Cross Restoring Family Links
Program plays a vital role in reducing the anguish of nearly one million
families separated by war and crisis every year!
Niagara Falls and
Great Gorge
(from Niagara Falls Canada Calendar 2014)
Night photo of Falls
in Winter Colour Splendour!
Niagara Parks ~ an
agency of the Government of Canada since 1885...helps preserve the nature and
the heritage of the Falls and the Niagara River
corridor. Of Interest:
A spectacular New Year's Eve party is annually held in this “Honeymoon
Capital of the World”! You may wish to
attend.
Special Event Days
December 5 (Friday) ~
International Volunteer Day
December 10
(Wednesday) ~ Human Rights Day
December 13
(Saturday) ~ All Santa Claus Race *
December 17
(Wednesday) ~ Hanukkah begins
December 21 (Sunday)
~ Winter Solstice
December 24
(Wednesday) ~ Christmas Eve
December 25 (Thursday
~ Christmas Day
December 26 (Friday)
~ Boxing Day
December 31
(Thursday) ~ New Year's Eve
* Canada’s First and Largest ‘Santa Race’ 9 a.m.
Burlington City Hall.
May no gift be too
small to give, nor too simple to receive
which is wrapped
in thoughtfulness and tied with love.
(Lao Baird)
And for New Year's
Eve, I send this Chinese Proverb:
“Every Journey
begins with One Step.”
December Musings
Happy, Happy Christmas...that can win us back to the
delusions of our childhood days...recall to the old man the pleasures of his
youth...and transport the traveller back to his own fireplace and quiet home.
(Charles Dickens)
At Christmas, I no
more desire a rose,
than wish a snow in
May's new-fangled mirth;
But, like of each
thing…that in season, brings.
(William Shakespeare)
May you have the
Gladness of Christmas which is Hope;
the Spirit of
Christmas which is Peace;
the Heart of
Christmas which is Love.
(Ada V. Hendricks)
John Burroughs
comments about winter:
It is the life in the
crystal...the architect in the flake;
the fire in the
frost...the soul in the sunbeam.
The crisp winter air
is full of it.
He who marvels at the
beauty of the world in summer
will find equal cause
for wonder and admiration in winter.
The stars seem to
have re-kindled their fires...
the moon achieves a
fuller triumph!
Katharine S. White
states, “There are for us 3 gardens:
the garden
outdoors...the garden of pots and bowls in the house
...and the garden of
the mind's eye.
The holly and the
ivy...when they are both full grown:
Of all the trees
that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.
Oh, the rising of
the sun...and the running of the deer,
The playing of the
merry organ, sweet singing of the choir.
(Christmas Carol)
Merle
Baird-Kerr...compiled November 22, 2014
Wishing all a Healthy
and Happy Season.
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