Calgary Chinatown Flooded

From the top of the hill overlooking Chinatown everything looks deceptively peaceful but down below the Bow has overflowed its banks and flooded China town. You can see the Government Harry Hays Building, the Delta Bow Valley Hotel and a Chinese restaurant being flooded. The whole streets of the downtown core are flooded. It will be until the middle of next week when people will be allowed back into the downtown core. All electricity has been eliminated in the downtown core.

Calgary Flooding Disaster

On Thursday , June 18, there was a retirement party for me at the school. It had been raining all week. When the party was over at 5:00 pm, I was going to go downtown and the radio in my car said the downtown was being evacuated and close to 75,000 people would have to leave their homes. I went home and turned on the television and watched the news coverage of the Bow River overflowing its banks and flooding the downtown core.  My house is located on the top of Edmonton Trail that is a road that leads out of the downtown core. It is a 45 minute walk from my house into the downtown core.  The downtown core is built on the flood plain of the Bow River.  Historically, has overflowed its banks during the spring time. Loggers in the 1890' used to float the logs all the way from  Kananaskis country and down the Bow River to Prince's Island in Calgary where a sawmill was located.  Today , Prince's Island is a forested city park where music concerts and festivals are held in the summer. Prince's Island is connected to North Calgary by a pedestrian bridge and another bridge connects the island to the southern downtown core.  The building of dams upstream at Seebee and Bearspaw have prevented the Bow River from overflowing its banks and given the City a false sense of security that the businesses and residences are safe to build in the flood plain.  When there is a larger than normal rainfall that falls in a short period of time all the tributaries flowing into the Bow and Elbow River overflows onto the floodplain.   In the photograph, I have posted,  the green area in the middle of the river is Prince's Island that is currently underwater.  Normally, if you were on the island the river would be 15 to thirty feet below the island.

Horticulture Blogsite

I am retiring from teaching . As a teacher, I have taught for 30 years. Life is a series of chapters and it is time to turn the page and begin the last chapters outside the classroom. I will dabble in horticultural projects and will eventually become a certified Canadian immigration agent. When I become an immigration agent, I will start an immigration blogsite.  After teaching horticulture, I realize there is a need to share knowledge with the general public with respect to creating an environmentally friendly lifestyle. In our urban world, it is possible to create small gardens and create small eco-friendly environments by understanding the micro-environments that surrounds all of humanity. I have created a blogsite on horticulture to share my green knowledge that I learned from my grandfather and father who grew their own produce in their gardens to feed our families.
The horticulture blogsite:    http://www.mrleeshortilcultureblogsite.blogspot.ca

In the school greenhouse where I teach there is tulip bulb that is at least 10 years old. It was purchased by a former horticulture teacher named Bill Turner. Bill purchased the bulb for $75 which was a good sum of money to spend on one bulb.  Bill grew the bulb into a mature plant and was able to bloom the plant occasionally.  Mr. Turner started the horticulture program as a locally developed course 25 years ago and began the first program by building cold frames to grow plants on the school grounds. When the school was renovated, Bill designed the indoor greenhouse that exists in the school today.  After retiring for only  five years Bill Turner contracted ALS and within year he passed away. I found Bill's tulip plant growing in the greenhouse . A former Horticulture teacher told me about Bill's plant and that the tulip liked a particular location in the greenhouse.  I was careful to keep the tulip in its favorite location and not to disturb its micro-climate.  On the first anniversary of Bill's passing, I walked into the greenhouse to find the tulip in full bloom with it's multi-floral orange red bloom. From that point on, I have called it's Bill's flower.   Last week, I noticed a small spike forming at the base of the tulip . Within a week the spike has grown ten inches and is now in full bloom.  I have had the privilege of watching this flower bloom twice.  The flower seems to be thanking me by blooming once more before I leave. I hope the legacy of this flower remains for others to enjoy in the future.

Horticulture : School courtyard Before and After

In September of 2012,  the enclosed school courtyard had been neglected for five years. I took the horticulture class into the courtyard in the fall and showed them how to prune the trees and shrubs, remove the weeds, and recondition the soil.  In April and May of 2012, the horticulture class were shown how to spade the soil and remove the emerging weeds.  A sustainable garden was planted in the flower beds that included: potatoes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, swiss chard, tomatoes, red peppers, sunflowers, string beans, peas and radishes. Moreover, bedding plants grown in the school greenhouse such as snapdragons, balsam, marigolds,  and nicotiana were transplanted into the garden beds.

Horticulture Centerpieces

Making centerpieces from cut flowers can be expensive when purchased from a flower shop. A flower shop must mark up all materials at least three times to make a profit. For example a  70 cm stem red rose  from the first bloom is purchased from the  wholesaler for $1.30 with mark-up the flower seller will sell this rose for $5.20.   Stores like Home Depot, Wal-Mart,  Safeway, etc. buy large volumes of three grade roses ( the third or forth bloom) at below wholesale cost and will sell a dozen roses for $17.99.  These roses are not rehydrated properly because there are no qualified florists looking after the flowers. As a result the flowers purchased at these stores because they are of lower quality and are not conditioned properly usually last a few days and they die.  Flowers purchased form a Florist last two to three weeks longer but these flowers cost more because they are of higher quality and they have been stored properly.   A small centerpiece with cut flowers can easily cost  $25 to $35.  You can purchase glass or plastic containers,  floral foam from a Dollarama for a dollar or two,  purchase flowers from Wal-Mart or Safeway for $20 and some greenery and make ten centerpieces that would cost you $350 if purchased from a Florist.   So if you have a dinner party or small banquet to host , go to Dollarama and Safeway's and purchase the items needed for a centerpieces that might cost you $50.

Teacher's Convention--Gerry Dee

Last Thursday and Friday was the Calgary Teacher's Convention. On Friday morning Gerry Dee spoke  to a full house in the Macleod Hall at the Telus Convention Centre. Gerry Dee's one hour talk was based on his recent book TEACHING: IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS. Gerry Dee is an award winning Canadian comic and star of the hit CBC series Mr. D. Every year he plays more than 150 sold out shows across Canada and internationally. Gerry Dee had the audience in stitches as he recalled his experiences as a physical education and social studies teacher in a private school in Ontario. At the end of his presentation, he entertained questions from the audience so I ventured to the microphone and asked him a question. We engaged in a short repartee. Later, I bought his book which entitled me to have a photo opportunity with Gerry Dee.

Forcing Bulbs

Forcing Tulip Bulbs

In the fall most garden nurseries  clear out their fall tulip bulbs when winter arrives. One is supposed to plant the bulbs in the fall where the bulbs hibernate in the frozen ground and in the  early spring when the ground warms up, the bulbs awaken from their hibernation and begin to sprout and by late spring the tulips are in bloom. When the tulips finish blooming , their green leaves remain throughout the summer and when winter comes the tulip bulbs go into hibernation.  If one buys bulbs in the fall instead of planting the bulbs, one can store them in a cool dark place so they do not dry out and then about January bring the bulbs out and leave them in your unheated garage for three weeks and the bulbs will start to sprout. Plant the bulbs in flower pots in potting soil and place them on your window sill in full sunlight and in two to three weeks you will have flowering tulips inside your house in the month of February.  When the tulips are finished you can save the bulbs and plant them in your flower bed for next year.