They Go

The kids are so different so
raw and exposed to the elements
as they wander off slowly to the boats.

Very long transition, they say.
Everyone thought 20 years WAS long.
Let me tell you. It isn’t.

Left behind to die.
I know, it’s the way of life,
nestling kicked out and all.
Going to make their own way but you can’t help but feel it.

And we’re obsolete with our supplements.
Way too old before our time.
A few letters to show the years.

Yellowing walls we just stare at.

20090227

Old Growth Forest in Ontario

I’ve been gathering these factoids as part an old growth restoration project in Guelph.

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Ontario’s Old Growth Forests to be published by Fitzhenry and Whiteside in early 2009. Authors are Michael Henry and Peter Quinby.

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Here’s a site for the Oldest trees in Ontario.

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Quote from The Last Stand by Peter E. Kelly & Douglas W. Larson (2007: Natural Heritage Books, call # 585.4 Kel at Guelph Public Library):

By 1978, only 0.07% of southern Ontario’s land base supported forest stands with trees older than 120 years.

A very interesting book to read with incredible pictures and sketches. Most amazing factoid to me: The oldest cedar found in their survey of the Niagara Escarpment (called “The Ancient One”) is at Lion’s Head and is now 1,321 years old.

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If any has any more good links please comment below.

450 divided by 10

This is my 450th post and appropriately enough there is a mathematical link with that number and my current age. I’m a small record with a big hole in it. And that RPMed and multiplied by 10 gets you 450. And that number is the year of birth for Thrasamund, King of the Vandals in Africa, and of the mathematician Zu Geng. It is also the traditional year that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded Britain.
And on the age font, I’m also a popular calibre of bullet. Well perhaps not so much in Canada.
You see… this is the problem with our modern culture: we celebrate far too many numbers. I mean, think of it. What have numbers done for us anyhow? Allowed us to really, really blow each other up? Also to travel at speeds that mess you up terribly if you are required to stop suddenly? ‘Course we can also play Halo. OK… so I’m not going to ask for any technological regressions.