I’m the “Oh Canada” Contributor on Squidoo

This was originally posted to the Squidoo network when I was accepted as the "Oh Canada" Contributor.

ohcanadaWhy become the Squidoo Contributor for “Oh Canada”?

First, I am Canadian. Born in down town Toronto, grew up in and around Ontario but mainly in the town of Port Union (which became Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto). I have travelled across Canada on the Via train, Greyhound bus, and by camper van, staying in youth hostels and the odd fancy hotel when the budget stretched enough. I’ve been from the ocean in Vancouver out to the ocean on PEI (Prince Edward Island). I have yet to be north enough to see the Canadian tundra – but I have been to Timmons and Thunder Bay at least twice.

Secondly, I really love to find out about Canadian art, history, culture, people, places, traditions…. all of it. When I see the word Canada on something it pops out at me and I will read whatever it is about. Even something I would otherwise not have an interest in or not even like all that much. I absorb Canadiana, greedily. That doesn’t mean I immerse myself in everything, there is only so much of me I can give, but I like to know the good, bad, and the ugly so I can create a whole picture of what Canada is and who we, as a people in the world, are.

I think it is a shame for people to say they are Canadian if they have not done some travelling to see Canada and meet more of the people than they find in the area they begin in. Canadiansare told we don’t have a real identity so we often defend ourselves with what culture, art and history is uniquely our own. That is a shame too because it just shows how well we know Canada is the country which people think of as nice but don’t really know who we are.

So, that is why I have taken on the challenge, the project, of being the Contributor for "Oh Canada". I want to teach the world (at least those who stop by here) about Canada and Canadians.

I Really do Love the Canadian Flag

February 15th is National Flag of Canada Day

What is the Canadian National Anthem?

Listen to us sing it!

(The original post had videos here).

The Canadian anthem is “O Canada”. Here are people singing it, making their own versions. One of these is a video without singing, but I remember watching this as a kid.

My Background (like an About Me).

I am a proud Canadian and I do like to write about, research, and teach the world about Canada and Canadians.

I photograph abandoned, derelict farm houses. I like the history, the feeling of something surviving in spite of time and neglect. I like the way old buildings give us so many links to both our past and our culture. Travelling around Ontario (day trips and some over nights) I take a lot of backroads, get coffee in local restaurants and I keep in touch with other explorers across Canada through the groups I founded and moderate on Flickr.

I especially like Canadian music, literature and movies/ TV shows. Here we get so much media from the US it can be overwhelming. I make a point to support our own Canadian media by watching and listening to CBC, the oldest Canadian broadcaster and the most Canadian focused of them all. If you want to know about Canadian music, writers and others you can count on the CBC to have current news and old facts in their archives too.

I studied Canadian Literature as a course in high school and college. I do read a lot of everything, not just Canadian, but I am aware of Canadian writers and did belong to an online group (until it folded). I had thought to start up another group but that does take a huge amount of time and energy so it on a project on the backburner. Meanwhile I continue to write my site for writers and it does have some focus on Canadian resources (just because that is what I find most useful for myself, as a Canadian freelance writer).

As the Oh Canada Contributor at Squidoo I would be happy to bring some niches of Canadian culture, history and art to light.

Canada Day in 2017 Will be Canada’s 150th Birthday

1867 – 2017

Canadian Heritage
The Canadian heritage site from the Government of Canada.
Canada 150
In 2017 Canada will have it’s 150th birthday.
Flickr: Canada Day
Canada Day photographs on Flickr.
Imagi Nation 150
Canada’s Sesquicentennial from Calgary, Alberta.
Explore 150
Explore150 is a uniquely Canadian project that brings together mobile technology and youth engagement inviting young people to discover, celebrate and share the beauty and inspiration offered by natural, cultural and historical sites across Canada.
The CBC Digital Archives
CBC is the Canadian media and broadcaster. There is more than one, but CBC is across Canada and (as far as I know) has the most history.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Today in Canadian history.
These were the comments with the original post on Squidoo. Also the poll.

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No Canada for Häagen Dazs

Canada is not a small place. We may not have the world’s highest population but, I can assure you, we are here. Why then, do so many businesses, companies, corporations and etc. skip Canada? I can see Australia, Mexico, and assorted other countries in Europe, South America and Africa and so on. Not Canada.

This especially bugs me when it is a US business selling to Canadians. Or, any business which sells to Canadians and includes many other countries but just didn’t get around to adding Canada. As if we are some tiny, little place, hardly a dot on the map at all.

Is it because we are polite? Often polite, nice people finish last because no one bothers to actually count them. The polite people could actually win the entire race but go unnoticed until someone louder claims to be there first.

Today it’s Häagen Dazs. I bought the ice cream at the grocery store today. Thought I would look for the site and send a note about my favourite ice cream flavour. Well, I would have done that but, it seems Canada does not exist on any of their sites. It does say pick your country, right there at the top. My country just isn’t there. Not even on the US site (but Mexico is). I’m glad enough to see Mexico and other countries get noticed and included. However, Canada is bigger than they are. Maybe no one has noticed.

One funny thing I noticed… on the US site where you can search for locations from over 900 shops in more than 50 countries… you can only search using US postal codes. How does that work for you?

notincanada nocanada

The Polka Dot Door

the polka dot doorDo you remember The Polka Dot Door?

The Polka Dot Door was a children’s television show which began in the 1970′s in Ontario, Canada. TV Ontario broadcast the program 1971 to 1993.

Songs and stories and so much more at the Polka Dot Door!

Every show had a man and a woman as hosts and Polkaroo, a life sized polka dotted kangaroo, would appear for a few minutes on almost every show. They played in a play house which had a polka dot door, of course. Educational videos would be shown through one of the polka dots on the door.

The house also included a large indoor space where the hosts would have tea parties and birthdays and everything else. Outdoors I remember the playground with a sandbox and swing set.

I liked the toys: Marigold (a doll), Bear, (a stuffed teddy bear) and Humpty and Dumpty (two stuffed characters with round egg-like bodies) as if they were real but could only talk to the hosts. Often the host would pause, say “What was that Marigold?”, or “Bear says he…” and so on. Usually they would pick up the toy as they carried on a short conversation between the toy, themselves and the children watching the show.

Each show had a theme which would fit into the day of the week:

  • Monday was Treasure Day
  • Tuesday was Dress-Up Day
  • Wednesday was Animal Day
  • Thursday was Imagination Day
  • Friday was Finding-Out Day

Tanya Petrova, a Canadian soft sculpture artist, created Polkaroo.

Later Polka Dot Shorts began as a spin off from the original show. This show featured the toys as life sized soft sculptures having educational adventures.

Marigold the doll

Marigold was my favourite. I tried to find a sewing pattern to make the Marigold doll but did not find anything.  I did find this photo which shows more of her design so I could make a pattern myself.

Canadian Cuisine

Canada is far away from some places on the planet and people in those far away places may wonder what Canadians like to eat. This is especially good to know if you are making plans to visit Canada and wonder what you might find wriggling on the end of your fork. Not that we eat a lot of things that wriggle.

Canada is not snow all year. We don’t camp out in the wilderness and worry about polar bears wandering into our backyards. Canada is big. There are a lot of people here, some of them are still here and some are being born right now. We are multi cultural. Some people think Canada does not have a culture at all. This is not the case. Canada is built from many cultures, yet we have a common history which connects us.

One common theme in Canada is food. Take a look at Canada’s Food Guide. We may overload on sugar (mmm…. butter tarts) but we do like fresh food, vegetables and a great coffee (or beer) to top it all off. Most Canadians like food which is fairly well known: hamburgers and fries, fish and chips, spaghetti, steak and potato, pizza, back and eggs, lasagna, cabbage rolls, sweet and savoury pies, coffee, stew… a fairly generic list isn’t it? You may think we are fairly uninspired but, Canadians do have an edible culture of our own:

What do Canadians Eat?

  • Poutine – French fries with cheese curd and topped with gravy.
  • French fries with vinegar
  • Maple syrup (Not on everything)
  • Butter tarts – Tarts which are very sweet: butter, sugar and eggs in a pastry shell.
  • Nanaimo Bars – From BC. A crumble crust, a sweet layer, topped with a layer of chocolate.
  • Tourtiere – A French Canadian meat pie (pork, onions and spices in a crust).
  • Pate Chinois – Layers of beef, creamed corn and potato.
  • Bannock – Inuit flat bread.
  • Salmon – Salmon does go well with almost anything.
  • Montreal-style bagels
  • Montreal-smoked meat
  • Ice wine – Made with grapes frozen on the vine.
  • Bloody Caesar – You need Clamato for this Canadian version of the Bloody Mary.
  • Screech – What happens in Newfoundland, stays in Newfoundland.
  • BeaverTails – Fried dough with assorted sweet toppings.
  • Ketchup chips
  • Timbits – Doughnut holes.
  • Back bacon or peameal bacon (In the US they call it Canadian bacon, we don’t know why)

What Do Canadians Cook?

Canadians are multicultural. So you can find an endless assortment of dishes in Canadian restaurants and home kitchens. Most of the dishes above came from another culture and were adapted to become something unique to Canada.

Canadian Chefs to Inspire You:

I’m the “Oh Canada” Contributor on Squidoo… Now What?

I was happy to become the "Oh Canada" Contributor on the Squidoo network site. I like writing about Canadian culture, history and so on. But, the more I write and post over there the more disappointed I am feeling. Almost none of my Canadian posts are keeping afloat enough (in traffic and reposts) for them to stop sinking to the bottom of the tank (tanking them, literally).

Within a month of being posted half of them are in the red. It is discouraging. I don’t like losing the time I put into them but more than that, I feel sad that not enough people care about any of it. I’ve written about Canadian things like movies and TV shows. Those are popular posts for the US TV and movies. But, not the Canadian content.

Anyway, I am going to begin moving them here. Someone (other than myself) may some day find them and be glad to have found out more about our Canadian content, people and so on and so forth.

Jann Arden and Parents

Jann Arden wrote about spending time with her parents. I commented:

I’m living with my Mom. Sometimes I can’t laugh and sometimes when I do laugh it hurts her feelings because I am laughing at her even when she is laughing about it too. Mom said the worst thing is people thinking you are feeble or forgetting things when you aren’t. Assuming you are "just old" when you are still just forgetting the same stuff you would have forgotten at any age. Watching your parent(s) get old is creepy because you know it will be you in another 20 years. But, as Mom also pointed out one day, I will be alone when I’m old. "Who will help you?", she asked me. I don’t know and that is the worst part of all of it for me.

The Canadian Zodiac Created by Charles Moffat

Canadian Zodiac Signs
The Religion eZine – Astrology

Created by Charles Moffat, a Canadian Artist/Writer.

Many years ago, before my grandfather’s grandfather’s time, the Great Spirit looked down and saw a group of animals on the side of a ice-covered river. The animals were arguing over who was the best. Polar Bear was the biggest, Loon and Goose could both fly, Gray Wolf was the best hunter, Fox and Coyote were arguably the smartest/wisest, and so on. Great Spirit didn’t want the animals to argue, so instead he decided to hold a contest to settle the dispute. He explained to the animals, that each animal during their time and place is the best. Sometimes Polar Bear is the best, and sometimes Muskrat is the best. He declared that the animals should race across the icy river, and whatever the order they arrived in, that would be the order in which they are best.

Muskrat
Caribou
Gray Wolf
Hare
Polar Bear
Coyote
Moose
Grizzly
Fox
Loon
Beaver
Goose

So the animals raced, but the weight of Polar Bear, Moose and Caribou was too much. They crashed through the ice and caused all the other animals to get caught in the icy cold water too. Beaver is a good swimmer, but he isn’t used to the cold water because he usually sleeps in the winter. Polar Bear didn’t mind the cold, but he was a very slow swimmer. Goose had been trying to fly across the river, but when the ice broke, he lost his footing and fell into the water too. Muskrat however was skilled at jumping. He jumped on top of the other animals and used them like stepping stones to cross over to where the ice was not broken. Then he ran safely to the other side. The rest of the animals followed more slowly. Goose came in last because it takes a long time for him to speed up to the speed necessary for him to fly. The final order of the animals was: Muskrat, Caribou, Gray Wolf, Hare, Polar Bear, Coyote, Moose, Grizzly, Fox, Loon, Beaver and Goose.

Year of the Muskrat

1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
People born in the Year of the Muskrat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. Maybe they smell good or maybe they are blessed with a beautiful body and the charm to match. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Muskrat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful.

Year of the Caribou

1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
People born in the Year of the Caribou (or Buffalo) are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend, however, to be eccentric, and bigoted, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent at speaking. Caribou people are mentally and physically alert. Generally easy-going, they can be remarkably stubborn, and they hate to fail or be opposed. If they encounter an obstacle, they must beat it.

Year of the Gray Wolf

1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
Gray Wolf people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be extremely short-tempered, however. Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes Gray Wolf people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. They are often willing to fight against even the most dire of odds. Sometimes Gray Wolf people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decisions or a sound decision that they arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful.

Year of the Hare

1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
People born in the Year of the Hare are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Hare people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Hare people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, and almost never back out of a contract or a promise. They might make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise.

Year of the Polar Bear

1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012
People born in the Year of the Polar Bear are healthy, energetic, excitable, short-tempered, and stubborn. They are also honest, sensitive, brave, and they inspire confidence and trust. Polar Bear people are the most eccentric of any in the Canadian zodiac. They neither borrow money nor make flowery speeches, but they tend to be soft-hearted which sometimes gives others an advantage over them.

Year of the Coyote

1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
People born in the Year of the Coyote are deep. They say little and possess great wisdom. They never have to worry about money; they are financially fortunate. Coyote people are often quite vain, selfish, and a bit stingy. Yet they have tremendous sympathy for others and try to help those less fortunate. Coyote people tend to overdo, since they have doubts about other people’s judgment and prefer to rely on themselves. They are determined in whatever they do and hate to fail. Although calm on the surface, they are intense and passionate. Coyote people are usually good-looking and sometimes have marital problems because they are fickle.

Year of the Moose

1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
People born in the Year of the Moose are popular. They are cheerful, skillful with money, and perceptive, although they sometimes talk too much. The are wise, talented, good with their hands, and sometimes have a weakness for members of the opposite sex. They are impatient and hot-blooded about everything except their daily work. They like entertainment and large crowds of other people like themselves. They are very independent and rarely listen to advice.

Year of the Grizzly

1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
People born in the Year of Grizzly are regal, highly skilled and adept at everything they do. They seem to be, at first glance, better off than those born in the zodiac’s other years because they have great power, fortitude and honesty. But Grizzly year people are often shy, pessimistic, and puzzled about life. They are usually deeply religious and/or have strong beliefs, yet timid by nature. Sometimes clumsy in speech, they are always passionate about what they do and what they believe in. Grizzly people never have to worry about having the best in life for their abilities make money for them, and they are able to enjoy the creature comforts that they like. Grizzly people are wise, gentle, and compassionate, but their anger is great when it is aroused and they will speak their mind about what really bothers them.

Year of the Fox

1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
People born in the Year of the Fox are the erratic geniuses of the cycle. Clever, skillful, and flexible, they are remarkably inventive and original and can solve the most difficult problems with ease. There are few fields in which Fox people wouldn’t be successful but they have a disconcerting habit of being too agreeable. They want to do things now, and if they cannot get started immediately, they become discouraged and sometimes leave their projects. Although good at making decisions, they tend to look down on others. Having common sense, Fox people have a deep desire for knowledge and have excellent memories. Fox people are strong willed but their anger cools quickly.

Year of the Loon

1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
People born in the Year of the Loon are deep thinkers, capable, and talented. They like to be busy and are devoted beyond their capabilities and are deeply disappointed if they fail. People born in the Loon Year are often a bit eccentric, and often have rather difficult relationships with others. They always think they are right and usually are! They frequently are loners and though they give the outward impression of being adventurous, they are timid. Loon people’s emotions like their fortunes, swing very high to very low. They can be selfish and too outspoken, but are always interesting and can be extremely brave.

Year of the Beaver

1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
People born in the Year of the Beaver possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, very hard working, and inspire other people’s confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Beaver People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Beaver people make good leaders. They love to build things and make things better for everyone.

Year of the Goose

1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
People born in the Year of the Goose are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Goose Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. Going backwards is not in their nature. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don’t make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Goose Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don’t talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Goose people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Goose people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively.