Postern

 Postern-a back door or gate.

A song from 1956 that I like

 My Dream Sonata(1956)-song by Nat King Cole.

The news

 The news is often a big black cloud over our heads.

The Canary Islands

 The Canary Islands are a deadly route for people smugglers;tens of thousands of people have died trying to reach there from Africa in recent years.

Botham street in Ville Saint Laurent

 Botham street in Ville Saint Laurent,Montreal is named after Harry Botham(1897-1973).

        Born in Suffolk, England,he immigrated to Canada in 1906.In 1923,he became one of the first residents of rue Saint-Germain(located just north of Cote Vertu Boulevard),where he lived for the rest of his life.

          He was highly active in the early days of the Montreal Scouting movement.

Poison dart frogs in captivity

 Poison dart frogs in captivity are not inherently toxic.Their famous venom is not self-manufactured but derived from their diet.In the diet,they feed on specific alkaloid-laden ants,beetles,and mites,which themselves acquire toxins from plants and insects.

Zoolater

 Zoolater(noun)-a person who worships animals or treats animals with excessive reverence or devotion.

A song from Public Enemy that I like

 Burn Hollywood Burn-song by Public Enemy.

A song from Steve Caraway that I like

 Sausage Factory -song by Steve Caraway.

A new song from The Backstreet Boys that I like

 Bottle Up(2026)-song by The Backstreet Boys.

Spring cleaning

 Spring cleaning is when a home gets a new twinkle in its eye.

The boroughs of Montreal

 Q.What is the smallest of the 19 boroughs by area of the city of Montreal  in 2026?

Answer.Outremont.

Rue Pomba in Ville Saint Laurent

 Pomba street in Ville Saint Laurent,Montreal is named after Pierre Pomba(1913-1974),who served as the very first urban planner for the former city of Saint Laurent.

       A Belgian architect by profession,Pomba served in this municipal role from 1970 until his passing.

    

              Pomba street is located in the industrial park of the borough of Saint Laurent.

Poison dart frogs raised in zoos

 A poison dart frog raised in a zoo won't hurt a fly.It's the wild diet that makes it deadly.

            The frogs get their poison from what they eat.In the rainforest,they consume formicine ants,melyrid beetles,and other arthropods that produce potent alkaloid toxins.These toxins are derived from plants the insects eat,creating a complex chain of chemical defense.

           In captivity,fed on fruit flies and crickets,the frogs produce no poison.They still look just as bright and behave just as boldly-but without the punch.

        The moral:You are what you eat.Even if you're a tiny,brightly colored amphibian.

A gross habit of rabbits

 Rabbits look cute but they usually eat their own poop directly from their butt to digest it a second time.This helps them absorb extra nutrients & vitamins their stomach missed the first time.

Another song from 1959 that I like

 Give Me Your Love (1959)-song by Nat King Cole.

A song from 1959 that I like

 Madrid (1959)-song by Nat King Cole.

Jactation

 Jactation -boastful or excessive bragging.

Example:His constant jactation about his wealth annoyed everyone.

Another quote from Taras Grescoe

 If,in a democracy,all citizens are equal before the law,then a bus with one hundred passengers should have the right to one hundred times more road space than a car carrying only one person.-Taras Grescoe 

Quote from Taras Grescoe

 A few reasonable policies won't do much good if the surrounding society is insane.-Taras Grescoe

A song from Queen that I like

 Don't Stop Me Now-song by Queen.

Author Taras Grescoe

 Author Taras  Grescoe was born in Toronto and grew up in Vancouver and Calgary.He moved to Montreal in 1996 after also living in Paris.

Soldiers

 Soldiers often goosestep in crisp uniforms.

The Philippines

 The Philippines sits on the edge of a ring of fire,making it prone to powerful earthquakes.

Yokelish

 Yokelish-unsophisticated or rustic.

African proverb

 When the river dries up,we will all see where the crocodile sleeps.-African proverb 

They can't taste sugar

 Did you know?

Cats can't taste sugar because they lack a key protein for sensing it.

Nubiferous

 Nubiferous -producing clouds.

About Japan

 Japan consists of more than 14,000 islands, although only a small portion are inhabited.

Another song from Herbie Hancock that I like

 Stars In Your Eyes-song by Herbie Hancock.

A song from Herbie Hancock that I like

 Saturday Night -song by Herbie Hancock.

Noorduyn Avenue in Ville St.Laurent

 Noorduyn Avenue in Ville Saint Laurent,Montreal is named after Robert Noorduyn(1893-1959),a Dutch-born aeronautical engineer.He was the founder of Noorduyn Aviation Ltd,which became a major player in the Canadian aerospace industry.

Eating cucumbers for fiber

 If you are eating cucumbers for fiber,it is crucial to eat them unpeeled.The cucumber peel is where much of the vegetable's insoluble fiber resides,which aids in preventing constipation and supporting regularity.They also contain a type of soluble fiber called pectin,which helps feed beneficial gut bacteria.

Fissure

 There is another fissure in a fragile ceasefire sometimes.

Safeguards

 The safeguards fail sometimes.

When cortisol stays high in a man's body

 When cortisol stays high in a man's body it suppresses testosterone production.

Hide in plain sight

 Cacher en pleine vue-to hide in plain sight in French.

Origin of the family name Vanneste

 The surname Vanneste is primarily of Dutch and Flemish origin,with deep roots in particular the region of West Flanders in Belgium and northern France.It is a topographical name.

Painter Circle street in Ville St.Laurent

 Painter Circle street in Ville St.Laurent,Montreal is named after Leonard Painter,a St.Laurent city councilor.

             Leonard Painter was the first city councillor to serve more than 30 years,from 1951 to 1982.

Weight loss

 Weight loss also lowers cancer risk.

Increased inflammation

 Increased inflammation in the body leads to a host of problems,be it with the kidneys,lungs or heart,and also increases the risk of cancer.

Baptisia can produce yellow blossoms too

 Several Baptisia(false indigo) naturally produce beautiful yellow blossoms in addition to the traditional blue and white species.

              I have seen yellow Baptisia grow in the streets and gardens of Montreal.

Buttercups

 Buttercups are five-petaled yellow flowers.

Pinocchio

 The name Pinocchio means 'pine eyes" in Italian.

Tokyo and California

 Did you know

Tokyo and California have nearly the same population in 2026.

Both California and Tokyo have around 38 million people in 2026,yet their land area, population density,and urban density are dramatically different.

      Furthermore,a significant portion of California is desert and is uninhabitable;consequently, the population is concentrated in just a few cities.

Peregrine falcons

 A peregrine falcon can hit a flying bird so hard during a dive that the prey may die instantly from the impact before reaching the ground.

Calibrachoa

 Calibrachoa is mostly known by the trade name Million Bells.It is also widely referred to as mini petunia,trailing petunia or seaside petunia.

Economic data

 Different pieces of economic data are spun in different directions sometimes,causing confusion.

TBD

 TBD-to be determined .

Nightscape

 Nightscape -a view or scene at night.

Nox

 Nox(noun)-night;darkness.

Agriculture in California

 In California agriculture is a multibillion dollar industry but it relies heavily on a workforce living on the shadows.

        Blessed with fertile soil and a climate that allows year-round agriculture, California is the garden of the United States.About a third of the vegetables and 60 per cent of the fruits and nuts in the U.S. are grown in California.

       About 60% of the farm workers in California are illegal migrants and lack legal status.Undocumented farm workers in California increasingly live in anxiety in 2026 and many of them fear deportation under Donald Trump.

Large trees

 One large tree can release hundreds of liters of water into the atmosphere everyday.

Male frogs during mating season

 During mating season,male frogs can become so driven by instinct that they sometimes mistakenly clasp fish,turtles,other males or even inanimate objects in a mating grip called amplexus.

Streets I walked on Saturday,June 7,2026

 On Saturday,June 7,2026,I got off at Langelier metro.I walked on Sherbrooke Street from Langelier boulevard to Haig Avenue.Then I walked on Haig Avenue all the way from Sherbrooke Street to rue Notre Dame.Haig Avenue is a beautiful street lined with many nice houses and cottages and adorned with a lot of flowers in June.It is an underestimated street to live on.I walked on rue Notre Dame from Haig Avenue to Beauclerk Avenue and then walked up on Lyall street from rue Notre Dame to rue Ontario.Lyall street is cut off Ontario street because of the industrial park.So I went back on Haig Avenue and walked up to rue Hochelaga on Haig Avenue, passing Souligny Avenue.On rue Hochelaga I turned left and walked from Haight Avenue to Parkville Avenue.

              Then I walked along the entire length of Parkville Avenue for the first time ever from rue Hochelaga to the other end where it joins Boulevard Langelier after a curve.Parkville Avenue is lined with many duplexes,triplexes,multiplexes and small apartment buildings.

            From there I walked to metro Langelier,just a stone's throw away and went home.

Catabasis

 Catabasis (noun)-a descent or downward journey, especially into the underworld or into a dangerous or dark situation.

A song from 1950 that I like

 Copenhagen (1950)-song by Teresa Brewer.

This street in Montreal is named after a person who died from scurvy

 Rougemont Avenue in the Mercier borough of Montreal is named after Philippe Rougemont,an explorer and sailor who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his second voyage to Canada in 1535.

        Rougemont holds a tragic but notable place in Canadian history.Rougemont was the very first European or white person to die and be buried on Canadian soil after succumbing to scurvy in 1536 at only around the age of 20.