Footnotes to a Conversation, June 20, 2022

Illness, Isolation, and a Snail

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey was initially published in 2010, well before Covid-19 reared its unwelcome head. There is, however, much we can learn from the book about living with a life-threatening virus and its long-term impact. Bailey is very ill, unable to sit up, let alone leave her bed. A friend brings her a snail and places it in a plant pot. The snail moves slowly, thoughtfully – the perfect companion for someone who is terribly, terribly ill. As friends move on with their lives while she remains in stasis, the snail provides Bailey with a link to a larger world, an escape from her isolation. As she recovers, she researches snails – what they eat, how they move and grow, and how they have sex and give birth. It’s an intriguing, in-depth look at a small creature that is all too often overlooked.

Terrible Parents

Polonius, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is often portrayed as a bumbling fool, but there’s another way of viewing both Polonius and the play as a whole. According to Jeffrey R. Wilson, Hamlet is a play about terrible parents who put their careers ahead of their children. “Queen Gertrude is the single mother who wants to feel romantic love for the first time in a while but fails to appreciate how her new life affects her child’s emotions. And King Claudius is the new stepfather who just wants everyone to be happy; he tries to relate to his stepson but finds himself in an emotionally combustible situation … Polonius is a single father struggling with work-life balance who sadly chooses his career over his daughter’s well-being.” There’s nothing new about single parents, non-traditional families, or work-life balance. [JStor Daily]

Imagine You’re on a Leash

Have you ever watched people walking their dogs? They’re either tugging the animal or ignoring it. If it weren’t for the leash, you often wouldn’t know they were together.

“A dog's walk and other exercise should be for them. Taking a dog for a walk is their time so try to make it fun, enriching, and exciting and let them exercise their bodies and senses as they wish. It’s also good for their mental health. Let them lead the way, choose where to go (putting safety first), and how slow or fast to move (not faster than you can comfortably walk or run when they're attached to you) … Letting your dog be a dog when they're out and about might also serve to slow you down and have you learn more about your dog as the individual they truly are and what they want and need when they're supposed to be having fun.” [Psychology Today]

Victoria’s Flower Show

After last week’s post enthusing about flowers in Victoria, I received a number of questions about my favorite garden and the best season to visit. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Abkhazi is my overall favorite garden. It’s small and intimate with winding paths, ponds, rocks, turtles, and lizards. There’s also a teahouse which serves a very pleasant, less expensive than some, afternoon tea.

In my opinion, the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific has the best Japanese garden (just look at those gorgeous candleabra primroses in the top photo!), although the one at Butchart Gardens is also lovely. HCP also hosts a festival of arts and music at the beginning of August with craft vendors and sculptures made of flowers. There’s a small Japanese Garden in Gorge Park.

Be sure to visit Government House Gardens if you’re in Victoria in June/July. There are two rose gardens that will dazzle you with the colour and variety of their blossoms. I’m looking forward to visiting the roses at Royal Roads University Hatley Park Garden as well.

Butchart Gardens has a magnificent display of tulips in April/May and the long border of dahlias is stunning in August/September. There are free concerts in July/August and the Christmas light display makes a great Christmas outing.

I think the best time to visit Victoria is in spring or early summer. There’s an ever-changing display of flowering shrubs and plants from the beginning of March until the end of June.

Please note – this is just my personal opinion and I’m still discovering new gardens! Consider my suggestions as nothing more than a newcomer’s enthusiasm.

Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.

If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.

Photos: taken at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific on June 10, 2022