Dent de Lion

To many people this bright flower is a weed to get rid of. A gardener, or home owner looking after the lawn, will spray it, mow it, dig it out - do whatever they can to get rid of this stubborn blossom. Yes, today I am talking about the common dandelion.

Dent De Lion is French and means 'teeth of the lion', which aptly describes the flower of this hardy plant.

The first mention of the dandelion goes back to the Arabian physicians of the tenth and eleventh centuries. This medicinal plant was referred to as sort of a wild endive and called taraxcacon.
In Wales, there is reference to the plant as early as the thirteenth century.

Dandelions are seen throughout history. Ancient Egyptians, Greek, Romans made use of them and the plant is a staple in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. (I also hear they make good wine!)

It is thought that dandelions came over on the Mayflower, not as a pesky stowaway but purposely for their medicinal qualities. Dandelions have been used to help the liver remove toxins from the bloodstream, as a diuretic and the help the digestive system work at peak efficiency.

At one time, these sunny blossoms were a favourite in gardens in Europe. And what is more fun for a child then to run through a field full of 'lion's teeth'? If said child can catch a flying dandelion seed, he or she gets to make a wish.

Dandelions have been used to heal things like dandruff, baldness, toothaches, sore, fever, rotting gums, weakness, lethargy, depression and vitamin deficiencies.

The dandelion contains more vitamin A than spinach,  more vitamin C than tomatoes and are full of iron, calcium and potassium.

As any gardener can tell you, dandelions are masters of survival. They are fast growers - going from bud to seed in days - and a plant can live for several years. The root, which sinks deeper over the years, can go down 15 feet. The root clones when divided and one inch of root can grow a new dandelion. They also grow in the strangest places; a dandelion can push its way through gravel and cement to thrive in otherwise barren areas.

Believe it or not, dandelions are also good for your lawn. They have wide spreading roots that loosen hard-packed soil, aerate the earth and help reduce erosion.

The plant has a deep taproot, which pulls nutrients such as calcium from deep in the soil. It then makes the nutrients available to other plants and fertilizes the grass.

So the next time you decide to eradicate all the dandelions on your lawn pause for a moment. Considering all the benefits of this much aligned plant, is it really necessary to destroy it?

Thanks to A Modern Herbal website and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association website for the information on the dandelion.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, dandelion, history, Dent de Lion, medicinal British Columbia,weed,fertilizer

Our Canucks

This is a Canucks/Ranger game. The photo appeared in the Province newspaper and although the date listed is February 20, 1954, there is also a note the date could be wrong.

The Canucks and the Wallabies at the Forum February 24, 1948. Photo credited to Ray Munro.

Canucks vs Tacoma, March 22, 1948. Art Jones took this shot.

Same game and photographer as above.

It was in 1945 when the Pacific Coast Hockey League brought an ice hockey franchise to Vancouver.

The team, named the Canucks, were immediately successful. They won the PCHL Championship in their first year, 1946 and in 1948. 

The PCHL merged with the Western Canada Senior Hockey League in 1952.

A fight at a Canucks/Skyhawks game on April 14, 1948

Ray Munro got this photo of spectators at the Canucks/Skyhawk's game on April 16, 1948.

Munro also took this shot of a fight at the same game. Looks like fans fighting.

Canucks and San Diego, April 12, 1948. Ray Munro photographer.

The NHL announced plans to expand to six additional markets in 1965. This was not the year that Vancouver joined the National Hockey League however.

The presentation to the NHL Board of Governors was sloppily prepared. Add to that the fact that the Vancouver ownership group was disliked by Bruce Norris and Stafford Smythe (the former being the owner of Detroit Red Wings and the latter majority owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs) the application was doomed. (Smythe hated Vancouver in general because of a failed arena plan.)

April 12, 1948, Ray Munro took this photo at the Canucks/San Diego game.

April 17, 1948 Ray Munro took this shot of the PCHL championship team, the Vancouver Canucks.

An individual player, taken the same day by Munro.

Same as above

This did not deter Vancouver. We built the Pacific Coliseum on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). This was going to be the first home of our national hockey team. In 1970, the Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL as an expansion team.

For their first four seasons, the Canucks were placed in the strong East division. In the 1974-74 season, the Canucks moved to the Smythe Division where they finished first.

In the forty plus years the Canucks have been in the NHL, the team has advanced to the Stanley Cup final three times. Unfortunately, they also lost all three times. In 1982 to the New York Islanders, in 1994 to the New York Rangers and to the Boston Bruins in 2011.

April 17, 1948 Ray Munro took this photo of a man wearing a jacket with a Canuck's emblem.

An individual player. Photo taken by Munro at the same time.

April 19, 1948 - the Henderson Cup being presented to the Vancouver Canucks. Artray is credited with taking the photo.

Same as above.

In June of 2011, I wrote on the Canuck's unofficial second team mascot and logo, Johnny Canuck.

If you are interested in learning more of this fine fellow, read my blog entry entitled What is A Canuck?.

I got the information concerning the history of my hockey team from the Canuck history page at the NHL.com network site.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Henderson Cup in the Canuck's dressing room. April 19, 1948. Artray credited with photo.

A Canuck team member holding a silver tea tray. Same day, same photographer.

Canuck team members looking through an open suitcase. Same photographer took this on the same day.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, Smythe, history, NHL, PCHL British Columbia,Pacific Coliseum,PNE

Hockey Gives Back

On Monday, I told you about a beautiful home in Shaughnessy that has a diverse history. Today I am going to tell you about how Glen Brae Manor is being used today - Canuck Place Children's Hospice.

As with many great organizations, this hospice was first the idea of one person. Brenda Eng, a registered nurse in Vancouver, worked for several months at Helen and Douglas House in Oxford, England. This pediatric nursing consultant with the British Columbia's Ministry of Health and oncology nurse at BC Children's Hospital felt this service was one needed in BC.

Eng came home in the fall of 1988, enthused about the idea of creating a much hospice. She met with people like George Jarvis, a local advertising and marketing executive, as well as people in the healthcare industry. The Human Understanding Growth and Sharing (HUGS) Children's Hospice Society was formed with a goal to create a children's hospice that would serve all of British Columbia.

Even with such a good cause, it wasn't easy to get going. For the next few years, Jarvis and Eng worked tirelessly trying to get people interested. Then in March of 1991, the Canuck Foundation (presently known as the Canucks for Kids Fund) - the community services branch of the Vancouver Canucks Hockey Club - was on board with the idea.

The hockey club's involvement seems to have triggered something. In the following months organizations like the Loewen Group, the Vancouver Sun Children's Fund, the Variety Club and other prominent groups became interested in HUGS and all of them brought money with them. Substantial amounts of money.

Remember on Monday when I told you that the last owner of the Tait House, Elizabeth Wlosinski, had willed the mansion to the city on the conditions it be used for a purpose that would benefit the community? The City of Vancouver had found such a purpose. They arranged for a dollar lease for fifty years. 

It took another three years of renovations before Canuck Place was able to open its doors on November 30, 1995 and welcome those who needed to be there.

From the home of a lumber baron to the residence of perhaps the most notorious white power organization in history to a private hospital to a place where children and their families can come for help - somewhere I think that Tait, Parr and Fee are proud.

The information I related here comes from the Canuck Place Children's Hospice website. And if you are interested in seeing what the interior looks like, visit this link.

Friday, I want to look a little at the history of the Canuck Hockey Club and I have seen some great old photos that I will have to include!

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, Tait, history, Canuck Place Children's Hospice, Glen Brae Manor British Columbia,Parr and Fee,Brenda Eng