Fans watching any of the fourteen Major League Baseball games this afternoon may have noticed a small red flower patch on each player’s jersey.
The patches are poppy flowers and are being worn for the Memorial Day 2021 holiday in the United States, in recognition of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives in service to their country.
The poppy patch was first worn on Major League Baseball uniforms on Memorial Day during the 2019 season as a subtle and mournful uniform tribute. Prior to 2019, Memorial Day was a head-to-toe camouflage cap, jersey, and sock design worn across the entire league, and usually done so for the entire four day weekend. The league has instead shifted the camo look as a tribute to living military members and their families to Armed Forces Day weekend (which was held two weeks ago) by simply wearing camouflage caps and matching socks.
LINK: See the entire 2021 MLB Holiday Uniform collection here
The 2021 Memorial Day patch is the same as what was worn two seasons ago, it’s a simple red poppy and green flower with “Lest We Forget” across it on a black banner in white, worn on the upper left part of the jersey.
So, why a poppy flower patch?
The origin of wearing a poppy to remember fallen soldiers can be traced back to the poppy flowers which were spotted growing over graves during the First World War, inspiring the famous “In Flanders Fields” poem.
While its use is certainly less common in the United States, it’s a regular sight to see poppies on shirts and jackets in the United Kingdom and right here in Canada during the first eleven days each November, a tradition that goes back several decades.
The American Legion in the U.S. asks those wishing to honour the war dead by wearing a poppy on National Poppy Day, the last Friday before Memorial Day, though this is one tradition which appears to have not caught on quite yet.
Those of you who routintely scream “it’s a cash grab” whenever the league does anything to their uniforms may be surprised to learn that none of the special poppy patches or the Memorial Day jerseys will be sold to the general public. This is purely an on-field tribute by Major League Baseball and its players.
LINK: The entire 2021 MLB Holiday Uniform Collection
LINK: Cowboys, Jaguars wear poppy patches for UK game in 2014
The Link LonkIf the skies are clear and you’re out of bed early Wednesday morning, you might see a super flower blood moon lunar eclipse.
May’s full moon, which occurs Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, May 25-26, is the nearest full moon to Earth in 2021, making it a super moon. The flower part of its name is because May is a time for blooming flowers, though it’s sometimes called the “corn planting moon.”
It’s called a blood moon due to the reddish, or rosy, color it appears as it passes through a lunar eclipse, which happens when the moon and sun take up precise positions on opposite sides of the earth. As the super moon passes into the planet’s shadow during sunrise/sunset hours, sunlight through the atmosphere becomes a reddish-orangish hue that travels to the lunar surface and reflects off of it.
While the super moon will be visible everywhere, the super flower blood moon eclipse will be best seen in western North America, including Texas and the Highland Lakes. The only caveat being if skies are cloudy.
To see the entire lunar eclipse and blood moon, be outside by 4:45 a.m. According to NASA and EarthSky, the partial eclipse begins at about 4:45 a.m. across Central Texas and the Highland Lakes. As the moon continues on its path, the total eclipse will start at 6:11 a.m. with the greatest part of it at 6:19 a.m. The total eclipse should wrap up at 6:26 a.m. with the partial lasting until 7:52 a.m.
According to the National Weather Service, the Highland Lakes forecast calls for an increase in cloud coverage Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
The donkey has performed many roles: carrying Jesus, giving seaside rides to children and being the butt of many jokes over thousands of years of domestication. Now an unfamiliar job can be added to the list: ecosystem engineer.
The hard-working animals will help re-establish one of Britain’s rarest wild flowers by trampling over specially seeded plots.
More than 20,000 seeds of the small-flowered catchfly have been sown on farmland at the Devon headquarters of the Donkey Sanctuary, the international animal welfare charity.
The sowing is part of the Colour in the Margins project led by the charity Plantlife seeking to restore rare arable plants such as the small-flowered catchfly, which has vanished from about 70% of its former range.
The seeds, which have been sown alongside other wild flowers and grains, will also help provide food for threatened birds such as the linnet, yellowhammer and skylark, which have been recorded at the sanctuary.
If they germinate successfully this summer, the Donkey Sanctuary will host a trial next spring to discover if donkeys can assist the germination process by walking across specially seeded plots, a technique known as “treading in”.
Ruth Angell, the ecology and conservation manager at the Donkey Sanctuary, said: “Increasing biodiversity is essential for an enriched and resilient environment which can support rare species as well as our resident herds of donkeys.
“It is important to us that our donkeys benefit from different types of activities and experiences. Our donkeys will be able to enjoy a walk with our grooms and benefit from one to one time while they walk over the plots.”
Other animals including wild horses and cattle are widely used as “conservation managers”, with their trampling and grazing helping wild plants to flourish and flower. Tamworth pigs have also proved extremely useful in “ploughing” wild turf with their snouts and making space for annual wildflowers to germinate at the rewilded farm of Knepp in West Sussex.
Cath Shellswell at Plantlife said: “We’re incredibly grateful to partners like the Donkey Sanctuary who are helping these fantastically rare wild flowers come back from the brink of extinction by giving them a helping hand in one of their original regional strongholds. We look forward to seeing small-flowered catchfly return and working with the sanctuary to ensure this tiny plant has a thriving future.”
The Link Lonk
The waning gibbous Moon will pass close to Saturn and Jupiter this week.
Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesEach Monday I pick out the northern hemisphere’s celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
Did you see last week’s “Super Flower Blood Moon?” Even if you weren’t on the right place on Earth’s surface to see our satellite turn a bizarre-looking orangey-red color for 15 minutes, you’ll have been able to see the bright orb as a massive-looking “Super Flower Moon.”
However, its domination ceases this week as a waning gibbous Moon rises later and leave the skies dark.
And you know what that means? Two perfect weeks of stargazing are imminent!
Monday, May 31, 2021: Moon and Saturn
Jamie Carter/StellariumTonight a 70%-lit waning gibbous Moon will appear to pass within 4.2° of “ringed planet” Saturn in the southeastern pre-dawn night sky.
Monday, May 31, 2021: Mars and Pollux
Jamie Carter/StellariumMORE FOR YOU
Later on, in the western post-sunset night sky, the “red planet” Mars will look like it’s about 5.2°S from Pollux, one of the “twins” in the the constellation of Gemini.
Tuesday, June 1, 2021: Moon and Jupiter
Jamie Carter/StellariumSaturn and Jupiter remain relatively close together despite being months past their once-in-a-lifetime “great conjunction” or “Christmas Star” in December 2020.
So if the Moon is in conjunction with Saturn one night, it follows that it’s going to be in conjunction with Jupiter pretty soon after.
That’s what happens tonight as a 60%-lit waning gibbous Moon gets to within 4.6º of the Solar System’s giant gas planet.
A Last Quarter Moon.
SSPL via Getty ImagesThe Moon in its “third” or “last” quarter position—when its near-side appears half-lit to us on Earth—marks the opening of night’s window for the month of June.
Last Quarter Moons rise at midnight, leaving the post-sunset night skies dark and free from glare from our satellite, so they’re ideal for stargazing.
What’s more, with each passing night over the next week the Moon will wane towards a crescent and rising later each night.
That double whammy makes week is perfect for stargazing, especially since late June’s summer solstice sees the nights get super-short in the northern hemisphere.
The phases of moon.
gettyThe Moon is always half-lit by the Sun, but from the surface of the Earth, it doesn’t look that way. That’s because the Moon is constantly orbiting, getting further from the sun as it waxes to full moon, then closer to it as it wanes to a new moon. Moon-gazers have devised eight distinct phases for our satellite, each of which lasts for about 3.5 days:
Focus on one of the most beautiful stars of heaven: Vega in the constellation Lyra. The blue star is ... [+]
GettyThe tine constellation of Lyra—now rising in the east after dark— is home to the bright summer star Vega, the star that all others are judged by. Named for a mythical instrument. Lyra’s diamond-shaped outline includes Vega, the fifth brightest star in the night sky.
About 25 light-years away, this blue star will be famous to some from the cult sci-fi movie Contact, where it was the source of signals from an extraterrestrial civilization.
Vega is how the apparent magnitude of stars—their brightness—is measured. If a star is dimmer than Vega, it gets a (+) figure, and if it’s brighter than Vega it gets a (-) figure.
Together with Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila, Vega helps form the “Summer Triangle,” a seasonal asterism (a shape, not an official constellation) that rises in late spring and sets in fall.
The summer Milky Way overhead and through the Summer Triangle stars in July, looking up through ... [+]
gettyTo stargazers in the northern hemisphere the very appearance above of the Summer Triangle means you can never lose your way under a clear sky. Under a dark sky you’ll also see the Milky Way streaming through the triangle’s eastern side—what a sight on a summer night!
Times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information consult online planetariums like Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times for where you are.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
The Link Lonk
The Palm Springs Air Museum held the first day of its Memorial Day Weekend Air Fair and Flower Drop on Sunday — the museum's first major event since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year.
The Air Fair has been staged in various forms on Memorial Day since the museum was founded in 1996. The flower drop, which involves emptying bags of red and white carnations from a helicopter, has been held for about 15 years, according to the museum's vice chairman, Fred Bell.
The event's purpose, according to Bell, "is to give a voice to those people who have fallen in service of our country so they won’t be forgotten."
The white carnations are intended to honor veterans who died in World War I, World War II, and the Korea and Vietnam wars, according to the museum, while the red carnations honor those who died in more recent conflicts such as Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.
This year, the flower drop is being split over two days for the first time. The museum decided to "spread the event out" over Sunday and Monday to avoid overly dense crowds, according to Bell.
"We’re still in that kind of grey area as we’re coming out of COVID and we just felt that, regardless of the amount of difficulty, it was better for us to have a two-day event that allowed people to spread out more on the property," Bell said.
"We have a fairly large property, so if you really want to be socially distant you can do that; there’s no issue," he added. "We wanted people to have that option."
Roughly 500 people attended the event on Sunday, according to Bell. The main event kicked off at 1 p.m. with a ceremony honoring veterans who died in conflicts. A fleet of vintage aircraft from the museum took off shortly afterward, accompanied by a museum helicopter carrying flowers for the drop.
In addition to the air show, the event included live music from the Heatwave Show Band — a Boys and Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley-sponsored youth band. Food trucks and stands from Carl’s Jr., Best Cookies Palm Springs and Nick’s Pizza, among others, were open at the museum throughout the day.
Hervey McGlashan, an 86-year-old Korean War veteran from the Coachella Valley, said he was happy to be able to get out to a live event after a year of pandemic lockdowns.
It was a rare opportunity to see real vintage aircraft in action, he added.
“If you’re interested at all in this kind of stuff, you better attend some of these things," said McGlashan. "Because this is the only place you’re gonna see them. They're becoming so rare."
Coleen Mattison, a Northern California resident who was attending the Memorial Day Air Fair for the first time, said the event was an opportunity to do something both entertaining and meaningful for the holiday.
“This has been wonderful, we’ve had the best time,” Mattison said. “All these kids that come out, it really gets people thinking about things.”
On Monday, the museum will unveil new statues honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, and will hold the flower drop again at 1 p.m. Advance tickets can be purchased online until 7 a.m. on Monday, according to Bell, after which point entry will become subject to availability.
James B. Cutchin covers business in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at james.cutchin@desertsun.com.
Read or Share this story: https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2021/05/30/palm-springs-air-museum-holds-memorial-day-flower-drop-and-air-fair/5276220001/
The Link Lonk
"A man who was loved by everybody in the Islington community, who is remembered as kind and caring and always laughing, but most importantly a father who leaves behind a devastated family, Lisa, Pauline, and his only daughter and best friend Paige, who he adored.
The Link LonkDrew Barrymore launched her affordable makeup range Flower Beauty into UK markets back in 2019. The collection was highly anticipated and one product even racked up a waiting list of over 4,000 people. Ever since, her products have been flying off the shelves, so it may come as no surprise that Flower has expanded into the world of hair. Here’s what you need to know about the launch, including where to buy Drew Barrymore Flower tools in the UK.
The new hair tool line consists of six items, all of which are designed to give you glorious locks from home for an affordable price point. There’s the Heated Brush, Ionic Dryer, and Travel Dryer for hair drying, along with the Styling Iron, Rotating Iron, and Volumizing Styler for all your post-drying styling needs.
All of the tools are brightly coloured and vibrantly packaged, with the intention of bringing joy to your day and a smile to your face. What’s more, the products are actually affordable, with prices starting at £39.99, and capping at £79.99.
Announcing the launch, Barrymore said: “I have no words to describe how proud I am to share Flower Hair Tools with you. Hair has always been such an important part of my beauty routine and creating the perfect tools for you has been one of my favourite experiences.”
She continued: “These tools are designed to help you celebrate what makes you uniquely you, whenever and however you want. From our Travel Dryer to our Ceramic Styling Iron, we thoughtfully chose bright, cheerful colour pairings and cords to bring joy to your bathroom counter.”
If you’re in the market for a new dryer, straightener or other styling tool, look no further than your local Superdrug stores, where the tools will be stocked. They are also available at Boots.com meaning you can easily order them online with zero faff.
Shop all six of the new products now at boots.com
The Link LonkFlower Mound is making its first trip to the softball state tournament in school history this coming weekend. So is Rockwall, which was ranked No. 23 in the state rankings heading into the final weekend of district play.
If the two Dallas-area teams are to meet at Red and Charline McCombs Field at the University of Texas, it’ll have to come with a state championship on the line.
Rockwall, the Region II champion, will take on Region IV champion Converse Judson in the first 6A semifinal on Friday at 4 p.m. Flower Mound will take on Deer Park, the Region III champions, at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Before the 6A state semifinals on Friday will be the 5A state semifinals. Mt. Belvieu Barbers Hill (40-2) and Hallsville (27-6-1) will get the day started at 10 a.m., while Georgetown (27-5-1) and Aledo (28-7) will follow with the 1 p.m. game.
If Flower Mound (36-3-1) and Rockwall (31-7) win their respective semifinals, it’ll set up an all-Dallas-area state championship. That hasn’t happened in the University Interscholastic League’s largest softball classification since 2006, when Garland defeated Keller 4-1 for the first of Garland’s back-to-back state championships.
That won’t be an easy task, however. Converse Judson (34-2) was the third-ranked team in the state heading into the final week of district. Deer Park has won two state championships and is making its fifth appearance in the state tournament.
The 4A, 5A and 6A state championships are all scheduled for Saturday. You can see the full softball state tournament schedule below. All games will be played at Red and Charline McCombs Field at the University of Texas.
Converse Judson (34-2) vs. Rockwall (31-7), 4 p.m., Friday
Flower Mound (36-3-1) vs. Deer Park (41-8), 7 p.m., Friday
Championship game: TBD at 7 p.m., Saturday
Mt. Belvieu Barbers Hill (40-2) vs. Hallsville (27-6-1), 10 a.m. Friday
Georgetown (27-5-1) vs. Aledo (28-7), 1 p.m., Friday
Championship game: TBD at 4 p.m., Saturday
Iowa Park (39-1) vs. CC Calallen (32-8), 4 p.m., Thursday
Bullard (32-5) vs. Liberty (31-7), 7 p.m., Thursday
Championship game: TBD at 1 p.m., Saturday
Rains (37-1) vs. Bishop (31-3-2), 10 a.m., Wednesday
Holliday (38-2) vs. Diboll (33-5), 1 p.m., Wednesday
Championship game: TBD at 1 p.m., Thursday
Pineland West Sabine (38-0) vs. Crawford (31-6), 4 p.m., Tuesday
Weimar (40-1) vs. Stamford (30-5), 7 p.m., Tuesday
Championship game: TBD at 7 p.m., Wednesday
Dodd City (15-3) vs. Bloomburg (12-5), 10 a.m., Tuesday
Gail Borden County (14-3) vs. D’Hanis (17-7-1), 1 p.m., Tuesday
Championship game: TBD at 4 p.m., Wednesday
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Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The Link Lonk
Today our Public Safety Officers need us. Especially the Flower Mound Police Department. A month ago, someone committed suicide outside the Bridlewood Fire Station. A week ago, three of our officers were shot as they tried to resolve a dire situation patiently and peacefully near our Library. Saturday, a gentleman with a shotgun decided it was a good day to unload his weapon in Fire Station #7. Fortunately, no one was injured.
During the time I served on Flower Mound’s Town Council and as mayor, I had the opportunity to get to know many of Flower Mound’s public safety officers. They are all really good people, the kind of people you want to share Thanksgiving Dinner with and watch a football game. But a lot them feel like they are out there on their own. It hasn’t been the best of years to be in public safety.
When I was on Council, I tried my best make sure they always knew we had their backs. Today, they need to know it more than ever. In my job of trading bonds, I’m not too worried about being shot or run over. But now, in Flower Mound, Texas… it’s something our police officers ponder.
I spoke with several of them on Saturday. They don’t need a ham; they don’t need a gift card… what they need is to know is the 75,000 residents of Flower Mound have their backs.
I’m not sure how to express it except whenever you see a Flower Mound police officer (or a firefighter for that matter, don’t want to leave them out), just say ‘I appreciate you, and I’ve got your back.’ Simple words that will go farther than any gift we could give them.
Tom Hayden
Flower Mound Mayor, 2012-2018
For much of the year, my wife and I display cut flowers in every room of our house that’s in use. That’s fewer rooms than usual for the past 15 months (chalk it up to no guests during the pandemic), but at any one time we have a half dozen containers of flowers, interesting branches and/or leaves in the house. I’m not counting houseplants.
This display continues from the time the first hyacinths come up in the spring – neither Nancy nor I have ever figured out how to cut the even-earlier crocuses for display indoors – until we take down the Christmas greens on or near New Year’s Day.
We have friends, great gardeners all, who never bring cut flowers inside. They prefer to look at the flowers outdoors. I try not to be judgmental, but I think they are denying themselves one of life’s little joys – lifting your eyes from whatever you are reading or waking up in the morning and glimpsing flowers in a vase.
I use the word “vase” loosely. We display Johnny-jump-ups (a small, colorful viola) in an antique inkwell and cut lilac stems in a huge porcelain water jug that is itself decorated with lilacs. Both are beautiful and, just as important, fragrant. I enjoy the smell of the flowers as much as the sight of them.
Early in the growing season, the cut flowers come mostly from bulbs. I mentioned hyacinths, which are early and fragrant; these are followed by all kinds of daffodils and then tulips. In late May, we have a white flower that we got from Nancy’s grandmother, who called them Narcissus although Narcissus is the botanical name for all daffodils.
We grow two types of cut flowers. The first come from perennials or shrubs that we grow mainly to be viewed outside: lilacs, daffodils, tulips, peonies, viburnums, roses, rhododendrons, azaleas, quince and many other plants fit into that category. We grow them to be part of the landscape. They look good when we pull our car into the driveway or when walk around the house and happen to look out the window. Our goal is to have something in bloom all the time, and we succeed pretty well.
A few flowering branches on the woody plants that make up the landscape won’t be missed, so we cut them off. Before putting the branches in water, it helps to use hand pruners to cut an X in the bottom of the stems, splitting the stems so they take up water better. Don’t mash the woody stems with a hammer, as many “authorities” tell you to. Flowering branches prefer clear, warm water, without sharing their vase with mashed bits of branches.
We’ve planted enough bulbs over the years that a few stems won’t be missed. We plant these bulbs in bunches of at least five because they look better as part of a mass. A few of the flowers brought indoors doesn’t diminish the beauty of that mass by much. But don’t cut the leaves when you cut tulips. You need to leave the foliage to feed the bulb in order to get nice blooms the following year.
The second type of cut flowers in our garden are ones we plant primarily to be used as cut flowers. These often grow in what we call the vegetable garden, even though we devote fully a third of the space to flowers.
Dahlias and gladioli dominate that space, mostly because every growing season they produce offspring. The Maine climate means you’ll have to dig up the bulbs (glads) and tubers (dahlias) every fall for storing over the winter. Both dahlias and and glads can be used as part of the landscape, although the dahlias make the more striking display.
In addition to those bulbs, the cutting flowers we often grow are tithonia, zinnia and nasturtium. There are many others we could try, and you may want to, but these three are our favorites. Farm stands and nurseries have been selling seedlings of these cutting flowers for a week or more more, so if you don’t want to direct seed them into your garden – which I’ve done successfully with the tithonia, zinnia and nasturtium – buy the seedlings.
The only outdoor flowers that I have never cut to display inside are the native wildflowers. Our trout lily, trillium and bloodroot looked better than ever this spring. But because one reason we grow them is to help wildlife, I thought it best to leave the blossoms alone.
Tom Atwell is a freelance writer gardening in Cape Elizabeth. He can be contacted at: [email protected]
A man who was reportedly pointing a shotgun at people in a park was detained Saturday morning as he tried to enter a Flower Mound fire station, police say.
Multiple people called 911 at about 8:30 a.m. to report a man pointing a gun at people in and around Post Oak Park in the 3100 block of Skillern Road, police said.
Officers went to the park but then learned the man was a short distance away at Fire Station #7 in the 2700 block of Skillern Road.
The officers found the 42-year-old man as he had walked into the open bay doors of the fire station and was attempting to enter the secure area, police spokesman Shane Jennings
As the officers confronted the man, police said he pointed his weapon at the officers.
The officers shot at the man, but did not strike him, and used a stun gun on him before taking him into custody, police said.
The man put his weapon down and fought with officers, police said. Both the man and one of the officers had minor injuries from the fight.
Police said there is no immediate threat to the public.
Police were processing the man's vehicle Saturday, which was near the park, to ensure it was safe.
Jennings said there was no connection Saturday's incident and a standoff at a Flower Mound home Wednesday night.
Three Flower Mound officers were shot at when they responded to a call of a possible suicidal person, police said.
The three officers did not have serious injuries and were doing well Saturday, Jennings said. One was struck by fragments, one was injured by glass and one was shot was shot in the chest, but armor prevented major injury.
Police returned fire, but did not strike the suspect. He surrendered close to 10 hours later was treated for tear gas exposure before he was booked into jail on three aggravated assault charges.
"We ask for your patience as we work through a second critical incident in one week," police said Saturday.
The Link LonkFLOWER MOUND, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The Flower Mound Police Department has identified the three officers who were shot earlier this week while responding to a call about a man who was believed to be suicidal.
The three officers were Sgt. Adam Quintana, 14 years of service; Sgt. John Styne-Burns, 13 years of service; and Gregory Hall, four years of service. The department said all three are currently recovering.
READ MORE: B.J. Thomas, Singer Known For 'Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,' 'Hooked On A Feeling,' Dies At 78 In ArlingtonPolice said they responded to a home Wednesday evening regarding a 911 call from a woman who indicated her husband was suicidal. When the officers attempted to make contact, police said the three were shot, which led to a 10-hour standoff.
(L-R) Gregory Hall, Sgt. Adam Quintana, Sgt. John Styne-Burns
The suspect, identified as 60-year-old Bryan Hucabee, eventually surrendered and was arrested.
READ MORE: Southwest, American Airlines Keep Alcohol Sales Suspended After Flight Attendant AssaultHe was charged with three counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and one count of aggravated assault with a weapon/family violence. Police said the family violence charge comes from an alleged offense prior to the officers’ arrival on Wednesday.
Hucabee is currently being held at the Denton County Jail on a $350,000 bond.
MORE NEWS: 20 People Rescued After Roller Coaster Stalls At Six Flags Fiesta Texas“The Flower Mound Police Department would like to thank the community for their thoughts, prayers, and tremendous support throughout this incident,” the department said in a statement.
Sheridan Kahn, a landscape designer living in Ventura County, Calif., on her 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon, as told to A.J. Baime.
My husband, Dan Kahn, has been a car guy his whole life. When we went on our first date, he picked me up in this truck and he had removed the door handles to make the truck’s body smooth. So on our first date, I couldn’t even figure out how to get in the vehicle. He works in the car business Monday through Friday, and on weekends he says, “Want to go to a car show? Want to go for a drive?” He has brought home some cars over the years—some that I thought were cool, others not. But I was never wild about any of them.
In February, Dan brought home this 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon. He had shown me pictures, but I did not know that he had actually bought it. The second I saw it, I fell in love with it. The paint happened to be my favorite color. There was a cheerfulness and a brightness about the Ford that instantly drew me to it. I decided to claim it as my own. I think Dan was surprised, and he is still surprised. I just took it.
He had bought the Ford from a man in Georgia, and it had been restored with modern air-conditioning, modern power steering, modern brakes, upgraded suspension and a modern V-8 engine. So it is really easy and safe to drive. Dan put seat belts in the back seats for the kids. There was a vintage picnic basket in the back that came with the car. I put some flowers in it, and I started calling the Ford the Flower Wagon.
My daily driver is a minivan. It is easy and convenient for the kids, but there is nothing special about it. It is practical, and that goes for a lot of the new cars you see today. When we take out the Flower Wagon, everyone is smiling and waving. It is nostalgia and cheerfulness on wheels. We take our kids to the beach in it. They are not used to being able to see so much around them in a vehicle, and people can see in, too. So the kids light up from all the positive energy.
There is a whole other part of this story. I have always been interested in landscape design, and during Covid, I spent all my spare time gardening. The Flower Wagon inspired me to finally start a business. It’s called Flower Wagon Design, and I am just getting it off the ground.
The wagon’s whole aesthetic—the color, the shape, the way it moves, the way it inspires people—can be summed up in a word: charm. It is just a fun time, every time we take it out.
Write to A.J. Baime at myride@wsj.com
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The Link Lonk
Here’s PennLive garden writer George Weigel’s Plant Pick of the Week for this week:
* Common name: Lantana
* Botanical name: Lantana camara
* What it is: Lantana is actually a woody shrub in the South, where it sometimes “seeds around” into unwanted areas. In the North, however, it’s a heat-tough, drought-tough, butterfly-attracting annual flower that dies after a convincing freeze in fall.
Plants have a trailing habit and come in a variety of bloom colors, most often in blends of gold, orange, red, and sometimes pink. The nickel-sized flower clusters look much like verbena.
The plants are moderately toxic, which makes them resistant to deer and rabbit browsing.
* Size: Depending on variety, plants grow one to two feet tall with a spread of 18 inches to nearly three feet.
* Where to use: Lantana can be massed in beds or borders, where it blooms non-stop all season. Because of its trailing habit, lantana also is a good choice for hanging baskets or spilling out the side of large pots. Full sun is best.
* Care: Plant out after danger of frost passes in spring (mid-May or after). Work compost and timed-release flower fertilizer into soil at planting.
Keep soil damp the first few weeks to aid rooting, then water is needed only in extended dry spells. Supplemental liquid flower fertilizer each month throughout the growing season is helpful but not necessary.
Snip back any overly long branches during the growing season. Then yank and compost the plants after they freeze and die in fall, or move them inside before a freeze to grow as a houseplant in winter.
In pots, water daily in lieu of rain, and fertilize with a half-strength flower fertilizer every two weeks.
* Great partner: Red geraniums or large red begonias are good pot partners. Ornamental grasses, red shrub roses, and green or golden conifers are good landscape neighbors.
The Link Lonk
Spring Hill High School's Stallion Transition Academy has been working on floral arrangements this semester.
CHAPIN, S.C. — Students at Spring Hill High School are learning job skills by working in their own student-run floral shop, the 'Sweet Stallion Stem Floral Shop.'
Stallion Transition Academy has a special education class focused on transitioning from school to the working world. This year, they created a floral shop that is meant to teach students everything from customer service to plant care.
Caroline, one of the students who is helping with the shop, is partial to hydrangeas.
“I like this one!" she said, pointing to a blue one.
Yates, another student, explained what they do as students for the shop.
“Well, we sort them out and give them lots of water," Yates said, "and not only that, but we also put the correct amount of water. And luckily I do the very best I can.”
Christen Miller, one of the teachers, explains how the skills learned translate to the real world.
“Social skills, transition skills, this opened their eyes to other opportunities and showcased their skills in terms of being able to maybe work in different parts of a flower shop," Miller said.
Olivia McCartney, another one of the teachers said that students arrange the flowers and deliver them.
“The students arrange the flowers from the little ones all the way to the big ones and the filler flowers, they put them together in arrangements and then they deliver them to the teachers within the building and then also at the district office,” McCartney said.
Mason said his favorite flowers are the sunflowers. His sister taught him how to plant them after he talked about the class.
“These flowers are different colors. Some are red- they’re roses- pink, yellow, purple, white," Mason said.
“We deliver them by cart or by walking," Yates explains.
Teachers in the school or district office place orders and the students work on customer service and social skills when delivering them.
Abby tells us when they drop off deliveries, “they say thank you."
“When they leave, they’re going to have quite the plate of ideas of what to do and how to fill their resumes," Miller says.
This is the first year of the floral shop and Miller and McCartney tell us that many schools and school districts have called to see how they can do something similar in their classrooms.
Gunshots were heard and tear gas was deployed while crisis negotiators tried to get a man who officials said shot at police to surrender during a standoff.
FLOWER MOUND, Texas — Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the additional charge for the suspect, bond information and the names of the police officers involved.
What started as a welfare check call Wednesday night ended with three officers being shot and a man being taken into custody after an overnight standoff in Flower Mound.
The police officers are expected to make a full recovery, and the suspect faces multiple charges in connection with the incident, officials said.
Here's a breakdown of everything we know so far:
Flower Mound police were called around 7 p.m. Wednesday to the 2900 block of Termaine Drive. The wife of 60-year-old Bryan Hucabee called 911 after her husband was reportedly making suicidal threats, police said.
When Flower Mound police arrived at the scene they tried making contact with Hucabee, who was the only person inside the house.
Around 8:05 p.m., Hucabee started shooting at law enforcement, hitting three Flower Mound officers, officials said.
All three officers were treated and released after being shot at, officials said.
Flower Mound Police identified the officers, Friday, as Sgt. Adam Quintana, Sgt. John Styne-Burns and Officer Gregory Hall.
During a news conference Thursday morning, Police Chief Andy Kancel gave more details about the officers' injuries and how long the officers have been with the department.
RELATED: Man accused of shooting 3 Flower Mound police officers surrenders after 10-hour long standoff
Hall, a four-year police veteran, had his ballistic shield hit by a bullet, which caused the glass to shatter and injure the officer. He was taken to the hospital and released Wednesday night.
Quintana, who has 14 years of service, was hit by bullet fragments in the neck, face, and shoulder area. He was also taken to the hospital and released Wednesday night.
Styne-Burns, a 13-year police veteran, was shot in the chest. Officials said his ballistic plate carrier absorbed the impact of the bullet, protecting him from being hit. He was taken to the hospital out of precaution.
All three are recovering and doing well, according to police.
A standoff continued into the overnight hours as police tried to negotiate with Hucabee. Flower Mound police received help from the FBI, Texas Rangers, Lewisville police, the US Marshals, and other law enforcement agencies.
During the crisis negotiations, officers used a robot to check on Hucabee, but he fired shots at it, police said. Around 5:32 a.m. Thursday, FBI SWAT breached the residence and fired tear gas, police said, and that's when Hucabee surrendered peacefully.
Officials said Hucabee was not hit by gunfire during the standoff. He was taken into custody and taken to the hospital due to the deployment of tear gas.
Officials said Hucabee faces three counts of first degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the overnight incident. An additional charge of second degree felony aggravated assault with a weapon/family violence was added, Friday, for "an offense against his wife prior to law enforcement’s arrival on scene Wednesday," police said.
The bond for all four charges was set at $350,000. Hucabee was transported to the Denton County Jail, where he is currently being held.
Flower Mound Police Sgt. Jason Rachal told WFAA that Hucabee had surrendered his guns to the Flower Mound Police Department after a previous incident in 2017.
Rachal said Hucabee went through all the procedures with detectives to get the firearms back in 2019.
After the initial 2017 incident, Flower Mound police said Hucabee could not have the guns back unless he was cleared by a doctor. A doctor did clear him in 2019 and said he was mentally fit. As such, police had no legal standing to keep the weapons.
Texas has no red flag laws that would have allowed police to go to court and get a judge to determine the issue.
Flower Mound police said no other injuries were reported. Neighbors were forced to evacuate their homes overnight due to Hucabee firing shots at the robot, according to Kancel.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else.
"Since Shanghai positioned Chongming as an ecological island in 2001, the people of Chongming have been dedicated to green development over the past 20 years," Li says.
Instead of attracting factories that offer quick solutions for profit, Chongming focused on restoring its natural environment and developing its eco-friendly agricultural, leisure and tourism industries with the aim of becoming a world-class ecological island by 2035.
These efforts have paid off. The island now has a forest coverage of 30 percent, and residents enjoy good air quality about 90 percent of the year. Moreover, clean energy constitutes 56 percent of electricity consumption on the island.
Known as the premier gardening-themed event in China, the expo is held in central Chongming and comprises 180 outdoor gardens, 64 indoor exhibition zones and two service zones.
The giant butterfly-shaped Century Pavilion located in the northern part of the expo is designed to look as if it were flying toward Fuxing Pavilion, the permanent venue of the expo that sits in a peony shaped flower field. The Chinese word fuxing means rejuvenation.
This design reflects the "Blossom with the Chinese Dream" theme as this year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China.
Dongping National Forest Park makes up the southern part of the expo and is where visitors will find innovative flower designs created by 30 families in the Yangtze River Delta. This is the first time that works by the public are displayed at the expo.
At its first weekend, about 20,000 people visited the expo each day, where they admired more than 20,000 exhibits, including 1,000 types of new flowers.
Shi Mingfang, Chairman of Bright Dairy and Food, says the group built its largest flower factory in Shanghai, a 76,000-square-meter smart greenhouse to store flowers for the expo.
Song Limin, the person in charge of the Henan provincial exhibition at Fuxing Pavilion, says they have brought in 500 bonsai and floral arrangements to compete for the gold medal at the expo's flower contest.
"We started to prepare the seeds last year and control the temperature to make the flowers blossom during the expo," she says.
The Yunnan provincial exhibition has set up a big screen connected to the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center, and people can see live auction deals made every few seconds.
The 8th China Flower Trade Fair is also held alongside the expo, with three sessions taking place from May 21-29, June 5-13 and June 19-27. About 400 horticulture companies from around the country are selling various flowers, seeds, plants, seedlings and gardening tools at the fair.
Fei Xuemei, general manager of Yunnan Holy Flora, says that sales of flowers are set to increase in China due to rising income levels of Chinese people.
"Flowers are high value-added agricultural products, and the flower industry contributes to the country's revitalization of the countryside," she says.
Jiang Zehui, President of the China Flower Association, says the planting area of flowers in the country to date stands at 1.5 million hectares and generates annual sales of over 250 billion yuan ($39.2 billion) and a net export volume of $622 million, making China one of the biggest flower producers and traders in the world.
Chongming has been promoting its flower retail industry since it won the right to host the flower expo three years ago.
By the end of last year, Chongming welcomed eight large flower companies that brought in combined investments of about 2.5 billion yuan. Planting area of commercial flowers on Chongming also reached 28,000 mu (1,865 hectares).
Li Cheng, President of the China Horticultural Society, says that though Shanghai cannot compete with Yunnan in terms of overall flower production, its location makes it an ideal source of plants and flowers as one of the richest regions in the country.
"Sitting in the Yangtze River Delta, Chongming's plants can be quickly transported and sold not only in Shanghai, but also Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces where the annual per capita income is ranked among the top five in the Chinese mainland," Li says. "Holding the flower expo will certainly boost Chongming's brand as a floral island."
Launched in Beijing in 1987, the expo has been promoting the development of the flower retail industry in China. The expo venue is rotated among Chinese cities every four years.
"The expo has been a platform for flower exchanges and cooperation, driving the development of the entire industrial chain, including flower research and development, processing and logistics," says Liu Dongsheng, Deputy Director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
The spillover effect of the flower expo has also spurred an upgrade of Chongming's tourism sector. Hundreds of guesthouses and farm stays have opened over the past three years in anticipation of the massive influx of expo visitors.
"The expo lets more people know Chongming, and it boosts the already hot minsubusiness on the island," says Liu Qing, owner of guesthouse Zhigu 1984 and President of the Chongming Minsu Association. Minsu refers to Chinese styled bed-and-breakfast accommodations.
"For many popular minsu, guests currently need to book a month in advance," he says.
Li Zheng, the Party Secretary of Chongming, says the district will seize the opportunity to promote its ecotourism and green agriculture during the 11th China Ecological Civilization Summit held on the second day of the expo.
"We will continue the momentum of building Chongming into a beautiful countryside where people can gaze at the night stars, hear the birds sing and smell the flowers," Li says.
Image Attachments Links:
Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=392422
Caption: The Century Pavilion of the 10th China Flower Expo is shaped like a giant butterfly.
Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=392427
Caption: Shanghai's Chongming Island hosts the flower expo
SOURCE The 10th China Flower Expo News Center
The Link Lonkflower.indah.link By NEENA GAYNOR Since moving to our new home, each season has brought its own surprises. In the winter, we collec...
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