Once known as the Madison Square Depot, Madison Square Garden’s legacy began adjacent to Madison Square Park, located at the northeast corner of 26th Street and Madison Avenue. The first (1876-1889) and second (1890-1925) Madison Square Garden hosted a crazy quilt of diverse activities: there were dog shows, cattle displays, political conventions, circuses, theater, opera, balls, religious revivals, and boxing matches. The first Madison Square Garden, owned by William K. Vanderbilt, was constantly abuzz with sporting events, as well as P. T. Barnum’s circus, which was brought to Madison Square Garden each year and is credited as keeping the financially inefficient building afloat. Unfortunately, the roofless and structurally unsound building was unable to host enough events to bring in necessary funds, leading to the building’s sale in 1887 and demolition in 1889. The second Madison Square Garden, erected at the same location, had to be built in one year so as not to miss more than one season of shows. Working on a 24/7 schedule, one source reported that “at least one thousand men were at work at any given time” on the site. Upon completion in 1890, the new Madison Square Garden was once again New York City’s epicenter of culture and large-scale events. The expenses of operating Madison Square Garden again grew too steep, resulting in the Garden being sold in 1908 with The New York Life Insurance Company securing a mortgage for the building. Remaining open for several more years, the Garden closed on May 25, 1925. The third Madison Square Garden opened that same year at 49th Street and Eight Avenue. The Garden on Madison Square Park was demolished in 1926, and over the course of the next two years, the New York Life Insurance Building was built--and still stands today, as the beautifully gothic building adorned with a golden roof that can still be seen from Madison Square Park. Thank you, reader. https://madisonsquarepark.org/community/news/2021/04/history-of-madison-square-garden/
Golden Tempo (19) ridden by Jose L. Ortiz won the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville on May 2, 2026. Golden Tempo horse entered with 23-1 odds. Renegade (5-1) and Ocelli (70-1) took second and third, respectively. Golden Tempo, the son of two-time horse of the year Curlin, had run well during show efforts in the Louisiana Derby and Risen Star Stakes but wasn’t considered a serious contender in the Run of the Roses. Golden Tempo claimed Saturday’s Kentucky Derby and made history, as trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to ever prep the winner of America’s most famous horse race. “I don’t have any words right now,” DeVaux said after the victory. “I’m just so, so happy for Golden Tempo. (Jockey) Jose (Ortiz) did a wonderful job, a magical job at getting him there.” https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/horse-racing/live-blog/kentucky-derby-2026-live-updates-rcna341955
Bellis perennis (the daisy) is a European species of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of the name daisy. To distinguish this species from other plants known as daisies, it is sometimes qualified or known as common daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy. Bellis perennis is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 20 centimetres (8 inches) in height. It has short creeping rhizomes and rosettes of small rounded or spoon-shaped leaves that are from 2 to 5 cm (3⁄4–2 in) long and grow flat to the ground. The species habitually colonises lawns and is difficult to eradicate by mowing, hence the term 'lawn daisy'. The plant blooms from March to September and exhibits the phenomenon of heliotropism, in which the flowers follow the position of the sun in the sky. The flower heads are composite, about 2 to 3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) in diameter, in the form of a pseudanthium, consisting of many sessile flowers with white ray florets (often tipped red) and yellow disc florets. Each inflorescence is borne on a single leafless stem 2 to 10 cm (3⁄4–4 in), rarely 15 cm (6 in) tall. The capitulum, or disc of florets, is surrounded by two rows of green bracts known as "phyllaries". The achenes are without pappus. Bellis may come from bellus, Latin for "pretty", and perennis is Latin for "everlasting". The name "daisy", possibly originating with this plant, is considered a corruption of "day's eye", because the whole head closes at night and opens in the morning. Geoffrey Chaucer called it "eye of the day". In medieval times, Bellis perennis or the English Daisy was commonly known as "Mary's Rose". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellis_perennis
Dandelions have deep roots in history throughout the ages. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans enjoyed the flower, and they have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Dandelions probably arrived in North America on the Mayflower--not as stowaways, but brought on purpose for their medicinal benefits. See more at https://www.mofga.org/resources/weeds/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-dandelions/ In the last week of April 2026, mowers cut down dandelions in my backyard. As they did, more dandelions popped up.
May 4, 2026