Marilyn's Photos - July 13 2026 - Tick Tock

 

The CBC today says that guinea fowl sales have spiked in Nova Scotia because they keep the tick population in check. Ticks have increased dramatically in Canada as the temperatures rise.  We are watching the clock hoping that we'll get a vaccine soon as guinea fowls aren't going to work in my garden.   And considering the clock, it seems an interesting phrase - tick tock - that's the phrase for the sound of a mechanical clock ticking.  It once was described as tick-tack and as the pendulum grandfather clocks became popular the sound was described as tick-tock.  It reflects a deeper, slower resonance. There's another aspect of the phrase tick-tock that is  interesting.  There is the subconscious rule in English grammar called ablaut reduplication.  Reduplication is when a word is repeated to create a new phrase - bye-bye is the example.  When the vowel changes in the repeated word, the human mouth naturally prefers moving from the front of the mouth to the back.  So there we are with tick-tock, flip-flop, zigzag and hip-hop.  But why wasn't it described as tick-tick-tick? The reason goes that we like repeated pairs and naturally turn things into pairs.  The brain assigns a higher emphasis to the first beat and assigns a lower tone to the second beat even when a clock goes tick-tick-tick with no differentiation.  Here's a new phrase that will likely catch on:  Delulu - slang for holding unrealistic, delusional or overly optimistic expectations.  It is catchy, isn't it? Here's another human tendency.  Here's a silly smiley face in the plane tree bark pattern. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - July 12 2026 - Kate's Polka Dots

 

Pictures of Princess Kate always astonish me.  She is extraordinarily attractive with a gorgeous dimple and a wide and warm smile.  And then she's slim (so slim) which shows beautifully in pictures.  And finally she has the endearing quality of wearing polka dots.  And there's nothing more fun than polka dots.  It is reported that she has an affinity for polka dots and wears them at the Royal Ascot and Wimbledon which are two high-fashion events in England.  We can go to https://katemiddletonstyle.org/tag/polka-dot/ to see these many outfits.  They are part of the 20th century Royal fashion psyche. They loved polka dots. Here's a collage. It seems to me that after the Royals, the next most famous wearer of polka dots was Marilyn Monroe in that polka dot bathing suit.  It seems to be the American version of the Royal outfit.  The surprise, though, seems to be who is the second in line for polka dot royalty in America?  None other than George Clooney. What an amazing display this is. George Clooney's polka dot fame in 2013 was made possible by the great artist Yayoi Kusama. She devoted her entire career to exploring the emotional and philosophical dimensions of the dot.  Here's a quote about her polka dot work with George Clooney: ‘My idea is to send the message of ‘love forever’ to all the people in the world through the polka dots, which are all about the universe and human beings and living things. Your sex, being famous, being a star has nothing to do with it." Here's a summer polka dot design. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - July 11 2026 - A bridge too far

 

The date is now July 27th.  That's when the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to open, according to a news release last night sent out by the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.  That comes from the CBC.  From MSN comes the news that Donald Trump is quietly backing off an aggressive trade posture against Canada, which some were suspicious was an under-the-table handout to major GOP donors.  Then it goes on to say that the Canadian government announced the bridge opening date.  In comparison the Yahoo!Finance news says that Canada and Michigan have agreed to open the Gordie How International Bridge...with the support of the United States Government.  Should one be encouraged and have some optimism that the bridge will open?  I know nothing about betting sites, so off I went to find out what the odds are that the bridge will open on that date.  Perhaps you already know this: "The July 27th opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is not available as a betting market on any regulated sportsbooks. Because both the Canadian government and U.S. officials officially announced this specific opening date, betting sites do not offer odds on this event as it is a settled certainty rather than an unpredictable contest." This is an historic moment:  Should you make the drive to Detroit and participate in the first day celebration? Is there the ability for Canadians to go halfway, turn around and come back, so we don't have to go through U.S. customs?  Well we could walk or bike across the bridge  It is 2.5 kilometers long. Would that be a bad sort of behaviour?  It says you will still have to go through Canadian customs just as if you had traveled all the way to Detroit.  It is designed specifically to cross the international border, so once you are on the bridge, you are in international zone requiring valid travel documents.  And you can walk the bridge for free. Sounds like a plan, though: walk onto the bridge for a bit, and then come back.  There's a FB post wanting to organize a Gordie Howe International bridge walk.  I guess when they opened the Ambassador bridge in 1929, there was a massive crowd walk. I guess it can happen again, so there'd be no easy getting back, would there? Today's picture is tree bark. This is a Sycamore or Plane Tree. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

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Mairlyn's Photos - Jjly 10 2026 - Summer Time Retreat

 

Summer time attracts the idea of getting away from it all.  Maybe in the woods or on a lake.  We have a lot of woods and lakes in Northern Ontario.  There are all sorts of summer retreats these days - yoga, religious, nature, wellness, kayaking, sports, and even axe throwing, if you go to Long Point Eco-Adventures.  The idea of a retreat has been with us since we lived in cities.  Doesn't Lake Como, Italy pop up - the world's best hotel, an 18th century villa. The alternatives today, though, range to some strange options.  Maybe it is Mexico's Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, supposedly the #1 all-inclusive resort in the world.  Or one could explore strange and unusual destinations such as these: sleep encased in salt at Palacio del Sal in Bolivia, inside an old Boeing fuselage in Costa Rica, or float underwater at the Manta Resort.  Bizarre is what we've come to expect when it comes to retreat sleeping. I was thinking more of the northern Ontario landscape of trees and lakes. Surprise!  Bizarre exists there too - near Parry Sound you can sleep in a transparent geodesic dome in old growth trees, or in Gravenhurst you can sleep in a fully converted 1979 Ontario Northland Railway caboose, or go glammping at the Sunnd Eco Resort near Sault Ste. Marie. The choices are many. Here's one that is close by and is strange indeed. We can go to the Screaming Heads sculptures in the Almaguin Highlands at Midlothian Castle at Burk's Falls.  There are more than 100 very huge sculptures on the landscape all screaming in some way.  It certainly is something to see, but I wonder if it would be a retreat to go to or a retreat to run from. It makes me think of the Burning Man Festival, Canadian style, as it has a harvest festival each year. On the simple side of things,  we could stay in Grimsby and head over to this residence's cute bench on the edge of the woods.  There's a retreat everywhere if we think about it. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - July 8 2026 - Fact Check Time

 

Do you remember when fact-checking was all of a sudden significant?  Yes, when Donald Trump became president the first time.  We were shocked.  Fact-checking is supposed to be something behind the scenes that keeps information accurate.   The all-time high was in 2024 - today there are 437 fact-checkers globally.  Today's headline says that Trump has fallen asleep 22 times in his second term. is this factual or sensational reporting?  There is more sensation these days.  There are many internet articles that appear to be reporting  news with  sensational headlines.   I went to factually.co to find a fact-checked answer.  It is very thorough in its answer.  There are differences in the definition of what "falls asleep" is.  There are video clips that can and cannot be authenticated.  Original footage and context are required for verification.  They also look for on-the-record denials - that seems interesting.  Factually.co says that the bottom line is this:  there are at least four widely reporting episodes from 2024-25.   And after all that, doesn't the number 22 stick in your mind now?  How easy it is to create the "sense" of something. Remember this amazing sidewalk drawing in Toronto?   Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com