Marilyn's Photos - Aug 23 2026 - Spritzing to Sprinkles

 

It was spritzing earlier but it has turned to sprinkles and trending to drizzles.  Spritz is not a formal meteorological term, just informal.  Sprinkles is - very light, scattered drops that fall in small amounts.  Moving onto drizzles, they are very tiny, fine water drops smaller than 0.5 mm that seem to float in the air.  I think we're going to miss the floaty stuff, and move on to showers - rain that starts and stops quickly and changes in strength.   There are no forecasts of a downpour - a sudden very heavy rush of water that falls fast.  What we had in Niagara 2 weeks ago is called torrential rain (deluge) and is extreme, heavy rain that can cause floods very quickly. What about the phenomenon known as Virga:  precipitation begins as snow or rain from the base of clouds.  But it passes through a thick layer of warm, dry air, which causes the precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the ground.  It is also called phantom rain or a dry storm.  This is more common in arid western climates.  They look like jellyfish - so the common name is often jellyfish clouds.   It looks like a 9 to 5 day of rain in Grimsby and then all clear.   Here's a happy cloud sky in Niagara around this time of year.  I haven't found any Sunflower fields like this one so far.  They get gobbled up by the great harvesting machines. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Aug 22 2026 - Onwards to Non-consumerism

 

I wonder what the list of things too expensive to buy is going to be.  Will we retaliate product to product?  OK, I don't need any hockey sticks, and we've already done without U.S. alcohol.   According to the CBC the next in line is the electronics sector. I guess we would suffer if we decide to retaliate there.  Us older people have been through harsh consumer times in the 1970s inflation era when if you wanted to buy something there was urgency to do it quickly before the next shipment of whatever it was came in with a whopping price increase.  That was a long time ago, and I wonder how many will remember the experience.  Could this harsh time be like the 1930s Depression era?  That isn't the prediction so far.   So what things should we stock up on before the tariff tsunami hits?  The list of things that will receive the new U.S. tariffs has been  thoroughly analyzed in the build-up to the deadline.  The general consensus is that this is a strange list of things.  There are three main themes:  motor vehicles, dairy and alcohol.   Probably don't worry about the organization of the lists, worry about the $28 billion worth of goods that the 50% applies to  5% of Canada's exports to the U.S.  In the tit for tat world, will we see tariffs on the following? The dairy proclamation/order: Milk and cream Whey and milk protein concentrates, including casein Bones and horn-cones Lactose, glucose, fructose and blended syrups Sugars, cane molasses Non-alcoholic beer Essential oils of peppermint The alcohol proclamation/order: Beer, wine, liquor, cider and other fermented beverages Essential oils of grapefruit Densified wood blocks, plates, strips Some wooden tableware Wood marquetry and inlaid wood, wooden articles of furniture Skewers and ice cream sticks, as well as bamboo products Basketwork and other articles Grease-proof paper Ice hockey and field hockey equipment, other than balls and skates The motor vehicles and broad proclamation/order: Natural honey Down feathers Tortoise shell, whalebone, horns, antlers and other animal parts Tulips and other dormant flower buds, live orchids and mushroom spawn, tubers, mosses and lichen Vegetable, tree and shrub seeds A range of other vegetation and parts Perfumes containing alcohol and plant parts used in perfume Various essential oils Makeup preparations Doughs and other bakers’ mixes Bitters Synthetic paints and varnishes, printer inks Cements Candles Various fatty acids Vinyl floor tiles Non-plastic office supplies Plastic furniture fittings Household and toilet articles, tableware, kitchenware Dog leashes and saddles Luggage and other cases, such as for musical instruments Various fibreboard, laminate and plywood sheets Various paper, wallpaper, binders, paper pulp products Silk, yarn, carpet and other various textiles T-shirts, sweaters, trousers, dresses, gloves, coats and other clothing items of various materials Wigs, false beards, eyebrows of synthetic textile materials Glass packing materials Non-industrial diamonds, not set Various gold, silver and imitation jewelry A range of power tools and equipment Armoured safes, locks and lockboxes Brewery machinery Refrigerating or freezing furniture and equipment Vacuums Smartphones and other recording devices Devices containing semiconductors for data transmission and storage Cameras and projectors Radar equipment and antennae, optical fibre cables Motorcycles fitted with an engine capacity of 800 cc or greater Floating docks, vessels and rafts Furniture seats and parts made of wood, plastic and metal with a range of outlined uses and exemptions Chandeliers and lamps Toys, puzzles and models Video game consoles Christmas and other festival decorations Ice skates, golf and gym equipment Swimming pools, wading pools and parts Fishing rods and parts Paintings, drawings, collages, sculptures of various ages Postage stamps and other collectors’ pieces Antiques of an age exceeding 100 years but not exceeding 250 years This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2026. The Canadian Press Isn't that such a list!  There has been much analysis on what it all is about. One thing that won't likely happen is a retaliation of the sorts of accusations and false claims that have become part orf U.S. rhetoric. We should brace for an escalation - maybe that is the tsunami to prepare for.   Here's a water bog planting of carnivorous pitcher plants at Laura Grant's garden. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Aug 20 2026 - Surprise Me Travel

 

Did you know that there's a travel site that takes you on a surprise vacation? The site is srprs.me   We'll take you wherever you're meant to go Stop control-freaking your trip. Just sit back, relax and let us arrange everything. Select a specific theme or put together your own city break. Only accommodations rated 8 or higher will make the final and, of course, you’ll fly with a safe airline. Take the leap and discover your mystery holiday to destination unknown! FLIGHT TRIPROAD TRIPROCKET TRIP Here's the rocket trip option: THIS IS GOING TO BE A PHENOMENAL RIDE We cannot wait for the day that we'll take you on a srprs.trip to space. We have our top engineers working day and night on the srprs.rocket and we have already successfully sent a pork sausage into the stratosphere. So we feel we're getting close. So leave us your email address and we'll keep you updated on our progress, and maybe chuck in some special editions trips and special offers too. Here's another option:  Bucket List - you share your bucket list, we'll make sure you can cross a city off.  From 360 pounds. (We're in the U.K.) How many people have taken srprs trips?  It says the number is over 120,000 people. The global surprise trip planning market reached $1.42 billion U.S. in 2024.   Isn't it so interesting.  At one end of the spectrum is the control approach with a bucket list where things must get checked off regularly. At the other end is the spontaneous and surprising with little control.  We're at the end of August, so if a vacation is on your horizon, you might consider the surprise approach. What about this approach?  Go to Sugar Beach in Toronto and spin the dial.  What if you get Big Brother is watching you. Then you are already there. Sit down and have an espresso. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Aug 20 2026 - Back to School

 

If it is back to school time, then the CNE is opening this weekend.  The weird food competition previewed on the CBC yesterday.  The hosts didn't find the weird food to be a good news story.  One of them said that if he had to eat any of it, he would go buy a six-pack of Pepto bismol.   Or did he say a 24-pack.  Things like deep-fried pizza, Kraft dinner smoothie, pickle cheesecake pops... none of them sound fun.  Here's the CBC list.   Pickle or bacon-flavoured coffee. "The Szechuan Sizzle" spice cream. Cotton Candy Kickin’ Chicken. Sushi pops.  Blue Heat Taki Tenders. Popcorn falafel poutine. Jamaican beef patty mini pierogies. Lobster on a stick. Footlong butter chicken taquito. Fried S’MOREO. S’more Deep Fried Slice. Brie cheese deep fried Oreos. Dill pickle "pegrolls." Ramen Fried Frog Legs. Smash burger dumplings. The Carnival Cone. Nacho ribs. Steak barrel pork belly. Sweetcorn wasabi lemonade. Maybe this weird and crazy food mix-it-up is a response to the budget-conscious, inflation-biting back-to-school purchases this year.  The fashion news is barrel-leg denim, elevated basics, oversized outerwear and retro-inspired sneakers.  Also healthy-skin beauty routines - I noticed that all the girls had makeup on when Millie and I visited one of the high schools in the spring.  There are way too many fashion-driven items: A Garage shoulder bag, an H&M ball cap, an Indigo water bottle, Roots 2 piece junior backpack set.  AI says that back-to-school costs are $600 - $750 per child.  Here's AI's version of the 1951 vs 2026 back to school trend: The back-to-school landscape in Ontario has shifted from a highly standardized, traditional community experience in 1951 to an individuality-driven, AI-integrated, omnichannel shopping event in 2026.  That comes from fieldagentcanada HERE.  Isn't this an August flower field picture.  Another from Laura's St. Davids garden.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Aug 19 2026 - Tariff Day

 

It was Tariff Deadline last night at midnight - well the tariffs were to come into effect at 12:01.  That would be after a normal news deadline for the paper version of The Globe and Mail.  I can imagine what yesterday was like.  Did the Globe and Mail have to wait till past midnight for closure on the story, or was the news story set earlier in the day? Yes it did have to wait.  Trump made the announcement on Truth Social at 11:55pm - five minutes before the midnight deadline.  Front-page print deadlines operate into the "late evening" and final production workflows run deep into the night and can go towards 1:00am or 2:00am to accommodate final regional editions and late-breaking developments.  This isn't a war story, but I suggest it is being treated as one - by both sides.  And of course the drama of an 11th-hour breakthrough would have to be in the headline. What do I see is I look through the headlines from news sources all over the world?  The BBC says that the announcement came less than two hours before the levy was set to go in place.  That would have meant the tariffs would come into effect at 2:00am in the morning.  None of the other news stories say this, so maybe the BBC wasn't attentive to EDT.  I would think that would be considered sloppy work. Mostly, the news coverage around the world - Britain, France, Australia, Japan, and other countries read the same - come from the same feeds.   Maybe CP and AP.  Chinese state-controlled media had coverage of the late-breaking tariff deadline, making the last-minute announcement the main news.  The trade relationship would be of interest to China compared to Russia where there is much tension between our countries.   Let's turn our attention to what the Russian state media covered in the dispute.  "Russian reporting notes how quickly Washington is willing to apply maximum pressure...even against neighbouring partners like Canada."  They highlighted "trade friction within North America as evidence of fractures in Western economic solidarity," and "the late-night pause is characteristic brinkmanship rather than a stable resolution."  Seems insightful and on target, doesn't it?  That comes from AI.  I can't seem to get any articles when I search tass.com.  I do see the Gordie Howie Bridge article where Trump demands half ownership so there is some coverage.  I wonder how the news will go today.  Will there be a lull as people get some sleep? Will there be bits and pieces as the news sources start to reveal details?  I expect Canadian coverage will be the latter, and all the rest of the media will wait for some breaking-news update.  Another watercolour image today - something soothing and calm. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com