Marilyn's Photos - July 3 2026 - There's Always Hope

 

Let's check out that Zombie Movie I found the other day.  I think that the plot explains what made Bob Hope so amazing and funny.  This from Wikipedia: The film opens in 1940 Manhattan during a violent evening thunderstorm. From a radio studio, broadcaster Larry Lawrence exposes the crimes of underworld boss Frenchy Duval. In her hotel suite, while listening to the broadcast, Mary Carter is visited by Mr. Parada, a sinister Cuban solicitor. He delivers her the deed to her inheritance—a plantation and mansion in Cuba. Despite Parada's objections, Mary decides to travel there by ship to inspect the property. As Larry finishes his program, he takes a phone call from Frenchy himself, inviting Larry to his hotel. Coincidentally, Frenchy lives on the same floor as Mary. When Larry arrives, he fires his gun and becomes convinced he killed a man, initially unaware that the actual assailant is further down the hall. Looking for cover, Larry ducks into Mary's suite, where he takes refuge in her large open trunk. Unaware of Larry's presence, Mary locks the trunk and arranges for its transport to the harbor. At the dock, Larry's valet Alex searches among the luggage and finds Larry. Although not in time to prevent the trunk's transfer to the ship's hold, Alex manages to get on board to extricate his employer before the ship sails. During the trip, Larry and Mary strike up a flirtation. They then meet an acquaintance of Mary's, Geoff Montgomery, a young intellectual who regales them with tales of Caribbean superstitions, particularly voodoo, ghosts, and zombies. Upon reaching Havana, Larry, and Alex travel to her new island estate. En route, they find a shack occupied by an old woman and her catatonic son, whom they suspect is a zombie. Mary arrives on the island and the three explore the old, abandoned mansion and discover the large portrait of a woman who is a mirror image of Mary. Soon, they are terrorized by a ghost. Then, they encounter the "zombie", whom Alex traps in a closet. Parada arrives next, but he's fatally stabbed and placed in a casket. Larry and Mary discover him; Parada's last act is to reveal to them access to a secret passage under the house. As the couple draw closer to the lost treasure, Parada's murderer attempts to kill them, but this sets off a trap that causes him to plummet through the basement floor to his death. Larry, Mary, and Alex leave the island after claiming Mary's right to her fortune. As Larry alludes to his plans for his and Mary's eventual honeymoon, the film draws to a close."

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Marilyn's Photos - July 2 2026 - After Canada Day

 

That's my recommendation for mid-week Canada Days.  We have an automatic After Canada Day holiday.  So far, there is the only idea in the press - Terry Fox Day.  I would vote for that.  Would that be a referendum? How often should we be voting directly? It would keep us active in decisions that relate to our daily life.  Burt it doesn't seem to be Canadian-style to have referendums. One big referendum was in 1898 on prohibition.  It is a telling chart.  All the provinces voted against prohibition except Quebec.  Is that an indicator of how differently Quebekers thought compared to the rest of the provinces?  The government did not adopt Prohibition, saying the overall majority in favour was slight and turn-out was low. Then there was conscription in 1942. (Again Quebec voted the opposite of everyone else). The government "adopted conscription but with a light touch, initially adopting the policy that those conscripted would not be sent overseas to active fighting."  Do you know what these conscripts were nicknamed?  Zombies. Who would have thought zombies were already ingrained in our social psyche in 1942.  Maybe it was the 1940 film The Ghost Breakers with Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. The big national referendum so far was the Charlottetown Accord. While most of the politicians at national and provincial levels supported it, it had some notable opponents, and eventually the no vote won over.   With the Alberta referendum is coming up, so we're getting prepared for political stress.  We don't seem to do well on referendums historically.  In that light, would we really have a referendum on Terry Fox Day being the After Canada Day holiday?  Messy thoughts all-round. Here is Grimsby's Rotary Clock.

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Marilyn's PHotos - July 1 2026 - Canada's Day

 

t seems odd that Canada's name comes from Huron-Iroquoia kanata which means village or settlement.  The original people didn't have a name for the vast expanse itself.  Makes sense, as they didn't consider anyone owned land.   The name Canada grew and spread through the regions which became colonies and provinces. From chemin de Kanata (route to the village) to Kingdom of Canada and Province of Canada.  In comparison, the Spaniards, finding no riches when they visited in 1534 said "aca nada" or "ca nada" which meant nothing here.  We might have been named Albertsland or Victorialand, but Canada stuck.   And what about this fanciful origin story.  "In 1811 the Kingston Gazette suggested that the name Canada came from inhabitants of New France who, permitted only one can of spruce beer per day, every moment articulated 'can a day.' " This was a giant puddle in the parking lot in front of the Canadian Tire store in Grimsby in 2011.  It got fixed after this, but that morning I was able to get some great pictures of the waves and reflections.

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Marilyn's Photos - June 30 2026 - Zombie Life

 

seem to have missed all of the Zombie genre of movies.  Maybe I've seen some, but I've removed them from my mind.  They are remarkable to read about. Things like: "farm infested with zombies" "teens working inside a local warehouse accidentally reanimate a storage locker of zombies" "undead SS officers stalking hikers in the mountains in Norway" "inspired by the  nonfiction account ofo a Haitian man named Clairvius Narcisse, who spent two years as a "zombie" after being buried alive" When his cruel mother is bitten by a Sumatran Rat-Monkey (just go with us here), young Lionel is stunned to see her rise from the dead as a blistering, festering, cannibalistic monster." Dead seems the most common element with such Titles as: Night of the Living Dead Shaun of the Dead Dawn of the Dead Zombieland White Zombie Dead Alive Return of the Living Dead The shopping mall where Dawn of the Dead takes place has been a destination for people celebrating the movie.  It made the headlines today because there is a plan to demolish the mall.  So tangible and soon to be gone.  And what about other famous places - famous because they are immortalized in movie scenes. Here's an article showing lots of them HERE.

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Marilyn's Photos - June 29 2026 - Catios

 

I thought it was a little greenhouse.  Looks like one, especially with the plants all around it.  But instead it is a large walk-in outdoor catio. There are lots of them and they seem to range around $1,000 for the ones that look like greenhouses.  Then there are smaller ones that do look like they are for cats rather than plants. Some are advertised as shelters for feral cats and at the other end cat party rooms. Or you can have a cat wall indoors like this one, available on Wayfair.   It seems very innocent with them sitting nicely.  I think one big jump  might result in a cascade of collapses.

I thought the one below was hilarious.  A room for the cats. This is a multi-level cat tower and jungle gym. It is a bit funny that the biggest cat is on the top and the cats get smaller down the layers. It has weight capacity recommendations:  6 big cats or 10 medium cats.   I think the whole thing is AI-generated given all the different sizes of cats, but HIVE tells me only 1%.  So I guess we've moved into "who knows" territory. But then I also think the description is AI-generated.  The Globe this morning says that a third of real estate ads are now AI-generated.   There are lots of weird cat houses, weirder than these.  I see an article showing 7 cardboard cat houses inspired by famous architectural landmarks - HERE. A Taj Mahal, the White House, the Eiffel Tower, a Pagoda and Mayan Temple.  There are Audrey "Feed Me" looking cat trees, and cat trees looking like tree trunks. One article has cat houses by LA architects auctioned off for charity.  That article is HERE and don't those look like architects were at play.   Here's a garden where the boxwood has been turned into chicks.   Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com