January 21 2021 - Winter Rabbits

 

Bunnies don't hibernate.  I saw one run across the snowy grass early this morning, into my front garden where I expect there is a nest under the bird's nest spruce.  This seems to give this plant a life purpose through its name. Gardeners do not believe that rabbits primarily feed on grass.  They consider the other ground level plants to be the prime subjects of their culinary choices.  I've watched a potted Chrysanthemum's flowers disappear over the course of November  and have come to the conclusion that this flower is a delicacy.  Rabbits aren't gorgers in my gardens.  Kale disappears over the course of the winter.  Not all at once.  The Sedge plant with its green grassy leaves will be clipped over the course of winter in time for spring.  Here's one of the frequently asked questions:  Can rabbits live outside in winter?  This makes one curious about where people think rabbits live. But then, looking at the rest of the frequently asked questions, these seem to be targeted to pet-owning children.  That must be the reason the rest of the questions cluster around rabbits and farts.  In fact, I would expect rabbits are owned by seven-year-old children - that's the fart-loving age.  Can holding in a far kill you? There is no evidence that holding in a fart could kill you, though the pain and discomfort doing so causes can be severe. That would be a relief for children to know they won't die - from not farting or from farting. That probably makes farts funnier to them. Scrolling through the rabbit jokes - all of them are for  children - so there has to be a fart joke: What is invisible and smells like carrots? A rabbit fart. Today we have some snow motion in the garden.  Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 20 2021 - How do you make time fly?

 

How do you make time fly?  Throw a clock. If you could, would you make time fly?  I wonder what choice one would make - skip the rest of January and all of February and land into March somewhere.   We're in an isolation winter, watching the clock, the COVID numbers and the U.S. capitol barricades for today's inauguration.There's advice on how to make time go by faster.   Particularly entertaining is:  Stop looking at the clock and counting the minutes, and then there is "practical" advice like organizing your work and tackle undesirable tasks.   There are more articles - things like:  11 Things you can do to stop feeling so bored with life.  So our current version would be:  11 Things to do to stop feeling so bored with the pandemic.  The article talks about life being longer than we realized.  And didn't we find out the pandemic is much longer than we planned it to be. Our pandemic situation it is likely months longer, not years.  But our dilemma is that the advice - learn a new set of skills, develop friendships, travel, look for a new job, get active and exercise, create some art - make things seem worse as only a few of these are readily available.  We can easily get active and create some art. But more likely is the case that many people are beyond "bored",  and are now in existential depression - experiencing hopelessness, and with life being meaningless. There are articles for this too.  This is one HERE.  The advice is things like: accept the uncertainty, focus on what you can do, grieve, embrace differences.   So let's take the advice and focus on what we can do - find some "time flies" jokes: People: Time flies when you’re having fun Frogs: Time is fun when you’re having flies Time flies when you name your bird after the seasoning I am aware that the correct spelling is thyme   These beautiful Himalayan Poppies were at Longwood Gardens a few years ago for their winter display.  Aren't they they most beautiful blue?     Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 19 2021 - Unicorn Thinking

 

What makes us value the Unicorn? It has been in our collective existence since antiquity.  Generally it is white.  It is wild and untameable. A symbol of purity and grace, which could be captured only by a virgin.   There are references to unicorns in the Old Testament of the Bible Thanks to the King John version which turns the re'em into a unicorn.  Both are equally unknown to exist. The unicorn continues to hold a place in popular culture. It is used as a symbol of fantasy or rarity.  It has mostly been co-opted into a feminine character of vivid colours that can be sold as fluffy toys.  So that means there are unicorn movies, games and theme park characters too.  And then don't forget the LGBT  community adopted it along with many other symbols. With uni and corn composing its name, it is perfect for kid jokes: Q: What did the mythical creature serve at his barbecue? A: Unicorn on the cob.   Q: What is the difference between a carrot and a unicorn? A: The first is a bunny feast, the other is a funny beast.   Q: Why do unicorns like silly jokes? A: Because they’re uni-corny.   Q: What street do unicorns live on? A: Mane Street.   Q: What’s black and white and eats like a unicorn? A: A zebra.   Q: Why can you always trust what a unicorn says? A: They’re no bull.   Q: Do they have unicorns at the zoo? A: Yes – they’re just big, grey and called rhinos.   Q: What do unicorn moms bake on Sunday? A: UniCorn muffins.   Q: Why do unicorns listen to polkas? A: They like to hear unicordians.   Q: What do they call the best student at Unicorn University? A: The A-corn.   Q: What do unicorns call their dad? A: Pop corn. And to complete a perfect Unicorn day:  Write some unicorn jokes on little pieces of paper, fold or roll them up, and stick them inside a balloon. Blow the balloon up and tie it off. Play a game of pop the balloon, in which kids sit on a balloon to pop it. When they do, they can read the joke or have an adult read it to them. It’s hilarious! Here is Millie looking so pensive - a typical Cavalier expression.     Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 18 2021 - What's in a Name - Martin Luther King

 

Growing up a Lutheran, you can imagine that Martin Luther King got my attention.  Couldn't that be equivalent to naming someone Pope Paul or Saint Peter in the Roman Catholic faith? I wondered about how he got named after such a religious figure. This curiosity is easily answered: "Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth name was not “Martin,” but “Michael.” Dr. King’s father traveled to Germany and became inspired by Protestant reformer Martin Luther and thus changed his name while also changing the name of his then 5-year-old-son." But that isn't the answer - it is a statement of what happened when.  It gives no reason why - there is no explanation by King Sr or others.  As is typical of the articles on social media, the same phrases are repeated in the articles.   Here's the Wikipedia entry: That year, (1934) he also changed his name (and that of his eldest son) from Michael King to Martin Luther King after a period of gradual transition on his own part. He was inspired during a trip to Germany for that year's meeting of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). While visiting sites associated with reformation leader Martin Luther, attendees also witnessed the rise of Nazism. The BWA conference issued a resolution condemning antisemitism, and the senior King gained deepened appreciation for the power of Luther's protest. I don't remember our Lutheran church promoting Martin Luther.  I saw a special on him on the 500th anniversary in 2017.  I found out he was the greatest and most influential social media personality of his time.  He didn't mean to, he wanted the 95 Theses to be discussion points.  Instead, he started the protestant revolution.  Printed copies of the 95 Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks, and Europe within two months. Martin Luther King Sr. was an activist similar to Martin Luther, pointing to freedom and dignity, and away from corruption and violence.  I wonder what the other connections are.   Model layouts are about clarity - no multiple exposures here. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan - 17 2021 - Country Name Mistake? Canada

 

I wonder how country names come about?  That's easy to find out.  This answer was at Kwintessential.co.uk A listing of countries is HERE.   "Most of the time, a country got its English name like this: settlers or traders arrive and either name it after the tribe they encounter or use the name the tribe already have for it. If the new visitors have conquest on their minds, they’ll name a newly discovered land after their leader, the local geography or something reminiscent of their own land. Some are named for people – some are even named by mistake. St Lucia This is one of the only examples of a country named after a woman – St Lucy. Columbus named several of the Caribbean islands he found after saints he was fond of. St Kitts is named for Saint Christopher, his own namesake. Canada “Kanata” means village. It was mistakenly assumed to be the name of the country by 16th century explorer Jacques Cartier, when he encountered the native people. There’s a fascinating trend in country names – countries are almost always named after one of four things: a directional description of the country, a feature of the land, a tribe name or an important person, usually male." And then there's Canada - the mistake!   Here is yesterday's progress on the multiple exposure technique.  What is the field of white sticks?  These are stakes for keeping small trees straight in a nursery crop field.  The ones in the picture are oak trees and are near Brian's Lilycrest Gardens field where Bakker's has a lot of growing fields.. These fields change often -  the rose crop goes to the nursery trade for sale at the end of the first year.  It seems like oak trees might take a bit longer than roses - we'll find out.  Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca