Mairlyn's Photos - May 25 2026 - FIRE Investiing

 

FIRE - the acronym - Financial Independence, Retire Early.  It is an investment approach that is focused on extreme saving and aggressive investing.  It is a popular approach used by young people.  It has a few principles - the 25x rule - you need to save 25 times your annual living expenses for your retirement income. Then the passive investment approach of targeting low-cost index funds, and accumulation maximizing contributes to TFSAs, RRSPs and so on.  It is considered a frugal style of minimizing expenses and maximizing savings rate. There seems to be a desire at the end of all this to "get out" of the work world and "retire". There are different styles with cute names:   Traditional FIRE - Standard path to early retirement saving 50 - 70% of your income. Lean FIRE - minimizing living expenses to the absolute essentials - tiny homes, second-hand everything. Coast FIRE - build up a nest egg sufficient enugh to fully finance your conventional 65+ retirement years. Fat FIRE - building a larger, more luxurious nest egg while maintaining a higher standard of living. Barista FIRE - Saving a solid chunk of your nest egg, then leaving a traditional high-stress corporate job.  Then work part-time jobs to cover current costs while investments grow.  Baby FIRE - slower, steadier approach with moderate frugality and gradual wealth-building still aiming for early retirement with fewer sacrifices. This seems to mirror my parents' generation and their approach to financial stability. My parents saved aggressively for their first investment - buying a house. We lived very frugally as a family.  I thought we were a poor family. All my clothes came from my older sister or other children. Our cars were second-hand. "Eating out" and restaurants were for rich people.  Our vacations were to my grandparents and father's siblings homes in California and Manitoba, and vice versa. It all worked.  They retired with excellent savings to take care of themselves. But then they were motivated by the survival instinct of having lived through the Great Depression (they went hungry) and then WWII (everything rationed).  These were times of not enough food and having to leave school to work to support their families.  It makes me wonder what "depression" the current generation has grown up in. I think of today's younger adults being in a "slow burn" of oppressive conditions. Jobs come and go just like that - with long hours and poor working conditions for many. There are many more expenses for essential things  like the most recent smart phone.  Look at what cars and homes cost now.   Take the circumstances of children's expenses. My parents sent me out to neighbourhood park - we might play baseball.  Today a family escorts their children all over the province to play in baseball leagues at membership fees that start at $150 a season and go up over $1,000 depending on the league, plus having equipment and travel costs. So I guess the FIRE response is to be expected.  Every generation "hunkers down" under the pressures of the day. Doesn't it seem an apt expression given our Climate Change impact of wildfires.  I went looking for this fire picture.  It projects the opposite of frugality.  It is a Floyd Elzinger sculpture that is a fire pit.  That's an expensive way to roast marshmallows.

Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - May 24 2026 - The Seasons

 

The traditional Japanese calendar of the microseasons seems elegant, poetic and eternal.  It seems as though there is a unified view of the seasons. The microseasons calendar came from China in the 6th century when there were 3 to 5 million people in Japan.   Contrast that with our colonized North America. Going back to the 6th century in Canada, there were likely between 200,000 and 500,000 people in the geographical space of Canada, with many societies and communities.  To compile the equivalent of the Japanese microseasons would be a lengthy endeavour given the many Indigenous bands/groups.  In Canada, there are currently 634 recognized First Nations governments/bands, alongside numerous Metis and Inuit communities.  We can follow the steps of Dave and Cathy in definingmomentscanada.ca who explain the topic of Mi'kmaw Moons - an equivalent approach to the Japanese microseasons.  Their article is HERE.  What makes their work so interesting is the incorporation of the Two-Eyed Seeing approach -  "The "eyes of each other" has significant meaning as it is based around "Two-Eyed Seeing" a method whereby traditional Indigenous knowledge and "western" science each guide the other towards a unified appreciation of the subject matter." "In about seven years of working together, we have revitalized the use of the Mi’kmaw names of the Moons and how they are connected with the annual ecological cycle. We teach the Mi’kmaw language versions and how to pronounce them, plus we tell stories of our personal experiences around them. Above all, we show how individuals with quite different backgrounds can learn to see through the eyes of each other." Above is a pictoral representation and below is the text of the Mi'kmaq view of the cycles. "In a manner similar to several other traditional cultures, the Mi’kmaq divide the year into 12 intervals, each associated with ecological events around them, according to the gradual change of the seasons. Here are the 12: Mi’kmaw  Pronunciation English Date Range (approximate) Punamujuik’us Boo-na-moo-jooey-goos Tomcod Spawning /Frost Fish 5 January – 3 February Apuknajit Ah-boo-gah-na-jit Snow Blinding 3 February – 5 March Siwkewiku’s See-uke-ay-we-goos Spring / Maple Sugar 5 March – 4 April  Penatmuiku’s Ben-a-dim-ooh-we-goos Birds Laying Eggs 4 April – 5 May  Sqoljuiku’s Skoalch-ooh-we-goos Frogs Croaking 5 May – 5 June Nipniku’s Nib-nee-goos Trees Fully Leafed 5 June – 6 July Peskewiku’s Bes-gay-we-goos Birds Shedding Feathers 6 July – 7 August Kisikewiku’s Gis-ig-ay-we-goos Berry Ripening 7 August –7 September Wikumkewiku’s We-goom -gay-we-goos Mate Calling 7 September – 8 October Wikewiku’s Wig-gay-we-goos Animal Fattening 8 October –7 November Keptekewiku’s Geb-deg-gay-we-goos Rivers Starting to Freeze 7 November – 6 December Kesikewiku’s / Kjiku’s Ges-ig-gay-we-goos Winter / Chief Moon 6 December – 5 January "It is unlikely the Mi’kmaq counted days for these intervals. Instead, they probably marked the passage of time by observing the happenings in Nature, mindful of what happened before and what was expected to come. In any case, they would not have used the Gregorian calendar before the Europeans introduced it. The approximate date ranges shown derive from applying an astronomical eye to the sequence, making sure that the Chief Moon Time aligns with the Winter Solstice (more about that later). " These seem like very different paths of knowledge.  The Japanese have their enduringl microseasons. We, in Canada, are on a discovery path of bringing together different cultures to see an expanded view of things - a new way of seeing.  I observe on Sunnylea that the season of the Dandelion is completing. And we are in the Mi'kmaq season of Frogs Croaking, with the little tree frogs singing each day in the garden.

Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - May 23 2026 - The 72 Microseasons

 

The New York Times message on a Saturday morning is about personal pursuits rather than global news and American politics.  This morning the author writes about "the traditional Japanese calendar's 72 microseasons, each about five days in duration, each charting a tiny event in the natural world. (May 21 - 25:  "Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves.)" The article about the 72 microseasons that is referenced by the New York Times author is HERE.  It provides a great insight into the seasons compared to ours. I notice right away how short a Japanese winter is.  That's because their spring begins in February.  So the calendar starts with the Beginning of spring. February 4-8 East wind melts the ice.  February 9-13 Bush warblers start singing in the mountains. Their cherry blossoms bloom March 26 - 30.  And who would guess there is such a thing as April 15-19 First rainbows. It seems to magical.  Wondering when winter might arrive.  First in November 22-26 Rainbows hide.  Then December 7-11 Cold sets in, winter begins.   Doesn't that seem so calming compared to the Globe and Mail headline that a prestigious short-story contest winner has been accused of using AI writing.  If we were to divide our AI future into 72 microseasons, there will be one with the title: The Shakespearean Monkeys arrive. Another would be The Shakespearean Monkeys get to work.    This is a Longwood Azalea.  I am astounded by the "trunk."

Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - May 22 2026 - In Search of a Search Engine

 

I've been using online search engines since the 1975 - when I took a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science. Today my search is to remove AI functionality and not gain more functionality.  In the 1970s search engines were equipped with boolean operators and nested searches, making sophisticated searches possible.  I worked for the Globe and Mail's Online Division when full-text searching became functional - enlarging the retrieval capabilities significantly.  These were exciting times. We've drifted backwards, though. One dilemma now is that retrieval happens within the context of shopping, sponsored content, and advertising.  AI seems to take centre-stage, eliminating retrievals based on keywords and charging ahead with some strange references for its answers.  And one day this week, I put in a search term and Google's AI thought I was having a conversation with it.  I couldn't shake it off.   So today I switched to DuckDuckGo and turned off AI. Then I went looking for jokes about AI's faulty instructions.  Examples are how to use gasoline in a spaghetti recipe, how to glue your cheese to the pizza, how many rocks to eat a day show up.  It gave advice on how a person can reach 500 words per minute typing. The Guinness Record for fastest typing speed is 305 words per minute achieved by MythicalRocket in 2024 so it is ironic at best that AI would give advice.  Here's how it starts: "While reaching 500 words per minute (WPM) is incredibly challenging and surpasses the capabilities of most professional typists... As I take a look at the results, i realize that the "Search Assist" had popped back on in DuckDuckGo. Is this what we can expect in the future?  To be over-ruled by the AI overlords. I guess I will have to try out a few more search engines that promise no AI.   This is the Wisteria at the corner house - this picture is from 2022 when it was an amazing show.

Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - May 21 2026 - Children Gardening

 

From garden tours yesterday to pre-school children gardening today.  There is a school in Grimsby that is a certified outdoor school.  "Through nature immersion, children develop environmental literacy which encourages them to grow to be humans who are authentically connected to the world around them and are more likely to care for and advocate for the future of our planet and their communities."   Today the topic is compost. They will likely find this immense fun.  Last year we smelled leaves and herbs and the most common reaction was "Stinky!" So they should have similar fun this year with a little bit of vegetable scraps, herbs, leaves and egg shell bits.  They have already had a Green Bin day with Phil the Green Bin.  Here are some of the Waste Management Day pictures.  Pretty impressive to me. We'll be outside - which is where they spend most of their day.  It is an outdoor school.  So we'll spend our short time this morning digging, weeding and planting, and then watering.  That part will be the most fun if it is like last year, where they finished planting and started to make mud messes.    Here's a nice Orchard Grove.

Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com