Marilyn's Photos - Sep 19 2026 - Ladybug Dresses

 

Isn't that an Alice in Wonderland costume?  It is a runway dress this past week, by Thom Browne.  There was a butterfly dress as well.  I think there might have been more bug-themed outfits given the show's theme was based on "A Bug's Life". What an idea.  One's wardrobe with a ladybug theme.  Here's the Thom Browne outfit. Here's another idea - a black dress with bug feet sticking out the sides.   And there's a "Lady Mantis" sort of outfit. One can find ladybug blouses, pajamas, dresses, all kinds of outfits with a ladybug print or design.  I was especially fond of the ladybug print vintage bathing suit.   One can start very young wearing little love bug rompers for toddlers.  They move into ladybug costumes like little girls wear to fairy parties where they run around with their ladybug wings spread out.  If one goes to Pinterest and TikTok, one finds the make-believe world of "miraculous ladybug dresses" - these are beautiful fairytale evening gowns.  Are there still masquerade costume balls?  Yes there are - there's a Halloween Masquerade Ball in Niagara-on-the-Lake at Queen's Landing. This would be an excellent choice of costume. There are lots of Monarchs this year - all of theme heading south. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Sep 18 2026 - American Muffins

 

I stumbled upon an article with the top picks for pastry shops in Paris.  The pictures are divine. And most of the pastry shops have yummy-looking things.  And then there's a few weird things thrown in.  This one particularly: would you crave an American-style muffin in Paris? What would Gene Kelly answer to this question? Muffins originated in Wales, and migrated to England.  They were originally food for the poor, made from leftover stale bread, biscuit dough, boiled and mashed potatoes.  A new dough was then made and fried on a large hot griddle in rings to keep the muffins shape.  This was a savoury muffin in which the English version used yeast.   Supposedly, the recipe made its way to America where baking powder became the rising agent. Cookbooks in the late 1800s had muffin recipes.  Creamed butter, milk, sugar and flour are the basics. I don't see this as a migration at all.  Others say the American muffin was invented by Samuel Bath Thomas in 1880.  By the time the Fannie Farmer Cookbook was published, there were recipes for quick bread muffins and English muffins.   Of course, what happened in the 1950s is that muffins became industrially commercialized.  And I assume that's when all the modifications came about - corn syrup, guar gum, and modified starches. So a long list of French pastry shops with flaky buttery textures filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate interrupted with an American-style muffin bakery? I guess that would appeal to the tourists reading an article and looking for something to remind them of home.  Paris has over 1,200 traditional bakeries and patisseries.  Toronto has dozens. Paris' are ubiquitous.  Toronto's are scattered.  Toronto patisseries don't sell muffins.  Paris patisseries do - they are called 'le muffin" or as "Gamme Americaine" and treat them as a trendy, imported specialty, putting them next to cookies, brownies and donuts.   Read this interesting story by Marcy Goldman on her American Muffin Odyssey HERE.  Here's an example of Paris-style pastries below. And here's the Old Post Bakery in Beamsville - a Dutch specialty bakery. It seems to me there are no muffins in there at all. Pastries galore. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Sep 17 2026 - Bard Behaviour

 

Whenever we see the word "bard", it is William Shakespeare who comes to mind.  It became his "Honorary Title".  At its simplest, it means poet.  But there is nothing simple about this person having this title. The full title he was known by was "The Bard of Avon".  Another title was "The Sweet Swan of Avon."  Ben Jonson, his contemporary, gave him this title.  He is known as England's "National Poet".  And then known as "The Poet".  That is meant to denote him as the preeminent writer of his era.   And there's a derogatory title of "An Upstart Crow" which jealous playwright Robert Greene gave him.   Not related at all is the expression called "Bard Behaviour" - it was the name of the study of emotional responses by physiologist Philip Bard in1928.    The tradition of bards goes back to ancient times, and were documented in Greece and Rome. But the use as a title seems to have settled on Shakespeare.   Maybe because the designation lived on in medieval Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Brittany where the tradition of a bard giving praise to and satirizing rulers was essential to a poet's work.   Critics studied his work over time and in the post-17th century there was a cultural shift that elevated him from a popular Elizabethan playwright to a global literary icon. Then the romantic era critics and writers elevated him to "prophetic " status. The term bardolatry - excessive admiration of Shakespeare - came in fashion then.  I find that a humorous expression - it is in good company with idolatry and lordolatry. And then many words without the "d" follow along with "olatry" as an ending - zoolatry, geolatry, monolatry, autolatry.  That last one is worship of oneself.   That word makes me think that there might be a direct line into autocracy.   But enough of that - it leads into politics, doesn't it?  Today we get to celebrate William Shakespeare, considered the greatest poet of all time.  How does that rank with Homer who is referred to as the "king of all poets"?  They are considered equal and different.  Sounds like a perfect compromise.   Here's the gazebo in the Shakespeare Garden in Stratford, ON.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyh's Photos - Sep 16 2026 - Poison Ivy in Autumn

 

A few Sumac leaves are turning crimson orange.  There is a wonderful grove of them on Bartlett at the QEW where I can easily take pictures.  Well, there are lots of places in Niagara where one can capture the fiery colours that say Autumn.  I've become aware of another fiery crimson plant over the years -  Poison Ivy.  You don't notice it in the summer in the grassy banks along the roadsides.  But come Autumn and there they are - clear as anything.     The expression to remember is: Leaves of three?  Let them be!  There seem to be lots of leaves of three to me, so what else would we consider? There are more rhyming expressions to help with the identification of poison ivy:  "Longer middle stem; stay away from them." -- the middle leaflet has a long stem while the two side leaflets attach almost directly. "Ragged rope, don't be a dope!" Poison ivy vines on trees have a furry, "raggy" or ragged appearance. "Berries white, run in fright" and "Berries white, danger in sight." "Red leaflets in the spring, it's a dangerous thing." -- new leaflets sometimes are red in the spring. Later, in the summer, the leaflets are green -- while in autumn they can be reddish-orange. "Side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens." This refers to the shape of some poison ivy leaves, where each of the two side leaflets has a notch that makes the leaflet look like a mitten with a "thumb." (Caution:all parts of the plant can cause itching, not just these leaves.) Here's what's coming in the next few weeks in Sumacs. Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com

Marilyn's Photos - Sep 15 2026 - Things Dogs Don't Do

 

These are cute dog jokes for kids.  What is the difference between a pet tree and a pet bark.   The pet tree has a quieter bark. Why do dogs cross the road? To get to the barking lot. What do you call a boy dog who is getting old? Grandpaw. When is a black dog not a black dog? When he's a greyhound. Wy did the snowman name his dog Frost? Because Frost bites. What about a dog jokes for adults? My girlfriend's dog died, so to cheer her up I ent out and got her an identical one.   She was mad and asked:  "What am I going to do with two dead dogs? My daughter asked me if I had seen the dog bowl. I said, “No, I didn’t even know he could.” This morning I saw my neighbour talking to her cat. It was obvious the poor woman thought the cat understood her. When I got home I told my dog… we laughed a lot. This one's a toss-up: I asked my dog what’s two minus two. He said nothing. Our evening temperatures are dropping, and it got me thinking about Autumn moon pictures.  Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.com