Feb 26 2025 - Dog vs Cat

 

The Globe and Mail has a 2 page spread on cats and cat cafes.  "Does my cat love me" is noted by Trupanion in one of its articles to be searched between 3,000 and 4,000 times on Google every month.  The article goes on to identify 10 signs your cat loves you.    However, our social  view of cats vs. dogs seems closer to this one below. I found it at dfordog.co.uk blog:    Dog Diary 8:00 am - Dog food! My favourite thing! 9:30 am - A car ride! My favourite thing! 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favourite thing! 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing! 12:00 PM - Lunch! My favourite thing! 1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favourite thing! 3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favourite thing! 5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favourite thing! 7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favourite thing! 8:00 PM - Watched TV with my people! My favourite thing! 11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing! Cat Diary Day 983 of my captivity My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. B------ds! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.... for now.

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Aug 18 2024 - The Woolly Dog

 

This is the fascinating story of the Salish Woolly Dog, now extinct, that was common with indigenous people for their wool. Yes, wool.  What was the wool used for?  Sacred blankets and ceremonial attire.    That is sufficient to explain why and how it is extinct.  It was eradicated in order to extinguish indigenous culture.    The story seemed to conclude, with various theories of how the dog became extinct - the indigenous people could get factory-made blankets, the dogs interbred and the line got assimilated, and so on.    The story doesn't die there - the the significant finding of a 160 year old fur pelt in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was donated in 1859, and lost in the collections until 2000 when it was analyzed to validate textile collections in museums.  The dog had likely been a gift from the Salish to the naturalist George Gibbs and its name was Mutton.   The remarkable part is recent - genetic scientists Logan Kistler and Audrey Lin decided to produce a genomic profile. Genetic analysis shows that this was a separate and distinct dog breed.  It has existed for at least 5,000 years, and was carefully managed to remain distinct from other dogs to maintain its special woolly fur.   The scientists worked with Indigenous Elders to bring the oral histories and knowledge to the project.  More on the project process HERE. You can read a shorter version of this story is in dogtime.com HERE.  I heard the story on the CBC radio yesterday - Bob McDonald's science show Quirks and Quarks.    He interviewed the scientist who did the genetic analysis.   Here's one of the representations of the Salish Woolly Dog.  There are some photos from the 1850s that this would likely be based on.   This is a picture of a light sculpture at the National Gallery - I turned it on its side, and now it looks like little ice crystals.

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June 8 2023 - Babbel or Gospel Singing

 

"There are lots of ads for learning a new language using Babbel.  Here's the Babbel sort of promotion: "From Spanish and German to Norwegian and Danish, the next time the plane lands abroad you could be speaking the native language fluently with a little help from Babbel. Over 100 expert linguists helped create this innovative app, which can have you speaking confidently in just a month."  "In just 15 minutes a day, you can start to be comfortable in another language within a week!" And that helps if your bucket list is Machu Pichu, Mount Everest, Bali, The Eiffel Tower, Rome's Trevi Fountain, and the Taj Mahal.  That's a few languages to learn.   So many languages and so many thousands of dollars of travel seem to be involved in these over-the-top bucket lists. The alternative might be something Bing is promoting.  Gospel singing.  Your can learn how to sing better with gospel legend Yolanda Adams.  Just like you learn phrases in Babbel, you can learn belting, chest voice, head voice, falsetto and vibrato in gospel singing.   In comparison to Babbel's promise of 15 minutes a day, everyone says that Gospel singing takes a few years.  But then one Quora answer says you can be a gospel singing in a community choir within three weeks.  Or if you are just aiming for the shower, it takes 3 minutes.  Only on Quora can you get an answer that says that a clean heart is required so that Christ will dwell in you and give you great inspiration. Gospel singing is not very close to home here in Niagara.  My own thought is to learn another language that is useful right here now.   What about an app on how to communicate with cats.  "MeowTalk gives your cat a voice! " It is a free app that has the translation mode with three basic meow intents.  And there are lots of articles explaining the science behind cat translations.  There's a pie chart with the different cat sounds dataset - hunting, fighting, warning, angry, mating, happy, mother call, resting, pain, and defence. What will Baxter do with all this?  I think we'll give this one a try. And since there is also a dog in our house the Dog Translator is also available.  Here's the promo for Dog Translator: "This app is amazing it's so cool but so simple all you have to do is just press the little mic and say what you have to say and then once you do that it will talk dog talk and allow your dogs to understand what you're saying." For the reverse, My Talking Pet turns your dog barks into talk that you understand.   Who would guess this is all here now?     It is Thursday and that means market day in Grimsby.  The pandemic restrictions are gone so we are back to Main Street as in this picture below from a few years ago.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

May 26 2023 - Skunked

 

Baxter was in the vicinity of a skunk last week.  When Baxter lunged into the house in the night,  smell swirled in with him as though it were a solid substance.  Millie barked and chased around the house as though the skunk had come inside. She darted everywhere looking for the invader. Here's the advice for a skunked dog: The Best Solution ¼ cup of baking soda. 1-2 teaspoons of mild dishwashing detergent like Ivory Snow. 1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution. Mix in a bucket and use immediately. Work the foaming mixture well into the coat. Leave on for five minutes. Rinse with warm water. Follow with dog shampoo if desired. Can you imagine working anything into a cat's coat?  Let's hope that 14 to 21 days is the distance between The Moon and New York City - the estimate when Baxter will return to smelling like a cat. Did you know that skunks can spray as far as 15 feet? The solutions include vinegar, lemon juice and tomato juice to get rid of the smell.  The advice for cats is to "rub him down" and follow this with a standard bath.  Ha ha! Who has heard of a cat getting a standard bath?  Or a "rub down." So we conclude with a silly skunk joke: Three skunks are walking down a street together when they come to an intersection... Skunk number one says, "My instincts tell me to go left." Skunk number two says, "My instincts tell me to go right."  Skunk number 3 says "Hey, my end stinks too, but it doesn't talk to me." Baxter at his best with Dezi. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Apr 29 2023 - King Charles - The Spaniel

 

Here we are with a King Charles about to be crowned, and little Millie is named after the previous King Charles.  What is that history?  The Charles is Charles II so that's 1630 - 1685. The other names they've had are English Toy Spaniel, Toy Spaniel, Prince Charles Spaniel, Ruby Spaniel and Blenheim Spaniel.  Actually these were separate breeds that were merged in the twentieth century in association with the American Kennel Association. I hadn't realized that the colour combinations also have "Charles" names: King Charles (black and tan), Prince Charles (white with black and tan patches), Blenheim (white with red patches), Ruby (red).  Wikipedia says: "King Charles II of England was very fond of the toy spaniel, which is why the dogs now carry his name, although there is no evidence that the modern breeds are descended from his particular dogs. He is credited with causing an increase in popularity of the breed during this period." The breed continued to be popular with Royalty.  Consider this history fact: In 1896, Otto von Bismarck purchased a King Charles Spaniel from an American kennel for $1,000 (the average price was between $50 and $200 for a Blenheim).  Wow!  What's that value now? That's $40,000 today.  And there is a dog worth that today: "Selling for $40,000, this adorable puppy just became the words most expensive sheep dog. A puppy has recently bagged the title for the most expensive sheepdog in the world after being sold for a grand $39,980." That was Feb 8, 2021  I could never make up these facts - they seem more like fantasy. There's a King Charles Spaniel urban legend or two:  An urban legend claims that Charles II issued a special decree granting King Charles Spaniels permission to enter any establishment in the UK, overriding "no dog except guide dogs" rules. A variant of this myth relates specifically to the Houses of Parliament. This myth is sometimes instead applied to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.   And that brings one back to Millie - she appears to be a King Charles Spaniel with her signature snubbed nose vs Dezi who had the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel elongated nose.   Here's Millie as a puppy! Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Apr 16 2023 - Snubbed from the List

 

I guess if we have problems working out a wedding invitation list, then we couldn't expect the Royals to work out a Coronation invitation list.  Those who have not been invited and those who have been and have declined.  I haven't found a comprehensive list with the ins and the outs.  2,000 guests have been invited.  That is said to be slightly under the capacity of Westminster Abbey.   How many were invited to Queen Elizabeth's - - 8,000 guests attended (another article says that 5,000 attended).  There was special scaffolding set up to accommodate so many people.  That makes this coronation a much reduced version.  I wonder why that is. The report says Charles is looking to keep the palace budget as low as possible.   I would like to weigh in that this is NOT the occasion to be concerned about budget - this is a once in a life time.  I wonder if he realized that he will get crowned only once.   The dilemma of how big the royal family circle is now makes everything intense:  "What’s causing even more stress is that the invitations are being sent out in a two-stage process: a save-the-date email and then a paper invitation via snail mail. The recipients will have to acknowledge the email before they get that coveted invitation with the source calling it “a practical arrangement” for the palace. We at least know that Harry and Meghan have passed the first stage with flying colors, but it’s unknown whether they will choose to be in attendance for Charles’ big day." How "excruciating" the wait would be in March - finding out whether one was accepted or snubbed - that moment of whether one is "truly a part of the royal family's inner circle."   Who is out?  ... Fergie did not get invited to the coronation.  Her former and disgraced husband Andrew is expected to go. Here's her story on coronation day. "The Duchess of York previously acknowledged that she likely would not be asked to attend the event because she is no longer with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. However, she still plans on celebrating the big day. “I personally will be having a little tea room and coronation chicken sandwich and putting out the bunting,” she said on ITV’s “Loose Women.”   So our weeping cherry tree was blossoming yesterday in Niagara and I took Millie to the park and got a few pictures of her.  She seems to have two expressions - a grumpy accusing look straight at me, and a noble look into the distance.  She's in the blooming blue Scillas.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Apr 12 2023 - Bad Actors

 

In the headlines, police warn of "bad actors" Who are they?  There seem to be so many of them and so many warnings about them.  There seem to be bad actors everywhere now. a person or organization responsible for actions that are harmful, illegal, or morally wrong. While the expression seems recent, Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary traces the first use of “bad actor” to 1901. An 1889 Sanskrit dictionary also includes a definition of the word with the synonyms “wicked” and “a bad actor.” And how does it originate?  From theatre.  It says it is an actor who is unconvincing in their role.   And further uses of it include: "it can be applied to someone who is representing you or your company and making a poor job of it." Expressions seem to coalesce, coming into prominence to grab our attention.  Is is an expression in greater usage now? Is it that there are so many "bad actors" now? It is a more attention-getting headline to call out a person or organization as a bad actor. If you want to find out where all the bad actors are, you are not in luck.  Cybersecurity attackers and political figures may abound, but there isn't a list of where and who they are.  Now when it comes to bad actors in Hollywood, there are dozens of lists.   I wondered further about   how long this expression has been in use.  I went to find its jokes.  There aren't any bad actor jokes. There is a 'bad actor' character improv party game, so that must count for something. This is Skipper, owned by my aquafit instructor, Barb.  She took this picture and I did some work on it in photoshop to improve the light on the face, reduce the background's presence and so on.  He's a cute, photogenic little guy.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 20 2022 - And Thus Spake Charlie Brown

 

“What if, today, we were grateful for everything?”—Charlie Brown Don't think this morsel of wisdom stands alone.  Charlie and his crew were witty and wise beyond measure. They are particularly quotable at Christmas time, so we've included some today. I wondered if Charles Shultz himself is quoted.  It is hard to tell as there are  quotes with his name but they were in the cartoon strip as Charlie.  I did think this might be one of his own: "Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong'. Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night." These are all from "The Peanuts" cartoon series. 1. “In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.”- Charlie Brown 2. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it sure makes the rest of you lonely.”- Charlie Brown,  3. “Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”- Charlie Brown  4. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon.”- Charlie Brown,  5. “No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from!”- Charlie Brown 6. "Lucy: Do you think you have Pantophobia, Charlie Brown? ~ Charlie: I don’t know, what is pantophobia? Lucy: The fear of Everything. Charlie: That's It!" 7. “Who, but a grownup, would ruin a beautiful holiday season for himself by suddenly attempting to correspond with four hundred people he doesn’t see all year?”- Charlie Brow 8. “I fall in love with any girl who smells of library paste.”- Charlie Brown 9. “I’ve developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.”- Charlie Brown 10. “I think I’ve discovered the secret of life – you just hang around until you get used to it.”- Charlie Brown There are a lot more HERE.  I think the final one applies to The True North: Lucy Van Pelt: It's too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January. Linus Van Pelt: They sure look ripe to me. Here's Millie in December 2020 - her first snowfall.

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May 12 2022 - Does My Dog Laugh?

 

Does Millie, my dog laugh?  What would I look for in a dog laugh?  This comes from petsafe.net:   "Konrad Lorenz, a Pulitzer prize winning Austrian zoologist and ethologist, also believed dogs had the capacity to laugh, and wrote about it in his book, Man Meets Dog (Routledge Classics, 2002). He agreed with Fox that the “dog laugh” most often happened during play with a beloved human, with the canine somewhat mimicking the human smile with open mouth and stretched lips. But he also pointed to a very specific “doggy laugh” sound that was described as a huffing breathy “laugh pant” behavior. Researcher Patricia Simonet followed Lorenz’s speculation with experiments recording dog sounds during the early 2000s. She recorded dogs while they played at the park, and later analyzed the sounds they produced. Simonet said the dog laughter sounds like panting, sort of a “hhuh, hhuh” sound. But once she analyzed the recordings, the sounds were quite different than normal panting. Dog laughter panting included a broader range of frequencies than every day dog panting produces. To further test her theory, Simonet played the doggy laughter sounds to a group of 15 puppies. The sound made them frolic and romp with joy, making her speculate they recognized the laugh-pant as a play signal." It would be nice to find us a video of a laughing dog.  Maybe this one HERE.  What do you think?   This is a big dandelion year.  And orchards and vineyards have fewer chemicals making for a wonderful blossom display.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

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Feb 16 2022 - How Does a dog fall asleep so quickly (and snores)

 

Millie's head hits the pillow and snoring starts.  Well, that's a figurative pillow.  Could she really fall asleep that quickly?  My question has been asked:  Do dogs fall asleep instantly? Here's one Quora answer: They don’t have anything to worry about. And dogs don’t have a REM sleep cycle so their sleep is light and lengthy. A non-working dog will typically sleep about 20 hours per day. This seems like a stupid answer to be posted:  The question isn't answered, goes off in another direction than the question, and it takes up all the retrievals - coming up over and over, the way Reddit answers do.   I find out that Quora's questions and answers come from anyone as long as they get hits and comments. Here's the story on how this works.  It is HERE.  (And I've corrected the grammar.) "I joined Quora about the Year 2020 with no intentions to make money out of it. Asking Questions just felt natural and interesting to me. So I asked about 20 Questions that I thought I needed an answer. After about 2 months from the point I started, I got an Email from Quora that said I was invited to be added as a Quora Partner. As a Quora Partner you get a share of ad revenue from your questions. Unfortunately the program is invitation only. So you need to be one of the lucky ones to get invited. Soon I started asking questions daily and my daily earnings went from 0,1 to 8 dollars a day in about 1 month."   "The amount you make on Quora can vary greatly, but on average I get is $40-$50 for 100,000 views. Factors like keywords and topics can go into how much ads pay, but the best way to make the most out of your question is to present it in an interesting and intriguing way." So back to Millie snoring - I know there's a  difference between her nose and Dezi's - she has what is known as a snub nose and that's a snoring dog nose. How she falls asleep so quickly and starts snoring, or just simply snores while awake, that remains to be solved another day. I am not searching any more - I am definitely not giving any more money to people who ask questions and answer them in a silly way in a mostly grammar-free zone. Compare the cute little noses of Dezi and Millie.

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