Marilyn's Photos - Jan 27 2026 - 1999 vs 2026 Battle of the Snow

 

This week’s snowstorm is the worst since the 1940s.  That got my attention.  46 to 56 cm of snow was recorded in Toronto. I had thought the 1999 storm was the worst, but that’s not the case. I remember the 1999 storm when Toronto declared war on snow and the Canadian Armed Forces were called in to shovel, shovel, shovel.  So much snow had accumulated over the month to reach 145 cm and that was the problem.  So far, January 2026 only has a total of 88.2 cm accumulation - that’s in comparison to the 1999 storm. Back then, the mayor was Mel Lastman, interviewed by Peter Mansbridge and Adrienne Arsenault as big-time CBC news.  Today it is Mayor Olivia Chow and she seems to be managing fine.  She preempted the worst by actually addressing the February 2025 snow deficiencies that made some headlines then. There weren’t any high-profile journalists interviewing her on a crises this weekend.  She spoke to the Metro Morning host, David Common. It is great to have someone managing the risks before they become a crisis. But here I am on Tuesday and looking out at the snow flurries. Wasn’t the storm going to end on Monday?  I check the radar and it has a calming effect - it says “this too will pass.”  It can always be worse.  Because there is that great snowstorm of 1944. It had 76 cm fall in West Virginia.  I don’t think of that state as having a lot of snow plows then or now.  And there are worse than the 1944 world’s worst. An Italian village got 8 feet of snow in 18 hours in 2015. Buffalo got almost 7 feet of snow in that Snowvember 2014 storm.   And Mount Ibuki on Japan in 1927 had 38.8 feet of snow standing on the ground - the greatest recorded natural snow depth in world history.   Isn’t it nice to have world records to put things into perspective? Here’s a railway picture of Silver Lake, Colorado in 1921 when the snow fall was 192 cm in 24 hours.  2001 A Space Odyssey was on television the other night, and the ending remains an inspiring and strange experience.  I looked it up and of course, there are answers for everything now.  The Star Child in the finale “represents the next stage of human evolution - a transformed, immortal, and enhanced being (a superman”) born from astronaut Dave Bowman.  After traversing the Stargate and experiencing a rapid, dreamlike aging process, the monolith facilitates Bowman’s rebirth into this fetus-like form.   And the picture below?  It looks like an interpretation of the Star Child birth to me.  It is a creation from the Painters’ Palettes at the Monday morning watercolour class.  I take pictures of their paint palettes, then manipulate the abstracts in Flaming Pear’s Flexify and then put together a new image.

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Marilyn's Photos - Jan 26 2026 - There goes the Nexus pass

 

Remember how the song went?   It’s true! It’s true! The crown has made it clear.  The climate must be perfect all the year” This is particularly poignant today - I remember this line: “And there’s a legal limit to the snow here In Camelot.” I saw a Nexus headine and had an “aha” moment. Wasn’t it grand when we could go to the U.S. and back with a special card and just sail through customs.  Like Camelot.  And now? Having to choose M or F for gender is a Canadian Charter issue.  We include X gender on passports, so a clear risk for travellers with Nexus cards. Cards can be immediately revoked for infractions, and now there are restricted renewal options.   Our Federal government, back in September, advised X passport holders that they would be required to select M or F for Nexus renewals.  There are 100,000 people in Canada who identify as non-binary or transgender, .33% of the population.  (In the U.S. it is 1.6% of the population and 5% of 18 to 29 year-olds).  Did you ever have to unravel a knotted rope? It takes a long time.  I just now getting the sense of how many knots there are.  It seems very complicated. And so Camelot plays out with this Reprise: Each evening, from December to December, Before you drift to sleep upon your cot, Think back on all the tales that you remember Of Camelot. Ask ev'ry person if he's heard the story, And tell it strong and clear if he has not, That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory Called Camelot. Camelot! Camelot!  Now say it out with pride and joy! Camelot! Camelot! Where once it never rained till after sundown, By eight a.m. the morning fog had flown. Don't let it be forgot That once there was a spot For one brief shining moment that was known As Camelot. We got snow overnight.  Lots of it.  It is coming down lightly and will taper off. Below?  A lovely Cuba resort scene from quite a while ago.

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Feb 25 2025 - Blonde Bombshell

 

Do you know that some words have a masculine and a feminine form in English?  That's what comes to mind with Blonde Bombshell.  When did you hear of a Blond Bombshell?  Don't think so.  The Britannica definition says an attractive woman with blonde hair.   While we think of Marilyn Monroe as "The Blonde Bombshell", the original was Jean Harlow in her film Platinum Blonde.  The next movie was actually named Bombshell.  That was in the 1930s, so could the origin of bombshell be WWI? There's an underlying meaning of Blonde Bombshell  - something in this range: "a blonde with explosive sexuality and is available to men at a price." "exciting, dynamic, sexy woman" So are there any male blond bombshells?  Here's an article that says there are:  Justin Bieber is identified in the article. The article is really about men dyeing their hair blond - platinum blond.  And then there are headlines such as "Blond Bombshells:  Top Shirtless Male Models Turning..."  it says they are setting the modelling industry ablaze.  So much for social trends vs catchy headlines. Go to Quora and there is general refusal there that bombshell can be used to refer to an attractive man.  What to say - go to Quora and you are on your own as far as I am concerned. And other masculine and feminine words in English.  The Wikipedia entry refers to blond/blonde and is considered a distinction stained primarily in British English. It seems to stand alone. Gender neutrality in jobs seems to me to be a social political topic. Blonde bombshell?  I see this as a moment in movie history.

Here's the first pass at working with metallic watercolours.  I tried out a test piece of the colours I bought.  I photographed the page in sunlight in order to get the sparkle and then worked on it in photoshop. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca