Sep 19 2023 - Love it and Hate it Food

 

There's a love and hate list for everything.  Cilantro has brought forth both lists.  What are the 10 most hated foods? Did you know that Marzipan shows up as number 10 on one list?  I went on to another and got these items: Beets.  Olives.  Cilantro.  Mushrooms.  Tomatoes.  Durian.  Bitter Gourd.  Eggplant. Other lists include members of the cabbage family like broccoli, brussel sprouts, and then slimy okra, also turnips, raisins, blue cheese and anchovies. As I look through these lists, I start to think they have questionable origins or sources.   The BuzzFeed article included candy corn and circus peanuts!  You could vote and contribute to the study.  I don't know what circus peanuts are. Would the farmers market be a nightmare for those who hate all these vegetables?

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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

Sep 1 2022 - Diana Always With Us

 

Diana is buried on an island in a lake on Althorp's grounds.  That's the princess's childhood home.  People remember where they were when they heard the news.  This year on the 25th anniversary of her death, there are even more tributes.  Blooms and pictures of Lady Diana adorned the gold-leaf-covered Flame of Liberty in Paris which has become her unofficial memorial. She is said to be the most photographed woman by the press in history, so we are left with unending pictures of her from 25 years ago. Remembering Diana in pictures is very easy to do, especially with the spectacular wardrobe.   At the opposite end of things, when I looked up who is the most photographed man in the world, the first listing says Donald Trump - with 463,574 images on Getty alone.  Next is Pope John Paul II.   What a contrast they both provide to the beauty and grace of Diana.   What does the Guinness Book of Records have on file for most photographed people.  Supposedly it is the pop group TVXQ.   This extract below is reported from a few sources. It  doesn't actually come from the official site.  I thought you'd enjoy it anyway: "Idol group TVXQ put its name on the Guinness World Record Book for the second time. The super hot quintet was listed in the world record book as the most photographed celebrity in the world. From the day of their debut to March 19, 2009, the five members are estimated to have been photographed about 500 million times in magazines, albums jackets, and commercials, etc. The total figure includes individual photos as well as group pictures. " The answer to that claim: "Extremely unlikely.  That would mean that they would be having 175,000 pictures taken of them every day of the year for each of the 8 years since they started.  Probably including cell phone snaps in concerts and such ... which many other bands would exceed many times."

Beautiful sunflowers on the Grimsby market 10 years ago.  We return to Main Street today after being at the Peach King Centre during the pandemic.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

April 18 2020 - Making Toilet Paper

We know that toilet paper is not going to drift into the background.  A top CTV story online this morning is that the Forest Products Association of Canada says the demand for toilet paper has increased by 241 per cent during the pandemic.  But the sawmills across the country that produce the wood chips needed to make pulp have closed down due to the pandemic. Amazon toilet paper from China won't arrive any time soon, according to the Los Angeles Times. ABC News explains the shortages of toilet paper by describing the supply chain:  toilet paper is bulky and not very profitable, so retailers don't keep a lot of inventory.  They get frequent shipments and restock shelves.  The Independent has a section on toilet paper now with late breaking news:  Water firms issue blockage warning for toilet paper 'alternatives', and Trump boards Air Force One with 'toilet paper' stuck to his shoe (that was from 2018, but the Independent considers it current news).  Ryerson University made the news with a two-tier system of toilet paper - staff get the two-ply of course. Here's the story - it is from 2015. So you can expect to see instructions on how to make toilet paper.  Caroline Baldwin seems to have covered this in 2017.  The instructions are HERE. They involve newspaper, a bucket of water, a large pot on the stove, rolling pins, and more. I was entertained by some of the images of toilet paper that accompany this current frenzy.  Here are two of them. And our picture today comes from the Salt Spring Island farmers market September 2019.  Won't we be growing our Victory Gardens this summer.  That's a trending garden topic now.

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Sink into Spring

What might sink in the spring? "I don't know what happened:  the boat was sitting there on the bottom." As we drove back from Ottawa, the highway revealed travelling boats heading to their summer destinations.  These boats didn't sit in water over winter. What would happen to make a boat sink over the winter? It looks like there are lots of parts to a boat, so quite a few things can be the cause - Boatus.com has the answer HERE 1. Heavy spring rains get through poorly caulked ports, hatches, chainplates, and deck fittings 2. If the owner is unaware of leaks because the automatic bilge pump dutifully kept the bilge dry during the warmer months, the battery and bilge pump may go dead over the winter.  Water accumulates. 3. A poorly attached hose (secured with only one hose clamp) can be "lifted" off the seacock as the water freezes and expands. 4. If water is left in the intake sea strainer, it can freeze and break the bowl. 5. If a stuffing box isn't tightened before the boat is laid up, even small amounts of water - steady drip - can eventually swamp a boat. My own experience with boats is at the parking lot in Port Dalhousie where they are being stored.  Some are for sale. Of course, I am looking for the scrapes and  scratches on the bottom that make good photo opportunities.   Ottawa has its namesake sign, complete with muskoka chairs.  This will be a busy scene in the summer when tourists arrive.  The market is a tourist attraction with the beavertail pastries and maple syrup for sale.

St. Augustine's Fresh Fish

Aren't we lucky to have St. Augustine's fresh seafood market very close to us.  It is Kyle's Seafood Market and I took a few pictures yesterday.  I was a bit distracted when the lobster turned his eye towards me.  I hadn't expected it to be alive.  They do say everything is fresh in there.