Mar 3 2022 - Waste in Nature

 

Is waste a natural part of the ecosystem?  It says there is no waste in nature.  Plants grow in soil, animals eat plants, dung replenishes soil.  The sense of "garbage" does not exist in nature.   There are some interesting examples of this cyclical system.   Dead wood-eating beetles are considered the insect world's best decomposers. Along with lichens, mushrooms, sow bugs and earthworms, these insects spend their time turning dead plants and animals back into usable nutrients.  Birds are considered nature's greatest recyclers.  The Bowerbird from New Guinea and Australia constructs elaborate "bowers" consisting of colourful human trash.  Hermit crabs salvage shells abandoned by other sea life, usually from sea snails.  They've used glass bottles and cans. If you have a pet hermit crab, you can get artificial shells for them. Orb-web spiers decorate their webs with debris such as leaves and twigs. They often make a new web each day. And dung beetles live to collect and repurpose poop.  They build their homes out of feces, they eat feces, and lay their eggs in it.  They roll excrement into balls and offer it to a female.  Then they happily roll it away together... into the sunset. The Octopus builds shelters out of discarded debris - from cracked coconut shells, to sea shells, glass jars, and other containers.  And what is special about monarch butterflies? Monarch caterpillars eat their old homes once they've exited. Here's our latest Monarch Wreath - it has already gone to a new home.

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Sep 3 2021 - TIFF in Toronto Month

 

TIFF is back this year.  The headlines reveal the A-list stars who will be attending.  Here is TIFF's mission:  TIFF is a charitable cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world, through film.   I wonder how that matches with their list of the "biggest names" you can look out for on the streets of Toronto between September 9 and 18... More likely its purpose is to showcase the glamour of the "festival machine". That explains the hype about visiting Toronto during the beautiful September weather, with the accessible streets, lots of A-list celebrities and big crowds to appreciate them.   Which streets should I go to?  When should I go?  Do I take a chair and sit out and wait?  What do people do who are celebrity watchers and chasers?  I hadn't really thought about this before.   But don't worry, there are answers. One answer comes from One King West - the hotel/residence at King and Yonge.  This is from their website:  "Whether you spot the celebrities at TIFF by rubbing shoulders with them at a screening or are shouting their names along the red carpet, just catching a glimpse of Angelina Jolie, Benedict Cumberbatch, George Clooney or Brie Larson means you had a pretty successful TIFF experience.  In most cases, it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time."  Their advice?  Attend a film premier, attend red carpet events, and go to the "shops" where the celebrities will shop.  Toronto.com has a comprehensive list of hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants that have had sitings in the past, along with an indication if they are open to the public.  A strategy is needed for lists this long.  And then I would have to become familiar with the celebrities to recognize them.  I am way too far behind for TIFF 2021. Anyway, what is the purpose of TIFF?  Star watching? The consumption of art? The celebration of film? Yes, all those things.  And then the stories of who one spotted - that would be the pinnacle of success. And our picture today is a Monarch wreath we made for the Fantasy of Trees coming in November to Grimsby.  Let's hope COVID has receded a bit more so that people are able to view the trees and wreaths in the Museum in a festival kind of atmosphere.  And the celebrity everyone hopes will come is Santa.

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Feb 28 2021 - Melting 'Koselig' Away

 

Aren't those Norwegians so positive.  Their word for the long, dark, isolating winter experience is 'koselig' - our equivalent of the word would be 'cozy'.   It is about being "content and creating a pleasant environment."  It is about intimacy and warmth. "You will feel koselig from anything that makes you feel happy and evokes that warm feeling inside you". There are other Norwegians who travel south to Spain or Italy for the really cold and really dark months.  Which months would those be if December already has only six hours of daylight? January is the coldest month.  But look at the difference in temperatures to here in Ontario:  Oslo's January high is -1.8C and low is -5.8C.  Toronto's is a high of -2.3 C and low of -7C. Tripsavvy says this:  Winter in Norway can be bitterly cold, even into April. Temperatures are regularly below freezing and many parts of the country are blanketed in snow. If you love snow activities and don't mind the cold temperatures, you'll find the most snow between December and April. January and February are dark and the coldest months, so if you're heading to one of the ski areas in Norway, pick March. Like Norway, February is the conclusion of our coldest weather month.   As we move into March, we can expect wide fluctuations and typically one or two big snow storms.  So there still will be an opportunity to experience that Norwegian 'koselig' feeling.  Making cozy and fun out of the deep freeze of winter.   Just in time for March - here's our calendar picture for the month - a Monarch Butterfly wreath to welcome you to Spring. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca