Mar 14 2022 - Basking in the Spring Weather

 

Can you see us "basking in the spring weather?"  That's the Weather Network's headline for our weather this week.  The definition of bask seems quite humorous: lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun, for relaxation and pleasure. "sprawled figures basking in the afternoon sun" I don't think there will be much "sprawling" in Florida today.  The temperatures yesterday varied between a high of 10 degrees down to -3 degrees.  That's not goo for our fruit crops at all.  What a reversal for the Spring break vacationers.   So if we are to bask in the weather this week, I assume we won't be having rain.  Seattle, on the other hand, has a  lot of weather jokes about rain, so basking wouldn't happen there very often. Q: What does daylight saving time mean in Seattle? A: An extra hour of rain Q: What do you call two straight days of rain in Seattle? A: A weekend A newcomer to Seattle arrives on a rainy day. He gets up the next day and it's raining. It also rains the day after that, and the day after that. He goes out to lunch and sees a young kid and asks out of despair, "Hey kid, does it ever stop raining around here?" The kid says, "How do I know? I'm only 6."   A curious fellow died one day and found himself in limbo waiting in a long, long line for judgment. As he stood there, he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the gates of heaven. Others were led over to Satan, who threw them into a lake of fire. Every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss him or her to one side. After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow's curiosity got the better of him. He strolled over and tapped Old Nick on the shoulder. "Excuse me, there, Your Darkness," he said. "I'm waiting in line for judgment, and I couldn't help wondering why you are tossing some people aside instead of flinging them into the fires of hell with the others?" "Ah," Satan said with a grin. "Those are Seattle-ites. I'm letting them dry out so they'll burn."

Trains yesterday, followed by rain today.  This is montage image of the National Gallery in Ottawa overlaid with rain on the car windows. This seems appropriate to Seattle weather. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 9 - Parentese with Dezi the Dog

I find that the way I 'talk' to Dezi the dog - high pitched, exaggerating words, and 'patronizing tone' is known as Parentese.  It is proven to increase baby vocabulary significantly.  A CBC radio interview told me this yesterday. The Guardian article is perfect so HERE it is. It is as good as all the jokes I can find.  This is the opening excerpt: Name: Parentese. Age: Popular since the mid-80s. Sounds like: A bit like you’re being patronised. I don’t like being patronised. Oh yes you do. Yes you do. Yes you do, my little sweetheart. What on earth are you doing? I’m talking parentese to you. And by the look of it it’s working. Yes it is. Yes it is. OK, let’s track back a little. What is parentese? I’m glad you asked. It’s a method of communicating with babies that utilises vowel hyperarticulation, pitch modification, slow speech rate and simplified wording. That didn’t help. OK. You know the way you talk to a baby? It’s that. Goo goo ga ga? No, that’s baby talk - when you don’t use any words and just make strange, cutesy noises instead. Baby talk is useless. Talk baby talk to a baby and you are just going to end up with a baby who talks baby talk. But talk parentese to a baby and you are going to end up with a baby with a colossal vocabulary." The CBC reporter interviewed the University of Washington researcher referenced in the article.   Here are the instructions: "Over-enunciate in a high-pitched sing-song voice, repeating words with a happy tone. “Hellooooooo bayyyyybe, doooo youuuu want a baaaaaanaaaaanaaaa? Oooooh, niiiiiiiice baaaaaanaaaaanaaaa.” The font used here is Comic Sans MS -  I heard the originator of this font interviewed on the CBC a little earlier than the parentese story. I'll report on that wonderful interview tomorrow.  Our Valentine theme is accompanied today with railroad images of the layout of Sam Furukawa in Seattle. We visited it in 2006.  He's a dedicated railroad modeller who comes to all the conventions.  What a great view from his house.

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Like a Rolling Stone

What used to be a counterculture magazine covering rock music and political reporting is now a popular culture magazine that focuses on entertainment.  This happened in the 1990s.   The original Rolling Stone magazine is said to have gotten its title from the 1950 blues song "Rollin' Stone" from Bob Dylan's hit single "Like a Rolling Stone"and from the expression  "A rolling stone gathers no moss."  Its founders were Jann Wenner and writer Ralph J. Gleason and the first issue came out in 1967.  The most likely inspiration was Bob Dylan's song - it was revolutionary at the time, hostile in tone, and intensely direct.  That seems to be the style the magazine took on. It defined itself a counterculture news magazine.  Especially with Hunter S. Thompson's political section.  Thompson's highly subjective blend of fact and fiction became known as gonzo journalism.  Fear and Looting in Las Vegas first appeared in the Rolling Stone magazine in 1971.  And then there was Annie Leibovitz and her provocative photographs covering musicians and celebrities.  The first issue featured John Lennon - as a British soldier in Richard Lester's 1967 film How I Won the War - that wasn't an Annie Leibovitz photo. Looking at the meaning of the old proverb, a rolling stone gathers no moss  - the traditional meaning is that a person who does not settle in one place will not accumulate wealth or status, or responsibilities of commitments.  The modern meaning is that a person must stay active to avoid stagnation. And so Rolling Stone magazine has fulfilled its destiny, moving on to become a more standard entertainment and popular culture magazine to avoid stagnating in its past.  Our picture today was taken at the Seattle ferry dock.

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Those Beautiful Bonsai

I have been working on the beautiful Bonsai from the Pacific Rim Bonsai Garden.  It is located just south of Seattle, and is a wonderful collection displayed outdoors.  There's two interpretations for each tree. I hope you enjoy them.

The Journey

The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is located at the Weyerhaeuser Headquarters south of Seattle WA.  The trees are located outside in a viewing area so that each specimen can be appreciated.

The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is located at the Weyerhaeuser Headquarters south of Seattle WA.  The trees are located outside in a viewing area so that each specimen can be appreciated.   This tree is a Korean Yew. 

Reading about each tree was itself an experience.  Some of trees were created in interesting ways.  Some started their bonsai experience as a stunted trunk with few branches living in their natural growing environment.  They might be  hundreds of years old, living in difficult growing conditions that keep them stunted.  These special trees were dug up and transplanted and trained to grow in the small pots. Specimens are then grafted onto the living trunk and the training of a tree begins its journey.