March 31 2023 - Perfectly Preserved at 30,000 Years Old

 

How old is that Doctor?  Looks 15 to me.  That's not unusual these days.  I've heard that comment a few times in the last week or so.  People visiting the hospital specialty clinics are confronted with the new generation of Doctors. My cohort age group isn't used to looking at younger people.  We don't mingle with them much.  How would we? We don't take courses in universities.  We don't work in corporate head offices .  We don't  commute on the subway.  We barely go into Starbucks and if we do likely don't look at the baristas.  And we don't stand in Starbucks line-ups at the Dundas and University Hospital lobby with all the Doctors on break.  Such opportunities either elude us or we are self-inclined.  That seems to be our generation's experience.  So a perfectly preserved 30,000 year old.   That expression seems equivalent to our musing over how old the doctor is.   Yukon paleontologists unveiled to the press an unusual find from the goldfields near Dawson City.  It was found in 2018 and goes on display soon.  It is a mummified Arctic ground squirrel from the Ice Age, curled up in a ball as though it died while hibernating.  Arctic ground squirrels are still existent today in the Yukon.  So to be able to say it is perfectly preserved is to make a comparison to today's squirrels.  That's my guess.   Comparing mummified squirrel picture vs real squirrel picture, I further conjecture that it  a comparison from an older palaeontologist.   Ha!  I've included the pictures from the articles.  Isn't this squirrel in great condition - if we saw it in hibernation in a hole in the ground, wouldn't it look just like that.  The X-rays showed it was a young squirrel.     Here's a quiz:  How old is the person represented this sculpture?  I guess we could figure this out with an expert.  It is an amazing puzzle that scientists can solve the brown blob question with an estimate of 1 year old.    Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Oct 6 2021 - Squirrel Away vs Collecting Things

 

The Weather Channel page has little stories to get your attention and look at ads.  There was a recent story of a red squirrel that managed to collect and store 350 pounds of walnuts - and the storage unit was all parts of a truck.  The story says that the battle has been going on for eight years in Fargo, N.D.   There are a dozen replications of this story - all exactly the same. I then found one that gives details.   "Bill Fisher returned home following a four-day trip to find once again..." All the other stories showcase the ingenuity of the squirrel: "Nearly every part of the truck has been stuffed with walnuts. The squirrel has even made its way into the hood and hidden nuts all around the engine. It also managed to get into the front bumper, wheel well and parts of the doors." This story gives excellent details - it happens every two years with the Walnut tree's nut production cycle.  Supposedly Fischer has tried the tactic of parking his truck further away, hoping other people's vehicles will be targeted, but they seem to like his the most.   One might suggest that he park his truck in a garage when he goes away.  But then he wouldn't have his moment of fame and we wouldn't have this silly story for us to enjoy.  This story is about a squirrel gathering its food storage for the winter.  But what about the human activity of collecting and storing.   I found out that there's a resurgence in typewriter collecting.  Tom Hanks has a collection of 250 antique typewriters. Martin Howard, of Toronto has Canada's largest collection at 80 vintage typewriters from the 19th century.  Small enough to collect, but too large to  'squirrel' them away.  Hanks says he collects them as a way of "staying grounded". What if pictures were any size and shape we decided on?  I cropped this one and added a layer with the Linear Burn filter so you could experience the intensity of Blood Grass.  I took that picture in the mid-day sun, but an overcast day or lower sun would showcase the gorgeous colours.

Nov 1 2020 - Peter Pumpkin Treater

 

Someone has figured out a festive event for children at Halloween that doesn't need crowds.  it involves Peter the Pumpkin, carving the pumpkin, planting some of the seeds in a pot or the garden, marking it with a smile outline, and the next morning Peter has delivered some candy to the spot. That was devised by Julie Georgas who is the managing director for PR firm  Zeno Canada.  Her picture is on the home page of the website.    Here's her Peter Pumpkin Treater's Poem: Peter Peter Pumpkin Treater Makes Halloween even sweeter On the night before Halloween Carve a pumpkin and save some seeds Plant them in your garden or a special pot  And draw a smile to mark the spot  The seeds will grow in Peter's magic pumpkin land  And he will thank you for lending him a hand  A candy surprise awaits when you wake  For all the pumpkins you helped Peter make. So we've got Halloween covered for next year (that's my forecast imbedded in there).   Now it is time to figure out November's festivities - ahead of Christmas red and green.  Maybe it is time for a theme of blue and silver.   I'm thinking we spray paint the pumpkins blue and set them in pots with the white birch and juniper branches.   This grey squirrel from Gage Park  will deliver the chocolate covered nuts that are part of the November Festivities.

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