Nov 1 2022 - Miniature Stuff,

 

Hardly anyone came for Halloween - it was raining here.  But I did buy cute little candies - little gummy Minions and tiny Kinder chocolates.  They seemed irresistable to buy as compared to eat. Why do miniature things fascinate us?  This is reported to be part of the "psychology of cuteness".  And I had no idea that this has been a topic of research for more than 70 years.   Konrad Lorenz, the German ethologist introduced the concept of the baby schema ("Kindchenschema") in 1943. The "baby schema" is the theory that certain physical features that are typically associated with babies—like a round face and big eyes—are so irresistibly cute to humans they will prompt us to feel a delightful desire to take care of someone or something.  I guess that goes for puppies and kittens, too. Lots has happened since then, and research says these are also factors: they bring back the comforts of childhood, that we experience awe and wonder, that tiny things are nice and non-threatening, and symbolic of stand-ins for the real thing.  How many tiny and miniature things are there that you can actually use?  A lot of things. I like the Miniature Mixer - $43. How tiny is it? 2" x 1.2" x 2.2" Don’t relegate this battery-powered mixer to the dollhouse — or at least know that you can break it out for non-pretend baking needs, too. It’s a working kitchen tool that can be used to whip up undersized baked goods for people who are into the tiny food craze.  The Leaf Blower which is $13 from Pottery Barn  How tiny is it? 6" x 2.5" x 2" You won’t get far using this teensy leaf blower in the yard, but it delivers a stronger-than-expected gust of air that will do away with dust that’s settled on keyboards, bookshelves, and other small and overlooked spaces. The Bob Ross By The Numbers Mini Paint Kit $10 from Target How tiny is it? 3" x 3.75" x 2" This minute art kit includes three paint-by-number canvases (two landscapes and one portrait of iconic TV painter Bob Ross), along with art supplies and, of course, a petite easel on which to display your work.  There are more crazy things HERE.  Our November Calendar reminds us that November is not as dreary as we think.  These pictures of the Willow at Charles Daley park are taken mid-November.  And Japanese Maples also keep their beautiful colours well past the middle of November.     Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Sep 12 - September is Happy Cat Month

 

Are you ready for this?  You thought that cats are indifferent and superior.  There are 15 signs that your cat is happy. They are things like: They purr They have a healthy appetite They like to play They're relaxed They like to rub on you They're knead-y They keep themselves (and sometimes their owners) clean Here are the signs for dogs: A high and waggy tail. This is probably the most well-known sign your dog is a happy pooch. Floppy ears. By this, we mean that their ears are relaxed, not tense or flattened against their head. Pricked upright ears are a sign of alertness – they tell you if your dog is happy or sad, just focused. Their body’s relaxed. If your dog seems relaxed in their posture and not tense or stiff, this is a good indication they are feeling good. Loose shoulders, soft eyes without a fixed gaze, and a dose of ‘wiggliness’ or pure ‘flopped-outness’ are all clues that your dog’s feeling super chill. They’re playful. A happy dog is more likely to want to play and leap around. Play “bows” are a great sign your dog is in the mood. They lean in to you. A relaxed dog who enjoys your company is more likely to also enjoy your attention. They may come to you for attention and it’s a good sign if they lean into your hand when you stroke them. Do we humans get a list of signs for happiness?  Not so easy, is it.  We get all analytical and generalize this to living a good life and being "genuinely satisfied".  But I did find one equivalent sign: So, how can you tell if someone is truly happy—or masking another emotion? While it starts with the mouth, it’s actually all about the eyes! A sign of happiness is when the sides of the lips rise symmetrically (as in the first picture on the left). In an authentic smile the eyelids drop, and the eyebrows lower accompanied by a symmetrical smile (see the picture on the right).  You can see the pictures HERE.  Another article says that it has to do with the crinkles near the eyes.   This wonderful colour combination is the Weeping Willow at Charles Daley Park reflected in the water.  It isn't about to turn yellow yet - usually it happens into November.

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Nov 8 2020 - To Offer Congratulations

 

What happened last time when Trump became President?  Did everyone offer their congratulations?  Of course - it is a formalism.  My guess, though, is that they were not prepared for the onslaught of personal insults combined with the mess that he was about to unleash.  There is an entry in Wikipedia for his congratulations:  International reactions to the 2016 United States presidential election HERE.  What Trudeau offered in 2016, below, is very similar to what he offered Biden this weekend. "I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory in the United States. Our shared values are strong. Our common purpose is to build countries where everyone has a fair chance to succeed, and where the government works first, foremost and always for the people it governs. The Canadian government will continue its hard work toward these ends, and we offer our hand in partnership with our neighbours as friends and allies as they move forward." This time he added: "We will further build on this foundation as we continue to keep our people safe and healthy from the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and work to advance peace and inclusion, economic prosperity, and climate action around the world." Others showed relief: "Welcome back America !" tweeted Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris. A city official in Berlin said, "After the birth of my son, the election of Joe Biden is by far the best news of this year." I am sure there are some very funny comments and congratulations to come our way over this next week.  This will be part of the having fun again social movement. Our picture is yesterday's view of our beautiful weeping willow tree on the lagoon at Charles Daley Park.

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Nov 8 2020 - Advice on Having Fun

 

It looks like Christmas Day is around the corner - which corner we're not sure, but we can see the destination ahead.  So it is time to turn our attention to Having Fun on Christmas Day.  We may need some assistance on this given the social discourse of the last 6 or more months.  Who should we turn to for advice?  Would it be Cosmopolitan Magazine or Psychology Today?  I don't think we should count on Psychology Today - the article tells us all the reasons that we don't have fun.  For example, worried what other people think, need to spend money, don't have the time, need to plan it, and so on.   Would you like to know how fun you are?  Go to GOTOQUIZ  to find out.  I ended up skipping through it as it wasn't that much fun as a quiz.  But it was enough to let me know that the state of social discourse is seriously lacking in fun these days. I guess we'll try onelifecritic.worpress.com -  here's the advice: "You know by your heart. When your heart beats like dinosaur footstep, you are having fun and making memory. For example, when you sneak into some forbidden place, your heart beats. When you plan on a prank on someone, you know you’re having fun. When you are on an adventure, you are making memories. ... Real fun is supposed to be exciting, finding new things, experiencing things you have never done." And the funny ending of my search is the last retrieval on how to have fun.  It is 7 signs you're having a heart attack.  I wonder how that is linked with having or not having fun.   We've got some motion blur on the Weeping Willow at Charles Daly Park lagoon - the blue in the picture is water and reflections   This was taken a few years ago.  We didn't get good colour on the tree the last few years because of severe cold in November.  The temperatures were so low the leaves froze, turned a dark brown and fell off.  Let's hope we're on a better path for pictures this year.

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Jan 17 2020 - In the Parrot News Today

I hadn't realized that parrots make great news headlines and stories.  Here are a few: "Let Me Out" Neighbours call cops after hearing a woman scream  "Let Me Out" from man's house, turns out it's his pet parrot. According to the man, the bird, who is now 40 years old, has been with him since he was a kid.  He also revealed that he taught his pet to scream like that just to annoy his mom and dad.  Little did he know that it would get him in trouble years later Freddy the parrot makes it back to zoo after being stolen, shot and bitten by snake An Amazonian parrot called Freddy Krueger has made headlines in Brazil after managing to find its way back to the zoo from which it was stolen while recovering from a four-year nightmare that saw it shot in a gun battle, abducted by armed thieves and bitten by a snake. Freddy was first brought to the zoo about four years ago, having been severely injured in a shootout between police and gangsters during a raid on the drug den where he had lived with his villain owner. Freddy’s ordeal was far from over. Earlier this month, the parrot was reportedly bitten on the leg by a snake – thankfully of a non-venomous variety. Freddy bled profusely but survived, only to be stolen days later when three armed raiders burst into Cascavel’s zoo, overpowered its security guard and made off with two parrots and a cylinder of gas. Two days later, however, Freddy returned, discovered by zoo staff at the foot of a pine tree beside his cage.  The details of Freddy’s comeback remain murky, although drops of blood found near his former abode have fuelled speculation that the notoriously aggressive parrot bit his way out. Police seize 'super obedient' lookout parrot trained by Brazilian drug dealers According to reports in the Brazilian press, the bird had been taught to alert criminals to police operations in Vila Irmã Dulce, a low-income community in the sun-scorched capital of Piauí state, by shouting: “Mum, the police!” London parrot makes online purchase by mimicking owner A pet parrot managed to place an online shopping order by mimicking its owner on a voice-controlled smart speaker, a British newspaper reported Wednesday.  Buddy the parrot ordered a £10 ($16.67) set of gift boxes via Amazon's Alexa voice-controlled system, The Sun reported. Addicted parrots raid poppy farms Poppy farmers in India are saying their crops are being damaged by parrots that have become addicted to the opium in their plants. Our sky replacement continues today.  These images are from Charles Daly Park a few years ago.  Willow trees show their best colours in late November. We had a hard frost before the middle of November this year, so missed out on this show.  The moisture-laden sky in November brings out the beautiful colour of the tree.

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Sea of Blue vs Autumn Yellow

Grimsby gets windy in October and November.  The result is that the autumn colours are blown off the trees very quickly.  No lingering autumn here.  Charles Daley Park has a wonderful willow tree overlooking the lagoon.  The colours and reflections are excellent photo subjects.  The other day the yellowing leaves were blowing, making motion blur patterns that caught the change from green to yellow. Autumn colours are not on the minds of most Torontonians today. The colour that will prevail is a sea of blue, with the Blue Jays' Game 5 this afternoon.  20,000 signatures are on an online petition to open the dome for the game.