how to mark irony?

So this came to mind STRONGLY yesterday when I had sent a photo of a bunch of sunflowers in a yellow pitcher,  so very van Gogh in feeling,  sent to me by Lee Hallman in Fort Worth and I had sent the picture of it along side the New York Times as the two images were  so remarkably contradictory,  of course. That is, the of course, was no way of course. What was not my surprise to receive a few messages saying how optimistic I seem to be and the times were so contrary to that! I started wondering how you mark irony  in case you need to do that.
Here I am in New York after having my shoulder changed at the Hospital for Special Surgery and I'm thinking perhaps I will start my journal,  that is the blog again. Why not?