Round Robin Photo Challenge: Tiny

We're entering the world of the small today, so here is an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, Chinese boat-like carving thingy.



Check out the window shutters here; they actually open and close.



The characters in the writing on the bottom are only a couple of millimeters tall. I have no clue what it says, but if anyone out there can translate it I'd love to know.

My aunt gave me this years ago, but she didn't say where it came from. Members of my family served as Marines in the Korean War and in Japan in World War ll, so it may have been sent back by one or the other of them. She did say she thought it was carved from some kind of fruit pit.

I've been examining it closely for the first time and doing some research online, and I think it's a netsuke, a bead used to close a little purse worn on a kimono. It has tiny holes in the points on either end, as well as larger ones in the carving on one end, and a groove cut into the carving. It would seem it was meant to be strung on threads. I also have a smaller, less elaborate ship that may be the ojime bead that goes with it.

As netsuke go, it's unremarkable and crude, but it impresses the daylights out of me.

For lots more Lilliputian lovelies, please click over to the Round Robins Photo Challenge, OK? See you there.

Update 6-03-08: Turns out this isn't a netsuke after all, but a peach-stone carving. See this post for details and a shot of the smaller boat: Nice nuts.

Don't try this at home, kids

This is a clip of Gene Kelly tap dancing on roller skates that was featured recently on either a PBS or History Channel TV show, I forget which. I wouldn't have thought this was possible if I hadn't seen it myself. It made my evening, and I hope it gives you a smile.

Indy rides again

Yes! The old guy's still got it!

Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was more fun than I've had at the movies in a long, long time. It was one of those films where you completely forget your troubles and lose track of time. It was just what I needed this weekend.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't go into the details. But if you loved Raiders of the Lost Ark, you're gonna love this wild ride too. Go - and hang onto your hats.

Time in a bottle

If only you could drown grief in the sea of possessions that arrives in the wake of a death. Instead, the stuff just makes you sink deeper.

When we moved Mom to my brother's house, I inherited a truckload of furniture and keepsakes, most of which are still sitting in boxes in the basement. We can barely use the dining room and kitchen, because two dining sets are jammed in there now. I don't want to part with either of them.

Now that Mom has passed, there is a whole new round of wrenching decisions to be made about what to do with her things. Mom never threw away anything, and neither did my Gran. The result is several generations worth of stuff that has moved in with us to stay.

My sister in law says they're holding on to a desk for me, because it was Mom's and I couldn't bear to think of it at Goodwill. There are already seven desks in this house. Every room except the kitchen and bathrooms has one. Where is the new one going? Where?

This week, a forty-five pound box from my sister arrived unannounced on my doorstep. It was like finding a litter of abandoned kittens out there; you have to take them in, but what are you going to do with them?

In the box were a few real treasures: two Fenton vases. A pair of brass candlesticks. Some nice earrings I can use.

There were hundreds of photographs, some in frames ... letters ... reels of home movies from decades ago. All of those have to stay, of course. Ditto for the watercolors Mom painted. Another box for my already crammed basement.

There was an afghan Mom made, white with a giant red cardinal in the center and green borders. I don't use red or green, but ... Mom made it. I guess it could come out for Christmas. There was a beautiful old crocheted bedspread, which the cat would shred in days if allowed anywhere near it. There were two fragile christening gowns I have never seen before, covered in fine French needlework. Well, I think, maybe there is a little more room in the cedar chest. But I know there isn't.

There was an ugly quilt top that was never quilted and a funny old Remington electric shaver from the 50's, still in the box with all the inserts. I think these may be eBay candidates. There were a lot of old linen napkins covered in brown spots, and a dozen embroidered ladies hankies. Goodwill? eBay? Trash?

Then there was the large pile of castoff knick-knacks, souvenirs, trinkets, toys, and drawer-dwelling whatsits. Some of them I remember from my childhood ... how could I throw them away? Some I know Mom loved, though I'm sure I never will. A small number are scooped into a bag for Goodwill, the rest go into another box for the basement.

And then, I found myself holding on to two stray Bobby pins. Bobby pins. Because I remember Mom putting her hair into pin curls with them.

I think I need help.

Photo Hunt: Shoes

The PhotoHunters' subject this week is Shoes. We explored this one a while ago at Round Robins, where my furry faves got the star treatment. This time around, a forlorn silver slipper caught my eye, left alone without its mate on a pile of rubbish behind an abandoned house.

Imagine it shiny and new, carefully chosen for a special night. It may have danced at a wedding, or maybe a prom, and dangled provocatively from the dancer's toe as she sat, resting. A very little girl might once have slipped it on, and dreamed a Cinderella dream.

Be sure to stop by at PhotoHunt to see what everyone else found.

Round Robins: Wooden

Our challenge this time around on Round Robins is Wooden, a topic suggested by Kiva of the blog Eclectic Granny. I chose to photograph this bowl my husband made from the base of a backyard Euonymus bush that got completely out of control.

Actually, the Euonymous bowl was my second choice. I had a great little theme going for this, wooden red cherries in a cherry wood bowl made by my husband from a tree that once graced our front lawn. Or so I thought. Hubby Dearest came home as I was wrapping things up Friday and proceeded to burst my bubble:

He: "Uh, honey ... that's not cherry." Me: "Whatta ya mean? Didn't you make this out of that tree we cut down out front? The one the carpenter ants drilled full of holes?" He: "Nope. It's from a chunk o' wood a friend gave me. I think it's maple."

Dang. Well, no matter. It's a cool bowl, and the cherries are kinda cute, and I spent hours fussing with the thing. So you're getting these, too:








As always, there are lots and lots more photos to see over at the Round Robin home page. Be sure to check them out, OK?

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms in all the world, I wish you a day filled with love and joy. Hugs all 'round.

Photo Hunters: Freestyle

What do you choose to share when you can pick any photo at all? That's the dilemma this time for the PhotoHunters at tnchick.com.

Me, I've been out singin' in the rain and revelling in the fragrance of crabtree blossoms, so I thought I'd invite you along for a look. I hope, wherever you are, that your spring is as lovely as ours is this year!

*But wait, there's more! Click to visit the Maraca homepage, and stop by tnchick's place for others' PhotoHunt entries.

May 9 is Lost Sock Memorial Day

In honor of the occasion, I have written you a poem:

Ode to a Lost Sock

Does anyone know
where the single socks go
when a pair of them go in the dryer?
Do they slip out to play
and wander away,
forgetting that they are attire?

Do they tire of their mate
and their tiresome fate,
every day in the dark of a shoe?
Do they follow the song
of a silky black thong
and cling to that siren like glue?

Are they captured by pirates,
or stolen by gnomes
who are jealous of our cozy toes?
Are they pilfered by mice
to make their nest nice?
Are there gangs of barefoot Eskimos?

There are those who say,
in a sinister way,
that a dryer's a portal in space;
that socks who fall through
(and they swear this is true)
warm the feet of an alien race.

Ah, does anyone
anyone anyone know,
someone who isn't a liar?
Does anyone know
where the single socks go
when a pair of them go in the dryer?

Copyright May 2008

Round Robins: Spring Cleaning

I was beginning to worry that I was actually going to have to clean something for this, but the neighborhood's annual yard sale came along today, just in time. Saved!

Click Here ... to check out the other Robins' photos, OK? It's a treasure hunting sort of day, so get in there and explore.

*Oops.
P.S. Three ideas for new challenges:
1. Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens... Show us a few of your favorite things.
2. Blinded by the Light. Photograph anything brilliant and bright.
3. Hammer Time. It's all about tools.
(I seem to be in a musical mood.)

Photo Hunt: Time

"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -- Ferris Bueller

Time is our PhotoHunt topic from tnchick.com this week. It's a strange thing, time: ephemeral as starlight, solid as a pocket watch. I can't wait to see what everyone else did for this one.

Merry May Day

The fair maid who, the first of May
Goes to the fields at break of day
And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree
Will ever after handsome be.
-- Mother Goose

It is May Day, Beltane, when the world is suspended between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice. On this day, our ancestors celebrated the triumph of the light over the darkness and gloried in the fertility of the land.

Bonfires and Maypoles may be hard to come by these days, but there's plenty of ancient magic in the air. They say that washing in the dew at dawn today brings beauty, jumping over a flame makes a wish come true, and that faeries can be seen at twilight.

It's a bit late for me to worry about my looks, but I do have a wish or two to attend to. And you can bet I'll be keeping an eye out for faeries.