Loretta

Up until I took this photo, I thought this little thing was a snail - and I've had it for probably 20 years or more.  Funny how you can own something and never really have looked at it. This was a gift from a friend who lives in Poland, but I think she bought it when she was doing a short-term missions project in Yugoslavia (back when it was Yugoslavia).  Does this explain the "YU" on the back?  The reptilian neck and the patterns on the skin are what convinced me that this was no snail.  With the fashionable flowered hat and the pretty blue sunglasses, I'll go even further and postulate that this is a female snake.  As to why she's rolled up in such a fashion or why her skin is so flat, your guess is as good as mine.  I shall call her Loretta.

If you turn Loretta upside down, you see the letters "PKS," and it is here that my imagination is captured.  Somewhere in Yugoslavia, the artisan PKS carefully crafted this whimsical little snake out of clay, rolled it up, made the tiny hat and sunglasses and then with a brush, painted on various colors of glaze and fired it up in a kiln.  How old was PKS when she did this?  Was PKS a man?  Was the making of trinkets like this a big part of PKS's income?  The day came when Loretta was finished: fired, cooled and ready to go.  She sat out in a stall with many others just like her while tourists went by, barely giving her a glance.  An American named Lisa stopped at the shop, looking for something to bring home and give to one of her supporters.  She spoke to PKS in halting Serbian, picking up Loretta, who at that time was not covered with the grime and dust of years (let's use the word "patina" instead - so artsy!).  "How much?"  Not one to haggle, she paid PKS the asking price and brought Loretta back to the United States with her.  And now, through Loretta, I have this thin, trailing connection to Yugoslavia, to an artist there, whose hands have traveled the world.  PKS, I salute you!

Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29

Floating Cats

Floating Cats I

Cats appear to float
A slight breeze keeps them moving
They make me happy.

Floating Cats II

For weeks at a time
I don't see them, these 5 little cats
And then, an invisible current of air
Swirls around, moves them gently
And as peripheral vision catches it,
I give them my undivided attention.
This little bit of whimsy and beauty
Makes me happy.

Floating Cats III

They sat in a box, neglected and broken,
My mom couldn't throw them away.
Their silent mews to me were spoken-
I tell you I heard them that day!

I rescued them with a bit of string
I set things all aright.
To balance them was a tricky thing,
But eventually they took flight

And when in airy stillness they float
I blow and make them dance
A simple pleasure, a quiet note,
My life has been enhanced.

God’s in His heaven,

All’s right with the world.

Robert Browning

Writing Prompts - The Korean Artifact

Wow - only 2 blog posts in 2016...you'd think I don't really like to write.  It turns out that I enjoy writing, but only when it comes to letters, notes and journals.  Kris has been encouraging me to write more - he has this idea that I should write a book, but I'm not sure I've got it in me.  So this year, I'm going to do something a little different with this blog (like actually write in it - that would be different).  I'm going to take photos of everyday objects in my life and use them as writing prompts.  It might be a fiction piece, it might be poetry, or it might be reminiscences of how that object came to be in my life.  Ideally, I'd be doing this weekly, but keep in mind that if I only do 3 in 2017, it will be more than I did in 2016.  Let us begin...

He had looked everywhere for this little treasure.  In fact, it had been his one defining obsession since Jack died and left him with so many questions.  He'd known it had existed - he'd been with Jack in South Korea when they had been following a lead on a case and it had mysteriously appeared in Jack's bag after a long train trip.  At the time, Jack had been surprisingly cagey, examining it furtively and then pocketing it without much explanation.  When Doug had questioned him about it, he'd shrugged and said it was a gift from a secret admirer and they'd laughed it off.  Shortly before Jack was killed, however, he mentioned it in an email to Doug, saying,

"Remember that little gift from my secret admirer in South Korea?  I've been doing some research and it appears that it may be quite valuable, or at least valuable to certain people.  It has unusual properties, quite fascinating.  Someone has contacted me via third party about acquiring it, but I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it yet.  I'd like to explore its capabilities some more before I let it go.  I'll show it to you the next time we have a case together.  Until then, I'll probably err on the side of caution and keep it hidden."

Three days later, Jack was found dead in an alley nearly 10 miles from his home.  He'd been tortured and then shot.  Doug was certain that the Korean artifact was key to solving Jack's murder and he was even more certain that the killer had not gotten it.  That was 8 months ago.  Jack had not made it easy to find this tiny casket; it had been well hidden indeed.  Following hunches, cryptic notes, half-baked guesses, and running into a myriad of dead ends, Doug had finally tracked it down, in an old ratty gym bag stuffed in a locker somewhere.  Doug set it down on his old, scratched desk, and realized upon closer inspection that with a little manipulation, the top was removable.  He looked inside.

-----

Me, again.  I feel pretty "meh" about that entry, but it's a start.  I received this little trinket many years ago from my brother-in-law who used to travel to far-off places for his job.  I think it came from Korea, but couldn't testify to it in a court of law with any certainty.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts,

And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Psalm 51:6