September & October: tigers, faces, leaves & lines

This funny statue reminded me very much of my late beagle, Dorie. In the winter, Dorie would suddenly plunge her head and shoulders into the snow, tail wagging all the while. I always wondered what she was after. A frozen bit of sandwich? Burrowing mice? Whatever the prize, to her it was well worth a faceful of snow.

If my water bottle had a top like that, I'd leave it on the sidewalk, too.

I love the idea of fish lawn ornaments. 

The best way to play with an extra-large tiger plush toy:
put it in your yard and watch the double takes. 

That wasn't my first encounter with a tricky tiger. Here's one I came across in Mountain Lake awhile back.

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These sculpted faces reminded me of a trip I took to New York City with my daughter
and her friend in 2013. We stayed at an apartment on the Lower East Side that we rented through HomeAway. The apartment was very cluttered and had a weird vibe (I'll save that story for another day). 

​If you saw this curtained shelf in such
a place, you'd open it, wouldn't you?
​Of course you would. 












​​And this is what you would find:

I don't think I'm done with these sculptures quite yet. They still haunt me
​from time to time, so perhaps they are looking for a home in a story.

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Sometimes it's just the pattern of lines that catches my eye. Like this green tangle...

...and these brown leaves hanging down like tiny wizened bats.

A weeping willow and thick vines. On one side a downward cascade;
​on the other, a staunch climb up.

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​These next pics were taken on a walk early in the morning
​ on October 1. More interesting lines...

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​Hurray! More sidewalk poetry!
​Saint Paul Sidewalk Poetry

Life magazines for shin guards.
Skates too big, stick cracked and old,
jacket patched and tattered.
I ignored the smirks and winter's cold,
​love of hockey was all that mattered.

Bad day

​The red lid unscrewed
from the jar of extra crunchy
almost empty
and full, rounded spoon
half shoved in my mouth
says it all—​
​            I don't want to talk.

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We knew this day would come.