Ron Pippin

Perhaps if you visited the Obsolete website, you saw some of the works of Ron Pippin. His work absolutely amazes me. I am no art critic or naturalist, but find this to be some of the most intriguing and thought provoking work I've ever seen in my life. Lady Lavona at Cabinet of Curiosities shares my passion for this artist. If you look at the panoramic pictures at his site, they give a whole different perspective, you almost feel as though you are there in the gallery. If the strange, unusual and naturally beautiful delight you please visit Ron Pippin. Let me know what you think.

he forgot about the power lines

Melancholy

These are a few examples of collections at Obsolete. These are part of the collections titled Melancholy. I love the saw fish bone on original Italian stand circa 1910-1920. The baboon is from a natural history museum in France circa 1960. The baby emu is displayed under a glass dome and is from a museum in Belgium, 1940-1950. The whale bone is so architectural and the coral branches exquisite. Taxidermy animals were quite the rage during the Victorian period and no home was complete with out a case of stuffed birds and examples of wildlife. Check out these and much more at Obsolete.

Until the Awful Accident...

Henri was a pretty good cook.

What the H E... Double Hockey Sticks??????

Capital punishment for elephants? Maybe, but this just seems so bizarre. The story of Topsy the elephant, who was a part of the Forepaugh Circus, by January 1903 she had been accused of killing 3 keepers in 3 years. Two in Texas then she was sent to Coney Island, New York to perform, where she killed another keeper. She was then sentenced to die by hanging (?!?!) but protests by New York's ASPCA had this changed to death by electrocution. And who better than to handle this than Thomas Edison, he was the expert after all. After inventing the electric chair for humans it would only stand to reason he would be the man for handling euthenasia for bad elephants, right?

Bad Elephant Killed
Topsy Meets Quick and
Painless Death at Coney Island.
Topsy, the ill-tempered Coney Island elephant, was put to death in Luna Park, Coney Island, yesterday afternoon. The execution was witnessed by 1,500 or more curious persons, who went down to the island to see the end of the huge beast, to whom they had fed peanuts and cakes in summers that are gone. In order to make Topsy's execution quick and sure 460 grams of cyanide of potassium were fed to her in carrots. Then a hawser was put around her neck and one end attached to a donkey engine and the other to a post. Next wooden sandals lined with copper were attached to her feet. These electrodes were connected by copper wire with the Edison electric light plant and a current of 6,600 volts was sent through her body. The big beast died without a trumpet or a groan.Topsy was brought to this country twenty-eight years ago by the Forepaugh Circus, and has been exhibited throughout the United States. She was ten feet high and 19 feet 11 inches in length. Topsy developed a bad temper two years ago and killed two keepers in Texas. Last spring, when the Forepaugh show was in Brooklyn, J. F. Blount, a keeper, tried to feed a lighted cigarette to her. She picked him up with her trunk and dashed him to the ground, killing him instantly. The Commercial Advisor January 5, 1903

Topsy must have been a rough old girl, and was taken down, by three strikes and your out. But if someone fed me a lighted cigarette, I would have my first strike. It seems that the event was a big money maker for the circus and that a good time was had by all. Once again I ask, what the hell?

May contain objectionable material. Not suitable for all audiences.

The Envelope Please...

I would like to thank the academy..., no I would like to thank Chris Klingler at CK Designs for awarding me the You Make My Day Award. Thank-you, Chris, you make my day too! I am so flattered, I don't think I've won an award since Mrs. Petty's sixth grade class in Clovis, New Mexico. I love visiting your blog to learn something new, to be inspired and just have fun! Your art and your blog, your sense of design and humor are things I look forward to every day. There are so many talented fun people in blogland that I love to visit. Here are a few:

Karen at A'Musements
Holly at Sweetheartville
Kimberlee at Edgar and Edgar
Lady Lavona at Cabinet of Curiosities
Jackiesue at Yellowdog Granny

"You Make My Day Award" works like this: 1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make me think and/or make my day. 2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver. 3. Display the "You Make my Day Award" logo with a link to the post that I wrote. (Optional) 4. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.

Blaschka Glass Models

Can you believe that these are models made mostly of glass?

In the 1880s father and son Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolf Blaschka (1857-1939) ran a small workshop in Dresden, Germany. At their height they had salesmen working across Europe and North America and as far a field as Japan and India. Initially, they made costume jewellery and glass eyes for the blind and for taxidermists who were enjoying a period of great demand and prosperity in the late 1800s. However, during 1863 they started to make exquisite glass models of marine invertebrates and flowers and these soon became their main business. The glass models of animals and plants produced by the Blaschkas are works of art and rank as some of the very best ever produced. You can read more about these at http://www.warmus.com.

Dick's Dad Was Lost

...in a hubcap.

If I Were a Rich Man, ya,da,da,da...etc, etc.

Well, if I were a rich man, I would send all my blogging Valentines, this keyboard to do all their blogging with. I will rush down now and buy a lottery ticket, you never know, today could be my day! Check these out at: datamancer.net.

Found!

I have either gathered a pot of very interesting items, or I have a kettle of crap. Guess we'll just have to see if anything can be made of this strange potpourri.

Happy Birthday Babe-raham Lincoln!

This is my sweet man taking an after-supper nap with Poopy, after a hard day of shoeing horses, it's his birthday today. Happy Birthday to yeeww, happy birthday to yeeww, and so on and so on.

If I Were a Bug I Could Do This:

More specifically a Caddis Fly. These bejeweled creations are a collaboration with Caddis Flies (which are closely related to butterflies) and artist/naturalist, Hubert Duprat. Caddis flies are aquatic, normally live in streams and spin protection for their larvae from silk, incorporating materials from the stream bottom into the capsule. Herbert Duprat, takes it a step further by taking these creatures and giving them different materials in which to spin their magic. These are some of their creations. All of this begs the question, which is the artist; Duprat, the flies or Mother Nature? You be the judge.

I Love Ice Cream and I Love Perfume...

but never knew this.

Have you ever heard a word, that sounded beautiful? Well, I heard this word, it sounded beautiful and even looked beautiful.

AMBERGRIS

Of course I had no idea, what it meant or what it was. Boy was I in for a surprise. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Ambergris is a waxlike substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale. Lighter than water, it is found floating on tropical seas or cast up on the shore in yellow, gray, black, or variegated masses, usually a few ounces in weight, though pieces weighing several hundred pounds have been found. Ambergris has been greatly valued from earliest times. It is now used as a fixative in perfumes. It has the unique ability to absorb and “set” certain odors which makes it of particular value in the perfume industry.

Ambergris has a very typical scent, animally but of great sweetness that seduces particularly feminine noses, who instinctively recognize the odour that will attract males. In fact, Ambergris, like all aromatic substances of animal origin, is a pheromone and acts directly on the hormonal system through the sense of smell, without physical contact.

In the past Ambergris was eaten and burnt like incense. Ambergris burns making a pleasant smell. During the Black Death in Europe, the people believed that carrying a ball of ambergris could help prevent them from getting the plague. This was because the fragrance covered the smell of the air which was believed to be the cause of plague.

Through inhalation, the body absorbs the aromatic molecule of Ambergris carried by the smoke, and they penetrate in the blood circuit reaching all the organs. In fumigations as well as by ingestion, the medical effect of these Ambergris pheromones is comparable to a modern estrogen cure.

More commonly referred to as whale vomit, ambergris is one of the hundreds of possible additives used in cigarettes. Ambergris is a fatty, waxy substance that forms in the intestines of the sperm whale. Lumps of ambergris often have the hard beaks of squid and cuttlefish buried within, so it's suspected that it acts as a vehicle for the expulsion of undigestible bits of what these whales eat.
Fresh ambergris is foul smelling and floats on the ocean surface, but with years of exposure to the elements, it takes on a sweet, pleasant smell. Ambergris has become prized in perfume manufacturing because it has the unique ability to "fix" a fragrance, keeping it from fading too fast. It's also used as a food additive.This substance has also been used historically as a flavouring for food. The favourite dish of King Charles II of England is said to have been eggs and ambergris. Middle Easterners have also used it as a spice for food and drinks.
It is used in non-alcoholic beverages, ice cream and candy.

Ambergris has also been used as a form of medical supplement. Middle Easterners have used it to increase strength and virility and to treat heart and brain disease. In some cases, people consider ambergris as an aphrodisiac. Also, during the Middle Ages, Europeans used ambergris as a medication for headaches, colds, epilepsy, and other ailments.
Ambergris was also moulded, dried, decorated and worn as jewelery, particularly during the European Renaissance. It was often formed into beads.

Kung Hey Fat Choy, Y'all!

Today is the first day of Chinese New Year, 2008 will be the year of the rat. I am not Chinese, but hate being left out of any celebration so we're celebrating! Besides what's not to like. I love Chinese lanterns, Chinese food, fireworks, parades, oranges, tangerines and all that goes with it.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.
The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.
The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.
On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs. The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.
The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck. On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health. The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.
On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven. The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.
The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system. The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.

The entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door. Shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

(Now that part about cleaning the house, not gonna do it, why start now?)

OK, Not Even I am This Creepy

I am all about the bizarre and macabre, but I couldn't even do this. Though as is par for the course my dear son, has come bearing this type of cockroach as gifts before. He does it and acts as though it is something I should adore, knowing all the while that he is as evil and vindictive as his own mother. A friend of his worked in the entomology department of the university he was attending, so he kindly presented me with a pair of these creepy little creatures. I couldn't really just kill them they are too big and would be more like slaughtering something than swatting it. I couldn't not feed them or deprive them of air that's kind of cold and I do try to be nice. So I waited till just the right time and gave them away to a boy, whose mother would completely flip out when she saw them. I didn't get to see the actual event but heard it was quite the explosion. As my new best friend says, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Product information: If you are fan of the show "America's Next Top Model" then you may already be familiar with the giant Madagascar hissing cockroach brooch. This piece of jewelry is made from a living Madagascar hissing cockroach that is decorated with Austrian Swarovski crystals. This is one of the few pieces of jewelry that you will own that you will also be able to treat like a pet.To care for your giant Madagascar hissing cockroach broach you will need to make sure that you provide it with the right type of housing and food. Your cockroach brooch will need a dark terrarium with soil and leaf litter as its home, and you will need to feed it fresh bananas and provide it with a damp cotton ball or paper towel to provide it with the right amount of water to survive. If you provide your living cockroach jewelry with the proper accommodations then it should live for about a year. However, most vendors that offer this product will not guarantee that it will live this long.The giant Madagascar hissing cockroach broaches are unique accessories, however, you may be wondering when you will be able to wear this piece of insect jewelry. Well there are several occasions that you can wear this item. First they make an elegant addition to a Halloween costume. Besides Halloween this item can also be worn to posh dinner parties, friendly get-together's, as well as special events. Your confidence and style sense is what will allow you to get away with wearing this item as a fashion accessory. "

My Choice for Indoor Lighting

I adore these lamps! They are so unusual, artistic and clever. I would be hard pressed to choose my favorite, though the one called 'The Antidote', has that marvelous white deer of which I am very fond! Amy Leonard at Design DNA makes these, check them out in the Lighting Gallery at http://lionheartdesign.blogspot.com/. Her blog features the newest and most unique design finds.

Decisions Decisions

My decisions today are not which candidate I would choose, but which of these plates or trays I love the most. This website is a must see, if you like batty or buggy dinnerware, which I do!
http://johnderian.com/

Oh My

Quoted from: Art MoCo - Modern contemporary design & architecture
mocoloco.com/art/upload/2007/12/hope_and_fear/toledano.jpg

Let Me Know

Have you seen this movie? Our outing today was to go see Daniel Day Lewis' new movie, There Will Be Blood. It was long, but very thought provoking and I have no idea what process a person must undergo to produce characters like he does. The last movie I had seen was Sweeney Todd, with another of my favorite actors, Johnny Depp. Strange in the fact that years ago, I didn't really like Johnny Depp, Daniel Day Lewis or Leonardo Di Caprio. Now I think they are all exceptionally talented and can't wait to see what they will come up with next.

This movie they say is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's book 'Oil', which I haven't read, but guess now, that I must.