Merry & Uncanny Oddities: 2011

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

What kind of a Snowman is THIS?

The Merry & Uncanny Creatures are running around and squeaking

"What kind of a snowman IS this? "

but a few of the little sea-creatures in the Oozy Zoo

are nodding knowingly.

Snow Manatee with Windblown Scarf

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Ghosties

The Merry & Uncanny Creatures have just told me they've thought it over and (after quite a lot of cogitation and quivering) have unanimously decided that these little Ghosties are welcome here.

"They're only harmless Halloween spirits, after all. And since we're Oddities ourselves, and these little guys seem nice enough, it would probably be unkind to leave them out... After all, it's not their fault they're ghosts. They didn't make the world."

Even Ghosts are Merry & Uncanny Creatures

I asked (a bit trepidatiously) about the Ghoulies, from the rickety old reputedly-Scottish or maybe Cornish prayer for Halloween... But they shook their heads with utter vehemence. "No way," they said. "Since ghouls, by definition, have bad intentions."

Long-legged beasties? "Well. If that means non-biting spiders, calm giraffes, and gentle octopi... they're all OK, as long as their intentions remain benign."

"But things that go bump in the night, intentions or not, are much too noisy. Sorry... but we need our sleep."

And that's all the Merry & Uncanny Oddities and Creatures have to say.
(At least, for now.)

Monday, June 13, 2011

SLUGS LEAVING SLIME TRAILS!

Uh-oh. These sneaky little slugs with vermilion mouths and dizzy eyes on the ends of their feelers are creeping along, leaving slime trails behind them, on top of their own little clumps of green wool grass.

Don't worry!

These slugs aren't thugs. They're kind and thoughtful and won't even TRY to eat your lovely seedlings and flowers and herbs and vegetable plants and fronds and leaves and stems and stalks and tendrils ~ or any other part of any living thing!

Needle Felted Yellow Slug with Slime trail on grassy clump

Needle Felted Blue Slug with Slime trail on wooly clump of grass

My real garden space has so many little slimy chomping guys all barreling down the meadow toward it and doing acrobatics, day and night, that—for a day or two—I put on rubber gloves and wandered around and caught them and dumped them into soapy water... But then I felt sad in the middle of the night and couldn't stand to think of doing that. So now I just put tubs of beer or yeast-water in the grass and vines outside the fence. Then, if they'd like to drink a bit and end up toppling in, it will be their choice.

Next I'm going to plant them a little lettuce-patch (outside of the garden, far away from the plants I want to keep!) and hope it will keep them entertained, to have their own salad bar & playground. The best I can do, so far, to make peace with slugs.

Happy Gardening!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

SHAPES IN THE CLOUDS: Bunnies Floating in the Sky

Mysterious Bunnies of the HIgher Realms

Do you see that little white cloud-bunny riding through the air on its own soft early-morning colored roving cloud? Like many other shapes that are spied in clouds, these bunnies' faces and features are not distinct, but change from time to time, according to the dreamer's imagination, mind, and mood.

(Click the caption below the photo of any bunny you would like to read about, see more pictures of, or buy.)