… barks at radiators and refrigerators
and anything audible that stops and starts
as it can’t hurt to be alert:
the world is so huge and overwhelming
with the universal stench of humans
and a tiny dog at home is so very alone,
even having to pee where other dogs will
never smell.
If this visage seems familiar, there are some possible reasons you’re not wrong. One is that I have indeed posted this very concrete lion some years ago, not to be confused with the lion I posted a few months ago. Another reason might be that you’ve seen a concrete lion very much like this one as a drinking fountain in Chicago’s iconic Water Tower at Chicago and Michigan. I’m not sure that these are identical but I do remember encountering the drinking fountain in the tower and thinking: “Oh!” But I could be wrong. Still, once upon a time, in the 1930s and 1940s most probably, this stone lion was also a fountain. And since it hasn’t been a fountain for a very long time, it is indeed wintertime for kitty.
So what brings forth this stone feline today? Well, as an image it has possibilities and one that I wanted to try was turning the photo into something resembling a sketch.
Photo by Roman.
Formerly an embassy of Wrens; note the truncated perch.
Photo by Roman.
This is not an evening photo. The sidewalk illumination is sunlight reflected off of a doorway. You can almost read the house numbers…
Among the many puzzling if not quaint customs preserved by the natives of Chicago is the weekly Watering of the Concrete. Since this is mostly a summertime ceremony, it can be quite refreshing on the hottest of days. The origins and meanings of the ritual are quite obscure but are said to be related to another ritual, The Paying of the Rent.
I could probably actually afford the rent for a place that size, not much larger.
Come along. Mind the police tape, though; it’s the scene of a tragedy.
One egg, the size and color suggesting a Robin, so there should have been more and the end of July is far too late for just eggs in any case. My feeble forensics can find not a clue, Sherlock; the possibilities are numerous and multiply. Such a flock they are!
But I would favor a tale including shoddy construction on an unstable platform but there could well be more to it.
Like I said: I could probably afford a place like that.
Photo by Roman.
This in celebration of having made it through nearly half a year with the world still whirling, if throwing off smoke and sparks and giving off a horrid screeching… Otherwise it might be mistaken for an ordinarily lovely time of the year.
Am I down? Well… yeah… but this is a celebration, yes? Progress! Onward!
And I know just enough botany to tell you these are flowers and leaves caught at a lovely moment. Are they a distraction? Oh yes. May your future be filled with lovely distractions…
Photos by Roman.
I’ve run across photographers able to bring macro photography of flowers at least a step beyond a pretty picture to something resembling floral portraiture, wherein the flowers are posed to suggest a vaguely human personality. Alas that I’m not one of them unless by accident; my technical skills and my equipment are far too modest. But these are pretty cute anyway, eh?
Oh… I’ve also seen portraiture of chickens… just sayin’…
Yip Abides 