Words and pictures from the author of And the Crows Took Their Eyes as well as the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries . . .
Friday, June 4, 2010
Irrational Orrery Lust
I don't want more stuff. Our house is full to overflowing with odds and ends -- family memorabilia, trinkets, lovely things we've been given, odd things I've picked up here and there (literally picked up, as in rocks, snake skins, bones, feather, driftwood, shells . . .
So why do I find myself thinking an orrery would be a nice thing to possess?I mean, I already know about the solar system -- I don't need one of these nifty gizmos to convince me that the planets rotate round the sun and the various moons go round their particular planets.
It's just that these early scientific instruments with their elegant brass gears are so beautiful! They would give a room a hint of steampunk, a suggestion of mad scientist, and a whiff of Merlin.
You do like interesting items my friend.....I'm not sure I would decorate with these but it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things.......:-) Hugs
These things would certainly be a talking point. How could you not pass comment on such beautifully crafted instruments that help give us a sense of place?
Me, too, Vicki! (collections of snake skins, shells, skullls, etc.) and me, too, again! (would love to own both an Orrery and astrolab)! The Plantetarium in Chicago has an amazing collection of astrolabs along with historical data on each. Fascinating. Easily spent an afternoon trying to unravel their mystery.
Desire isn't rational : it is just the pinch of salt to make the life wonderful. (In french we have the expression : le sel de la vie. Salt life ? Do you have the same expression in english ?
You want an orrery because it is freaking awesome. And the only way you could clean it is canned air. How great it is to have an industry of canned air.
I'm glad to see that there are others of my ilk -- collectors or would-be collectors of unconsidered trifles. Around here, there's a term 'woods pretties' for those interesting seed pods or cones or such. (I look up and see a great hornet's nest I collected years ago, a pink granite rock from bbeach in Scotland, the skull of one of our mastiffs that came to light when a bulldozer uncovered her grave while repairing a culvert, a broken shell from Cape Lookout . . .)
Helene -- la sel de vie -- the salt of life makes perfect sense but it's not a common phrase in English. We say some one is 'the salt of the earth' when we wish to imply a natural goodness. And we have a saying 'variety is the spice of life' which is similar to your sel de vie.
It had crossed my mind, Jean, but then I imagined one of those lovely glass domes to cover it...
Dang, Willow, I felt sure you already had one!
That's it, Helen! Freaking awesome, indeed. And canned air would be the way to go if I didn't have the dome.
We are blessed with rocks here, Deanna, but that didn't stop me from bringing a suitcase of them home from Lake Erie. Nice flat smooth rock, totally unlike what we have here.
Vicki -- your wish for the solar instruments makes perfectly good sense to me. First they are artistically beautiful and secondly they appear handmade for the most part. It seems that these two factors would interest someone that is both sensitive to nature and artistic such as you are. As an appreciator of nature it would also be natural to have one to contemplate the cosmos as the whole of the natural world is connected. Perhaps a way to rationalize the purchase is to let go of a few items that you now possess. -- barbara
I know what you mean about having a house full and then thinking...ohh I think I will take this rock or this pretty thing home!! Get it but give away one or two things.
22 comments:
You do like interesting items my friend.....I'm not sure I would decorate with these but it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things.......:-) Hugs
I do the same thing, Vicki; collect gifts from nature.
I collect far too many man-made things, too, but you're right. Desire isn't rational, it just IS.
These things would certainly be a talking point. How could you not pass comment on such beautifully crafted instruments that help give us a sense of place?
Amazing instruments!
you want the coolest toys! the last one before the astrolabe looks like it woul dhave lost of action...
Me, too, Vicki! (collections of snake skins, shells, skullls, etc.) and me, too, again! (would love to own both an Orrery and astrolab)! The Plantetarium in Chicago has an amazing collection of astrolabs along with historical data on each. Fascinating. Easily spent an afternoon trying to unravel their mystery.
Elora
Desire isn't rational : it is just the pinch of salt to make the life wonderful.
(In french we have the expression : le sel de la vie. Salt life ? Do you have the same expression in english ?
Would thinking about having to dust it help curve your desire??
curb, not curve....
They're magical. I want one, too! (blame it on Deep DNA)
You want an orrery because it is freaking awesome. And the only way you could clean it is canned air. How great it is to have an industry of canned air.
very fancy and elegant collections!
We've drug rocks home from every place we've visited.
If you get one of the thingy's, be sure to let us know!
from one collector to another . . .
I surely do understand.
There is no rhyme no reason behind that desire - but I do like to have "interesting stuff" surrounding me in my nest.
I'm glad to see that there are others of my ilk -- collectors or would-be collectors of unconsidered trifles. Around here, there's a term 'woods pretties' for those interesting seed pods or cones or such. (I look up and see a great hornet's nest I collected years ago, a pink granite rock from bbeach in Scotland, the skull of one of our mastiffs that came to light when a bulldozer uncovered her grave while repairing a culvert, a broken shell from Cape Lookout . . .)
Helene -- la sel de vie -- the salt of life makes perfect sense but it's not a common phrase in English. We say some one is 'the salt of the earth' when we wish to imply a natural goodness.
And we have a saying 'variety is the spice of life' which is similar to your sel de vie.
It had crossed my mind, Jean, but then I imagined one of those lovely glass domes to cover it...
Dang, Willow, I felt sure you already had one!
That's it, Helen! Freaking awesome, indeed. And canned air would be the way to go if I didn't have the dome.
We are blessed with rocks here, Deanna, but that didn't stop me from bringing a suitcase of them home from Lake Erie. Nice flat smooth rock, totally unlike what we have here.
A packrat's nest is what I have, Kaye!
No, you don't, not really. If I was you, I'd keep it where it doesn't need dusting!! i.e. in the catalogue.
Blessings, Star
Orrery...you bring this word to wonderful life...'They would give a room a hint of steampunk, a suggestion of mad scientist, and a whiff of Merlin.'
Steampunk! I love it! I have this urge to build or take one of those things apart. I could always practice on an old alarm clock. LOL
I have an ornate tall walking stick that has an air of magic about it. A whiff of Merlin would enhance any home. Go for it!
Star! Catalogue? No one told me there was a catalogue. My lust is, at the moment, fairly abstract.
Paul and Callie -- I'd love a room like Merlin's as described by T.H.White in the first part of THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING.
Vicki -- your wish for the solar instruments makes perfectly good sense to me. First they are artistically beautiful and secondly they appear handmade for the most part. It seems that these two factors would interest someone that is both sensitive to nature and artistic such as you are. As an appreciator of nature it would also be natural to have one to contemplate the cosmos as the whole of the natural world is connected. Perhaps a way to rationalize the purchase is to let go of a few items that you now possess. -- barbara
It's a thought, Barbara -- but at present I have a feeling that the sort of orrery I lust after is way out of my price range.
I know what you mean about having a house full and then thinking...ohh I think I will take this rock or this pretty thing home!! Get it but give away one or two things.
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