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Unidentified Animals

December 20, 2023

I’m having what feels like a busy day, with three things to do (make yogurt, grocery shop, work in the studio). How I ever worked and also did non-work things is hard to fathom at this point. I know it happened, I just don’t recall how. I suppose Holidailies is a fourth thing, but it’s less thing-y, since I can do it whenever. The yogurt cannot be done whenever; certain steps need to be done at certain temperatures, and I need to allow enough time for it to ferment or whatever it’s doing after I add the starter and still get it draining by bedtime so we’ll have yogurt to eat for breakfast tomorrow. I did that, so now I am here to Holidaily. I thought about sharing some more ornaments from the tree, but I don’t know which ones have already gotten their time in the spotlight in other entries over the years and don’t have time to do that research (see having to grocery shop and work on organizing projects in the studio). So instead, I’m sharing some things I know I haven’t before as we got them this year, as part of the cleaning out Joan’s storage unit project.

Two crocheted animals, their bodies formed over a L'eggs pantyhose egg. One is red and black stripes; one is blue and white. They have bear-like ears but non-bearlike longish fat tails. Faces toward the camera, they have button eyes and their noses and mouths are made from yarn.

I cannot explain why I had to have these, other than I’ve never seen such creatures before. They’re rattles, with something inside the plastic eggs over which their bodies are crocheted that makes a maraca-like sound when they’re shaken, which would seem to indicate they were made for children, but they’ve got choking hazard button eyes, which means maybe not for children. Though given the eggs are about the right size to be L’eggs pantyhose packaging from back in the day, could be they were made before choking hazard awareness was as well developed as it is now. They say “craft bazaar at church” to me. Why they were in Joan’s things I’m not sure. Mr. Karen doesn’t remember having them as a kid. They were mixed in with the stuffed animals that people gave Joan during her various illnesses, so perhaps a church member had them and passed them along thinking they’d cheer her up.

I’m not even sure what sort of animals they’re supposed to be. The ears say “bear” but the tail does not. They’re striped, so maybe fat tigers? I enjoy seeing them and speculating. And sometimes I pick them up and shake them and enjoy that, too.

*****
On this date in 2022: Bit Fewer Tabs
2021: A Year of Books
2020: Glow Under the Snow
2019: Not As Expected
2018: No entry due to a very long travel day thanks to a storm.
2017: Stormy Weather
2016: Free Lunch
2015: Night Skiing
2014: In Which the Day Gets Away from Me
2013: WDW Day 4: Studios and Magic Kingdom
2012: It’s the Lazy Woman Who Works the Hardest
2011: What’s Inside
2010: Reddit
2009: A Tale of Two Cameras
2008: A Simple Request
2007: Messy Is as Messy Does & Festive
2006: Restaurant Critic Time
2005: Welcome to Where?
2004: Cheater’s Compass
2003: Soon the Sun Will Be Up
2002: One Girl, All Alone

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2 Comments

Theresa (Nebulopathy) Says:
December 20th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Dog toys, maybe? They’re very cheerful!
Zenzalei Says:
December 20th, 2023 at 6:27 pm
Maybe you can give them a fun Latin taxonomy name?