Hold it.

Too early for Poe? No matter. I was hoping for a neat convergence by him with what was just a random sketch, but the story's called The Oval Portrait, damn it. Also, turns out that unless you're searching for masses of online galleries, googling "paintings in fairy tales" is really no help at all. Of course, there's the uncomfortable event behind this particular painting (the model didn't die, but nearly froze in a bathtub of slowly chilling water), but once again the shape of the pic figures prominently.

Birthday present.

Saturday, September 20th: finished my second(gasp!) reading of The Hobbit

Sunday, September 21st: 71st anniversary of the publishing of The Hobbit

Monday, September 22nd: Bilbo (and Frodo) Baggins' birthday

Funny how things align.

There are thirteen dwarvish shadows there, in case anyone was counting.

"Chip the glasses and crack the plates!

Blunt the knives and bend the forks!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates--

Smash the bottles and burn the corks!"

An Unexpected Party, The Hobbit

The appropriate sentiment of clumsiness and mayhem to hang on my virtual door while bandaged hands and mangled fingers heal.

Bits and pieces.

For loss of a pic, a Wednesday was lost. And all for the loss of an eraser nub.

Moon pies.

Strung with the guts of a great-cat-grandfather,
There's a ghostlier note to that fiddle.



A spoon that's more rake took the dish and the cake,
And the sunrise was left with the riddle.

A post-vacation, post-baptism "halloo" to the little Rubaby.