Friday, August 29, 2008

Invasion of the Coneheads

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Cone!

Flickr photo by knitterj
Who can resist a dog in a cone? Especially a sleepy one.
Can you guess what started me thinking about the wonder of cones?
This conehead.

Flickr photo by rebelxtned
No offense, bird.
Actually it was yesterday's post on feathers.
Feathers reminded me of this.

Flickr photo by platinum 4977
Did you catch any of the Olympic badminton games? They used shuttlecocks with real feathers. Read more about them HERE.
Feather cones!

If I had seen the games in person, refreshments might have been nice.

Flickr photo by Axion Photo

I wonder if he serves sno cones.

Flickr photo by LiefPhotos.com
No, not that kind.

More like this.

Flickr photo by gary 649

Or maybe an ice cream cone!

Flickr photo by dudette 1986
Hey! There's Robert Plant on tour back in 1977!

Here's another conehead that likes to tour around.

Flickr photo by esthermokka
You hardly see a gnome without a suitcase anymore.
Did anyone Amélie? (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain)
Gnomes seem to like Paris. (Maybe it's the coneheads.)

Flickr photo by enemywithin 2000

If you're ever in Paris, I suggest that you hop on a train and take a three and a half hour ride down to the Auvergne, our old stomping grounds, to see the wonders of Clermont. There are ancient volcano cones!

Flickr photo by Dominique Robert

Cones in nature are amazing.
Like this coneflower.

Flickr photo by tp99z

And this romanesco.

Flickr photo by Cap'n Surly
Have you ever tried it? I'd love to know how it tastes.

But some cones just aren't natural. Like Madonna's.
Which reminds me of this.

Flickr photo by dadadreams
It's Cup or Cone, a collage by my friend Michelle at dadadreams.

There. Now you're abreast of the World of Cones!
What is your favorite cone? And which cones have I left out?

Have a Wonder-Full Friday, y'all! And a great weekend! Wonders Across the World Wednesday is coming up soon! Join in!

And enjoy this song from Honey Cone. It's sweet!


Love, Becky

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Birds of a Feather...

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Feather!

Flickr photo by redow
Feathers are amazing, don't you think?
The way they insulate a bird from heat or cold, the way the individual strands of a feather interlock.

Flickr photo by killersnowman
But most of all, the way they allow birds to lift themselves off the ground and soar!

My dear hubby loves to talk about flight (he was an aerospace engineer before he became a Michelin man) but I still can't understand how birds can do that! I mean I get the science, but it just doesn't seem possible!

Todd may know more about plane wings than bird ones, but the man used to be an expert on feathers.
At least he was back in 1980.
Don't you like his feathered hair?

Sorry sweetie to surprise you by posting your senior picture, but your feathered hair is AWESOME! What a handsome guy!
It was the style for boys and girls!
Remember feathered bangs?
Remember Farrah?

Ever since that hair dryer commercial Tuesday, I can't stop thinking about her.
My hair never would feather like hers did.

I bet Farrah doesn't know how to do the feather stitch.
But what do I know? Maybe she does!
First the chain stitch, and now the feather stitch. Next thing you know we'll be talking about French knots!

Flickr photo by Kay Susan
Hmm.

Some plants look all feathery.

Flickr photo by multicoloured arc (taking a break)
Are those seed pods, with feathery ends to help distribute the seeds?

Feathers are everywhere.
On land.
In the sea.
(Here's a marine Feather Duster.)

Flickr photo by p@ragon

And even in the sky!

Flickr photo by *~Dawn~*

I love a wintry morning when they show up on my windshield!

Flickr photo by roddh
Well sometimes I love it. Other times I just wish I didn't have to stand there scraping the windshield with an old credit card. (I never can find my scraper.)
But if I'm in a good mood and have had my coffee, I usually love looking at the ice feathers. Before I scrape them into oblivion.
Let's move on.

Maybe we're a little like birds. After all, feathers can keep us cool when we're hot.

Flickr photo by Osvaldo Zoom
That's a vendor in New Dehli selling peacock feather fans. Those fans have been around for a very long time. According to the Flickr photographer, Osvaldo Zoom, the peacock fans are first mentioned in a Sanskrit text in 5000 BC!

I could use these as fans, but I've always thought they look more like feather dusters.

Flickr photo by smithspix
It's pampas grass and it's really popular in South Carolina.

It looks like I'm not the only one that likes feather dusters!

Flickr photo by thrillhouse1980
I wonder if that cat does windows.

Have a Wonder-Full Thursday, y'all!
And enjoy this beautiful youtube video. It reminds me of the opening to Forest Gump, with the feather falling.

Love, Becky
PS. I'm thrilled that so many of you will be blog hopping with Miss Globe-head and me next week!
Thanks for spreading the word!
(And I haven't forgotten the drawing...I'll drop in around noon to draw the name!)
PS. again: I'm back early! Scroll down to the next post for the results!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hop Aboard the Freedom Chain!

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Chain!

Flickr photo by imtoobigtoo
What a pretty daisy chain!
Guess what's got me thinking about chains.
No, not raisins. That was yesterday's post. And the post before that!
It's this beautiful treasure!

Photo by Vintage Moon Studio
Isn't it gorgeous?
I was one lucky girl last week, when Deb over at the super cool blog Vintage Moon Studio picked my name in her Pay It Forward Drawing. Well, actually, her sweet pug drew my name. With his doggy paws.
When it came in the mail I could hardly believe it! I ran around my house, staring into the mirror at how gorgeous it was! Deb makes beautiful things. Drop by her place for a visit!
Thank you Deb! And in the interest of paying it forward, I'll pick a name from today's comments to receive my own little prize! So leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! I'll draw the winner tomorrow.
And that's not all!
I just about hugged my mail lady. Not only did I get a beautiful necklace, but she also brought me this.

I'm a walking four leaf clover! At least last week I was! What a lucky day! My friend Gina at another fabulous favorite blog, Lilly*s of London*ish drew my name on her blog-aversary! How lucky am I? Don't you want to reach through the computer and rub my head? (I'm kind of glad you can't. That would be weird.) And her gift sort of goes with this post because tractors have chains. (Okay, so I'm stretching the theme here, but I wanted to show off my prizes.)
Anyway, she gave me that cool journal made by Pamela Huntington. I love the little princess on it, and I'm already on chapter 6 of the book! Gina is right-- I can already tell the book will be one of my favorites, even though it has little to do with tractors and chains. Thank you Gina!

Chains are especially beautiful if they're made of ribbon or thread. Do you know the chain stitch?

Flickr photo by Veris Kleiner Windkel

And what about island chains?

Flickr photo by p.h.a.i.x
If you were a giant, you could play hopscotch on those!

Whenever I think of chains, I always remember Notre Dame d'Orcival. It's an incredible Romanesque basilica in the tiny village of Orcival, about forty minutes from where we used to live.

Photo by Francis Debaisieux
Isn't it incredible?!
Over the entrance there are leg irons mounted on the wall, "in thanksgiving for released prisoners."

Photo by Francis Debaisieux
It's a beautiful image, God setting us free from the chains that bind us.
A chain can be a symbol of bondage and oppression, but chains can also symbolize freedom and beauty!
Chains can even bring people closer together, like the Szechenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest.

Flickr photo by Jason's Travel Photography

Human chains bring water to livestock in Ethiopia.

Flickr photo by foto inorgana.
(It's called the Singing Wells, on account of the chanting of the people as they pass water to their livestock. Is that cool or what?)

And they protect a group of monks in Myanmar/Burma.

Flickr photo by naingankyatha
When we lock arms with other human beings, we form quite a beautiful chain.

It can lift us to new heights!

Flickr photo by Summach Photo

Now, two friendly reminders for you...
1. Don't forget to leave a comment for
today's Pay It Forward drawing! (And yes, all are welcome! Friends, family, and the blogless!)

2. If you aren't feeling lucky today, don't fret, my pet! There will be
more give-aways coming up on Wonder of the World Wednesday, a week from this very day! All kinds of Frenchy stuff for you! And to increase your chances in my drawings, (and hopefully to add to our chain of wonder blog-hoppers :) ) anyone who invites their friends to play along by posting Miss Globe-head's picture to their sidebar by Monday morning will get their name placed in the drawing two extra times! The more wonders, the merrier!
New blogs to discover!
New friends to meet!
Are you ready to play? I can't wait!

Have a Wonder-Full Wednesday, y'all!
Love, Becky


Tuesday, August 26, 2008

We Live in Drying Times

Today's Wonder of the World is...the Clothesline! And Other Dryers!

Flickr photo by Professor Bop
Yes! I can hear you cheering! A post on dryers! What we've all been waiting for!
But no kidding. All over this world people dry things in weird ways!

I bet you know what got me thinking about dryers.
Raisins! (Those tricky raisins. First the dragon post and now this!)
Here's some Raisins in the Sun in Greece.

Flickr photo by urgenci international network
So I was thinking about raisins drying in the sun, and wondering how raisin makers keep pesky fruit flies from ending up in our boxes of raisins. (Sorry, but it's what I was thinking.)

Then, while I was deep in thought about that, I went to a public restroom and washed and dried my hands.

Flickr photo by n. dawg
(I love that: Press button, receive bacon, enjoy bacon. Doesn't the heat symbol look like bacon?)
That crazy hand dryer blew so hard that it gave me alien hands! Like this.

Flickr photo by Famous Potatoes
If Sarah had been with me, I would have gotten her to take a picture.
But she's away at college. Sob sob.
Anyway, you get the idea. It was frightening.

Like this hand dryer.

Flickr photo by troyjunkin stuff
Would you stick your hands in that?

Once I calmed down and realized that I still had all my skin intact, I started wistfully thinking about France. (It doesn't take much.)

Flickr photo by alisonhulot
I remembered my clothesline, and how much I loved it. My wacko Greer neighborhood outlawed them, so sometimes just for spite, I put my clothes on hangers and hang them from trees. Well not really just for spite. I just do it because I like the fresh scent it gives my shirts. And I think it's funny.
Don't worry. It's in the backyard. No one will hogtie me and throw me out of my subdivision.
Although they might if they read that I just called them wacko.

If I grew the radish luobo, like Maggie in Shanghai, I might dry my luobo the same way!

Flickr photo by Maggie's World
Hmmm.

Back in my French life, I discovered another reason why people used to wear aprons.

Flickr photo by ditty Pop
Where else are you going to put the clothespins?
For the first year in France, I had toddler Sam follow me around with a bucket, but then he'd get bored. And sometimes he'd run off with the bucket, dump the clothespins in the grass, and suck on them, so the apron was a welcome change.

When I wore the apron, I'd transform into 1950's/60's Becky. Sort of. Except I still refused to iron. But I'd imagine myself looking like this.

Flickr photo by incurlers
Hey! It's another dryer.
At least it's an improvement from this.

Flickr photo by littleredglass
Which reminds me of this.

Photo by IMDb
It's Cindy Lou Who!
I love that funny hair.

You know what else is funny?
I think this dryer is funny.

Hey Tanner.
I bought that drying rack at an antique/junk store because I loved the little bird clips. I imagined drying my delicates on it, hoping it would bring back some of the French magic. Then I took it home and changed my mind. I took a second look at it, and it reminded me of the rabbit ears we used to put on top of the TV, you know, the kind you add aluminum foil to, to get the stations to come in clearly.

I put it on top of our Tower of Technology (the entertainment center) and I thought it was HILARIOUS!

My family was confused. "Mom. What in the world? Why is that thing up there?"
First the door knocker on the inside of my front door, and now this.
No one got it.
I left it there anyway. Ha ha.
It makes me smile.

Anybody have a good way to dry a dog?

Yuck. Dirty bathwater. Naughty doggy for playing in the garden.
Have a Wonder-Full Tuesday, y'all!
Enjoy the commercial from my childhood! It's a Charlie's Angel, drying her locks! Man, those speed stylers are fast. I wonder if they give you alien head!

And don't forget to sign up for Wonder Wednesday! The partying starts a week from tomorrow! I hope you'll join in on the fun! I'm getting the prizes ready!

Love, Becky