The title above, I heard on a nature program; I can’t remember what significance it had but it still thrills me with possibilities. I could write a doctor’s thesis on it, use it as a plot for a kid’s book, of make it the repeating chorus to a acid rock song.
Another phrase that interests me is; spring cleaning. Spring, because until the sun came out today I thought my floor was free of oddities. nancymauerman.com
Everything Here Owes Its Life To A Gopher – Framed
cartoon
Last spring John was curious about our property boundaries, as marked by small round pieces of brass embedded in the sidewalk. Why he was so interested in the markings, as to cause him to scuttle around on his hands and knees, is too deep to analyze.
The wonderful part of this story is that a worried lady crossed the street to check on him. I can’t imagine what she must have been thinking when she asked if he needed help, and he paused thinking, “Can she find the brass thing for me?” and so John said, “No.” She was an older woman, of mixed race, very dark skinned, and she was checking up on the German. John, is totally German on both sides of his family and when and where I was born no one would have stopped to check on a German. We were married later in life and now A GERMAN is my favorite person in the whole world. I love the USA.
The picture below, is of me
being so happy I’ve climbed a tree
so I can yell to the big world how curious and good people can be. nancymauerman.com
Senior Looking For A Senorita – Framed
This woman is finding something to eat in the clouds but her bottom half is in trouble. The elastic has given out in her over the knee socks and they are slipping down her legs, the left faster than the right. She wears silky long legged underwear on top of the socks and they are being pulled down. The waistband is down around her knees and has pulled her stretch pants to her knees. Solution: four sets of suspenders? nancymauerman.com
Alligadilliation – Framed
One of the biggest holidays in Japan,
keeps the entire town up all night.
Everyone who can, has new clothes to wear,
and they come early so they’re not late …to watch the moon.
One of the problems with buying fun is that we forget the moon.
If we can’t ferret out beauty in a spider leg it becomes,
difficult to enjoy events so we try to buy joy with ever more expense.
We’ll have the skill to truly enjoy an expensive trip,
if we can call our wife out of her sleep,
rush her outside onto a cold sidewalk without shoes,
to see a cloud cross the moon. nancymauerman.com
Explicit Details of a Non Event – Framed
John has been feeding a local family of crows for years and knows their voices. Recently when the guy two houses down the street, adopted six pigeons these six were sort of adopted by our crows. Bush tits are one upped by sparrows, that are preempted by starlings, that have to leave when the crows arrive, and they in turn stand down leaving table scraps and bread to the gulls; but the crows and pigeons eat together, if but a little scrappy.
Last week a speeding car hit a pigeon, carrying it off on its front grill and the crow who’d been eating with it cried. John knows its voice; it cried like that a couple of years ago when one of the three in his family of crows, was struck and killed. The scriptures tell us God is aware when the crows and pigeons die and must have howled when the king of Egypt caused all baby boys under two died. Mose’s Mom had an idea and hide him away and floated him down the river, to the place the princess played every day. Mose’s sister watched over his floating and can be seen in the lower left. At the middle top the princess hears a whimper. nancymauerman.com
Moses In Bulrushes – Framed – Click Here To View Larger Image
This is a picture of a dress I’d like to wear and the power of reflection. The background figure is reflected in a pool and the frame is encrusted with plastic reflectors. Some people ask if I have a theme in mind before I paint. Almost never. But afterwards when I reflect on my current thoughts and activities at the time voila there it is.
My frame of mind should be of no interest to you unless you want to know me better. I’d rather have you know yourself. If a picture grabs you ask why. After all, everybody’s favorite topic is themselves. It should be; we’re not accountable for the fame, failure, joy, or sorrow of anyone but ourselves.
Let’s say your mother drove home from the store, grabbed groceries then feel down in the driveway. When she stood up you saw the most remarkable thing! An entire bag or oranges was smashed flat and stuck to her front looking exactly like this picture. This is a yummy memory because she laughed too but now she’s dead killed in a tragic traffic accident. So, you love this painting.
Dig around inside and discover why YOU like certain pictures. Reflect. nancymauerman.com
Eastanomically Nutty – Framed
One day snakes flew in, spit fire, and bite a bunch of people. These snakes, with fire and wings, are carved into the wooden frame below and are painted on the tile- like surface of the inner picture. Their fires pointing at Moses. He’s holding his walking stick over his head for all the many snake bit people to see. Moses fastened brass snakes to the top of his stick, and the instructions to the people were to look at it and voila: they wouldn’t die of flying snake bites. The brass snakes and stick weren’t magic but represented faith in Christ. Look to Him and wonderful things still happen.
At first it confusing to me to look UP to a negative event: the snakes. But when things bother me I often find answers, as I did in this case. Being bothered or facing hardships ARE NOT BAD; they CAN cause growth; ask any Olympian. Training isn’t fun but strengthening. They train hard for a great event, so can we. nancymauerman.com
Flying Fiery Serpents – Framed – Click Here To View Larger
John asked Anna, my daughter, “What don’t you want for Christmas?” He asked me, “If our house was a theme park, what would it be?
“Anna answered, “Cattle prod.” I answered, “A research and making things place and many books, tools, and tables and I want secret rooms; lots of them.”
One day, as John drove us home from Fred Meyer, I glanced up at a small two story house. The two wide windows upstairs were not draped and I could see the inside walls of each clearly as we drove by. The thin outside walls of each room formed an outside walls of the old house. Those outside walls were solid and went straight down into a flower bed and could not have been insulated, they were too thin.
But, inside of each of those upper rooms within each of those outside walls I SAW A DOOR. A door to what? Lath and plaster? Now I want secret rooms and invisible ones too. nancymauerman.com
House On Wheels – Framed – Click Here To View Larger
Pastel frogs are leaping across a royal gold colored frame; pastel because these colors are warm, fuzzy, gentle colors. Frogs are one of my favorite animals along with slime wort, nematodes and platypuses. I suppose too many frogs would be a problem as the king of Egypt and his animals have in this picture. The Egyptian king is at the bottom, but off center of the picture; bottom because he is not in control, off center because he’s unethical, and has used his power improperly and has broken promises. Too many frogs are one of the consequences of his guile. My children were fascinated with the idea of too many frogs in Egypt. They created a play about this event and our entire family acted it out one evening, and this is mentioned in my kid’s book Dragon’s Tail.
This Egyptian story of deceit and power reminds me of of a woman I knew. As a girl, my acquaintance, begged and pleaded for a pet. She’d suggest to her mom; a cat, a dog, OK she’d say, something small like a bird; the answer was NO. Year after year, gift giving holidays and in between, the girl begged for a pet. Finally on the girl’s tenth birthday her mother, in her magnanimous power yelled, “Get in the car. I’m tired your whining. I’m getting you a pet.
The verbal presentation was sour but the girl’s heart leaped at the thought of a pet to love, one who would love her back. The mother drove to a pet store but made the birthday girl stay in the car. Mother went into the store while the girl dreamed and wondered in the car, waiting and waiting almost ready to burst. Finally the person of power came out the car with a small paper bag. The girl was crushed under her premonitions of doom. She opened the bag. Two jumping beans. nancymauerman.com
Moses And Frogs – Framed – Click Here To View Larger