Monday, July 23, 2007

Out of Molehills


The unusual collection of characters that have taken up residence on the header of this blog were all discovered at various garage sales between this summer and the last. Each one may have once been a gift to a friend, lover or child, eventually outgrown and ultimately sold for less than a dollar to the first person who could recognize the value they possess. That person was not me.

These characters do however, live at my house. They sit atop various locations doing what they do best. They look goofy. Mostly, they just sit around and catch odd looks from those unaccustomed to seeing such unusual "art" scattered around my decor.

Most people know that a black and white plush loon with red maple leaf-shaped feet is not what I would ordinarily choose to set off my impressionist art-covered purple(ish) walls. It's the farthest I would have imagined from a perfect fit, yet there's no denying he's truly Canadian, cute, cuddly and quirky. And he's grown on me.

I expect that the Peking duck in the Chinese-style hat, the bespectacled, girly clown and the colourful fish might also endear themselves to me over time, but they're the new kids on the block, having only been discovered this past month. Time will tell.

Of them all, the first one acquired was the mole, and he is indeed my favourite. He's also become the playing piece in an unexpected little game which mirrors the very nature of this squinty-eyed little creature. Moles burrow and hide, and this one is no exception.

He appeared one morning, unannounced, peeking out from the inside of a decorative teacup. I immediately knew how he got there, and the smile that it evoked in me was for two reasons. He looked cute peering over the rim of the cup, and now, ... the game was on! I quickly found another location for him, hidden but in plain sight. It was about a week later when he was discovered and subsequently concealed again.

We've been playing this game of hide-and-seek-the-mole for over a year now. The unspoken rules are such that he should preferably be happened upon rather than searched for. I have to admit that I had trouble finding him this last time. It took over six weeks and at least as many vague to blatant hints until I finally discovered him sleeping in a vase of silk flowers.

Hidden but in plain sight.

I've since given him a new hiding spot and he and I are patiently waiting for his presence to be discovered once again.

I suppose it's easy to draw the parallel between these amusing little creatures and how we should consider the unlikely, lest they be the true treasures in our lives. Maybe that's why they have so unexpectedly but comfortably woven themselves into the fabric of my daily life.

Perhaps the very best treasures are cleverly hidden but in plain sight.

14 comments:

Frank Baron said...

I'm over here!!

;)

Welcome to the blogosphere. :)

Hilary said...

I see you! And thanks :)

Now go hide away at your cottage for a few days. :)

Chicago Mary said...

Wow, Hilary! Awesome photographs!
BTW, Frank Baron sent me!
~Chicago Mary

Hilary said...

Chicago Mary,

I've heard of you!

Thanks for the kind words.. but Frank Baron who?

;)

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha Ha...
I think you are like me in more than one ways. :)

I invite you to play my current game "Passing the sentence" on my blog. BTW, I have 3 blogs, all three for different purpose. So, it depends where you land.
The below one has a game right now. But you can very well visit others as well.

Cuckoo

Suldog said...

Hmmmmm. Somebody clicked onto my place from this particular post, though I don't know why. Glad I came over to read it, though. It's given me an idea for a little story concerning something similar to your hiding mole. I'll write it when my hidden thing next turns up, which may be a while (as I can't remember whether I hid it last or MY WIFE.)

Hilary said...

Sully, I suppose someone saw your blog link over in my sidebar and wandered over to you. Looking forward to reading what your similar game is all about. Thanks for visiting my early days. ;)

jb said...

love your blog fantastic pics!!
thanks
jb

Hilary said...

Thanks jb. Much appreciated. :)

Ms. Sabrina, Ms. Amy, and Ms. Monica said...

I love love love you little object and their meaning! ROCK ON!

Cheryl Kohan said...

I couldn't resist following the link to your first blog post. Those are delightful little characters, that's for sure.

Hilary said...

Thank you Arden and Cheryl. Much appreciated. :)

georgia b. said...

came here via the comment you left on steve's blog @ take a look around.

i was curious about your first post, so i followed the link. it made me smile, as my husband and i had a similar hide and seek game with two glass ornaments. one of a little penguin... i even sent it with him in his suitcase for him to discover once he arrived in florida on a trip. the other of a little yellow duck {like a rubber ducky, but glass}. it is one of the funnest and fondest memories of my husband and mine. we did it for so long, we ran out of places to hide the little guy.

enjoyed your post.

Hilary said...

Oops, Georgia. My apologies. It's been a while since I've checked this page and only now noticed your comment.

Our game kind of ran out of hiding places too .. or out of steam, perhaps. Thanks for dropping by and sharing your story. :)