"Get a shot with the cake stand showing."

Nothing is quite as grounding as visiting my parents’ house — not for any higher emotional reasons, but for the sheer hilarity.  I have two short examples to share for your mid-week lighter fare. 

First, my mother took great care to make sure I saw her living sculpture of onions.  These are sprouting on a fine china plate that is also elevated to a special status on top of a glass cake stand.  Note the onion skin that has been pushed off of the bulb by the new growth.  Try — if you can handle it — to process how long it took for this skin to be raised aloft to this level, undisturbed.  “I just thought it was cool and amazing, so I have let it keep going.  Be sure to get a shot where you can see I have it on the cake stand.”   Mom has always had an artist’s eye, and she really took it to a new level for me with this combined science project and onion sculpture. 

Ambiguous feelings about Polish knights. OK then.....

Now, padre.  I’m not sure what to say about this, except on the same day I found the onion art I passed this newspaper clipping in the kitchen.  Yes, that is correct, it says “Poland marks mixed memories of knights.”  I love the alliteration and the photograph of the battle recreation.  This is the kind of thing I find scattered around mom and dad’s house all the time, and though maybe I should be used to it by now this one just really cracked me up.  I think it’s the “news item” feel of a clipping with an “action shot” featuring a long, long-over period from a country many people may not even remember is a country.  When is the last time you saw Poland in the news?  Well, I’ve just fixed that for you.  You can thank me later, perhaps over a cup of mead. 

We can quaff until that skin falls off the onion.  What say?