A Eulogy for my Snoopy Snow Globe


My poor Snoopy.

Yesterday, while unwinding after work, the kitty Oberon was hanging out on the couch and decided that walking across the tiny end table to get to me on the other side was a great idea. It's not the first time he's had this idea, and usually, I shoo him off before he can get too far.

This time, though, I was too absorbed in whatever I was doing. He stood his fat butt on the wrong side of this little three-legged table (it's supposed to have three legs), and he tipped the entire thing over.

Among other items on this little table was my snow globe Snoopy, which hit the computer table and shattered, leaving shards of glass and glitter all over. I can't believe it bothered me so much, but it did: I sobbed.

I've had it since at least college - maybe earlier - and it was a present from my mom. As I wrote about a few years ago, this little figurine has always been my little writing muse, a reminder that Snoopy hasn't given up on writing and neither should I. Snoopy on his red doghouse, typing "It was a dark and stormy night" has been a creative inspiration to me. When I'm stuck or taking a break, I would shake it up and watch the glitter fly, staring into the flecks of color while I pondered my next words.

I did an online search last night and couldn't find anything related to it - I couldn't find it for sale on any corner of the internet. And unfortunately, I might have to throw out the rest of the figurine, because there are glass shards poking out from underneath Snoopy that can't be pried out. I love my little muse, but not enough to risk accidentally stabbing myself or someone else.

Oberon was very reclusive for the rest of the evening, but I gave him pets and hugs before bed because he didn't do this on purpose, and at least he wasn't hurt when everything fell over.

But I'm still going to miss my Snoopy.


P.S. The main figure says "Breakable: Keep out of reach of children" on the bottom, but it says nothing about cats. NOTHING. I think this means I have legitimate grounds to sue, but I'm not going to. Because I'm a people person.

Maybe I'll write them a letter instead.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sally Anns and a Can of Spam

Image
Sally Anns are one of my favorite cookies. By their taste alone, they evoke a sense of home and comfort, reminding me of the kitchen at my grandparents' place and the simple happiness of mid-afternoon sweets. They're the only food that evokes the thought, This would be better with a cup of coffee. Making them was a good Easter activity, especially as I was stuck away from the family due to unpacking (the books are now free!) and yard work shenanigans (such as finding a dead mouse in the yard, which was lovely). With help from my mom, I found the recipe in the family cookbook (my great-great-grandparents are on the cover, and other awesome old pictures are scattered throughout). I decided that the transgression of buying a can of Spam (just once) was worth it for the sake of the cookies. Poke holes in the bottom of the can to allow for air flow. I didn't have enough butter for a full batch, but half of one made 18 Cookies of Unusual Size. I made the mistake of
Read more

The Beatles' Help! Scarf

Image
Remember when I posted about making Beatles-themed crafts after seeing Cirque du Soleil's performance of Love? I've finished the first one. Here's a refresher of the original Help! scarf. Source And here's my version: a massive thing that I gave my sister for her birthday. In these shots, it's wrapped around her neck twice. I didn't measure the beast before I sent it to its new home, but it's probably about 8 feet long. Made with Caron yarn on size 8 needles, this tube scarf was 40 stitches in the round. Each block of color is 20 rows. The only tricky parts are getting a smooth transition between colors and what to do with the yarn ends inside the tube, but they are easy problems to solve. When you transitioning, knit a normal row with the new color, then pull tight the last stitch of the previous color. That last stitch shouldn't disappear entirely, but it will be close, and your problem will be solved. Then, because this scarf
Read more

Data in Social Science

The science aspect of social science work is central to improving social systems. Data inform whether we are moving in the right direction or need to adjust our course. However, data and science must not be the center of our work; we must keep focus on children, families, and individuals, whose experiences are nuanced and filtered through systems that hold innate bias, which rests within the data . By maintaining awareness of these biases and their potential, we can keep people at the center of our work and focus on the true causes of injustice and pain that many families deal with. Lack of awareness can be a slippery slope to believing that individuals or families are themselves at fault for their situations, be it lack of housing, interpersonal violence, or other abuse. With data that are conscious of systemic issues and biases, we can examine the true issues at hand, such as racism , financial instability, and ableist policies.  What good are any manner of properly applied scientifi
Read more