FEET of CLAY

Daniel in the Book of Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon’s dream. The king dreams of a sculpture made of gold, silver, brass and iron—seemingly strong but flawed because his feet are made of both iron and clay. The clay will cause the sculpture to topple. Recently newspapers talked of Michelangelo’s David and the unexpected weakness of his feet. Feet of Clay has been employed for millenniums to refer to a person’s weakness of character. Today we talk of Achilles Heel as a failing that can cause a powerful figure to perform ineffectively. Greek mythology relates the prophesy that the baby Achilles would die at a young age. Thetis, his mother, took her child to the River Styx, believing its magical powers would shield Achilles from harm. Thetis immersed the baby in the water holding him by his heel—the water bathed every part of his body except his heel—a physical failure. Achilles lived through many battles but during the Trojan War died from a poisoned arrow shot by Paris that become fixed in the one weak spot his mother could not protect. In folklore, a Golem is created from inanimate matter—clay or mud. Raw material that leads to an unfinished human. It is often employed today to describe someone blundering, and dense who may carry out man’s orders under some conditions but is hostile and destructive under others. I don’t read many biographies anymore. Bios often show the feet of clay, the Achilles heel, the sometimes destructive artist I had previously respected and admired and I find it affects my enjoyment of their work. It’s hard for me to separate the shallow, often despicable person described in the page of a book from my personal image of the painter, actor, or author whose work I once treasured. Many people can compartmentalize and separate the artist’s work from his or her behavior, I find it difficult. How about you?

BREAKFAST WITH LONESOME

When I pick up my cup of coffee to begin my day, I think of Lonesome, an Emu we met while visiting Australia where curious Koalas stared at us wondering what sort of creatures these fur-less strangers were, fur seals ignored us--and snoozed in the sun and kangaroos, as friendly as puppies gathered around. A short ferry ride, on the Sealink, across the Backstairs Passage, brought my husband and I to Kangaroo Island. Lonesome, the Emu, yearned for friendship and his own egg to sit on. He lives at the Emu ridge Eucalyptus Oil distillery, where the oil distilled from a multi-stemmed tree called the Narrow-Leaf Mallee produces the Bush product used as an insect repellent, stain remover, disinfectant, flea-remover, antiseptic and mouthwash. For reasons known only to his fellow Emus, Lonesome is ignored making it difficult for him to father the egg, paternal Emus are born to sit on. We were given a bottle of eucalyptus and I bought the mug with Lonesome's likeness. We chatted awhile and listened to the guide tell Lonesome's story as he scratched his feathered head. he seemed like a charming bird to me but I guess he lacked that certain something a female Emu looks for in a future mate. romance can be difficult.

I greet him everyday as I add a teaspoon of sugar, and a few drop of milk to my coffee. Hope he finally found the right mate.

Bests, Elise

ARE YOU ANYBODY?

Before I became a freelance writer, I worked in the theater. First as a singer/actress,later as a stage manager. During rehearsals, the elevator door to the studios would open and often out would come a man who would stop anyone on a break and ask, "Are you anybody?" My answer was ,"Everybody is somebody." I learned he sold ice cream from a cart to make his living and it was rumored that if he managed to obtain an autograph from a star or featured player, he sold it. After I became a stage manager, one of my jobs was to get rid of the man. One director would get uptight whenever he saw him and one day the "ice cream man" stepped out of the elevator just as our director approached. I saw the look on the director's face and quickly somehow managed to get the man back on the elevator and push the down button. Not quite sure how I managed as I'm 5'4" if I stretch and the "ice cream man," was a foot taller. Often after a show finished for the evening and the cast was leaving, we would see him along with other fans who collected autographs waiting at the stage door. Today, requests are accomplished via email. When I was just beginning in the show business, I worked children's theater in North Carolina playing elementary schools. the kids would come up and ask for our autographs making us feel like stars until one day one little boy shouted, "I've got them all, now what do I get for them?" A major blow to our egos. Bests, Elise

PUBLICATIONS

      It has been quite a month. Beginning with one of my short stories titled Art Show included in an anthology published by Gypsum Sound Tales titled Colp - A Little Bit of Nonsense available as an eBook at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MM9HJT5 and in paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793909881

 
     Flame Tree Publishing has included A Mouthful of Murder, featuring my amateur detective, Augusta Weidenmaier, in their anthology Cosy Crime Short Stories. Log on to https:www.flametreepublishing.com/Cosy-Crime-Short-Stories.html to find out more about the hardcover edition of the book. It will also be available at Amazon on March 26 and Barnes and Noble.
 
     A non-fiction article about Oranges will be making its appearance soon. I'll keep you posted about that.



Bests,

Elise