I
woke up Friday morning to let the dog out and looked up to see the
flower head of The Mimi had fallen off. Again. It's been just a
little over two years since we got it back after being repaired the
last time. Which was the second time we had it repaired. The first
time we had it repaired, I had gone outside to see the whole thing
laying on the ground, broken off at ground level, the spidery fingers
of the flower scattered all over. This was when it was still at the
city house.
This
was not my favorite of Lee's outdoor sculptures but at the time I
bought it about 10 years ago, he had only three or four in the show
and while there was another one I liked a little better, mostly
because of the colors, I decided on this one because it seemed a
little more unique. I guess I know why, now, he didn't do more like
this one. I don't know if it is a bad design (the head is actually
very light) or if the material he built it from was already too far
gone (the wood at the break is very soft and spongy), but regardless,
the Mimi is headless again.
We
haven't taken down the stalk yet, no where to put it except over at
the shop, and I'm sure that 28 hours of rain we got starting Saturday
hasn't done it any good with the raw wood being exposed. In
retrospect, I guess I should have covered the broken end with a
plastic bag.
We're
thinking of ways we might try to fix it, Lee certainly can't since he
died shortly after repairing it this last time, but anything we could
do won't make it look pristine. If all else fails, I'll figure out a
way to mount the flower head somewhere in the garden.
I would use the broken off section as a new sculpture.
ReplyDeleteMake it something new....
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. I remember your post about getting it back last time. I suspect that with your creative talents, you'll find a unique way to display it.
ReplyDeleteHard to give up on treasures, but sometimes they are past the repair stage. I have a few items in my barn that should have went to the trash, but still have some memories.
ReplyDeleteOh, crap. How about an interior dowel for support and a lot of yellow duck tape.
ReplyDeleteDo you suppose if you planted those thread-like thingies, they would sprout new flowers?
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting piece. Too bad it broke, but hopefully you can re-purpose it.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss. Wait a minute. That line is used for more serious events--- but those are the words that came to me when I saw this. I can empathize with you when you saw it. I felt that way when I knocked the lid off a glass candy dish that was a special gift. Alas, my dish couldn't be fixed, but with your creativity, I'd be willing to bet you come up with an idea to salvage your flower!!
ReplyDeleteOh no! What a shame. Maybe you could just seal the ends and rest the head beneath the stem, on a piece of concrete? (Or some other surface that would at least keep it off the ground.) In a way it's even more interesting, decapitated. Happens to the best flowers, after all!
ReplyDeleteI think you should get it fixed and then move to a high-ceilinged house.
ReplyDelete