Hibernating

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

Apparently, that's been me this winter: Hibernating. Now that there are more hours of daylight in the day, I've been feeling the creative urge more. I actually have the camera in my car again, waiting for that next photo-op.

Anyway, what is this photo we're looking at? It's a Simba stuffed animal slowing emerging from the melting snow in our backyard. He was left in the yard by my dogs, who seem to think that all their stuffed animals *want* to be outside. And because all the snow we had in January, Simba ended up getting buried for several weeks. The weather finally warmed up last week and I was able to retrieve him, throw him through a cycle in the washer and dryer, and return him to circulation.

I've written more about Simba's adventures on my other blog, the Beacon. There are lots of photos, if you want to investigate.

A peek into the life of Simba

It's not easy being a world-famous lion. Once the rush of movie stardom ends, some kid throws you in a garage sale where somebody buys you for a buck and says, "Hey, my dogs would like this."

So, here we find you, Simba, on an October morning, sunning in the grass. Neglected like so many other of Loki and Thor's stuffed toys. You've been dropped, stepped on, rained on and mostly dried out. But you're a lion and you like the outdoors. If only you'd been dropped in that tall grass, right? Better to hunt from.



Then, after several days of laying in the backyard, you get picked up and sent on a dangerous voyage through the washer and dryer, where several weaker toys have met their doom. But you survive this trip and arrive safely to the shelter of the toy bin in the family room, clean and sweet-smelling.



Later in the week, we find you laying around in the dining room, then in the guest bedroom, sadly neglected again. Or perhaps you're just too lazy to walk yourself back to the toy bin today?



What's this? Thor is actually playing with you in the bedroom? Is that comfortable, being held by your face?



Oh wait, now I see why you don't like the toy bin. There a giant snake trying to eat you! Oh no!



Then you disappear for another week. I begin to think that maybe the snake finished you off, but then where do we eventually find you? Outside again! Sunbathing after playing in the rain with the other stuffed toys.



So it's once more through the wash-and-dry cycle, then safely into the toy bin, to be abused enjoyed another day. There's no sign of that snake this time.

By the way, your eyeballs are looking kind of faded. Did you know that? At least you still have eyeballs. You should have seen what happened to the first Simba. It wasn't pretty. Go talk to Mousie, he'll give you an idea.

Note: I don't really have conversations with stuffed toys. Stalk them with my camera for a few weeks? Yes. But have a conversation?No. At least, they haven't started answering my questions yet. When they do, that's when you should start getting worried. :)