Tuesday, September 8, 2009

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?

Yesterday morning, as we were preparing our blog post about so many different topics, I had to clear off the breakfast table for a picture (couldn’t let you see how we REALLY live!). In the process, two little Tupperware cups disappeared! Suzy uses five of them as she sets up our morning and evening pills. In the process, three end up with pills in them and the other two are emptied. When she couldn’t find them, the hunt began.
Where there had been five, now there were three!

We searched the house from top to bottom. I got so desperate I even dug through the day’s garbage bag. No Tupperware cups.

Was I surprised? Yes and no. I hate it when things like that happen, but they always do. I often can’t find the pen I always keep in my pocket. When I lay down my hammer, it immediately goes across the room and climbs under something. A week ago, Suzy was looking for a document she had written important notes on. It showed up two days ago after the need was over.

In the past I always blamed gremlins. Or poltergeist. Then I knew it had to be leprechauns. Now that we are so attuned to the American Southwest, we are certain that it’s the work of Kokopelli. Old Kokopelli first appeared in native American art as early as AD 750 to AD 850. Hohokam pottery pieces from that era clearly show Kokopelli at work.

Who is Kokopelli? In various native cultures, he is a fertility deity, both for humans and animals, and is often similarly connected with agriculture.. He is usually depicted in petroglyphs and on pottery, as a humpbacked flute player. In the early days he was clearly male, but in today’s versions he appears androgynous. It is believed that the flute he plays originally was something else, perhaps a blowgun, perhaps another item. To find out more about this, you can Google Kokopelli and follow a link to the Wikipedia website.

Among the Hopi, Kokopelli carries unborn children on his back, distributing them to women (for this reason, young girls often fear him). He’d better not come to this park for that purpose! Another part of legend is that Kokopelli is a practical joker, a trickster. That’s what leads us to believe he’s behind the disappearance of the Tupperware cups, Suzy’s document, and my hammer!

The world’s largest Kokopelli is said to be in Camp Verde, standing in front of a Starbuck’s coffee shop. I borrowed this picture from the Wikipedia article.






















As for ourselves, we have welcomed Kokopelli to our home. This fellow stands out front, about four feet tall.






















He adorns our back porch and a shelf in the casita.
It was the day after we brought this pot into the house that the Tupperware cups disappeared.

Oh, the Tupperware cups? They magically appeared just this morning, neatly tucked into Suzy’s crocheting basket, under a nearly completed baby blanket for our two-months-from-now great grandchild.
What’s lost has been found this day, in … Our Life on Wheels!

6 comments:

  1. I enjoyed the story of Kokopelli. Your statue of him is very nice. Makes a nice statement within the context of your desert landscape. Great story, thanks.

    Margie M.

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  2. Man, I suffer from the exact same affliction re 'losing things' that you describe in your blog. I took the gas cap off my lawnmower just to put gas in. Never saw the gas cap again!! Had to buy a new one even even though I never went more than 5 ft. from the mower - how is that even possible???

    Thanks for telling the interesting history with pics about Kokopelli. That's a nice replica you have outside your home!

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  3. Now I know who's responsible for Don's favorite Tupperware dish that we can't find! He likes to use it for Watergate salad, especially for pot luck dinners. We went to one in Chimacum, and he couldn't find the bowl anywhere. It has to be in the motorhome. Hope we find it when we get back to Benson.

    As you know, I'm a fan of Kokopelli. There's a brass one in our cactus garden in Benson. And Don found me a baseball cap with 3 of them embroidered on the front. An etching of Kokopelli is applied to our motorhome door. And we have a special lamp that will be hung in our shed/retreat when we return this fall.

    Thanks for a great story!

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  4. We have them same darn Gremlin guys this side of the border too. They follow me everywhere just waiting for an opportunity to trip me up. Seems everyday is a Gremlin day now so guess I had just better buck up & get used to in!! Glad you & Rick got Gremlins too.....cause now I don't feel so bad:))

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  5. I wonder if its OLD AGE that causes that to happen to you guys? I'm 74 and it never happens to me!!! Not that I can remember!!:-)

    Lets see where in the heck are my SHOES?? I left them right here by the door!!!

    PAT, did you take my SHOES???

    Great Blog....

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  6. The worst part is when you are on your way to get something, and forget what you were going for, on the way!!
    Then you have to back track, and still might not remember.
    Happy Trails, Penny, TX

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