Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Stiffs and torsos















Dear Marc, we're up north, trying to catch the best of winter before it's too late. But with snow melting everywhere, birds singing and the mountain creeks filling up with new fresh water, it's hard to pretend it's winter.

The lodge has a certain "Shining" quality. I don't know if it's all the black and white pictures from the old days or if it's the end-of-the-season feeling of a place soon to be abandoned. All work and no play make us go insane. There are also lots of stuffed animals, the kind that were once alive.

There's a bear in the lobby, forever hanging out with a stiff lynx. The lynx is missing his nose which makes it look sad and appalling at the same time. I think the nose fell of post-taxidermic treatment, but one can't be to sure.

Speaking of missing body parts, Vanja told our friend Clara about her dolls.

"I have two dolls. One is just an ordinary doll. But the other one is missing her legs. And arms. And she has no head. Actually, this doll is just a back and belly."

Vanja never lies. She does have a torso doll. That's what kids get to play with at my house. Dressing the doll is a challenge. Forget about putting shoes on. You might think the torso doll is creative merchandise from "Autopsy" or "CSI", a way of reaching out to a new generation of potential viewers. But it's not. It's just the cruel result of time taking it's toll on my old friend Rosemary. Vanja started playing with her and her limbs just fell off, one by one.

Age. I does strange things to all of us. What has it done to you? Is your nose intact?

I hope so

love
-emi

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