Fooling Around

Last week I wandered through the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) shop after spending a few hours in the galleries. Many of the items, created for the home, have been designed by designers and artists. There are coasters that resemble a piece of toast, lamps with spaces to grow plants and bags created from the pull tabs on soda cans.

A small square plastic box caught my eye. A battery run device that through motion detects when a person is entering a room and then fills the space with the sound of birds tweeting and singing. The description suggested an ideal place might be a bathroom or a bedroom. Wouldn’t it be lovely for a bedroom in New Hampshire?

When I arrived in Laconia last week walked into the house and all I could hear were birds singing. I looked around to see if someone had bought the little device I had seen in New York. Then I walked out into the driveway and heard a bird symphony. I walked around and looked at the birdfeeder. Over the last few days I have seen cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, chickadees and a few birds I didn’t recognize.

Then as an April Fool’s joke, or so it seemed, inches and inches of snow fell on Friday. Heavy, wet snow that was impossible to shovel. What to do? Make a snowman, of course. It has been years since I have played in the snow. Growing up we made forts and any number of snow characters.

In the summer, it’s sand castles. There is nothing as relaxing as sitting in the sand, listening to the sound of the waves and building a magical creation. Only to have it washed away without a trace.

My snowman, like most, lasted a few hours. The base wasn’t very strong. It began to snow again and the black cap was soon covered with a layer of white. In Manhattan, it was sixty-four degrees and the sun was shining. I couldn’t resist sending along a photograph to my friends with the short note: “New Hampshire is so cool.”