"Hello?"
"Hello?"
"It's me, Poppy. Is this a bad time?"
"I've been busy with paperwork and phone calls and suffering a degree of ambivalence, but no."
"Ambivalence?"
"It means I'm of two minds about something but welcome the break."
"Then it is a bad time to contact you."
"Not at all, it's just 2014, an election year between election years. When are you, where are you and what's going on?"
"It's 1517, Geo. I'm in Italy at the house of Francesco del Gioconda."
"Ok, that rings a bell, two bells in fact. But why are you using a computer instead of a telephone or telepathy?"
"Because no telephones and our telepathy splits up at your end lately."
"It'll pass. On second thought, how are you using a computer in 1517? "
"I brought my iPad, and it seems to connect to the internet when the artist is around.
"Artist?"
"Uh huh, he's been painting Mrs. Giocondo's portrait."
"Lisa del Giocondo?"
"They call her Mona here.
"Poppy, Mona is a contraction of 'mia' or 'ma donna', like we shorten 'my dame' to 'madam' to 'ma'am'. It's a title of respect, of rank. But about the artist..."
"You mean Leo? He's really good but getting impatient, I think."
"Leo as in Leonardo."
"Uh huh."
"He's a time traveler, Poppy, and he's packing temporal electronics. That's how your iPad is connecting."
"Leo. Geo. You guys all abbreviate your names!"
"I'm nowhere near his class, Poppy, but that's pretty much it. Why is he impatient?"
"Well, Mrs...I mean Mona is really nervous. She smells smoke all the time (women do) and dashes to shut doors in case of flames in the house. She worries that the kettle's boiling over, faucet's dripping or the garden behind her doesn't look good enough. She's so worried she can't smile for the painting. Leo says it would help if we got a musician to amuse her, but...wait, he's pointing his brush at my iPad and making hissy noises."
"I understand. Give me a moment and play this for her:
{clip: Richie Havens performing "Hole In The Future"}
Any better, Poppy?"
"Oh my gosh, Geo.! Just look!"
"But Geo., are you feeling any better?"
Norma's photos are also timeless.
ReplyDeleteArleen, she showed me that top one with two heads which creeped me out, so I HAD to use it.
DeleteNow I know what is meant by 'being beside yourself'. Wait.....I think I smell smoke dripping out of the faucet....gotta go.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia is so dry and so on fire right now, I'm sure faucet smoke is a problem in some counties.
DeleteSo that's how that smile came to pass....explains a lot.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, there's something about that picture of you that is disconcerting to look at, I believe I now have a astigmatic condition.
Oh my. Norma's found some sort of photo-kaleidoscope function on her iPad --an enthusiasm I hope quickly recedes.
DeleteI LOVED that last pic after this adventure.
ReplyDeleteI will pass the compliment along, thanks!
DeleteOne small post packed with explanations for mystery. With the added bonus of normaphotos.
ReplyDeleteI hope the fires are being brought under control. Soon. Scary and I see you also have problems with them being lit by brainless oxygen thieves.
Kind EC, We're all in danger of going brainless as this state oxidizes, which is why I keep a spare in my second head.
DeleteEnigmas followed by more enigmas. This can lead to insanity you know.
ReplyDeleteIt has so far. Must be doing something right!
DeleteI always suspected you were Siamese twins. Your weath of knowledge couldn't possibly be contained in only one brain.....
ReplyDeleteLisa is smirking because she knows that the garden behind her is curiously mismatched. Was this a mistake while Leo was in the custody of inebriation, or was he merely being vexing?
Thanks, Jon. You know, I've been puzzled by that background from 1st sight. It looks almost like an aerial view --unearthly look about it too. I think Leo was being vexing, but wouldn't rule out inebriated.
DeleteGeometric Geo. Love it. (Although if your name had been Fred, we'd have had Fractal Fred to work with, possibly better. See if your time traveler can fix that.)
ReplyDeleteKind Stephanie, I shall ask my time traveler to attend to it but I never know when she'll pop up next.
DeleteDear Geo.,
ReplyDeletenow I know why Mona smiles this way... Till now I always thought men are the ones obsessed with fire - must have read too many Moomin Valley stories:
("He had warned the family. Time and time he had explained how necessary it was to be careful in August, (...) The family stopped what they were doing and said: 'Yes. Of course. Yes, yes.' Then they took no more notice of him and got on with what they were doing. They were always doing something. (...)"
Of course it is Moomin Papa's longing for adventure, danger, freedom that is driving him.
As always I love Norma's photos - was she trying to capture your aura? Or was it the reflection of the many ideas you are thinking about (one brain not enough to keep them all - I love the kaleidoscope!
Thank you dear Brigitta! Yes, there is in every fantasist a Muumilaasko --which I hope includes us all. I don't know if there is an iPad application for auras. Perhaps Norma will find it. The device is new to her.
DeleteI've always wondered in what setting the Mona Lisa was painted, now I finally know. And I'm so amazed I happen to know you who took part in it!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous post, I truly loved reading it :)
Most kind Beate, thank you for reading my post. I too have wondered about that background setting and have heard anecdotal reports of entertainers helping sustain her smile. Such things have a way of combining in one's head, or heads.
DeleteI always thought that Mona was put-out at something her husband had done. And she is plain fed up with sitting there for so to get her portrait, because there was smoke coming out of her nose. Poor woman.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Susan! I just checked Wikipedia and they list the painting "Created: 1503–1517", which means Mona sat there 4 years. No wonder she's steaming.
DeleteI so enjoy your posts, Geo! You have a unique voice that is refreshing. And Norma's photos are always fun. I think you must have absorbed some "Sprash" yourself along with your kids. Look how far we've come: from Teresa Brewer to Lady Gaga! LOL! What can be known? That's a HUGE question. No wonder you and your good buddy have been discussing it forever. May you have many, many more years together discussing it ~ with good beer!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fundy Blue! And yes, all human philosophy and inquiry into existence would be impossible without beer --possibly even meaningless-- and then where would we be? Let's have a beer and ponder it.
DeleteLeonardo was a time traveler? That explains everything.
ReplyDeleteIn his notebooks, Da Vinci wrote, "Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” That's time traveler talk!
DeleteWhen I was a little girl my mother would often take me to the gardens of the Tuileries so I could use my roller skates and watch the theatre of Guignol, but I remember also going into the Louvre with her and seeing “La Joconde.” That is the French name for Mona Lisa. I always wondered what was she smiling about and I am so pleased to have finally found the answer on your post after so many years. Merci beaucoup!
ReplyDeleteMon plaisir, et mon privilège.
Delete