Stephani Stephenson on tue 31 oct 00
perhaps I should call this a creepy tail instead of tale
thought I would share this since the rare conjunction of critter and
oxides and Halloween has occurred!
many years ago I worked as a park ranger in a rather remote area of
central Oregon
didn't have a kiln or studio for the summer so I stored my ceramics
supplies in a locked cabinet behind my abode
Area was rich in desert and mountain wildlife, including packrats.
one night I heard an awful racket going on out back, but soon it
subsided
did not think much of it
a few days later I opened the storage unit and
a gruesome sight I did behold
A large packrat had gotten into the unit.
It gnawed through plastic and cardboard
to get into my stash of cobalt oxide.
evidently it ate a bunch of it
for it lay dead
beside the cobalt.
all fur on the animal was grayish blue
kind of cobalty blue
The blue was not on the surface of the fur
the blue came from the inside out
hardest part was disposing of it
had to seal it up in a pail
take it to a hazardous waste disposal
thank goodness it didn't spread into the environment even more
Stephani Stephenson
http://home.earthlink.net/~mudmistress/
http://www.alchemiestudio.com
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