A portrait of those 'magic balls' we had as kids, where you shook them and snow fell inside. This is a magic 'flower' ball, drawn w/ colored pencils and Photoshop, in 2010. A little story (true): My grandmother gave me a magic-ball as a kid. She said it was from Russia. I had nooooo idea where that was. But I loved it so much, I took it everywhere I went. Grandma kept saying, "you'll drop it...be careful, it comes from your enn-cestors!" ("Ancestors" with an accent.) One day, I ran outside with it, tripped, and---splat! It broke! Ay ay ay---my world came to an end. Water splashed everywhere, the "snow" shot down the driveway like little ants. A kid rode over the snow in his bike---I shrieked. (Was there no god?) The glass---so thick and beautiful---turned into thick chunks of obsidian-like jewels, etched, carved and so eloquent. And the tiny village inside was crushed. (A tiny Russian village---I felt like an international criminal.) Grandma stood at the door, hands on hips: "See? Vat did I tell you? Vat---did---I---tell---you?" But then, seeing I was heartbroken, she bounded to me, knelt down, and said: "All things must break"...and she told me about the ancestors who owned this in Russia. I lit up: I imagined their ghosts flying out of the water, and I shouted: "They're freed at last!" "Vat are you talking about?" "The ancestors!" (I had no clue what an ancestor was.) "I freed them!" "Silly boy---there weren't any ancestors in there!" "Yes there were!" She took a deep breath. "Oh boycihik...(meaning "my little boy"): So you freed our enn-cestors...(she grabbed me:) Yes! You freed them! I see them now! Congratulations Mr. Enn-cestor Free-er!" And she pointed: "Look! There goes Uncle Jacob---whoosh! And there goes auntie Katrina---whoosh! And there goes........." And she took me inside and fed me a fresh dumpling. (It was awful! But that's no insult---she was known in 3 continents as the heaviest cook since Moses. But it was hers, and it was deeply warm and very filling, so I adored it.) In later years, I made a whole series of these "magic balls," and wanted to share one for the holiday---with the little tale attached. Thanks for your visits! Take care, and I hope you have a wonderful sunday, m ------------------