Gazing Globe Self-Portrait

This week's Tuesdays Photos theme is SELF-PORTRAIT. Alright then. Here you are:

This particular garden ball is in a neighbor's yard that I pass every time I take my daily walk here in Atlanta. When Donica first saw it awhile back, she winced. She said it brought back memories of a certain period of time that, she felt, "dated" the owners. Kinda like polyester suits and avocado-colored appliances.

Actually, gazing globes have been an important part of gardens, spiritually and aesthetically, since the 13th century (if you want to talk about dating something!). Even European kings chose them for their gardens as magical/mystical pieces, believed to "ward off bad things like disease, evil spirits, attackers, and even ghosts" or, in some legends, to keep the witches away from one’s home.

"It has been said that many kings from the regions of France to the Netherlands demanded gazing globes in their palace gardens. They were thought to have brought prosperity and good luck to any who owned one." Once they were a status symbol in America, signifying wealth and success. Now they're in gardens all over the world. So much for history!

Just for the halibut, if you want to see LOTS of "blue balls," click here (but be forewarned, there's noise). My son Mark, who's a computer programmer, sent this to me awhile back. He said, "It's easy to stare at this page for 10 minutes before you realize how much time has passed." (Hint: the pattern repeats itself 3 times vertically, so just stare at one third of the page.)

And then stare at the gazing globe, in case you have something to ward off!