Reminders of The Past

Hanging under my shelves are things collected over these many years. Hardly visible at far left is an old illustration of a guinea pig from France, then some chili peppers from New Mexico. The large picture is an early 20th Century Ravi Varma image from India, showing Markandeya beseeching Lord Shiva to protect him from Yama (Death, who has a noose on the mortal's neck and rides a buffalo), and Shiva is warning Yama away, brandishing his trident. Finally, Ida C. Craddock, the martyr of the fight for freedom of belief and expression who is buried nearby. At either end, the tiny blue coyote and the limpet-ladel are gifts from loved ones that, I sometimes feel, protect me from harm.

That's the short version. When I lok at these things, my mind is flooded with vivid memories.