“Enjoy the little things in life for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” Robert Brault
Do you like little mysteries? I know some of you do since you’ve been coming back to guess on my new mystery photos. Linda says it’s fun to guess and good brain exercise. We all need that kind of exercise. Plus it gets you another entry in my book giveaway. I’ll draw for the three winners next Sunday. Those winners will get their choice of one of my books and a grab bag book by a different author. All you have to do to enter is make a guess here on my mystery photos or just say you don’t know.
So far most of you are coming up with some kind of guess, but for the second time, I’ve stumped most of you with my mystery picture. Some of you were close to right, but not exactly. Several of you figured out that it was frost. Others knew it was something woody even if you thought it was a stem of a plant. I suppose Loretta and Connie were closest with their “frost on a stick” guess. Kathleen and Amy had sharp eyes to spot the remains of a spider web from summer along with the frost.
So here’s the rest of the picture. A frosty clothespin on a frosty clothesline. I must have laundr
y days on my mind. First a scrub board and now a clothespin. And just like with the wash board, the picture got my curiosity up about the history of clothespins. Many credit the Shakers with either coming up with the clothespin or improving them. I did find some interesting pictures on a Raising Jane blog post of very old clothespins. You might want to hop over there and check out her article. It is believed that the first clothespins were carved out of wood. That definitely sounds like something the Shakers would do.
I still have some of the old wooden pins passed down
from my mother that look like this. A few of them have square tops instead of rounded ones. I’ll have to hunt those up and take a picture. But most of my clothespins are the ones with springs like in my mystery picture. From 1852 to 1887, the U.S. patent office issued 146 separate patents for clothespins. The first design that resembles the modern clothespin was patented in 1853 by David M. Smith, a prolific Vermont inventor. Everybody is always ready to make a better mousetrap or in this case, a better clothespin. And I made a mystery picture out of a clothespin left out on the clothesline to get frost covered.
One more fun clothespin picture of Claes Oldenburg’s sculpture of a giant clothespin in Philadelphia. Art from common everyday things. I haven’t seen this in person, but I’m sure some of you have.
Now, up at the top of the page, you have a new mystery picture to guess. I’m thinking I won’t stump you all with this one, but I have a dandy ready for you on Wednesday since that will be the last mystery picture before I draw for the winners. Thanks so much for dropping by to play my guessing game. I hope you are having fun.
As always, thanks for reading.
Comments 42
You stumped me with the clothes pin, and it appears you have stumped me once again.
I’m guessing this is a picture of whiskers/hairs on a cow….or some other kind of critter 😊
Author
Critter guesses seem to be the most popular ones, Marji. Fun to have you drop by with a guess. It’s good I stump some of you some of the time!
Well, chin whiskers on a horse/mule or pin feathers on a turkey’s goozle…. lol
Author
That guess of pin feathers on a turkey’s goozle is certainly interesting, Sandi. I had to look up what a goozle was. LOL. So you furthered my literary education. Thank you for that. You will have to check back Wednesday or Thursday to see if it was a goozle by some other name. 🙂
Looks like a gray horse or donkey nose/mouth getting ready to eat hay.
Author
Good guess, Rhonda and perhaps right. Perhaps not. The mystery won’t be solved until Wednesday. 🙂
A thousand legged spider perched on your camera lens? I dunno, Ann. Sheesh, I dunno.
Author
I knew you had a great imagination, Gin. If I have that thousand legged spider on my camera, it will probably be a pretty shaky picture. But then this picture is a little fuzzy. Fun to have you drop by with a guess. The next one on Wednesday night is going to be the really hard one. I think. LOL.
How did I miss these mystery photos?? Probably because I wasn’t on the computer as much! Anyway, my guess is horse hairs.
Author
Well, I’m glad you dropped in on the game before we were finished, Karen. And good guess. May be right or maybe not. We’ll see. I’ve got you entered in the drawing. Come back Wednesday night or Thursday to guess on the last mystery photo.
I think it could be a horse or donkey getting hay.
Author
Nice guess, Deborah. Could be right, but you’ll have to wait until Wednesday to see. Thanks for playing my mystery picture game. You’ve got another entry in the drawing.
I think it’s a mama bird feeding a baby bird. Of course, if your weather is like our weather here, I’m probably way off on this one.
Author
Interesting guess, Edward, and different from everybody else’s. Good to have independent thinking. You can see if you’re right on Wednesday. Our snow here is quickly disappearing thanks to warmer temperatures and not having as much as many places. Only about 8 inches here.
a bunny rabbit in the straw getting ready to get a drink
You are pretty fancy with your stumpin’ ~ I use those clothespins to close cereal wrappers inside the boxes.
😀 Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
Author
I’m getting all sorts of animal guesses, Kathleen. Who knows? One of them may even by right. As for that clothespin, you probably don’t let them frost up before you use them as bag closers. I use them that way too, but not the one I deserted out on the clothesline.
Hmmm. A horse bending down to eat something from the ground.
At least, I think it’s a horse 🙂
Author
Great guess, Loretta. Not saying it’s right, but it could be. You can see the rest of the picture on Wednesday night. Thanks for playing my game.
Looks like an animal chin or under lip. Cow was the first thing I thought, so I’ll go with that. 😉
Author
Not a bad guess, Ann. You can see if you’re right on Sunday night. Thanks for dropping by. Right or wrong you got an entry.
I think it could be a dried seed pod, although the top part does resemble the hairy part of some bird or animal.
Author
Fun guess, Connie. And who knows? You might be right. You could also be wrong. Time will tell. Glad you dropped be with a guess.
I guess a trough of hay, and a fuzzy nose of a horse.
Author
Good guess, Nancy. Maybe right. Maybe not. Always fun to see your comments. Glad I stumped you with the clothespin, although letting it get frosted up was perhaps a little tricky. When you’re trying to be mysterious, you have to pull out all the stops. 🙂
That was good. I didn’t think of a clothespin.
I think maybe it could be enlarged picture of a bird or chicken on the nest.I m enjoying your mystery puzzles !
A kitten in the hay. I’m not good at these.
Author
But at least you use your imagination and come up with guesses, Lucy. Who knows? You might even be right. Check back Wednesday night or Thursday to see. I’ll be posting the last mystery picture then. The drawing for winners will be next Sunday.
I missed out on the last guess but never would of guessed a clothes pin even though I myself hang out clothes just never saw one with ice on it ! I’m thinking your new picture is fur on a cat ? Maybe an ear lol I can’t see where others think it’s a horse or cow lol but they are right it’s fun to guess and even funner to win because I Have!!! Still thanking you for the books !
Author
I guess that was a little tricky, Kathi, but I have to be tricky ever once in a while to try to stump you guys. You are good guessers. I’m glad you’re having fun with the mystery photos and you are right. It is fun to win. Who knows? You might be a winner again.
A donkey or calf
Author
Always fun to have you drop by with a guess, Ola. You got another entry in the drawing and you can check back Wednesday or Thursday to see if you are right.
This is a tough one. The background looks like straw, so I’m going with a cow’s nose.
Author
Glad it made you think, Amy. Not saying you are thinking right, but you can see on Sunday and take a guess on the last mystery photo for this go around of my mystery photo game giveaway.
I am thinking like Linda since the first thing that came to mind was a horse ‘s nose. I may be way off but oh what fun!
Author
Way off or way on, Melanie, I’m glad you’re having fun along with me on with the mystery photos. We’ll see if you’re right on Wednesday.
Oh my goodness, a clothespin. I have some but never saw them like that! Winning points for Ann! This week’s picture looks like a horse’s nose eating hay but it’s too whiskery but that’s my guess. I try to imagine what you see on your Sunday walks….too whiskery for Oscar, too! Still fun even if I’m wrong!
Author
You probably don’t leave your clothespins out to weather on the clothesline in frosty wintertime, Linda. And you don’t think Oscar has whiskers? This may very well be a picture I’ve seen on my walks. Time will tell. 🙂 Thanks for guessing. You got another entry in the drawing.