We use them every day…sometimes too much…for work, relaxation, meals, homework (apologies to those that find this word offensive), vehicle occupancy, etc. Generally reliable (if kept in good repair), we kind of take them for granted.
In some situations, they mean more than just the utilitarian object that we grasp for, as needed.
The position at a table, desk, or within a room can communicate a strong message related to the identity of those that are supposed to use them. In this usage, they can be a tool in reinforcing social norms.
Messages on them can communicate affiliation with sports teams, favored brands, or interests. This makes them a banner, of sorts, broadcasting an aspect of the owner’s personality.
In some cases, where they are and what happens to them can be a reference point, completely unrelated to the design and intent of the object.
For instance…
This one, captured hiding under a pillow of snow, has been surrounded and filled (to varying degrees) by snow for well over a month. Exposed in the middle of a clear patch of the yard, it has served, for me at least, as a gauge of the ebb and flow of the snow depth, since early February.
On 2/10, it was an indicator of the kind of compressed winter that the rest of that month would end up proving out.
Note that the surrounding snow was not quite up to the level of the seat, and yet the pillow on the seat was more than a foot tall.
For the month that followed, the surrounding snow would stay within 2-3″ of seat height, sometimes melting back a bit, but then augmented and restored by the next snowfall, which seemed only a couple of days later.
This morning, with the shift towards sunnier days and a high temp of almost 40 at midday, yesterday, there is more clearing than in any of the preceding month.
Today is supposed to hit mid-40’s, and by next Tuesday even the nighttime low is forecast to be above freezing. We are moving into the temps that are more typical for this time of year….but there is quite a deep snow layer to be melting off, possibly within a very narrow span of time. We shall see how the canyon deals with that, and how the rapid melting impacts my home rivers in the month to come!
Tight lines.