Scarecrow

This is probably not a Christmas tree ornament. For one thing, there’s no place to put a hook unless you bend a metal hangar so that it fits under a crook in the hat. Also, it’s big (about 8 inches tall) and heavy, made from some kind of plastic or ceramic that feels like stone and looks like wood. I know it’s not stone, because one of the arms or legs snapped like a twig (hey, they even look like twigs!) and it was pure white inside. No, this ornament is probably meant to sit on a shelf with its long, hinged legs hanging over the edge. Well, I hadn’t reached the 200 mark, yet, so anything that even remotely looked like a tree ornament found its way onto the tree. Tree ornament or not, it’s a gem. Those long, spindly, unpenguin-like limbs seem perfectly normal. Another great thing about this ornament is that it came from a wonderful person, my good friend and overseas colleague, Grace Frank.

Scarecrow penguin

Acquired: December 2002, gift from Grace Frank

Number: 0198

Size: 8 inches tall