Trash or Treasure

Trash or Treasure 

1/4/2020

There’s a second life for almost anything. Water vapor escapes into air, then comes rain, snow or ice, even things beyond our imagination.  Indeed a second chance to renew oneself when it comes to do with things human beings made 

上網查到一段有趣的資訊。當日在東區讓人驚艶的小書店「樂閲書店」，竟然是日本時代建造的古蹟新移。 
**蓉註：此節小文寫於 2017 春

2013 年上映的偶像劇「巷弄𥚃的書店」即以此為場景。為什麼會知道這個未曾看過的連續劇？ 2014 我在影社中用過一部侯季然導演拍的紀錄片「書店𥚃的影像詩」。這部介紹台灣 40 個獨立書店的影片，發行時據稱分開來附在上述影集每一集的末尾。猜想居住在臺灣的觀眾大多是經由此管道而認識了一些四散各地的獨立書店 ?

有興趣的朋友可以上網查看。計劃到台北松煙文創區一遊的朋友，不妨順道來此一訪，就在誠品大樓邊上的林蔭小徑中。這家小小的書店座落在台北東區少見的明媚景致當中，依傍著綠蔭環繞的小湖，這個木造建築，彷彿像是個住家，賓客至此休憩、讀書，飲茶、咖啡，都和在自家中一般無拘無束。

Grace



Here’s a fishing basket I took home as souvenir while
Boating on Li River 灕江 of Guilin
 桂林 spring of  2000
It ceased to be useful for its original purpose

Yet an object of art it became, or an historical relic, say some fifty years later

Many of the historical relics 

housed in museums 

all over the world are to bear witness to 

what happened hundreds or thousands of years earlier 

in human history 

This piece of artifacts has been preserved 

in pristine condition 

for history aficionados and art lover’s alike to enjoy 

午後斜陽穿室，凋萎的三朶玫瑰，仿佛恢復了原來顏色。

好花不長開，人間定律

這三朶粉色玫瑰，不記得是那一年，應該有十多年了

花枝紮成一小束倒懸自然風乾

靜靜敧息我的玻璃架上

花開花謝，十數個春天去了又返回

斯人已老，花朶依舊年輕

These are dry fruit of a gourd 佛手 

and seed heads of lotus 蓮蓬

They accentuated a tea table at a tea gathering 
where I attended as guest

An object-of-art, not to mention the interesting religious metaphor

In a botanical garden in 台東 Taiwan, 

A volunteer working there was playing a tune with a whistle 

he made from a long blade of green grass 

On a table next to him lay a few insects he made with grass

Here’s a grasshopper!

Don’t throw away tea pot missing its lid, or chipped it’s parts 

It made a handy water spout 水滴 for Calligraphy writing 

and perfect for a miniature flower display 

Exotic flowers 

always make excellent 

decoration items

In the photo below, can you tell what they are

or used to be?

These two

chairs are placed in a corner 

 of a Taipei tea house 

They appeared old with use

yet in decent condition 

To be categorized as antique chairs 

Empty glass jars and bottles can be great vessels

to arrange individual flowers with different length, shape or colors for an interesting and harmonious look

A piece of 

well polished driftwood

Can be placed with something almost equally 

perfect and beautiful

This pencil sketch of an old Chinese house I did years ago 

sitting right under the roof hanging 

on the left side of the painting

A lodge we called 民宿 similar to bed and breakfast 

nestled in the mountain range of Nanto 南投

Befittingly called 「天空的院子」

or “ Patio of Heaven”

Group of eight of us ventured into this semi wilderness 

Stayed overnight at the lodge all by ourselves 

Waking up to nature’s wonders abundant in the quietness of  rustling leaves and chirping birds

We had the good fortune to have 

the proprietor bring us two meals each day

all the way from foot of the mountain

so we needed not hunt and gather 

like primitive people 

These privileged city folks 

returned to the city they came from

With experience & images etched in the depth of minds of all

Grace