Inspiring Literary Ideas

(On "The Anthropology of Turquoise")

This book is really throwing me for a loop. The continuation of chapter one was the same sciencey collection of thoughts. It took me lots of time to wade through the verbage, but I must say this author, Ellen Meloy, knows how to use her words. Some favorite ideas from the rest of the chapter:

1. "Encased in the emerald ice are bodies of toads." I just love this imagery. I'm a veterinarian. I like toads. In addition, she describes the physiology of a toad's movement which reminds me of physiology lab at OU when we applied electric current to a frog leg and watched it contract it's muscles. Cool.

2. Meloy talks about canyon country. Canyon country has a new-found special affinity in my heart. She describes the three main colors of canyon country - blue, terra-cotta, and green. Those are powerful colors. She said that once you get past those three "primary" colors of the canyon you have to "leap from three colors to uncountable thousands." How right she is.

3.The concept that "the draw to certain kinds of landscapes is also biological," is fascinating to me. So do you really think that I'm drawn to nature and canyons and mountains because of this??? She says people gravitate to places that "reward their hereditary inclinations." Interesting.

4. She describes sunset on the mesas in "painful crimson" and "faithless mauve." She is my color hero.

Chapter Two: Swimming the Mojave

Talk about a 180 degree turn. This chapter is fast-paced and altogether different. Out with the science and the colors, in with Los Angeles and the smell of gardenias. And Asians. Turquoise now refers to swimming pools. In California if you are born and don't have a pool "one shalt be dug while the obstetrician snips thy umbilicus." Cue the ever present witty stylish writing of one Ellen Meloy. She is one funny gal.

It gets personal in this chapter. Overall, I think I could have done without the R-rated snippets and just read through the real words but I'm still reeling that this chapter is a complete turn-around. The fun verbage continues with:

1. "...the desert is scraped away in a naked shriek until time and trees soften it." Some good 'ol personification.

2. I am particularly amused by the reference to the abundance of Western diamondback rattlesnakes. As many of you know I did some research on snake venom and I smirked as I read the following: "In our family were women adept with diamondback rattlesnakes. When the snakes endangered their children...and sliced the rattlers in two with a shovel. They skinned them with embroidery scissors, freeing from the flesh a prayer-thin membrane marked from neck to tail with vivid brown diamonds." Embroidery scissors!!

3. On California drivers: "...everyone was doing seventy with twenty-three centimeters between them, barely enough room for a well-oiled ferret to slip through without sliming the bumpers with grease marks." Now that's a mental picture!

4. On cell phones and automobiles: "People who lose their cars (in underground parking lots) here simply buy new ones...They have cell phones to keep in constant audio contact with their auto dealers."

5. A quote from Ezra Pound. "At 70 I realized that instead of being a lunatic, I was a moron."

6. Desert ascetic. Ascetic is a great word.

7. The Quigley's. When Meloy was a young girl the Quigleys were her invisible friends. They lived in her tummy and usually appeared when she was anxious or excited. (this is sooo funny to me) It reminds me of my imaginary friend, Cloppy Dopey Louie Giulioli. My brother was supposed to be named Cloppy Dopey and I have never truly gotten over it. Also, Cloppy Dopey was the one who put the navy blue Papa Smurf stamps on the peach colored walls of my childhood bedroom. You must read about the Quigleys - they are phenomenal- and such nice people too! They pulled Ellen's brother's invisible horse and miniature trailer (the Quigleys are 4 inches tall) behind their car on a family vacation.