Oct 31, 2011: Stones with Faces

sandypossum · 10-31-2011, 02:13 AM

Is this okay as an IOtD?

We moved to our farm three years ago. Now and then we found a stone in the garden with a face painted on it. Cute, we thought. We imagined one of the previous owners had painted one for each person in their family and placed them around the garden. A few months ago we emptied the soil out of an old bath tub that was functioning as part of the old vegie garden. As I dug my hands into the soil I grabbed onto what I thought were potatoes, but they turned out to be more stones with faces. Lots of them, in all sorts of sizes. It was a tad creepy! And then last weekend, at the back of the wood shed, I found an old bucket, sunk into the ground, full of more stones with faces. Here's a shot of them. Why why why would you go to the bother of painting faces onto stones - all different - and then bury them? I feel a horror movie plot coming on...

sandypossum · 10-31-2011, 02:15 AM

Could someone with more competence than me embed the photo please? It shows up in the thread, but not on the main IOtD page. Ta!

Trilby · 10-31-2011, 06:01 AM

Why?

Voodoo.

Those are pretty cool, sandy. I think it's some sort of message...I like it. I might start doing it here at my house.

Those look like happy faces - not tortured, voodoo faces.

I think it's a good omen! Can you research the history of the farm?

infinite monkey · 10-31-2011, 07:18 AM

Wow!

What a fun mystery!

glatt · 10-31-2011, 07:23 AM

Creepy. A perfect IotD for Halloween.

Aliantha · 10-31-2011, 07:25 AM

I think it's one for every body they buried in the yard.

Better not dig too deep!

sandypossum · 10-31-2011, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Those look like happy faces - not tortured, voodoo faces.

Yep, but they only started looking happy once we dug them up. When they first emerged they looked pretty frightened and confused.

Quote:

I think it's one for every body they buried in the yard.

Yep, that's our theory, too. But before they die their souls are harvested and trapped in a stone. We fear we may find more mass graves.

And some stones' paint is peeling off; what would be the meaning of that?

But seriously, I'm kind of concerned that exposure to the light may make them deteriorate. On the other hand, I can't bring myself to bury them again!

sandypossum · 10-31-2011, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Can you research the history of the farm?

Well Brianna, yes and no. I live in a veeeery small town. The last owners had an extremely nasty split up. The old bloke moved to another town, and the woman is still local, but looks slightly terrified each time I see her and go up for a chat. Word has it she is still unable to get over losing her beloved farm (due to the bloke having drunk and gambled it all away) and avoids any discussion about it. The owners before that moved much further away, and are considered incommunicado due to something that happened here, so not sure how I would track them down. I've started asking neighbours if they know about the stones, but none of them knew about them. I am curious, but will have to tread carefully. At least I know they're not Aboriginal artifacts, which is when you get into very blurry territory about correct handling etc.

I was wondering if they were a fad at some time long ago, like macrame. The style of the face painting looks old fashioned to me, but I wouldn't know how to date them.

Aliantha · 10-31-2011, 08:11 AM

Do the words Wolf Creek mean anything to you?

wolf · 10-31-2011, 08:14 AM

I'm just going to go right out on a limb and suggest someone with a major mental illness lived in that house at some time.

yeah, it's not much, but it's all I got.

As far as you know, was there a childless woman ever living in the house?

Oh, and let us know if you've disturbed the restless and probably malevolent spirit that those were keeping down, would you?

HungLikeJesus · 10-31-2011, 08:50 AM

Yes, that's definitely creepy and appropriate for today. Thanks!

infinite monkey · 10-31-2011, 09:01 AM

One halloween when I was in HS, we had grown pumpkins in the garden and had a bunch of them sitting on the front porch, for sale.

One night I heard some noise on the front porch. I turned the porch light on and looked out...most of the pumpkins had been carved (not even removing the innards, just some fast face making, and one that had the word "beer" carved into it) and they were all lined up facing the front door.

I thought it was pretty good. I'm pretty sure it was my neighber...the Neighbor "Hood" who I actually kind of liked even if everyone else called him Damian because he, well, looked like Damian!

CaliforniaMama · 10-31-2011, 09:12 AM

The eyes are most striking to me. They seem so . . . I don't know . . . piercing?

It also seems like there is more than one rock of the same person, or there are several who look similar. Such as the girl with the dark whisps of hair.

I also see more than one race - such as the guy with the glasses in the 2nd row from the bottom. There seem to be two of him side by side.

I can imagine how weird it would be to think you are pulling up potatoes and you pull up these rocks! It does seem kind of creepy since you don't know the history.

It's amazing that they have stayed in such good condition after having been buried for so long. You would think the water and bacteria in the soil would have deteriorated the paints more than they did.

(Why did the initial post come out wider than the rest of the posts?)

footfootfoot · 10-31-2011, 09:54 AM

Sandy, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsider_art

Have you heard of Outsider art? You could be sitting on a gold mine. Get that to a proper art gallery.

Clodfobble · 10-31-2011, 10:23 AM

The burying to me suggests the desire to put it out of one's mind, to get rid of it but not in a destructive way. Many forms of therapy suggest turning a stressful event or person into a totem of some sort and physically removing or breaking it to help eliminate the mental fixation. I'm picturing a person--probably a woman--who has a difficult time with anger, or anxiety, and has been taught to habitually "bury" whatever issue is bothering her at a given time. Especially since many of the faces do seem to be repeats.

10-31-2011, 02:13 AM	#1
sandypossum tri-continental dag hag Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 247	Oct 31, 2011: Stones with Faces Is this okay as an IOtD? We moved to our farm three years ago. Now and then we found a stone in the garden with a face painted on it. Cute, we thought. We imagined one of the previous owners had painted one for each person in their family and placed them around the garden. A few months ago we emptied the soil out of an old bath tub that was functioning as part of the old vegie garden. As I dug my hands into the soil I grabbed onto what I thought were potatoes, but they turned out to be more stones with faces. Lots of them, in all sorts of sizes. It was a tad creepy! And then last weekend, at the back of the wood shed, I found an old bucket, sunk into the ground, full of more stones with faces. Here's a shot of them. Why why why would you go to the bother of painting faces onto stones - all different - and then bury them? I feel a horror movie plot coming on... __________________ you're never too old to have a happy childhood Last edited by sandypossum; 10-31-2011 at 02:17 AM. Reason: didn't read well!

10-31-2011, 02:15 AM	#2
sandypossum tri-continental dag hag Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 247	Could someone with more competence than me embed the photo please? It shows up in the thread, but not on the main IOtD page. Ta! __________________ you're never too old to have a happy childhood

10-31-2011, 06:01 AM	#3
Trilby Slattern of the Swail Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 15,654	Why? Voodoo. Those are pretty cool, sandy. I think it's some sort of message...I like it. I might start doing it here at my house. Those look like happy faces - not tortured, voodoo faces. I think it's a good omen! Can you research the history of the farm? __________________ In Barrie's play and novel, the roles of fairies are brief: they are allies to the Lost Boys, the source of fairy dust and ...They are portrayed as dangerous, whimsical and extremely clever but quite hedonistic. "Shall I give you a kiss?" Peter asked and, jerking an acorn button off his coat, solemnly presented it to her. —James Barrie Wimminfolk they be tricksy. - ZenGum

10-31-2011, 07:25 AM	#6
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	I think it's one for every body they buried in the yard. Better not dig too deep! __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

10-31-2011, 08:11 AM	#9
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	Do the words Wolf Creek mean anything to you? __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

10-31-2011, 07:18 AM	#4
infinite monkey Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 13,002	Wow! What a fun mystery!

10-31-2011, 07:23 AM	#5
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Creepy. A perfect IotD for Halloween.

10-31-2011, 08:14 AM	#10
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I'm just going to go right out on a limb and suggest someone with a major mental illness lived in that house at some time. yeah, it's not much, but it's all I got. As far as you know, was there a childless woman ever living in the house? Oh, and let us know if you've disturbed the restless and probably malevolent spirit that those were keeping down, would you? __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

10-31-2011, 08:50 AM	#11
HungLikeJesus Only looks like a disaster tourist Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: above 7,000 feet Posts: 7,208	Yes, that's definitely creepy and appropriate for today. Thanks! __________________ Keep Your Bodies Off My Lawn SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker.

10-31-2011, 09:01 AM	#12
infinite monkey Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 13,002	One halloween when I was in HS, we had grown pumpkins in the garden and had a bunch of them sitting on the front porch, for sale. One night I heard some noise on the front porch. I turned the porch light on and looked out...most of the pumpkins had been carved (not even removing the innards, just some fast face making, and one that had the word "beer" carved into it) and they were all lined up facing the front door. I thought it was pretty good. I'm pretty sure it was my neighber...the Neighbor "Hood" who I actually kind of liked even if everyone else called him Damian because he, well, looked like Damian!

10-31-2011, 09:12 AM	#13
CaliforniaMama I wonder . . . Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The Left Coast, a pretty good place to be. Posts: 1,278	The eyes are most striking to me. They seem so . . . I don't know . . . piercing? It also seems like there is more than one rock of the same person, or there are several who look similar. Such as the girl with the dark whisps of hair. I also see more than one race - such as the guy with the glasses in the 2nd row from the bottom. There seem to be two of him side by side. I can imagine how weird it would be to think you are pulling up potatoes and you pull up these rocks! It does seem kind of creepy since you don't know the history. It's amazing that they have stayed in such good condition after having been buried for so long. You would think the water and bacteria in the soil would have deteriorated the paints more than they did. (Why did the initial post come out wider than the rest of the posts?) __________________ Take time for silence. You never know what you might hear.

10-31-2011, 09:54 AM	#14
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	Sandy, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsider_art Have you heard of Outsider art? You could be sitting on a gold mine. Get that to a proper art gallery. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

10-31-2011, 10:23 AM	#15
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	The burying to me suggests the desire to put it out of one's mind, to get rid of it but not in a destructive way. Many forms of therapy suggest turning a stressful event or person into a totem of some sort and physically removing or breaking it to help eliminate the mental fixation. I'm picturing a person--probably a woman--who has a difficult time with anger, or anxiety, and has been taught to habitually "bury" whatever issue is bothering her at a given time. Especially since many of the faces do seem to be repeats. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

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