The.Lizard.Of.Hell.

Léonard Misonne (Belgian, 1870 - 1943)

Haruka Kawakami

A cat trying its best despite its limitations ↔ A tired cat

かわかみはるか

Haruka Kawakami

ソニー　カセットテープ

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009, American) ~ Cosmos, 2005

Žorik memorial, Arsenal Keskus, Tallinn

"The homeless street dog Žorik lived in Kalamaja and managed to avoid being taken to a shelter for over fifteen year. He was even called the phantom dog because he always seemed to disappear into thin air when someone tried to catch him. The local residents took care of him, doing everything they could to ensure Žorik’s days were spent in freedom. The exact age of the dog is not known, but according to different sources, he lived somewhere between 15 to 22 years.

There probably aren’t as many varied stories about any other Estonian dog. According to one legend, Žorik was born in the summer of 2001 in the territory of Bekker Port. According to other accounts, however, he was born in 2007 in the area of Suur-Patarei Street. Both stories have something in common: the entire litter, along with their mother, was initially caught and taken to a shelter, but Žorik and his brother managed to escape. Miraculously, the puppies found their way back to Kalamaja, and after spending a short time around Balti Jaam Railway Station, they moved closer to the Sitsi district.

For several years, the dogs lived near Paljassaare Port, but after his brother’s death in a car accident, Žorik chose his new home to be Arsenal Center on Tööstuse Street as his new home. In addition to befriending humans, the stray dog also befriended homeless cats, and together, they spent many years sleeping side by side in a rundown shack’s courtyard.

In his final days, the Animal Rescue Group NPO took over the responsibility of caring for and feeding the elderly dog. In his last year of life, Žorik’s health was quite poor, and he often fell asleep on the road, disrupting traffic while being partially deaf. Primarily for his own safety, the decision was finally made to capture the dog and take him to a foster home.

Žorik passed away on January 17, 2022. On the International Animal Day, October 4, 2022, a monument dedicated to him and all the other homeless street animals was put up in front of the Arsenal Center under the leadership of the Animal Rescue Group. The sculpture is placed exactly where Žorik used to sit daily, welcoming visitors to the center."

Wood Engraving Wednesday

English/American artist, writer, and illustrator Clare Leighton (1898-1989) was a frequent visitor to Cape Cod in all seasons during her lifetime, and in 1954 she produced these wood engravings to express her fondness for this part of the American experience. She writes:

Because I love this particular earth and sea I have tried to show the basic, enduring life of Cape Cod. Too many of us come here only during the months of summer, when the scene is cluttered with vacationists, and the true spirit of the land is forced into hiding. . . . But fully to love Cape Cod, we must live the loneliness of the winter, and be fearless against the assault of a northeaster. . . . Only then can we enjoy to the full those incomparable days of sun and sea that come in their due season. But, . . . of greater value is the life of the workers upon the land and sea. . . . If you should know and love Cape Cod you must be aware of the fishermen and their families.

Such is evident in these engravings, reproduced in Clare Leighton’s Rural Life: An Anthology, published in Oxford by the Bodleian Library in 2023. The book was edited with an introduction by Leighton’s devoted nephew, David Leighton (1931-2022), who sadly did not live to see its publication.

View more posts from this book.

View more posts with work by Clare Leighton.

View more posts with work by women wood engravers.