Frida the Friendly Hedgehog

FRIDA and FRIENDS

My beautiful friend Olivia came to visit with a naked arm. 

 Since our meeting was in the middle of the woods, 

a friendly hedgehog joined our party.

We soon found out this was a very special hedgehog, 

identified and designed by the famous Swiss naturalist 

and bibliographer Conrad Gessner 

(26 March 1516 – 13 December 1565) .

  We had a long conversation with the little ball of needles 

who told us her name was Frida.

She also said that she uses her needles to pin and transport 

fruit, vegetables, and all the good things of life. 

 Frida the Friendly Hedgehog

By the light of the midnight sun, Olivia fell in love with Frida. 
With the help of my ever buzzing tattoo machine, 

I plastered Frida's pretty face onto Olivia's elegant shoulder. 

With her long pointy wise nose sniffing the new found colour bone,  

Frida came to life.   

Who would have thought that Frida would continue the tattoo all by herself.

Over the next eleven days to follow, there was no stopping her!
Using her thousands of needles and pins, 

a colourful collection of abundance appeared along Olivia's arm

Things a small hedgehog can collect.

There were big black luscious grapes, a peachy peach.

Wild strawberries swiftly spreading around the endless elbow.

Hot habanero peppers on one vine with sweet Nasturtium.

 

Srawberry elbows forever

Habanero Picapica

A pink forest rose, a white hibiscus, and Johnny the little purple Jump Up

Peachy Peach

Sweet Nasturtium meets Gesneria Centuriella Borealis

 Peacefully meditating on a big leaf was Snail Baba.  

Hiding between greenery we found a polka-dotted pepper-eating moth 

and another Gesneria Centuriella Borealis moth, named after our famous scientist.  

Polka-dotted Pepper-eating moth

Johnny the Jump Up

Very near the natural birds nest, inside the upper arm, 

some beautiful Gesneria flowers grew and collected dewdrops

 

Forget-me-not, Frida!

After the 7th day our small prickly piglet slowly rolled down the arm.

Picking up forget-me-nots here and there.

She carefully examined all the goodies she had brought back from the forest market.

On her path she punctured one million little dots of gratitude 

in between all the flowers and fruit. 

  Satisfied with the result, 

she planted her little hairy tail curling onto Olivia's hand. 

Frida's final hairy curly tail

"I'm done," Frida declared. "I'm glad," Olivia answered.

 

And so it happened that Olivia the Artist 

became a walking talking piece of Art.
And Frida became our Ma Laxmi 

who gathers, saves and shares all things good.

Together they form a colourful beasty of creativity, abundance, joy, 

and just a little bit of pain.

 I must admit I had something to do with getting the needle ball rolling.

Olivia has been a true Ink soldier,  

disconnecting brain and nervous system from the poor battered arm 

that endured eleven days in the creative Ink wringer. 

The beautiful Olivia is definitely not a Chicken

All of this Magic could not have happened 

without the genius story telling, sound therapy, 

and expert eye for vibrations, of Master Jesse Stiles 

and his sidekick, the small grey cat.   

The small grey cat in question has Pearly eyes. 

It regularly frequents playhouses and professional gambling dens.

We are thankful it could make time on it's tight schedule, 

to visit Frida the friendly Hedgehog 

and her Long-arm Human Cabinet of Provisions.

<3 ...Capici Amici... <3