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Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. My focus this week was inspired by the artists who have been constructing tiny doors around my hometown of Sarasota, but there are many other doors – tiny doors in the U.S. Capitol and elsewhere, residential doors, metaphorical doors, and door idioms – so much to share – Who would have guessed?
I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.
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The Quirky Quote
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
~ Walt Disney
The Quirky Facts
Modern day tiny doors, AKA fairy doors, are usually found at the base of trees or on the facades of buildings, but the U.S. Capitol has its own version. On Christmas Eve 1851, a fire destroyed 35,000 volumes in the Library of Congress collection that was housed at that time in the Capitol, including two-thirds of the 6500 volumes purchased from Thomas Jefferson in 1815. There had also been library fires in 1814 and 1825, and the magnificent building across the street that became the official Library of Congress would not be opened until 1897. In the meantime, came the tiny doors.
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1851’s small fire in the library discovered by a guard became a large fire because no water supply for putting it out was nearby. Captain Montgomery C. Meigs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed the project that would solve that problem. His elaborate system brought fresh water from the Potomac River at Great Falls into the federal city and into the pipes hidden behind the Capitol's small doors. According to this article, the small doors and the water sources they housed, which can still be found in several places in the Capitol Building, could both provide water to prevent any future fire from spreading, and provide easy clean-up from mud tracked in from Washington's dirt streets and footpaths. “That is why the doors stand only about 30 inches tall: they conceal low, shallow closets where workers filled pails of water to mop the floors.” (Shown here: A small door on the 3rd floor of the House wing) The doors are no longer necessary for their original purpose, but they remain objects of curiosity for visitors. See a short video here.
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I have always been intrigued by architecturally interesting doors. I am especially fond of Greek doors that are often a rich blue and surrounded by vines of pink flowers, but I also like doors that are sculpted or in some way seem to say, “Come in; this is an interesting place.” | |
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Tiny doors have lately caught my imagination because when I began looking into the background of the local tiny doors, my search led far and wide. While there is at least one other Sarasota artist making and placing tiny doors around town, only retired schoolteacher Joan Love has come out of the woodwork, so to speak. Since 2018 she has placed not just doors, but scenes that she changes for various holidays, at the foot of buildings. She originally purchased clay doors from Tuscany to decorate, but more recently has begun to purchase unfinished tiny plastic doors, also from abroad. There are many U.S. purveyors, too. (See Resources)
Joan Love was inspired by a TV show that featured Atlanta’s tiny doors. You can see most of them here. The cat door below (with a cat going through its own entrance) is an example. But I would argue that the coolest tiny doors are found in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There “Jonathan B. Wright, a ‘certified fairyologist,’ claims that the little doors started appearing in his house back in the early 90s.” The first public appearance of a tiny door was in 2005, and now there are articles, a charming video, and even a book about them. Unlike most of others’ tiny doors which are permanently closed, Mr. Wright’s doors sometimes open to entire scenes behind them.
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Also unlike many others, Mr. Wright insists that while fairy doors can now be found “All over the world: Denver, Colorado; Alameda, California; Adelaide, Australia; Dublin, Ireland,” his are unique: “Of course, there are fairy doors made BY fairies and fairy doors made FOR fairies—a bit like a bird’s nest vs. a birdhouse.” His, he maintains, are the former. | |
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The Quirky Observations
The two-faced Roman god Janus for whom January is named, was the god of doorways and gateways and with that, the god of beginnings, endings, and transitions. Doors are both entrances and exits, but until they are opened, you can’t see ahead. Gateways often give a glimpse of why lies beyond, which can potentially help us make better judgments about moving forward. But whether you are entering or exiting, a change is afoot. When a door is opened for us by someone offering a welcoming embrace or opportunity, the change is likely to be positive. Similarly, when we are exiting a safe haven to begin a new adventure, fresh worlds are opening before us. There are negative connotations to doors, too, of course, but I prefer to encourage you to follow Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice: “Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.”
Bonus observation: Changing your mind can be a good choice. When faced with multiple doors, the question of which door to open is known as the Monty Hall Problem. Monty Hall was the host and producer of the TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” which began in 1963. At one point, contestants would be presented with three doors, and asked to choose one. One door had a great prize, like a new car, and the other two had something of far lesser value – let’s say two goats.
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You pick door 1, hoping for the car. Monty Hall looks at doors 2 and 3 and opens one with a goat. Now you are given a choice – stick with door 1 or switch to the unopened door. Does it matter? Surprisingly, yes. If you switch doors, you’ll win 2/3 of the time! I don’t understand the math, but I trust the statistic.
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The Featured Product - Remembering November
In spite of the cover photo, the 142 slides in Wiser Now’s Remembering November activity show focuses on much more than Thanksgiving in the U.S. and Canada (even though Canada celebrates it in October). The richly visually appealing exercises that can be shown on tablets, computers or wide-screen TVs include:
- A trivia quiz to celebrate Native American Heritage Month, plus another on turkey trivia, and guidelines for giving thanks
- Word games about the meanings of geographical indigenous names, Tom Swifties, and turkey riddles
- Reminiscing exercises on Thanksgiving memories and life stories (celebrating Lifewriting Month)
- Discussions on giving thanks daily and World Kindness Day
You’ll learn and laugh your way through the month – gratefully. Order it here not only for senior programming, but for fun with family and friends during the upcoming gatherings.
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Please Spread the Word
WNW is now a 4-time award-winning publication used by activity professionals, teachers, aging adults and their grandkids, and lots of people in between. Please share it, and note that you can also like and share the Wiser Now Facebook posts that always precede the weekly eblast. Be sure you're following the Wiser Now Facebook page to get all of the updates.
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Each week, the links to the current and seven previous Wiser Now Wednesdays are provided in the archive (“WN Wed Archive” on the far right of the menu bar). Click on the issue you want to share, and when it appears, at the top of the screen you will see “Share” with an f for Facebook and a bird for Twitter. Click on them to share to your contacts or just copy the URL at the top of your screen and send it to them in an email. Thank you!
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The Questions
- Have you seen any tiny doors in your town or on your travels? If so, share your experience.
- Are you drawn to architecturally interesting doors? Does your house have one? Do you have any favorites among those you’ve seen?
- What metaphorical (or real) doors and gateways have you passed through that led to interesting experiences?
The Quiz – Door Expressions
There are many more expressions about doors than you might imagine, and many that are negative (behind closed doors = secretly; through the back door = deceptively or corruptly; never darken my door again = don’t come back) but the following quiz asks you to match more positive, interesting, or amusing expressions.
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Match the expression to its meaning
1. Close the barn door after the horse has bolted
2. Dead as a doornail
3. Door-knocker
4. Kick or push at an open door
5. Leave the door open for ___
a. A style of facial hair consisting of a goatee and mustache connected along the sides of the face (Imagine the overall shape)
b. Attempt to achieve a desired outcome that is already ensured of success, because it’s widely accepted or supported
c. Definitely dead or totally defunct
d. It may not happen now, but it has future possibilities
e. Try to rectify something after the damage has already been done
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6. Open the door to ____
7. Opportunity knocks at every man's door
8. S/He blew the doors off
9. S/He makes a better door than a window
10. Stage-door Johnny
a. A man who spends a lot of time at a theater seeking the romantic attention, favor, or company of an actress
b. A person who blocks another person’s line of sight
c. Chances for success present themselves to everyone
d. To invite something to happen or to create an opportunity for career advancement
e. To perform much better or more impressively than someone else
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The Resources
I have embedded a LOT of wonderful sources. Learn more here:
Photo credits not noted above were purchased from iStock.
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Answers to the quiz
1. e
2. c – The “dead as a doornail” expression comes from the fact that doornails were hammered in such a way that they could not be reused.
3. a
4. b
5. d
6. d
7. c – I like this better than the expression “Fortune knocks once at every man's door” which suggests we all have just one chance at good luck
8. e
9. b
10. a
There is another negative expression that amused me: “Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you!” It has the same meaning as “Don't let the door hit you on the way out” i.e., “Leave here now, and good riddance,” but the "where the good Lord split you" refers to the intergluteal cleft (the crease in one's buttocks).
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My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity, and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. You can access previous issues here. I welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) | | | | | |
