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...

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!

<IMG SRC="http://cellar.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=35016&stc=1&d=1320044948">

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?

Wow!

What a fun mystery!

Creepy. A perfect IotD for Halloween.

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

Better not dig too deep!

Do the words Wolf Creek mean anything to you?

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?

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

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!

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?)

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 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.

Some of them appear to be stained with blood.

The shape of the rocks is pretty uniform. Is there an obvious local source?
All blue eyes.
Simple technique, maybe minutes to produce.
I'd guess a kids' game with no value to prevent disposal in the yard.
By all means, let us know if you find anything more about them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble 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.

That is so awesome. How very interesting.

Quote:

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

Rock face

My daughter created this one when she was a little girl, I keep it in the flower bed and think of her when I see it.

OMG burns334! It's good you know your daughter did that and that it gives you happy memories. If I had found one like that amongst my stones I would truly have seriously considered moving out!

Sandy, she was 12 or 13 yrs old and majored in art in college. I looked at your stones as just some child fooling around with paints. I'll show yours to her and see what she thinks. I'm not really sure she remembers the stone I have.

She was quite precocious.

Wow, whoah, whooooo! Freaky, creepy, yet fascinating.

Building on what Wolf, Brianna and Clod have said, perhaps the mentally ill repressive woman doing symbolic self-psychotherapy was not just childless, but also had had a number of miscarriages.

[/makingstuffup]

This is so interesting! I want to know more!

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf 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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble 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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble 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.

Sandy, I think they are just the medium the artist worked with, many of the faces are the same person, maybe you could sort them by person and see how many different people are there.

Very interesting idea.

Lay them all out on a table, in rows of similar faces. You'll see how many different ones there are, and how many times each one comes up, which would give you an idea of who/what this person was obsessing about most. Are there lots of childlike ones? Lots of adult-looking ones? male or female? That sort of thing.

ETA: please do this before 2012, or after it, but not during it. This is the sort of thing that could open a portal to an alternate dimension or something.
Don't arrange them in a pentacle. Please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum One thing: I've noticed that the paint is definitely affected by being exposed to the sun and/or air. I've thought of burying them again, but then it will just happen all over again to someone else.

Is it time to start calling them "soul-eggs" yet?

And perhaps you could drape a hessian bag or something over the stones to protect them from the sun, SP. I'd take care of these things until you've actually decide not to. Don't neglect them, I mean.

You wouldn't want to make them angry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum Is it time to start calling them "soul-eggs" yet?

That's just what they want you to think...

Zen

You are at least partly responsible for one of my disturbing dreams last night.
The other is an author with similar ideas, but sadly not delivered as succinctly.

Please desist or I shall have to sue you for distress.

Yrs sinc,
etc etc etc

Tail post, but did we ever figure this out?

It's still a live mystery. It has only been a week.

It's a gneiss little puzzle, if we cobble together the evidence something should come up. Keep at it, shale be right.

I live in rural Australia and things move slowly here. If I try to rush about and get people to tell me what they know about it, it just won't work. As I previously mentioned, I can't ask the last owner of this place as she is still suffering a sort of post traumatic stress at having had to leave this place and - even though it had nothing to do with us, we just bought the place - whenever I see her, her face freezes with a smile and then she flees, so I think I'd be pushing things if I asked about the stones, as it could indeed be something she, or her greater family, did here. I plan to suss it out with our neighbours and those of her friends that I know. I've already asked two lots of neighbours (and bear in mind that our neighbours are not all THAT close geographically) and they knew nothing of it. I considered getting the local newspaper to take a photo and ask in an article if anyone knew about them, but my worries about the last owner again make me hesitant.

Rest assured that I shall most definitely post a message as soon as I find out anything at all!

I wouldn't do the newspaper thing. If this is to do with some personal psychotherapy, it would be very embarrassing to have it all come out publicly.

In fact, this might be why the previous own freaks out when she sees you. "She must have found them. Has she found them? How many has she found? Dear God, does she know?"

Sorry, Sundae.

Can you get one of the neighbors that the previous owner isn't scared of to ask?

Yes yes yes, people! I promise I will keep on trying!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum I live in rural Australia and things move slowly here. If I try to rush about and get people to tell me what they know about it, it just won't work.

I hated the original, also picnic at hanging rock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flint OMG, sounds like The Wicker Man (the original, of course--I don't acknowledge the existense of a remake).

Spooky movie ... Wickerman ... picnic at hanging rock.

I wouldn't raise the issue this time. Build rapport. If she comes out with it, great, if not, some other time.

ETA: or, sod it, bring a couple of the stones and drop them on the table. "WTF are these?"

That's actually a good idea, Zen--bring just one with you, say you found it and wanted to give it back to her in case it was a little memento lost in the yard by one of her children (or nieces/nephews if she has no kids.) That way, she doesn't have to panic thinking you found all of them, if it turns out they're hers and she's embarrassed.

But you're half a day ahead of us, so I'm too late anyway. Eager to hear what she said, sandy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum Have we spread into a general opinions on rocks in Australia now? Or am I missing a connection? --snip

We know all there is to know about rocks in Australia.
Men At Work and Uluru.

(drum roll....)

Okay, so I went to the meeting, met said lady, and basically did what ZenGum suggested: pulled one of the stones out of my pocket, and said "o hai, WTF are these?" And she told me.

But my other half says it would just spoil everything if I told you. As Winnie-the-Pooh wisely pointed out: there is a moment just before you eat the honey that is better than actually eating the honey.

sandy, you are awesome!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum Sometimes, when I read about some ancient curiosity being dug up, I wonder if it isn't anything significant or mystical at all, and is just something banal that somehow lasted better than other more significant things that were done at the time, e.g. maybe the cavemen kids used more durable paints to draw bison on the cave walls, and the ones the adults did - incredibly realistic ones, or ones with explanatory diagrams, got lost because they preferred to use other paint.

Sandy, you've got us on the edge of our seats, do tell!!!!!!!!!

SP - this must be important; burns334 has only posted 11 times in seven years, and four of those have been in this thread.

Maybe Burns is the owner of the stones and has been waiting all this time for this thread to appear...

Clearly, the truth was too terrible to know, and Sandy has been driven insane. She had one chance to tell us, but her soul is now in the possession of the stone-face god.

The truth will never come out.

unless burns tell us

Then we'll ALL be driven insane.

Well, more insane.

There has to be a secret Phrase or soMething?

Imma try that.

I keep thinking that this is a thread about Ronnie Wood.

Did I ever mention that I have one Japanese and one German parent? (directly-from, not descendants-of) so that means I'm genetically inclined to enjoy watching people squirm

But the truth is that the response was so banal that it seems a shame to give it away when there are still some Cellarites who don't even realise yet that I know but am withholding. May I have just a little more squirm please?

I promise to tell tomorrow.

Oh, you're all going to feel so let down.

You do realise, of course, that this simple explanation is just a cover story for what really happened.

Heck you'll probably think those stones are cute, maybe even bring a few inside, decorate the living room. All will be fine ... for a while ... until ... it ... begins ...

Sandy for the love of gawd please tell us!!!


PLEASE!

I need this in my insignificant little life so I don't just chuck it all in!

tell us! Please tell us!!!

No matter how 'banal' you think it is - it might have meaning for someone else!

tell!

You're killing us here, sandy!

I like banal. My whole life is banal! I'm thinking of changing my last name to Banal!

Telllllllllllllllllllll!

She said tomorrow. Now you two just keep quiet or you'll get no dessert.

Don't tell Sandy.
Honestly, I mean it.

You know, so there isn't anything spooky or dangerous about it.
But there is no reason we have to know, aside from curiousity.
And why should we be indulged?

Give us some mystery in our lives.
We have precious little these days.

Sorry Sundae, I gave my word, so there's no going back!

Well, she looked at the stone and started smiling, and said she used to go down to the coast and collect buckets full of these stones. She used to paint animals on them - presumably to sell - but her 14 year old daughter (you were right, Burns) painted all the ones with faces. She said she made them into families, with different nationalities, and would play games with the different families of stones. She said there had been about 3 buckets full of the faces. She was surprised that I had found them though. I'm guessing this would have been about 30-40 years ago.

What I forgot to ask was how they came to be buried in the bath tub of soil.

I came home and went over to the stones to have another look at them, to see if I could pick out the various families, and... they were all lying face down. Now THAT is weird.

SP this definitely a Stephen King book! Children of the Stone!

What she neglected to mention, of course, is how her 14-year-old daugher tragically drowned in the bathtub!

And afterwards, the little stone families kept moving when no one was looking, and at night you could hear them sliding around on the ground, and a little girl's voice faintly laughing and playing with them, until they got so afraid that they buried the bathtub and all of the stones together in the ground to get away from them.

But they buried all three buckets of the stones with the bathtub, of course. There's no explanation for how so many of the stones got out into your garden, and under your house, and...

OMG I am going to have to put this thread on ignore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum I came home and went over to the stones to have another look at them, to see if I could pick out the various families, and... they were all lying face down. Now THAT is weird.

Sounds like a case of pranksterish mates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble What she neglected to mention, of course, is how her 14-year-old daugher tragically drowned in the bathtub! And afterwards, the little stone families kept moving when no one was looking, and at night you could hear them sliding around on the ground, and a little girl's voice faintly laughing and playing with them, until they got so afraid that they buried the bathtub and all of the stones together in the ground to get away from them. But they buried all three buckets of the stones with the bathtub, of course. There's no explanation for how so many of the stones got out into your garden, and under your house, and...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum I came home and went over to the stones to have another look at them, to see if I could pick out the various families, and... they were all lying face down. Now THAT is weird.

Oh god. Now you've really done it.


Seriously, I can imagine the stones being used for drainage in the bathtub, and likewise if the bucket had been used as a planter.

Back to the fun .. there's still enough ambiguity about why these stones were painted and buried for us to play with. Clod, that is creepy. I can hear the tinkling music-box.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum I can imagine the stones being used for drainage in the bathtub, and likewise if the bucket had been used as a planter.

OMG you have a steer with a friend called Porterhouse

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey OMG you have a steer with a friend called Porterhouse

Brilliant!

I, too, think there is way more to the story. Keep us posted. If you can. Muahuauahaaaa!

Oh, and my nieces had a couple cows a few years ago (cows meaning the entire cow genre, I don't know from cow/reproductive abilities names) and named them Chip and Lightbulb. But they ate 'em up yum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus SP - this must be important; burns334 has only posted 11 times in seven years, and four of those have been in this thread.

You definitely should, burns!

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinite monkey But they ate 'em up yum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigV I hated the original ...

sandy, was that bathtub the one you were planking on earlier in the year???

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus I keep thinking that this is a thread about Ronnie Wood.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha sandy, was that bathtub the one you were planking on earlier in the year???

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus Did anybody get this? Raise your hands.

I can't tell you until tomorrow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus I can't tell you until tomorrow.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a stoned-off-your-face joke.

Well we got our rocks off.

Too hard for me.

It's really aggregating!

Rock on!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus Did anybody get this? Raise your hands.

Or Mix Jagged

Ronnie Wood:

Silly me, of course! We had all the clues, but didn't put them together.

So, we've heard that these stones were *allegedly* painted by a fourteen year old girl.

This does not explain why.

Nor does it explain the manner of their burial. The bathtub thing sounds like a cemetery!

So, this teenage girl, was she ... normal? Was she the sad lonely girl who made these stone because she had no friends? Was she mentally ill? Was she into, maybe satanism, witchcraft, or worse, born-again christianity? Are these her voodoo totems?

In the absence of hard facts (or specific numbers) I think we should just keep making shit up.

(As long as this doesn't up with me having to ask the same woman if her daughter was a friendless nutter with religious issues.)

Did you give her a link to this thread?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum So, we've heard that these stones were *allegedly* painted by a fourteen year old girl. This does not explain why. Nor does it explain the manner of their burial. The bathtub thing sounds like a cemetery! So, this teenage girl, was she ... normal? Was she the sad lonely girl who made these stone because she had no friends? Was she mentally ill? Was she into, maybe satanism, witchcraft, or worse, born-again christianity? Are these her voodoo totems? In the absence of hard facts (or specific numbers) I think we should just keep making shit up.

HungLikeJesus:

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandypossum I forgot to tell you all that I also mentioned to the lady that I had posted it on an internet forum and that it had sparked a lively discussion about possible meanings. To my alarm, she said "oh I'd love to see that! Can you send me the link." Link? Not "can you show it to me" or "is there any way I could see that?" Oh dear. I realised that I had said things she might find appalling (eg about why she had to sell up) even if none of you know her. Not to mention the comments about dead babies. So I sent her a link to the photo on my Flickr page and pasted in all the safe comments from all of you under it, and said alas she can't see the page as it is for members only. Now I can only hope she doesn't think to do a search for the website and find the IotD page. And if she does... I'M SORRY! It wasn't meant to hurt or offend!

If you don't tell her she'll probably find out when she does the background check.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus If you don't tell her she'll probably find out when she does the background check.

Got an email from the ex-owner today:

What a nice email and great ending to the story !

She sounds like a nice young lady.

Whew!

She sounds like a really cool lady. Thankfully, she took it with good humor.

Thanks ever so much for the fun journey!!

What a wonderful discovery and subsequent journey via the Cellar.

Thanks for sharing all this with us, sandy!