Yuletide Challenge: Wildlife!

 Second Post of the Day

Today's Yuletide Cheer prompt is, "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal! Wildlife."

Aside from a few Breyer elephants, the wildlife portion of my collection is mostly found among the clinkies.

First up is my Lomonosov porcelain cheetah. I always give a second look to animal figurines when I am out thrifting, but I usually don't buy them. This one was different - it was heavy and felt like good quality.

I flipped it over and saw a USSR stamp - it was a Lomonosov piece from Russia when Russia was still a communist country. 

Cole had lived in Yekaterinburg and Siberia for two years while serving as a missionary. (Note 1 - yes, that is a spot of frostbite on his cheek; Note 2 - why do guys always get the long eyelashes!!)

Home with me that cheetah came as a reminder of his time there.

While A Christmas Carol is my favorite teaching unit of all that I wrote, another favorite was Oceans. During that unit we would study octopuses culminating with a Gyotaku project.

Of course, I had to add a Hagen Renaker octopus to my collection, one that was orange - my favorite color.

This last unusual piece is by Kristina Lucas Francis. She was at one of Nancy Falzone's gatherings in 2017 and had brought some to sell.

Kristina called it an "okaptopus" and the color is purple orchid.

A fantasy cross between an okapi and an octopus, it is signed and numbered by Kristina and is #5 of only 6 made.

I think it is beautiful!

I skipped yesterday's prompt about the Grinch because I do not have any models I didn't like when I bought them. For tomorrow, the prompt is stocking stuffers/little treats. 

Stay 'tooned!