Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Salt Crystal Lamp

We had one glorious day of rain! Each day since, promising piles of thunderheads have sailed in from the Southeast, but they have no flotilla following. Instead they drag behind them, like a raggedy bridal train, a thin cloud cover reminiscent of dingy, cotton batting. Occasionally, a few spectacularly large drops fall and we threaten to measure our rainfall in the time honored Arizona way, by measuring the distance between droplets.

But it did rain! And there's a cool breeze blowing in the evening, the trees and plants are perkier, and optimist that I am, I know there will be more. It's rained all around us so our turn will come up again. Won't it?

I had a birthday last week and my Mom, the Wise Old Owl gave me an interesting gift.

This is a salt crystal lamp made from salt formed hundreds of millions of years ago at the foothills of the Himalayas, when salt lakes dried up. The red coloration comes from iron and the yellow from manganese. My lamp is about eleven inches high and made from a rough piece of salt crystal, but they can and do carve and polish the salt crystal into shapes as well.

The salt crystal is said to absorb moisture from the air and the warmth of the light bulb causes a release of the moisture along with negative ions. The atmosphere around waterfalls and after thundershowers is filled with negative ions, and many people feel they are healthful.

Be that as it may, this is a pretty lamp, and Roo is going to love having it as a nightlight when she spends the night with me.

5 comments:

Jerry said...

I am so happy you wrote about your Salt Lamp.

Make sure Eeyore doesn't lick it too much. Though it is relatively safe, it will reduce the Lamp to a mere base, cord and bulb if he keeps on licking.

And Tigger, you know Tiggers like everything! He'll get a few licks in too (until he realizes Tiggers don't like licking Salt).

The founder of Salt Lamp Creations www.SaltLampCreations.com went to the foothills of the Himalayas and had an opportunity to watch the entire process of transforming this 200 million year old Salt, mined by hand and then carved into Natural and Geometric shapes and fell in love with these beauties.

Some of the styles like the Fire Bowl can take 6 days to carve and finish. While that is certainly less time than it took to form the Sallt in the mines they are still priced as a great deal.

Anyway, keep enjoying your 1 Acre Wood and let me know if the Salt Lamp physically changes your life. I have heard all sorts of claims and received numerous testimonials.

I just like them because they are pretty and everyone who gets one from me as a gift is enthralled. Nothing is more unique as no two can ever be the same! Just like you and me!

Peace

meggie said...

That is a beautiful lamp. What a fascinating story behind it. I have never seen one before, or even heard of them.
Happy Birthday, belatedly.

Old Sourdough said...

Sourdough's first bun (a daughter) received a lovely salt lamp for her birthday a couple of years ago. It is still giving its warm and beautiful light, and impressing all who see it.

Yay for summer showers!

Rowan said...

Glad to hear that you had some rain at last. Do please feel free to have some of ours as well - we have more than enough to spare!
The salt lamp is lovely - I've never seen one before. The amber colour is one of my favourites. I must see if I can get one for myself I think.

Linda G. said...

meggie, I think you'd like a salt lamp, as it is, as liz says, a lovely warm light.

liz, love that-the old sourdough's bun...also nice to know the lamps last over time.

Rowan, I think the lamp does take some humidity out of the air. Perhaps you could use that about now! How I wish you could send us some rain!