My Dog

Howl at the Moon

“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” ― e. e. cummings

My Dog by Yoh Kakuda

Last weekend those of us who live on Earth were invited to a rare celestial show, the Super Blood Wolf Moon. The name of this astronomical event was hard to resist, and it inspired me to create this offering. I hope you had a chance to watch last week, since if this is the first you’re hearing of it, well, it’s a bit too late I’m afraid. A supermoon is seen when the full moon is at it’s closest orbit to the earth, and a blood moon is caused by the scattering of light through Earth’s atmosphere during the totality of a complete lunar eclipse. Blue light gets filtered and the moon appears red. These two events rarely occur together, only a few times per century. The next total lunar eclipse won’t occur until 2021.  I have no idea when the next super blood moon will be.

Owoooooooooo

So what about the “wolf”? Each month has a full moon, and in North America at least, each has a special nickname bestowed upon it by the Native Americans long ago. January was the time for the howling wolves, perhaps because they were hungry, or cold, or because it was January. That’s why this particular super blood moon was also the wolf moon. The event was thrilling, an amazing site unlike anything I’ve seen, and it inspired me. I do have a wolf themed puzzle box, the “Wolf from Grimm” by Osamu Kasho. But I’ve already written about that one for a Halloween themed offering a few years ago. The closest alternative was a dog, and I’ve been looking for an excuse to feature her anyway.

Got any sardines?

My Dog by Yoh Kakuda is one of my favorite pieces by this creative talent from the Karakuri Group in Japan. Kakuda evokes the love felt for our fond companions and describes the scene of this dog jumping and prancing in anticipation as her dinner is set down. The piece was created for the Karakuri “Heartbeat” exhibit and Kakuda clearly poured a lot of heart into it. The dog is modeled after Kakuda's own dog, Cocoa, who died in 2013 at the old age of 17 or 18. Cocoa is one of Kakuda’s more detailed animal carvings and has softly rounded edges and a peaceful expression. She stares at the spot where her dinner should be … perhaps she will get lucky if you are able to help her? She loved small dried sardines, especially after they had been used to make miso soup stock. Kakuda had considered making small sardines for Cocoa's dinner initially, but thought it might be hard to understand, and maybe hard to make! Instead there is something more recognizable which Cocoa might find, but when Kakuda looks at the work, Cocoa is still waiting for the sardines.

My Dog employs a mix of movements that are introduced by the solver and automated by the box itself. Kakuda relates that originally Cocoa's head was still, but thought it would be better to create an additional mechanism so the head also moves. The result is a combination of an automaton and a karakuri box, and it’s an incredible delight to watch it come alive as the scene unfolds and the secret compartment is revealed. Kakuda has immortalized the beloved Cocoa with this wonderful piece of art.

An earlier iteration of the recipe, also pretty good

Now back to the wolf. With the cocktail, I’m toasting this beautiful puzzle box, of course, and also the special celestial event at hand. The Super Blood Wolf Moon cocktail is absolutely delicious, so it would be a terrible shame to only enjoy it on those rare occasions when the planets align. The drink features blood orange, naturally, which is ripe and abundant this time of year. It’s a perfect winter citrus to enjoy. It pairs particularly well with a nice reposado tequila and some lime. To those I’ve added a special amaro, made with the root of the Chinese rhubarb plant. It’s incredibly unusual and absolutely delicious. It all gets sweetened with rhubarb liqueur, another seasonal favorite, and agave, for the perfect touch of balance. I thought about adding some sardines to the recipe in honor of Cocoa, but luckily thought better of it. Shake it up and pour yourself a fantastic treat, and don’t wait for the next blood moon! Cheers!

My Dogs ... wolves ... whatever

Super Blood Wolf Moon

1 ½ oz reposado tequila

½ oz Zucca rubarbaro

½ oz rhubarb liqueur

½ oz blood orange

½ oz lime

¼ oz agave

Shake together with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Throw your head back and howl.

For more from this artist see: