The Great Midnight Nubby Ice Experiment

This time of year, every day, there is new ice. I have to admit that of late, most of my ice has been captive-grown ice, which was made in a square Pyrex bowl in the yard. On this day, my husband brought the ice in. I messed around with it for a few photos. No biggie. When I was done, I put the big clump of ice into the bathtub to let it melt. Never thought about it again.

But late in the evening, when we were done watching Criminal Minds episodes (they've been running them on TV all afternoon and evening on Wednesdays and Fridays), it was well after 11 p.m. and I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth, getting ready for bed.

I looked down into the tub and saw something at the drain, where the drain cover is. I reached in and guess what it was: it was a tiny, round piece of ice, the very last little bit that was left. 

The ice had molded itself around the drain cover such that it had little round nubby things sticking out! It looked like an ice version of one of those weird-looking lotus seed pods (that give some people the heebie-jeebies).

Well now. Suddenly, I wasn't quite ready for bed anymore! I grabbed the ice, looked at it closely, and put it to use with the colorful plastic beads I got from my mom. I got out the clear square Pyrex bowl, put the beads in it, and placed the nubby ice on top of it. I got my old headlamp and put some white light underneath it.

First, I placed the nubby side DOWN, and I took a bunch of photos. Then I put the nubby side UP, and I took a bunch more. (Me, singing to myself: You put the NUBBY SIDE UP, you put the NUBBY SIDE DOWN. You put the NUBBY SIDE UP and you SHAKE IT ALL AROUND.)

It was just shy of enchanting, actually, and it was so much fun that I ended up staying there a while and taking about 100 photos. Yes, 100 photos of ice and beads, in what shall forevermore be known as the Great Midnight Nubby Ice Experiment!

My soundtrack song has to have midnight involved in it somehow. So here is Midnight Oil, with the song that made me a fan back in 1987. For how CAN you sleep when the beds are burning? Or when there's nubby ice about? The song is Midnight Oil, with Beds Are Burning.