Shishi odoshi (deer scarer)

Originally used in Japanese rice fields to scare off deer and small animals, the shishi odoshi (above) is now a common feature of Japanese gardens.

Water from a feeding spout flows into a hollow bamboo tube, which when filled tips forward and then drops back onto a sounding stone.

The resulting "clack" scares off the deer.

A brochure extolling the device comments:

In the garden it gives a feeling of solitude as it breaks the silence.

The clack of bamboo penetrates the garden and fades.

We are reminded that time is moving on.

Today's New York Times "Modern Love" feature about the endless repeating cycle of a relationship breaking up, then regaining its traction only to crash and burn again, over and over, introduced the shishi odoshi as a metaphor.

I like it.

I might get one before the local deer return in force this spring to begin their foraging in my garden.