The study bowl

I used to return home from a walk and empty my pockets onto the kitchen table. On a typical walk, I might pick up a few leaves, a twig with some interesting buds, a seed pod, or an unusual rock. Or all of these.

But instead of looking things up as soon as I got home (What kind of tree is this? What makes this stone pink?), I usually rushed off to do something else. At supper time my treasures got moved to the coffee table, to the patio table, or to the garage…and forgotten.

Now I have a study bowl. I dump my pockets when I get back from a walk, and I can investigate discoveries at my leisure.

What have we here? Better carry it home and investigate.