Mein kleines Wetterhäuschen

My first encounter with wetterhäuschen was around Christmas in an upscale Japanese toy shop, and I was charmed by the jaunty miniature lederhosen- and dirndl-bedecked man and woman in their woodsy cabin. Mounted on a weight and suspended by a single strand of horse hair, the pair glide slowly in and out of the house as the hair twists or untwists in response to fluctuations in humidity. The transparency of the mechanism added to its appeal but I balked at the import price.

Happy to find a Heidelberg shop selling wetterhäuschen and cuckoo clocks, I decided on this combination hygrometer and old school wind-up pendulum clock. Now it sits above my desk, tick-tocking away…

Souvenir kitsch, but it makes me smile.