Home Archeology

Discovery of a buried ziplock bag during a routine weeding of a flower bed led me to a more involved archeological dig which produced the featured figurine. It was slimy and dirty and I threw it out with the crabgrass and the dandelions. But curiosity got the best of me and I rumbled in the trashcan to fish out the mistreated object. I gave it a good scrubbing with soap and water revealing the figure of St. Joseph, easily identifiable by the carpenter’s angle tool.

I had found gargoyle, frog, and pig figurines in this yard before, but this was the first one to be buried in the ground. My immediate thought was that maybe it was placed there by the previous owner to protect the house, or by the builder, in some gratitude ritual upon the completion of the construction. But a quick internet search led me to discover a custom I have never heard about before.

Apparently, people bury the figurine of St. Joseph facing down toward the house, in order to speed up the sale of their property! According to the proper protocol, once the transaction is completed, the seller should dig up the figurine and display it in his new home in order to show gratitude to the saint for bringing a viable buyer. But here the cycle was broken and I am left with a shortchanged saint on my hands. What am I to do with him?

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