A What?

I hope Rouchswalve drops in and enlightens me.

This is a gift that Kazuko offered me when she came back from visiting her family. I understood that this is a miniature of a creature that can be found standing near entrances to eateries welcoming the clients. Does it have a name?

  

When looking at this on her first visit to my house Kazuko said "Oh, you like Japoneese art, looks like a poem at top of drawing". She did not translate it.

End of poem or signature?

Carol and the card

"loving, dear, honey-bee, who polynates my life with beauty, wonderful being, sharing of our innermost feelings, good soul, warm memories, soul-friendship" are words that have kept  Carol and I connected by way of a birthday card which travelled back and forth for 25 years past. I received the card from Carol, kept it safe and returned it to her on her birthday suggesting we keep sending it to each other until.....                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Today I need to send it off to Carol and soon it will appear in my mailbox. Carol's birthday is at the beginning of March and mine middle March. What are the chances that Carol will get stuck holding it?