Plastic Tube hourglass

The plastic tube and the gourds in the garage have inspired an hourglass based on snow and snowmen. Initially, the tube was just too tall even after it was cut in half. To keep it stable, the base would have to be too broad and/or heavy to maintain balance once it had been turned over for the particles to descend into the lower chamber without tipping over.  [Eventually, the particles would collect in the lower chamber, thus making it bottom heavy but until then the whole structure would be unstable.]

Using bottleneck gourds as snowmen and cannonballs for snowballs around the snowmen to widen the base, the tube can be made structurally sound. Since the particles will be white sand, the snowmen's expression can be made to express surprise at the descending 'snow' and thereby offer the view a little levity.