The clay cat gazing goofily into the sky instead of admiring the newly planted impatience flowers, the ferns and the incredible mega-violets dates back to elementary school. He used to sport a coating of bright pink paint. Maybe he had bright green feet and bright green ears. But since he now lives outside, the elements have returned him to his natural clay. At the time of his shaping, in third grade, I thought he was horribly misshapen. I distinctly remember the terrible disappointment when his knobbly shape just didn’t match the sleek kitty cat I had envisioned. This disappointment happened on a regular basis in art classes all through school, but never seemed to lessen the attraction of that class, without doubt the very best class we had. My mother kept the cat in her front hall for years and years and years. I never saw him without re-experiencing that twinge of disappointment, but somehow he came to live with me. Now I think he’s kind of cute and I see why he was not only kept but also displayed in a house where children’s artwork was admired perhaps but never put on display.
Today being Mother’s Day, Liam helped me plant flowers in pots around the yard and he is currently cooking a fabulous feast, which smells delicious.
