Show-N-Tell

I’ve set up a temporary studio in my oldest daughter’s sun room on the back of her house. The light is northern and very constant. With so much sunshine, I've ben able to log quite a few studio hours preparing new work for the gallery to start the season off. It’s 3:45 p.m. and I hear the front door to the house slam, clomp, clomp, clomp, books being deposited, refrigerator door opens and then closes, the TV plinks on and it’s the Disney Channel. The back door slams and May appears at the door to the sunroom giving a tour to another blonde blue eyed 7 year old.

May: That’s my Gramma
Me: (I look up and smile)
May: she lives in the jungle
May: Belize is an island and they have monkeys there
May: she lives with Grandpa Bigness on the beach, he’s not my real Grandpa but he’s my biggest
May: She’s a painter
May: She’s famous, right Grandma?
Me: I’m a legend in my own mind
May: her paper is silk… look (as she holds up an unpainted scrap and wraps it around her like a skirt)
May: that’s my tiger ears (and points at the headband on my head with the furry tiger ears sticking off the top)
May: my dad got it for me at the tiger’s game
May: Grandma why are you wearing my tiger ears?
Me: to keep my hair out of my eyes, is that o.k.?
May: sure
Around the table they circle, May showing and interpreting my paintings, the girl's eyes big as saucers.
May: That one’s called Maxi and the Motorbike. There’s Maxi, and here’s Midi and Mini carrying the drums.
Girl: How much does this one cost?
Me: $950
Girl: oh... I’ll tell my mom to come right over and buy it

The Perfect Roomate

I've come to realize that my perfect roomate is a 7 year old girl. That's the thing about being homeless in aMerica, you never know where you're going to crash. When I sold my home in aMerica in 2001 I didn't worry about where I was going to stay when I came to visit. And here I am bouncing from daughter's home to daughter's home, being homeless aint so bad is it? At my oldest daughter's house I share a room with May-the-seven-year-old. She and I have the same philosophy on life.

1. Neither of us like to pick our clothes up off the floor, much to her mother's chagrin.
2. Getting up for school (or work) sucks, but I do it anyway, because its not worth hearing Mom complain
3. Cartwheels in the livingroom are o.k. as long as I don't bump into the furniture, and Mom's not around
4. Sleeping on the livingroom floor in front of the TV is way better than the bed
5. A Slim Jim snack in the afternoon is just fine
6. Ballet is fine to watch, but not to do. Hip hop is much better.
7. My career as a rock star is just about to take off... if I could just meet Hanna Montana.
8. Hair brushing is optional
9. Boys are icky unless they are doing something useful like removing the dead bat from the sun room.
10. Mom says no Pepsi for breakfast, but she just doesn't know what's good for her.