It has become clear to me that Henry is conducting a large-scale art distribution project. Or maybe it’s some sort of performance art. He spends a lot of time making art and taping it to the walls (or hanging it in trees) but last night he kicked it up a notch.
It started with the usual thing where he was talking and I basically had no idea what he was talking about. He said he needed five pieces of paper so he could draw his specialties. I asked him what his specialties were, and he said, “It’s a secret. I can’t tell you.” Twenty minutes later he came running up to me with a drawing of some kind of ogre-y alien creature, and said, “Here! Here is one of my specialties!” And ten minutes later, he came back with a classic large-handed Henry beastie, saying it was another specialty. (“Specialty?” Where did this come from? Was it a word someone used in school and he decided to use even though he didn’t know entirely what it meant?) (This would be taking after dear old mom, since I have been mispronouncing and mis-using “ersatz” for a few years now, as well as probably about seven other words I can’t think of right now.)
Then he cut out the specialties and said in a dramatic whisper, “And now! I will go out in the dark of night and tape the specialties to people’s houses!” Honestly, this is 95% of the reason I had kids: because they are hilarious and nonsensical and come up with Whole New Worlds that you, as the parent, also inhabit. So Henry got himself all suited up with snowpants, boots, jacket, hat, scarf, and mittens, and ran outside. Five minutes later, he was back. “I’m back!” he shouted. “How’d it go?” I asked him. He continued his habit of channeling Beatrix Potter: “Great! And WHO SHOULD I MEET in the middle of the street but Adriane?” (Adriane is our neighbor and an artist and if there’s anyone besides me who would be completely happy about Henry taping art onto the houses in the neighborhood, it’s Adriane.)
He took off all his outerwear, got the next specialty, stuck tape all over it, got all suited up again, and yelled, “I’m off!” I think he really sees himself as the Johnny Appleseed of crayon art.
I’m finally finding time to comment on some of your posts —
Good for Henry- maybe he’ll become a future Bansky! This reminds me of something sanctioned in a Keri Smith book– ( http://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Art-Kit-Keri-Smith/dp/1568986882/wishjarjourna-20/ref=nosim/ )