Still Life with Owl

 

   Being around Archimedes is sort of like having a permanent four year old that follows you about asking “why?” to everything. 

   Yes, it is endearing at first, and you admire their curiosity for a bit, but after a while it becomes somewhat annoying. “Why is the sky blue?” Go ahead and try explaining refraction or the reason clouds are white to a four year old, I dare you. “Why?”

   I just walked into his mews with a chunk of meat and bone for his evening tyering, and he looked as startled as a child who had just woken up from a nap and found out  that they didn’t know where Brussels was, or why they happened to be out in a field outside of it. That is to say, nonplussed.  It is the same way every time I pick him up, or take him out for a ride in the car.

  He does indeed like to drive about in the car. Actually, he only rides in it, I drive, though he might be more patient with some of the other people moving about on the road than I am. He bobs his head and swivels like a Hula Girl’s hips as we pass other vehicles, occasionally  “HooHoo!-ing” , especially at skateboarders. He seems fascinated with skateboards, and we do own two of them, I suppose I should make a perch for one and see if he likes it ? “Why?”

   Watching me skate is a daunting prospect, I carefully judge the wind conditions, and if the coast seems clear down the block, launch myself off at a safe and sane speed. Sometimes I hit a bit of rock and go ass over teakettle , the longboard gleefully sliding into the distance while I look up at the sky and wonder why it is blue. I am sure Archimedes, observing from up in the studio, gets quite a laugh out of it.

   For some odd reason, he not only is fascinated by skateboards, but also by the military programs on television. I have a tele in the studio so that when I am painting, there is some sort of fluff on besides the awful radio to keep me from falling asleep in the oils. I’ve learned quite a lot about how we are making all sorts of weapons to keep the world at peace, and how a bunch of generals in different battles really managed to screw up. I think he likes the airplanes the best, especially the biplanes of the Great War. This makes me nervous, as he has already attacked a 72^nd scale Backfire bomber model, and is now eying the row of rigged  airplanes. He is quite a strong bird, and it isn’t uncommon for me to wake up at two in the morning, and dart into the studio to make sure he hasn’t untethered himself and made a right mess of the place.

  I always get the same dumfounded look of “who the hell are you?”, and then he stares at my penis, which can be unsettling.  Everyone asks me why I look so tired, and when I explain, I think they are just asking “why?”