Carolyn Holm

Dear Mommy,

I’m so excited, I’m going to try a new kind of art!!!!!!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Is that why you have my watercolors?

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Yes! And I’m going to do some plain paintings.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

And by “plain” you mean…?

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Plain Air!!!!!!! I’m going to be a Plain Air Artist.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

You mean Plein Air. That doesn’t mean plain. It means painting outside, from nature.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Oh. Well that sounds even better!!!!! So, I need to go outside.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

You are an indoor cat, sweetie. It’s safer that way.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

But there should be exceptions, especially for art. I am an artist, and I am all excited about this new art experience. And it has to be done outside. So it’s time for an exception.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

You can go out on the balcony and paint a picture of the garden. It’s lovely right now.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

But I need something more exciting than that!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

There are squirrels out there. They are lively enough to be an exciting subject.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Squirrels are not exciting. They are everywhere. They are so common here they are ordinary.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

There are lots of crows out there. And they will yell at you. That’s exciting, right?

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Being yelled at by crows isn’t exciting. It’s annoying.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

How about this: there’s a pair of Red-tail Hawks out there. Maybe one of them will swoop down and try to pick you up. That would be exciting. A frisson of danger to elevate the experience.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

That sounds terrifying! Why would you let me go out there if that can happen?

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

I was just kidding. It’s not really a worry, sweetie. You’re too heavy for a hawk to pick up.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

That wasn’t funny.

Love Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Well anyway, don’t worry about the hawks.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

And I am not heavy!

Love, Mia

 

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