the third time's the charm

There are simply not enough days in the month of October. Typically, as September draws to a close, I'm feeling productive. Feeling organized. But inevitably, as October begins the dark frosty march toward its conclusion, I find myself facing reality. Some plans will not see the light of day. Or more appropriately, the dark of night. And in a Halloween-ish twist on Murphy's Law, some of the best ideas always seem to come along in the dying days of October. Neglected, they pass into the shadowy world of "next year".

Last October, a few short days before Halloween, one such prop idea appeared. Okay, it didn't just appear; my son suggested it. I liked the idea of a dry abandoned bird bath with a bird skeleton or two perched on the edge, and thought it would be a natural fit for the front yard. But I knew I wouldn't have time to create it. I then suggested the obvious: that he might like to make it a last-minute project. A reasonable suggestion. At this point, I was patiently informed that he had fulfilled his creative role in providing the idea. My role was to now take said idea and turn it into a tangible object. At least it was reassuring to have a clearly defined set of expectations.

Flash forward a few months and that prop idea resurfaced in my consciousness. And with time on my hands, I started exploring my creative options. I began by reflecting on exactly what I expected from this skeleton, apart from the implied boniness.

First and foremost, it must be recognizable as a bird. Surprisingly, not as easy as it sounds.

Next, it must be able to withstand the potentially raging wind and torrential rain of an Atlantic October. Nothing is more disheartening than having to dash outside before breakfast to hunt down and rescue props as they blow out of the yard. Unless it's having to keep props indoors until Halloween night.

Finally, it shouldn't look too polished or pretty. I didn't anticipate any problems there.

So with durability and mediocrity in mind, I set to work. I won't devote much space to my first two attempts. Let's just say they involved varying combinations of duct tape, pipe cleaners, papier mache and Popsicle sticks and leave it at that. They are best forgotten. I will not speak of them again.

Then I started playing with clay. I've been wanting to experiment with clay for a while now and, running out of options, this seemed the ideal opportunity. Along the way, I learned some harsh truths: this stuff is much more lightweight when dry than wet, and cats like the taste.

Overall, the experiment yielded acceptable results. Perhaps not in the harsh unforgiving light of day. But certainly through the filter of darkness, dim lighting and fog at Halloween, I think the little guy will be fine. And while two of my criteria have been met, it remains to be seen how he will survive outdoors. Maybe this October will be dry and calm. Maybe. But that's a problem for another day. Right now, he's just a bird skeleton waiting for a birdbath to call his own. But that's an outdoor project and it's raining today. So here he sits. Waiting for the rain to stop. And trying to stay out of the cat's way.