My son, the visionary

He is seven years old and already nearly as tall as my shoulders. In second grade, he excels at math. He loves to draw plans and make inventions. He has dreamy brown eyes with long, full eyelashes that I would die for.

Yesterday his class had rehearsal in the school auditorium for their upcoming music program. He informed me that there are 195 seats in the auditorium, this fact determined by counting the number of rows and the number of seats per row.

This morning he pointed out the pattern of rectangles on the bedroom ceiling; there is a row of 8x4 birch panels, then another row approximately 4x4. He said we should paint one of the shorter panels blue with white stars, then paint red and white stripes on two longer panels and one shorter one, then it would look like a United States flag. It reminded me of how I, as a child, would see patterns and pictures in wallpaper, ceiling tiles, stuff like that. Patterns and pictures that were not intentionally part of the design. I remember some of these patterns and pictures vividly when I think of the places or events surrounding them.

The other day, while driving to school and work, I was talking about how the road seemed a lot bumpier than it was before. He immediately said "It's probably because of the big thaw yesterday." A-HA! Thawing and freezing wreak havoc on country asphalt roads.

And, while watching a video that included circus scenes he told me, "There's something about circuses I just don't like". I have held that same feeling since I was a child, but have rarely if ever vocalized it to the kids. He went on to say "Clowns just creep me out!" Yikes! We think too much alike!