delicious fish

thanks wikimedia commons {public domain}

They'll never notice if he takes just one fish. . . Maybe two. Pieter van Boucle (French, circa 1610 - 1673) has presented such a bounty of finned treats that you probably took a minute to realize there's a hungry, intent interloper off to the left there. Van Boucle's painting has all the details and abundance of the Dutch-style stilllifes popular in his time, but he mixes in a detail that's not only very much alive but sympathetic.

That cat reminds me of the new buddies that have popped up on my porch lately this summer. Some just want a kind word and a place to roll around. Some slink up with a guarded hope from stage left, too skinny not to get a little kibble. Elizabeth will never miss a handful. Maybe two.