Collette

• Catch Patience trying to light a candle in the living room while she thought I was still sleeping; you can tell how guilty she feels by how high she jumps when you enter the room
• Break up tree branches in a heat index squeezing past 104, Patience watching Mama sweat from the shade, probably because she’d just painted all her nails between water coloring and selecting the perfect American Girl doll for her birthday wishlist, and didn’t want to dirty them
• After an overnight in Denver and a visit to a local flea market in the morning, Oxbear, Puck, and Yali arrive in Breckenridge, Colorado, for five days, nearly two miles above sea level; made steak and sweet potatoes at their Airbnb

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Patience : “Mom, can I watch ‘Floor is Lava’?”

Collette : “Yes, but have a yogurt for breakfast first.”

Patience : “Okay!”

A few minutes later she returned.

Patience : “I did it!”

About an hour later, I found two full yogurts opened and dumped in the trash. Sneaky.

Someone serves time.