15 JAN 26

Yali's standing at the side of my bed early that morning holding the skin closed over a slice in his finger... “Need a band-aid Yali?” **nods**... 3D-printer injuries are a real thing...

Half an hour later he's sitting with Patience over sheets of equivalent fractions... but Patience is a little distracted because she's just learned that she might be an adopted direct descendant of the High Kings of Ireland... “I'm an Irish princess?!” **her eyes start glittering**...

A double-down distraction then occurs as Puck enters the room and Patience decides it might be appropriate to comment on his arm hair... “You're hairy! You're a HAIRY LARRY!”...

Puck tries not to smile... “Patience you have more hair on your head than I do on my entire body”...

Patience slings a rope of nearly-black hair over her shoulder... “That's because I have long beautiful locks!”...

“Those are definitely not locks”...

“Want me to give you a prize for coming back from the Army?”... Patience begins following him around... “DO you?”...

“What prize?”...

“I will paint your fingernails PINK!”...

A few hours later Patience is sitting quietly with cousin A down in Pevely for a babysitting session threading wooden beads in bright colors onto pipe cleaners for bracelets... whispering together about colors and patterns until cousin G wakes from her nap and we join her upstairs by the space heater in a cold sunny afternoon...

Cousin A is tossing a plush astronaut into the air then throws him to the ground and unzips his suit... pulling a small tanned baby out of his astronaut gut like it was a normal place to stuff a baby and hands it to me... “Oh... what's this baby's name?” // She tumbles backwards across the floor towards the astronaut... “GEORGE” **thinking carefully** “George DUTHT...” // “George Dust?” // “Yes!”... and I have to say... it's a great name...