20 JAN 26
A 3.8 earthquake just over in Illinois didn't wake any of us in the middle of the night like it did some St. Louisans...
Instead everyone is up-and-busy...
...Patience binging the Gardiner brothers on Youtube shorts...
...Yali talking to his snake... “Justin... I need your opinion... does pineapple belong on pizza?”...
...Puck trying to find the mouse Cheese caught last night and let escape inside his room somewhere...
...Oxbear back from an early morning meeting with a friend... tenderizing chicken in the kitchen...
...Gloria texting me about family who fought at Normandy and Guam and survived the Black Bean Episode of 1843(!)...
Several hours later we're sitting around at lunch where Oxbear has distracted himself re-taping the binding on Puck's old “Biggest Book of Search and Find” from 2nd grade which Patience has recently commandeered...
'You're fixing it?” she asks...
“Of course... your dad is a fixer...” **brief pause to contemplate** “Not of important things but of dumb things that no one cares about haha”...
Mid-afternoon Puck emerges to invent himself a signature for all the Army papers he'll be signing this week... “How do you do cursive again?”...
He then receives a couriered delivery of a hoodie he ordered awhile ago for a fundraiser... “Mom... can you have this washed and folded neatly on my bed for when I return?” he grins...
“Uh sure... yeah I think four and a half months should be enough time to get that done”...
Meanwhile Yali is busy swashbuckling things around the house in my old black boots... there is a lot of yelling and crashing of things falling over in the basement while he's down there flashing his fencing saber... “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!”...
Shortly after that he moves to the trampoline to continue his air battle... “People were watching me on the street” he explains later... “One guy told me I had a nice sword”...
A few minutes later I find him standing in front of the mirror in my bedroom having a conversation with his reflection... “I SAID! I'M DONE BEING A PIRATE!” **theater slaps himself in the face** “OH NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!” **air pistols emerge from his pockets**...
After an hour and fifteen at the studio for Patience...
...we're all home continuing the chili theme this week with chili dogs for the kids...
...while Puck packs the few supplies he's allowed/mandated to bring for the morning and pauses for some ridiculous conversation with his sister...
“I think you'll come back with a British accent!” she announces with great confidence...
Puck stares at her like he knows this is about the stupidest conversation he's going to have for the next several months... “What army do you think I'm going to?”...
But she's already busy talking about elephants and pink glitter and balloons...
He shakes his head smiling in disbelief.... “She's insane”...
