24 NOV 25
It's early... but Patience has already committed a federal offense... “Patience... remember how I told you not to wash Puck's uniform with the rest of the laundry?”... // “Uh...”
Putting this aside... Mama gets deep into cleaning for all of the day because Pops is off work for the whole week so the kids are off school for the whole week and there's always more work to do...
It's early afternoon... Oxbear and Patience return from shopping... Patience delicately slurping a Starbucks cold strawberry açaí juice like it's July...
Puck calls driving back from Chicago... J's car broke down and they've been waiting for Triple A some three hours north up in Pontiac, Illinois...
So while they figure that out... Oxbear busses Yali and Patience to the park with the zipline for also-hours...
...and by the time a light tapping rain floats into the city... the squirrel is back storing nuts in the attic... probably... haven't gotten to that problem yet...
It's dark... Oxbear and kids return with seven red minnows for Yali's snake at twenty-nine cents a head... he eats all of them... greedy little tube...
Puck and buddies are now driving home in a tow truck meant for three men... and there are four of them... Puck apparently draws the unlucky straw and has to be the one sat upon for the three-plus hours home “in total silence” they explain later... but the driver does pull over at McD's so they can grab some grub...
I'm out in Florissant for pick-up as they coast in close to nine o'clock... “Can you bring us all home and then I'll drive us out to J's from there?” Puck asks as they all slide into the car... // “Uh sure... but you'll have to find some music to listen to... or it's my Medieval tunes”... **snickers from the back seat**
Chicago was confusing and expensive they say... “We got lost”... “We saw the Bean”... “Parking was fifty bucks so we didn't go”... “Mexican was a hundred dollars”... “And I burned my leftovers in the microwave”... “We didn't eat enough”...
Home again and Puck drives them onward through the rain... specifically to McDonald's for a second time that evening...