A Stranger

Sunday opened with snow. A January snowglobe.
And after the service, a baptism, communion, Sunday School, another service, a congregational meeting for OLeif, and the girls’ return from Memorial, everyone gathered back together again for lunch, which included a chocolate chip banana bundt cake for dessert.
As mid-afternoon arrived, everyone left together to visit Grandpa Snicketts. Most of them hadn’t seen Grandpa since Christmas. He was very happy to see everyone again, including the happy Puck who was eager to watch the flock of fat winter geese grazing outside the window.
“Duck, duck!” he cried at them.
Grandpa had a new roomie, a sharp old gentleman with white hair and glasses. Puck talked to him a little while before they left, spilling over with his usual random vocabulary.
On the way home that evening, OLeif stopped off at the shoulder to help a stranded pedestrian who had run out of gas. Collette and Puck waited in the car while OLeif filled up the stranger’s gas can at the fuel station. A very cold and very happy stranger waved them off back down the road, as he filled his fuel tank.
Interaction with strangers was always a unique experience.
Back at the house, Puck sat in OLeif’s lap under his warm purple blanket and had his evening milk while he watched a documentary on baby skunks. He thought they were very funny and laughed from time to time as he watched them eat honey bees and stink bugs.

“Years ago, my mother used to say to me — she’d say, ‘In this world, Elwood… you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant.’ Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.”
– Elwood P. Dowd