An 80th Birthday
Monday, September 26, 2005
Monday brought a break for Collette, as Mom had requested that Joe and Rose have a week break themselves from study to switch their rooms around. The boys would take the basement and Rose was thus required to clean out her entire truckload of junk and baubles and clothing and move them back upstairs. The basement looked virtually like a junkyard and Collette bemoaned the many days of work she had put in to its cleaning and organizing. Rose and Carrie had already planned out Rose’s and Linnea’s new room, which they hoped to have the atmosphere of a coffee shop and they would purchase paint and new bedspreads that day before Carrie went into work at her new second job – a waitress at the Holiday Inn.
But Sunday had been so pleasant, despite the fact that Shamrock was lost. That was sad business that would hopefully be remedied.
OLeif had found his glasses.
And Dad, much to his delight no doubt, pulled Linnea’s first tooth. She was cute there with a gap in the top, just in time for the jack ‘o lantern look.
But the trip – about a three hour drive to Independence for “Fred Snicketts” Sunday, for Uncle Fred Roger’s 80th birthday celebration given by his Methodist church in honor of the saintly old man. It was good to see how much he was respected for his servant’s heart. And much of the family came. The whole Bathalsar Snicketts family came, Uncle Hilario and Aunt Corliss, Uncle Clarence and Schroeder. Aunt Julia’s grandmother was in the hospital in Jeff City, so she could not come, nor was Samwise there. Grandpa and Martha were there; so was Aunt Rebecca. The Black girls were not present for various reasons, and Judah was of course back in Australia. But Brit was there, minus his lovely bride, Lilli, who was staying at home to watch some foster children from their church. Grandma was also there, as she had hitched a ride in the big green slug and had bought breakfast sandwiches for the whole crew. But the biggest surprise was Brit’s hair – jet black as always, but he had grown it out.
“Aaaaaw!” Carrie exclaimed as she saw him walk into the church. “He looks like Orlando Bloom’s hair!”
But Collette thought it looked good. Even Uncle Hilario had grown his out a bit, but not near as much. And Patrick’s Beatles cut had bit the dust – he was back to the old 50’s trim.
It was so good to see everyone again and Uncle Fred looked so very happy to see them. There was a special presentation to him during the church service which included his picture on a box of Wheaties, for being such an important man in all their lives. There was also a brief intro DVD presentation of his life. And a youth choir gathered up front afterward to share two pieces. However, let it be said that their quality of singing was experiencing a bad day. And as they sang further and further off pitch and beat as the song progressed, Carrie began to shake in laughter, her face turning more red than Collette thought she had ever seen it. Soon, Francis turned his head to look at her.
“Stop it, Carrie,” he whispered and shook his finger in her face.
Carrie never worked harder to bite back her giggles. It seemed pretty bad.
Following the singing, the projector screen came crashing down magnificently behind them.
Afterward, during the luncheon, Carrie wracked in laughter so hard that she almost cried.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she kept repeating, turning her face to the wall in the hopes that no one would notice.
But it took awhile before her laughter could subside enough for her face to stop being red.
Meanwhile, lunch was well underway – a grand potluck with some sort of soft stroganoff as the main course. Linnea, however, seemed set on eating nothing but watermelon and fresh grown corn. Carrie also liked the corn. One could tell it was fresh from the farm, for the kernels were much more plump than the usual frozen type or even the ears of corn back home at the grocery store. After all, they were in a farming community still. There were also several good cakes, white and chocolate.
Bristol had plans to enter the Air Force and so Uncle Balthasar had Dad talk to him about it for awhile at their table, to encourage him to go for it. And Dad also spoke with Brit about coming sky-diving, which Brit would love to do, provided Lilli didn’t object.
But the time ended rather quickly and they were off back home. The rains were coming in and the skies were darkening. It was peaceful driving back. Several of them dozed and Grandma worked on her bent and wiggly crossword puzzles from time to time. There were several iPods playing and Collette alternated reading “Evidence” with a book she saw lying on the shelf back at the house that week, The Bluebird and the Sparrow. It nearly made Collette giddy to read “Evidence”, there were so many fascinating thoughts and archaeological facts to read through… exciting stuff. Drives were so pleasant. And Carrie was excited that Joseph had agreed to come to The Bravery concert with her and Elizabeth at The Popps in the bad part of the city, East St. Louis. Very dangerous, apparently.
But soon they were back home with a bucket of fried chicken, biscuits, baked beans, potato wedges, potato salad, and “smashed” potatoes (as the English would say). And there were the usual laughs, jokes, stories, and such. And the usual “pulled out of the blue” comments from Rose:
“I climbed a thorn tree once,” she said in the middle of everything. “It hurt.”
It was a distinct Rose trait, to be sure.
And they began “Lost” again so Carrie could watch.
“It seems like a Dairy Queen night,” OLeif said rather loudly during the second episode.
“Yesssss!” Carrie, Joe, and Rose exclaimed.
“Oh, now you’ve done it,” Collette laughed at OLeif.
“Well, see, now I don’t have to mention it again,” he chuckled.
Dad soon came downstairs to check on the whereabouts of the cats.
“Hey, Dad, OLeif wants Dairy Queen,” Carrie said.
“I didn’t say that!” OLeif retorted.
But he soon went off for three boxes of dilly bars at Joe’s treat. And they ate away during the rest of the episodes, which Carrie and Rose continued to watch after OLeif and Collette left. It had been a good day.
And now it was Monday morning again and Collette went about her normal dealings, not having actually had a full weekday morning at the apartment for months with all the work always going on. But she preferred to work, although it was very nice every once in awhile to just stay about the place and have some good music to listen to.
When I stand on the edges of Jordan
With the saints and the angels beside
When my body is healed, and the glory revealed
Still I can boast only Christ.
No one is good enough to save himself.
Awake my soul tonight, to boast nothing else.
Collette began again to write “Li Mei” and read that morning, bake a white cake, and listened to the magnificent words of the music as the sun streamed through the closed shades of the apartment. There were also letter stencils to be cut from card stock for the banners in the sanctuary.
But You created nothing
That gives me more pleasure than You.
And You won’t give me something
That gives me more pleasure than You.