And they so Conquer
Sunday, October 16, 2011
In which gatherings commence and triumphs spike…
Something new was allowed that morning on the way to church.
Heaven Scent.
Chocolate-filled, chocolate-glazed.
“I’m the king of this house!” Puck declared, as he and OLeif toasted donuts.
Then OLeif allowed him to listen to some Doctor Who soundtrack to pump him up for singing up front at church… Puck was pleased.
“Alright, you all pumped up, ready to sing like a king?”
“Yeah!!”
It also helped that a steam roller was sitting in the parking lot for some unexplained reason upon arrival.
Puck sang well after a momentary upset that there was ‘no room for his feet to sit down’ on the risers.
Back at the house, chili and cornbread were prepared. And key lime pie. Joe arrived, wire clothes hanger wrapped around his head. Rose was busy claiming her cornbread while Carrie reminisced about the olden days when she would make paper flags emblazoned with her name on toothpicks to mark which pieces were hers. When in a family of eight…
“No! Don’t touch that piece!” Rose cried. “The one in the middle is mine!”
Then Rose mentioned something about no longer liking cake. Dad turned to her in what could only be assumed was shocked offense.
“Finish your chili, Rose,” he commanded.
Rose, her knees tucked up under her chin, somehow, squawked some response as the upcoming early family holiday photo was then discussed.
“Don’t worry, Dad,” said Carrie. “OLeif can photoshop hair on your head this year.”
Somehow this discussion segwayed into the event of ten years earlier when Joe had fainted during a choir competition and then crawled off the stage. Dad got the chuckles out of that one.
“There’s one photo from the National Day of Prayer at the Courthouse too,” said Carrie, “of Joe, Magnus, and George. And they all look green.”
“I almost fainted up there once,” said Rose. “Mrs. South’s hair was so shiny, I wanted to faint.”
Once the photographs were completed in the back lawn – cooling breezes and falling yellows – everyone got down to business. Mom arranged the lawn for the arriving youth at five, including s’mores, hot chocolate, cider, etc. Carrie built a double-decker bunny cage in her room. Rose prepared to join the usual Sunday evening gathering after splitting up some of her pottery collections for Puck, who was very excited to be taking home some of Rose’s unusual original pieces. And a little research into the upcoming Reading Rainbow iPad app; 300 books just waiting for Puck’s interactive perusal; brilliant.
The youth arrived in droves. Twenty-two; maybe more. Volleyball commenced, and two bonfires were crackling. Joe emerged for some frisbee with the boys. Carrie inducted Earnest to social hour amongst the avalanche of petting hands from giggling girls and Ivy’s nephew, who was immediately taken with the bounding little chap. And with piles of crackers and M’nMs mix, the pumpkin carving contest began. By dark-fall and rounds of Ghost in the Graveyard, a line of ghostly orange beings rimmed the fire.
Inside, Collette, Carrie, Joe, and Rose caught up on more matters, laughing about the ridiculous musical bloopers with their respective churches, and other fair game of conversation…
“They’re always playing music in the background while they’re praying,” said Joe, referring to his Wednesday night gathering in Old St. Charles. “I should convince them that I play the drums, so I’ll get up there… ‘God,’ BOOM! ‘I just wanna thank You’ BOOM! ‘for your awesomeness’ BOOM!”
“Yeah,” Carrie laughed, “or do awkward rim shots… ‘God, we just wanna thank you for this beautiful day’, Badum-ching!”
Meanwhile…
The Cards were insane in Milwaukee that night. By the top of the fourth it was already 9, 4. So while Collette kept tabs via the internet, she and OLeif enjoyed some Tyson’s fried chicken and Wal-Mart [see former disclaimer] peanut butter cups.
By the end of the night, word was official of a 12, 6 victory. Texas would be meeting St. Louis in the World Series of 2011.