Another Party
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
In which Joe’s 23rd birthday is finally officially celebrated in all its Mayberry style…
Puck was busy with breakfast that morning…
“A fruit fly bit me while I was asleep. That was not appropriate.”
Dentist.
Puck’s third tri-annual appointment; eight AM. He was an awesome patient, as he was told, and made his selection from the treasure chest: two etched metal rings in purple and red. One for Linnea.
And back over to the house…
Mom and Dad told stories about the giant sequoias, the Ronald Reagan Library, organic fruit farm…
“Did you have any earthquakes?” Francis wanted to know.
They had. On the road.
“Four-point something,” Dad said.
And everyone they met who had been to Missouri immediately began praising Branson.
Cheeseball City.
Ugh.
And, as always, everything was…
“Just… beautiful. I’m telling you.”
From Mom’s perspective.
Puck and the two younger kids got busy with Minecraft between algebra takes. Linnea, in her popping-azalea-pink volleyball t-shirt: volleyballs in sunnies, was particularly pleased with her baby cheetahs. Collette was beginning to wish she had created Minecraft herself. Whoever’s idea… he had struck gold.
And Collette’s arms were a little sore from the monkey bars the previous morning.
Dark chocolate.
Brilliant cool breezes.
Carrie and Puck got busy preparing pies…
“Close the door, Puck,” Collette told him.
Puck held up a prepared hand in explanation…
“I’m keeping the screen door open so Doctor Who can smell the pumpkin pie. We’re making it for Doctor Who, Sun, and me. And Rose. [The Doctor’s Rose].”
Linnea, who was reduced to pink construction paper to work figures, which she had already doodled with elephants, got her music playlist started for math: When we Left Earth…
“That’s math music. Because it’s space.”
Followed by Andrea Bocelli.
“I’m very picky about my opera singers.”
“Do you know anything about opera?”
“No.”
Francis was burning pretzels and eating them. He strung a handful of them on a beaner clip and handed it to Puck.
Linnea escorted three tacos into the microwave.
Dad canceled the defrauded credit card.
Joe was out to coffee with Mollie and returned with his former boss’ dark blue Cadillac to detail in the garage.
Francis was up for another round of testing at the Y.
Five o’clock.
Both grandmas arrived to finally celebrate Joe’s official 23rd birthday, with everyone else. For Puck: stickers from Grandma Snicketts and blueberry juice from Grandma Combs,
Dinner: as Joe had requested: bowls of salad and pasta, pans of tender pork chops slathered in barbecue sauce, and a pot of hot apple cider. All Carrie’s doing, of course.
Pumpkin helped herself to a seat on the bench beside Rose, her fat yellow eyes greedily canvasing the edibles.
Conversation rotated around… including the diet busters in which Mom and Dad had participated while in California.
“I’ll bet you were in trouble with Carrie, weren’t you now?” asked Grandma Combs.
“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” Dad replied.
He went right for more of the cookies…
“Martin Snicketts!” Mom scolded.
Then the loot was trucked out.
Cards and generous cash from the grandmas and an insta-kilt from Grandma Snicketts, e.g. bath towel.
“Good. It’s long,” Linnea said with relief.
Joe began putting on a show, in Joe-fashion.
From the family: a professional waffle iron, Vermont maple syrup, Belgian waffle mix, maple pancakes Yankee candle, toast band-aids and pickle band-aids (both of which came with a ridiculous tiny prize, including a bubbly pickle sticker and a tiny stick-figure business woman…), pickle lip balm…
“All the reviews were horrible on it,” said Carrie, laughing. “So I had to get it.”
North Face hoodie, Stop that Pickle! book, the ancient beloved computer game: Pod, LED flip-flops from OLeif, Collette, and Puck, a new coffee blend only just released the day before (aged five years) and Starbuck’s card from Rose… then a pair of pink with black polka-dots pajama pants. Just like Mom’s. Personality twins.
Then came the dishes of homemade pumpkin pie, vanilla and coffee ice creams, and homemade praline cookies stuffed with birthday candles.
Philmont photos, Grandma recommending Collette trim down the pink ear plugs for Puck (as she had had to do herself at church)…
“I had to shove them in with a pencil at the service. Your uncle was so embarrassed by me. That organ player! Erg!”
…a viewing of Rose’s cute little car (which they had discovered was now an absolute one-of-a-kind west of the Atlantic), and…
“Linnea! You’re wearing my jeans again!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
And home under orange sunset.