Bounty of the Day

Sunday, July 31, 2011
In which friends return, family is visited, and the clownishly exorbitant heat disbands the amazing effects of the cool rain of the afternoon as though it had never happened at all…

The Ryes were back: Puck immediately found Hesed to catch up on life, Evangeline was now more than four months along, and Judah (who had taken a recent trip to the ER before flying home for a severe bug), was looking a little thin, but everyone had returned, survived and alive.
Noah.
Further insights and thoughts into the notations of God ‘changing His mind’…
When Collette changed her mind, it was because her preference changed, an internal desire. Originally she wanted to eat a slice of chocolate cake. But then she ‘changed her mind’ and wanted a salad because her internal preference changed. God, on the other hand, did not change His internal preference. He promised to bless if Israel was obedient, and curse if they were disobedient. So in ‘changing His mind’ from a blessing to a curse (or vice versa), he wasn’t altering His person or His decisions, His ‘mind’ as the human race views it. He was merely following the promise He had originally stipulated. Perfectly unchanging, perfect in following His promises.
And someone was trying to conserve the air conditioning. The level of perspiration was highly uncomfortable.

The unbearable heat continued.

Back on the ranch…
Out came the leftovers from the weekend: brats, chicken puffs, half a ham, fiesta bean and corn salad, deviled eggs, strawberries, blueberries, and candied almonds.
Joe nearly took a bite out of a large moldy berry.
“Don’t eat that!” he was scolded.
“Yeah, you’ll get sick.”
“Yeah, like Rose could have last night at the church cook-out. She got a raw burger. Again…”
Joe then brought in his coffee, which threatened to spill on the white lace tablecloth left over from Friday evening.
“Look out, Joe. You’re going to get that all over the cloth…”
He responded with a whiny selection of music from the Suzuki Violin Collection, Vol. 1.
Then they discussed the latest spider activity.
“I killed one brown rec in the sink today,” said Dad, “and then another out by the barbecue.”
“OLeif has one living in his beard,” said Joe.
And then Joe displayed the latest sketch-ups for his ideas for children’s books in his pocket Moleskines.

Early afternoon.
Big green monster; bare A/C.
“I forgot how much this van is horrible!” Joe announced.
Oldies.
Mobil-on-the-Run for 25-cent drinks. Thanks to the good old Cardinals.
“It’s all on me, guys,” Dad announced, as they (half of them) piled out for frozen coffees and slushes). “I’m splurging.”
Lucia calling up Carrie to talk about the shapes of clouds…
Linnea with her gaggle of friends from church for the afternoon before youth group.
On the way out, Dad talked with Puck about bequeathing him his watch. Puck was very excited. OLeif’s mention of the watch ‘having lasers’, was an even more interesting proposition.
Grandma Snicketts.
Everyone found a chair for an hour or more.
Rustle, rustle.
“I can tell where Luther is,” Grandma laughed. “In the candy.”
Then ensued a discussion on braunschweiger, which most of the kids had never before tried. They sampled slices on crackers. Reminisces of the 60’s for Mom — daily lunches.
“It tastes like everything in the world,” said Dad. “Good and bad.”
Puck found the tape recorder with sound system from the 80’s and began experimenting with his voice.
“Sounds like the call to prayer,” said Carrie.
Rose read Little Golden Books to Puck, the two of them squished in a corner.
Dad looked over his old wrestling and football books.
OLeif and Francis fooled around with the Etch-A-Sketch, until Francis just about fell asleep in Grandma’s recliner.
Notes about Aunt Galena’s root canal.
Joe recalled the time he was jumping on Collette’s old bed, trying to hit his head on the ceiling. He hit the air vent on the outcropping instead.
“Blurred vision for days,” he said.
“You didn’t go to the doctor?” Grandma asked.
“Well, Dad always told me to grin and bear it. So I did.”
Before leaving, Puck was given Little Toot by Grandma, an old book from the stack.

Back before 3:30 for Dr. Doolittle — the good one from the 60’s. Or, as Puck put it: Dr. Wholittle.
Cecil Whittaker’s.
Before departure, Puck was gifted an old silver watch by his grandpa, which made his day, followed by another book (written in Hebrew), from Rose, who had been clearing out her shelves of no-longer-needed items.
“This is my Jewish book!” he proclaimed, proudly, marching into the living room.
Lucia arrived as they were leaving… her days at the old US Fidelis had been extended once again to the end of August.

These were old Indian days. Sizzling plains, war chants, cicadas, gray rivers…
Sweet potato fries, like the amazing shoestring version fried in butter and dusted in cinnamon OLeif had made for her the previous evening. Yum, yum, yum. Sweet potatoes were her new favorite vegetable.