Busy Times

Wednesday, March 2, 2005

The previous afternoon had been alright, bitter cold, but a fire was started. Poor Francis was going through the stage of worry. And so Mom comforted him in the kitchen while Francis and Linnea helped unwrap caramels for the brownies, as Collette and Carrie added advice.

Meanwhile, Gretyl had come over for a spell to play with her bright big blue eyes and two curly fluffs of pigtails. They played tag a spell until she lost her glasses, and everyone but Mom, who was watching the roast, scanned the backyard. Soon they were found by Dad and all went back in by the crackling fire in the stove and a good hearty dinner.

Then they settled down for a good session of programming as Carrie arranged three glasses before her folder – one of tea water, another of fruit juice, and a third of maté in the gourd. And Rose doodled on her pages as usual, sticking the pen in her mouth and sketching what appeared to be shriveled mushroom heads with happy faces.

That morning Collette sat out to tackle the best she could, what was set before her. Carrie had just IM’d to have her bring her box of blue royal dye to use for who knew what.

And the radio crackled an announcement concerning the Stout and Oyster Festival with Irish dancing at the Schlafly Tavern and oyster shucking, fritters, and fries. There was also an announcement of the Supreme Court taking up session to decide whether or not displaying the “Ten Commandments” on government courthouses was part of America’s legal heritage, or an unconstitutional display of religion. But Collette had other things on her mind, aside from these, and went to work as soon as she was able.

Collette sat at her desk and slumped across the bed until she thought her mind might burst from Chinese characters and programming lingo. Then she did a little more. Somehow, it wasn’t tiresome, and she rather enjoyed the procedure. She even took a little ice cream break and cleaned up the kitchen early in the afternoon.

It all seemed to be working out very well, and she was happy for it. The only trouble she ever ran across was finding the stark lack of time to think and talk things through. God already knew her thoughts, even the ones she hadn’t the pleasure of knowing herself, however, she liked to know what was going on in her mind, even when completely preoccupied with strokes and abbreviations. There was a minor frustration in not having that aspect worked out. However, she found that she was able to cope with it by taking small breaks here and again or in the evenings when things were finished and there was a spell more of quiet than normal.