Chapter One Hundred Nine
Crackers was causing trouble. Knocked over a blue water glass on the counter by the sink. Cracked it. Puck followed up with discipline by putting her in the basement to ponder her crimes for the rest of the day. He added two water dishes…
“She’s going to stay down there, to think over her sins that she done,” he explained to me.
He let her up two minutes later. The old softie.
Puck’s 9:30 6 year-old check-up was completely painless. The Bear accompanied, taking a half-day due to the condition of our morning schedule, and the cold weather.
“Am I going to get shots?” Puck asked Dr. Box as soon as he walked into the room.
“That’s what they all ask me first,” Dr. Box grinned.
But there were no shots.
“What do you like to do in your spare time?” Dr. Box asked, beginning the consultation. “Do you like to play outside…?”
“Well…” Puck grinned.
I knew he was going to say something that made me look bad.
“I like to play video games!”
Thanks, Puck. Thanks a lot.
“Let’s look in your ears to see if there’s a bird in there,” he said. “Maybe a St. Louis Cardinal?”
The check-up concluded with the speculated projection that Puck would end up at about six-foot, one. I was happy with that result.
“Trying to beat out your dad, huh?” Dr. Box asked Puck.
Post office. The Bear paused before getting back into the car…
“Is that snow?”
A few tiny ice pellets perched on his fleece zip-up. I got my wish – snow in April. Even if hardly anything. 39 degrees.
Mom and I had heard about a Native American cultural arts fair over at Cahokia. Of course we all wanted to go. So the big green chugged over to pick us up from Rose’s, after we had deposited The Bear at work, for a drive over the river. Puck joined me to examine a few elk skin necklaces in the other room. Elk skin strap laced with bone and glass beads. He handed three dollars to the lady who had made them. From the Oneida nation, a true “Indian princess”. Linnea purchased a bracelet – bone and glass beads – made by the same woman who had won awards for her beading all over the country, including a bag crafted from deer skin and more than one million tiny glass beads. Most impressive.
Francis took Puck through the museum. I got busy helping Carrie find turquoise earrings for Rose. Then Francis called me…
“Where are you? Puck and I have been through the museum, twice.”
The museum of recreated scenes of life near the Mississippi about one thousand years ago. This naturally included examples of native dress, to which Puck addressed loud questions…
“WHY ARE THEY NAKED?”
