December 18

Saturday, December 18, 2010


Puck was up before seven to rouse his groggy mama with the usual…

“I’m starving, Mama.”

Then he saw her new pair of leggings.

“Is that new, Mama?” he asked, looking at the still-attached tags.

“Yes. I lost my other pair of leggings.”

Puck seemed mildly surprised and said, “Your leg disappeared?”


Not long later, they were off into the cold, sunshine world.

  1. The Library: Mr. Rogers’ quotes on CD, and three books for Puck: a monastic baker with fellow angel, Gus, a train written by a Japanese Frenchman, and the Cajun version of Jack and the Beanstalk.

  2. Starbuck’s: hot cocoa for Puck and a slice of cream cheese frosting-candied orange topped Christmas gingerbread bread.

  3. Church: two-hour rehearsal for the choir’s Christmas cantata, during which Puck was allowed by one of the kind gentlemen in the choir to test out the microphone. “Hi, Mama!” he said over it. And they sang Collette’s favorite Christmas hymn, when done well, O Holy Night.

  4. The Silverspoon’s, where Gloria had put up early spinning Happy Birthday paper cut-outs hanging from the kitchen light fixture over the table.


As the day had progressed…

Puck had unsuccessfully tried to give himself a spanking for ‘being disobedient’ during the rehearsal one time. The attempt was, indeed, not so effective.

“Well, he did pretty good for two hours anyway,” Babe Ruth told Collette at the end.

And Puck put his coat on backwards, carefully over the house landscapes, sunsets, and mountain roads that Collette had painted on his hands during the second hour. He looked happily at the hood of his coat tucked under his chin.

“I have a carrier pouch, Daddy!” he exclaimed.


Over at the Silverspoon’s…

Gloria had left out bacon for Puck. And OLeif got busy preparing homemade cornbread to go with the chili that Gloria had made, after asking for Collette’s lunch request. A combination that neither Theodore or Gloria had ever eaten, having always had crackers in lieu of the cornbread.


Into the afternoon…

Theodore napping.

Gloria planning the color of the paint for the wall once her chocolate leather couches arrived on Wednesday.

OLeif playing opera recorded in 1900.

Christmas films for Puck. He giggled and gave out some big grins over those old 1960’s interpretations of Christmas.


In the evening…

Midnight chocolate cake with candles.

And a veritable jug of POM pomegranate juice. Beautiful.

Izzy returned from the wedding of Og Valentine’s younger brother and a photo shoot for Charlie and his siblings, to toss Puck up and down in the air to Puck’s hysteric giggles. And then he was off to another swing dance, followed by putting up the Christmas tree with Gloria, eating cookies, and watching Miracle on 34th Street. His social calendar was quite full.

“Aw, you’re so popular,” Gloria teased him.

Puck was all wound up after the roller coaster tossing, and quickly instigating his father into the activity.

“Let’s have a pillow fight!” he declared.


The rest of the evening was quiet back at home, and for Jeeves & Wooster. And OLeif was very intent on making himself a heating rice pack out of the old heavy brown cloth photography backdrop from former photo shoots while ‘Stumbling Upon’ curly mustache dog chew-toys and heat-sensitive floral blooming wallpaper.


And only one week out from Christmas.

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Jamie Larson
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