Face Paint & Okra

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Back on the ranch, Collette and Rose continued their study in Dad’s office. The distractions were plentiful: Joe in the other room riding madly on the old exercise bike with one leg raised perpendicular to the rest of his body, Rose trying to sneak in more reads from her library-worn copy of “Julius Caesar”, Joe displaying his new book of numerous photographs of elaborate outhouses around the world (one being situated half-open-air on the top of a great mountain peak), etc.

Carrie was also giving Rose a make-over. Not a typical make-over. An Oriental-operatic-Geisha-circus make-over, including a stretchy red scarf wrapped completely around her head into a turban. On break, Carrie took her outside for a quick photo shoot.

Upstairs, Francis was bothering ants on the patio. Carrie was preparing more of her special red tea. And Puck was swinging with Mom on the porch (on the newly improved, newly installed porch swing).

As the afternoon became warmer, Francis switched on one of his old Boy Scout favorites: “Follow Me”. Puck watched wide-eyed in great concentration in his bouncy seat, until his Aunt Carrie came to sit by him.

“Hi, squish!”

She waved her mass of blond hair in his face.

Puck thought about this a moment. He didn’t completely appreciate the fact that his movie was being interrupted. So carefully he raised his chubby arm slowly above his head, as high as it would reach. He took calculative aim.

WHACK!

Down came his fist on Carrie’s head.

“Ha ha!” Carrie almost snorted, laughing, “Right in me old gullivah!”

Puck seemed satisfied with his performance after a scolding from Collette and continued watching his film.

That evening, on his bike home from work, OLeif stopped to say hi to one of the neighbors who generously offered him a bag of red tomatoes and okra. Apparently his okra crop was thriving, and he would have several more rounds to pick before the season ended.

“Hey, Puck,” OLeif picked up the squirming bundle after walking in the door. “You’re just a silly little punkin head wif a toof.”

For the rest of the evening, over tilapia and vegetables (good vegetables, the kind Collette would actually eat), they watched the first four episodes of the third season of “Lost”.