Hurling Whales, Honey Bees, and Engagements
Monday, May 22, 2006
And so it happened that Wednesday, May 17th, Peter proposed to his girl, Julia. At 19 and 20, respectively (from what Collette could remember), they hoped to be married a year later. Collette predicted that there would now be at least three weddings to attend the following year.
Meanwhile, Carrie was taking finals, studying, preparing for work, New York, and coordinating get-togethers for the next three days. And Collette was shuffling around school and exam schedules for Joe and Rose. Somehow the basement continued to smell like brine when she went down to Dad’s office to send a fax. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was the result of the living quarters of two sweaty boys. And she could feel herself turning into a wicked professor when she said regarding Joe and Rose, almost evilly that morning:
“They’re to study ACT and Western Civ. until their eyes fall out,” and a terrible smile began to make its escape.
Roamin’ Through Romans had been a success for the kids. Both grandmas came. Frances had a brief solo in one song and he, Chester, and Linnea all had speaking parts. Starr sang in the younger chorus. Afterwards, OLeif drove Collette and Molly around the parking lot with Joe hanging halfway out Collette’s door. Joe, who had no shame, made obnoxious noises and crooned ridiculous things towards the great green slug, which they were rapidly approaching. And Molly threw grapes at him.
In other news, Rose was very proud of her latest masterpiece in oils (from the same box of Grandma Snicketts’ oil paints which Collette used on her tsunami) – a whale centered on the canvas surrounded by splashes of color emanating from itself. Sadly, Rose decided to pick the unfortunate color of fleshly-pink to paint the wave protruding near the whale’s mouth. And as it was also textured differently from the other colors, Collette couldn’t help but think that the whale was throwing it all up.
Also, Frances and Linnea had taken to wearing Grandma Combs’ old cast-boot of sorts from when she had surgery. Collette saw them walking around in the street several times in it, taking turns, and eventually ended up arguing over who was to wear it next.
Mom washed the rv with Linnea, prepared food, packed, and did other various things all day in preparation for the camping trip to Cuivre River. By the end of the day, Collette felt like she was going to fall over with all the academic planning etc. Garry Seith gave the NOAA’s predictions of four to six major hurricanes for the year from June 1st till late November (as opposed to the average of two). Carrie was going to be two credits shy of graduating at the end of June and would have to wait till September or October to complete her classes, which put her in a terrific mood for the later part of the morning. And it seemed as though something else important had happened that day, such as someone else getting married or someone jumping off a building with a parachute or something, but she couldn’t quite remember.
Meanwhile, Rose caught honey bees to photograph, most of which she caught with her hands from the holly tree in the front, and put in an old candy jar.
“Come here, you fat lards,” she called to them.
Somehow the sweet ring of her voice coaxed them right into the jar.