June 20

Back at the house that morning, Mom and Dad had returned from flood-ridden Iowa.
“Had a wonderful time,” said Mom.
All good moms deserved some days off.
And Carrie was between projects of the day.
“What time is it, Rose?” she asked loudly from the kitchen.
“What?”
“What time is it!”
“What!”
“11:46 squishing!!!”
“Aaaaaaah!!!!”
Rose was squished.
Carrie and Rose had been busy arranging the basement after the delivery of the new couch set the previous afternoon. Red wood beaded mats for the “foot rest/game storage/table”, candles, etc.
Best news of the day was that Frances had been tapped out for the OA ceremony. He looked tired and happy.
“You smell like Smoky the Bear,” said Mom, laughing.
Frances had ash on the back of his Scout shirt, which was tucked into his boxers. He had also missed buttoning a button. And he had forgotten his scarf.
“That’s a Boy Scout for you,” said Carrie.
Despite being tired, Frances had the sudden inspiration to make cookies. He brought out the sack of flour and opened it.
“Booo! This is whole wheat!” he cried, rushing the flour sack back to the cabinet.
Meanwhile, Rose was bleary-eyed from waiting 24 hours for the Woot-Off to end in her room.
“It’s still going on she moaned.”
Carrie received a package in the mail – a pair of yellow sunglasses. Frances tried them on.
“Wow,” he said, “Everything seems bright and happy.”
Then Frances’ cookies emerged from the oven. They looked more like large chocolate muffins.
“Did you follow a recipe, Frances?” Mom asked him.
“No,” Frances giggled. “I made it up.”
When Puck woke up from his nap, Carrie brought him out to the mini blow-up pool that Mom and Dad had brought back for him from Iowa. Puck splashed around in it happily, watching Carrie blow bubbles in the water with the tire pump.
“It’s your jacuzzi, Puck.”
Rose was photographing the event. Joe picked up Puck’s collection of rubber ducks.
“Get the action, Rose,” he said, as he rocketed the ducks full-speed into the pool.
Rose snapped a stream of pictures then returned indoors to check on Woot and get ready to host another party, this time at Magnus’ suggestion: a Harry Potter gathering.