Ladybugs & Flower Pants
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday, Dad left for Denver after teaching Sunday School. During Senior High Sunday School, OLeif introduced Buddhism which commenced with the usual nonsense afterward:
“So who takes pictures here?” OLeif asked. “I need photos to put on the church website. Rose?”
“What do you need pictures of?”
“People.”
“I don’t take those kinds of pictures.”
“Bugs! Take pictures of bugs,” said Augustus. “Or a toad. A big fat toad. A ladybug. A big fat toad eating a ladybug. Then the toad spits out the ladybug because ladybugs smell bad. It could be a story.”
“Is that gum?” OLeif asked Goofy.
“Yup,” Goofy continued to roll a wad of chewed gum between his fingers.
“That’s gross.”
“I think Puck is going to be a good singer,” said Augustus. “He has a melodic sound to his voice. And people with melodic sounds have good singing voices.”
“That’s why your’s stinks,” said Rose.
“I think Puck will sing good.”
“Wow, I like how you just glazed right over that burn,” OLeif congratulated Augustus.
“I know. I just kept right on talking.”
Outside, OLeif almost stepped on Goofy’s gum wad lying on the sidewalk.
“Eeeeeew!”
(OLeif hated chewing gum.)
Meanwhile, Mom was still on her way back from Ohio with Grandma and Aunt Petunia (whose sister was, indeed, returning that week from Australia for a small wedding ceremony). The Combs’ family newest addition would be a Greek Australian.
Carrie was at work. Joe had dropped off Dad at the airport and was out with Wally. So after an emergency clean-up-the-house-because-Mom-was-coming-home session, everyone else went to pick up Mom from Grandma’s, who had just returned. After the reunion, they decided to go out for dinner.
“No!” Said Rose. “I can’t go in anywhere. Look at me!”
“I told you to get dressed before we left,” Collette told her.
Rose was in her usual blue and flower-spotted pajama pants, an over-sized red Old Navy t-shirt, and socks. No shoes. So while everyone else went into Steak ‘n Shake, Rose waited in the minivan.
“I love it when Rose is all ignorant,” said Frances, giggling. “Then she gets repaid.”
They were soon sitting around the table while Grandma and Mom talked about their trip, including eating lunch at a haunted house.
“Pardon me,” Grandma called the waitress. “Could we get a to-go cup and spoon for this bowl of chili?”
She pointed to Collette’s side-dish which she didn’t anticipate eating.
“We have another granddaughter out in the car…”
“She wasn’t dressed appropriately to come in,” Mom continued.
“So we left her out there,” Grandma went on.
“That’s all she needs to know, Mom. You’re scaring her.” Mom laughed as Grandma continued to explain to the waitress who was probably wondering what “inappropriately dressed” meant, exactly.
Wonderful wind that night.