Lonnie
Tuesday, May 3, 2005
It was baby Lonnie’s birthday that day. Of course he was no longer a baby anymore; he was now five years old.
Meanwhile, Monday had been spent on a variety of things. There had been a trip to Costco with Mom, Carrie-Bri, and Linnea, to gather supplies for Kitts’ wedding shower that Saturday. Mom and Carrie piled up the cart with cappuccinos and frappuccinos, selected roses in advance, ordered a cake, chose strawberry lemonade and tumblers, fruits and cheeses, a piñata with chocolates and boxes of candies….
And Collette and Linnea toured the other aisles.
“Let’s go see the fish!” Linnea exclaimed enthusiastically.
So they placed the bag of cheese ravioli and Texas toast in the cart for lunch, and headed over to the other side of the warehouse.
They examined the frozen tiger shrimps, scallops, lobster legs, and salmon fillets.
“Ooh, look at this crab,” Collette lifted a rather large packaged red monster from the back of the freezer.
“Oooh!” Linnea lifted herself up over the lip of the freezer and stared at the silent creep. “Is it really dead?”
“Oh, yes. Quite dead.”
Then they checked out the bakery.
“I want to see them make donuts,” Linnea insisted.
But the donut machine was not running, so they walked over to the greenery. Collette pointed out a gladiolus tree with bright yellow blossoms.
“Look at that, Linnea,” she pointed it out. “They braided the trunks together.”
“Oh, wow. That will make a great climbing tree.” Linnea was captivated.
Before they left the store, they looked into the book section. And Collette found a set of six Nancy Drew mysteries; Mom allowed Linnea to get them. Linnea was satisfied with the set, and looked them over in the car on the way back.
Meanwhile, Mom and Carrie were discussing the party and school and such. And they had both decided on a perfect theme song for Shamrock. Carrie slipped a disc into the CD player and Elvis’ “Evil” came on. They all laughed; it suited the bad kitty just perfectly.
Carrie was also describing an Indian wedding she had served at, Saturday night:
“It was just so beautiful and gaudy. The ceremony was like four hours long. And they brought in a huge wooden pagoda and there were dancers and fresh flowers everywhere. The women were wearing those beautiful colored saris with little mirrors and beaded sandals. There was colored cloth hung everywhere, and gold and silver… It was just beautiful. And every time one of them came up for more coffee or something, they would start up a conversation before they would ask for the coffee. It was so cool.”
And then she went on to describe a new co-worker from Bulgaria:
“No seriously, guys. He is just the hottest, the best looking… tall, green eyes. I mean, I just cannot tell you enough. It’s just pleasant to look at him. That’s the word for it – pleasant.”
And then Mom called the numbers on the lots with the orchard by the odd Hansel and Gretel house across the way. The price was decent, and Mom would mention it later to Dad. Mom would have plans to recreate the Rock House on Rocky Ridge Farm if it ever worked out. They would just have to wait and see.
A dove cooed softly outside the window that morning. It reminded Collette of Dotty, the dove, who always perched herself outside the window back at home. She cooed so regularly each morning, that Carrie-Bri was inspired to write a song in her honor:
“Oh, Dotty, the dove,
Oh, she’s the bird we love.
She flies so high and free.
Oh, Dotty, the dove,
Oh, she’s the bird we love.
Dotty, the [Snicketts]’ family dove.”
No one really knew what had happened to Dotty. One morning she just stopped cooing. Perhaps she had flown off to find a different home. But more than likely she passed on to the wild blue yonder. She had been a good loyal dove.