March 6th, 2025
Yali is feeling weird and weak and maybe feverish that morning, but not badly enough to stop talking about “fart nukes” during a viewing of an animated synopsis of the Book of Revelation... “Yali, do we need to go back to the doctor?” (my little test to see how bad it is) // “NO! I don't wanna get shots in my butt!” Okay...
As Patience sings pop music too loudly during math worksheets, mushing all the lyrics together into something even more unintelligible than the original... Yali threatens egg on her face...
And I scoot him back to his bunk to wait out apparently his third virus of the year... weird season...
Oxbear returns from the airport in a cold mid-morning – though the snow dusting is fully gone – inspiring confusion-emotions from Patience who hadn't expected him back that early... transitions can be difficult...
To wrap the morning there is Chick-fil-A and brownies and two gallons of very-not-18-dollar milk (almost wholly for Puck, the milk)...
Sit in the hallway working on my laptop outside Yali's room to keep him company... Puck is sing-songing at his cat in his own room down the hall...
After awhile Puck emerges to tinker with cardboard and fire which always ends with smoke and ash indoors and Puck laughing at a flame that got more out of control than he expected...
While Oxbear and Yali nap back in the bunks for awhile... I prepare Patience for her TV spot downtown... then 50 minutes before filming : canceled... Patience's jaw drops with indignation... apparently that's the “nature of television”... she still has an evening performance though, so she keeps the costume on...
Meanwhile Puck and I spend some time watching and discussing content related to the structure of the universe, conspiracy theories, and the prolific and unfortunate use of “word salad” by some would-be philosophers... before I drive him to his four-hour shift at work...
While Oxbear and Yali spend an evening hanging out with homemade cheeseburgers and episodes of “Gumball” – though Yali isn't feeling very hungry...
...Patience and I drive south through packs of traffic to a firefighter/police benefit for the second Irish dance performance of the season... it's loud and crowded and near-shouting volume to be heard by anyone... “Patience! We need Patience!” M's mom calls for her, hurrying over with dance shoes that need lacing... “Patience is the expert lacer!”... Patience “works her magic” while M's once-archaelogist-mom shares about their upcoming trip to Ireland since M qualified for Worlds in Dublin in April...
Forty-five minutes later, out to perform... and though most attendees in the hall are vastly more interested in the buffet and conversation than in Irish dancing, the performance is solid and all the girls have as much fun as they always do...
Home to shovel both kids into bed – Yali is still warm though says he's feeling pretty good – before picking up Puck from work... and Oxbear stretches out sore legs from the travel home...