Mollie's 17th

Mollie’s 17th birthday – and it began with thunderstorms – an unconventional way to start a morning, but a good morning, nonetheless.
Collette and Puck were home for the today to watch the yellow and red tulips take a bath by the front porch.
Later in the morning, Puck enjoyed barreling through Collette’s clothes rack and giggling behind his wow.
He had just cut his sixth tooth, and was having fun with the added power it entailed.
Collette took another evening walk. Red buds were blooming in most parts of the neighborhood. As she approached the end of Hill Place, backing up toward a large field (where hot air balloons were often launched), one of them soared into the air – a giant. One-half was day: blue sky, sun and beams, and kite. The other side was night: stars and crescent moon. It quickly ascended and drifted over to the southwest.
Collette could hear on the warm air of the evening, shouts and clapping, likely from the park where a ball game was being played.
She had begun to name the houses in the neighborhood, for those who had character. At the end of Hill Place there was the House of the Fairy Tale Witch. Next to that sat the Secret Garden House, and on the opposite side of the street was the English Manor. Next to that was the New Mexican House. And further down was the Caribbean House (bright lemon yellow), and beyond that on the same side of the street was the Downtown St. Louis House, because it had a sidewalk in front – the only house with a sidewalk in the whole neighborhood.
OLeif had come home from work with a story about Wallace’s son, Leemur:
“So Leemur was talking with another kid in his class, and told him that he was a Christian. So the other kid says, ‘My dad says that Christians don’t believe in gravity.’ And Leemur was really surprised and said, ”I believe in gravity.’”