No “Earth-Shakers” This Year
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Puck’s eleven week-old baby-ness would likely not be capable of handling any “earth-shakers” that year. The mammoth fireworks would be put on hold till at least the following July. His ears would not yet be able to stand the pops or the booms.
Meanwhile, over in Budapest, Annamaria had sent a first report back home that week:
“The English camp went smoothly after the first lesson (which is never easy). I have gotten to know a lot of the kids and am very excited to get to know them better. Many of them are hard to communicate with so we use a lot of signs. I have asked a lot of children their names and how much English they speak and [it has] been very successful.”
Collette remembered the two little girls who had taken a shine to Diana and Collette when it had been their turn in Budapest. Both had been small, dark-haired, and rather quiet. They had been rather excited to meet two American clowns. One afternoon, Collette gave her shiny clown hat to one of the little girls. Then Diana gave hers to the other girl. Both girls’ grew big smiles that stayed for the rest of the evening. They didn’t remove the hats before they left the building. Six years later, they were probably teenagers already.
For the first time, Collette stepped onto the back lawn that morning. She had never been further than the patio after living in their house for five months. Somehow, a silver spoon (not theirs) was lying in the grass; a discarded launched bottle rocket lay nearby. Ivy had grown over the power lines running up the telephone pole in the corner by the fence. Someone from earlier days had graffitied an angry face on the back of the shed with black paint. Blue fish tank rocks lay scattered broadly among the weeds that continued to grow after each mowing. But the tree grew nicely. Puck would have a swing under it one day.
But there were more interesting things to see to that day. Uncle Balthasar and Aunt Tuuli were hosting a Fourth of July/Birthday Party for Bristol (before he was shipped off into basic training for the Air Force)/Going Away Party for Uncle Clarence (who began work in South Carolina on July 17th) in New Town. Although Uncle Clarence, Aunt Galena, Samwise, and Schroeder were not able to attend the gathering because Uncle Clarence was finishing projects on the house before selling it the following year.
But first it was to the Silverspoon’s where Denae served up seasoned pork chops and homemade mashed potatoes while the boys and Theodore saw to various projects around the house. Somewhere in the early part of the afternoon the rain poured in big drops. Denae opened the door to the back deck and watched it fall.
Then it was over to New Town where Uncle Hilario and Aunt Corliss had already walked down the street to join the crowd. (Brit, Lilli, and Liselotte were celebrating the 4th with Lilli’s side of the family. Jashub was in Nashville with friends from Australia. Fernando and Polly were in New York City, of course. Esther lived in Atlanta. And Blessing was in Columbia, Missouri.) Dad, Mom, Joe, Francis, and Linnea had also just arrived. (Rose was off to Six Flags with the Tecumseh’s.) Bristol was inside with his red-haired wife. Travis was outside in the driveway, which backed up to the open fields, blowing off fireworks. The carcass of one landed with a thud on the tin roof as they entered the house. (He also saved several boxes of snapdragons just for Francis and Linnea.) And Joe was zooming around New Town on his bike, past shops and parks and canals.
“I can’t live anywhere else but here when I get a house,” he said. “It’s just so amazing.”
Inside, Grandma Snicketts had also arrived. Aunt Tuuli was out picking up barbecue. And other family members were present from her side of the family. Aunt Corliss was able to hold Puck for the first time. And Uncle Hilario teased him about his middle name, Calvin.
“So are they teaching you your theology? What does “T” stand for?”
Lightening cracked in the storm which had been harboring itself, growing stronger by the hour, in the distance beyond the river. After a drive/walk to the new pool at the edge of New Town, they returned for cold sodas. And Linnea jumped for the chocolate iced cupcakes as soon as they were made available.
Back inside, OLeif was making yet another display of his somewhat-newly-bald head. When Grandma asked why he had shaved his head, Dad explained to them:
“Well, OLeif asked me how he could annoy Grandma Snicketts. So I told him that he could either shave his head or grow a beard. And he did both.”
Grandma got a kick out of that one.
All in all, it was a rather unusual Independence Day. But of course, most of the last number of holidays had somewhat seemed to be that way. It was a good day.