November 1

The sun was still out that morning. Through all of church and then back at home where Collette let Puck watch Ratatouille. And there were boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts.

And in the afternoon, OLeif had returned from the youth retreat, just in time for the Caribbean presentation to the family. This included video, and t-shirts for the boys, and a box of rum-flavored fudge for the family.

When dinner time arrived, Puck came in from ‘fixin’ the tree’ outside with Linnea, using an old bike kick-stand.
Dad and Francis returned with six boxes of Little Caesar’s, and the dinnertime entertainment commenced.
During dinner, Puck was keen on hearing his grandpa sing various songs from the old days, including ‘Peanut Sittin’ on the Railroad Track’, ‘I’m Overlooking a Four Leaf Clover’, and ‘Just a Little Bit of Bloomin’ Luck’. Every time Dad finished a selection, Puck would say: “Sing it again!” with a big grin.
And so Dad would, with Mom tapping out the rhythm and Rose and Linnea pounding out the beat with their elbows on the table. Puck was blinking his eyes in-time. And then Carrie gave him some giant cool-dude shades to wear.

Shortly later, Lucia dropped in to visit with Carrie. Dad studied. And OLeif and Joe worked on some computer projects in Joe’s newly rearranged room while everyone else caught part of an antiquated documentary on PBS about wild-life filmographers.

And in significant news of the day, Mollie had left for Benin, Togo, and the Canary Islands. She would not return until June.