November 4

Puck started his day with two happy things: driving by the smashed mailbox in the subdivision (having met an untimely end due to an illy chain-sawed tree), and a tiny box of Dots from Linnea’s Halloween stash.
And on the way to the house, Collette had let him listen to her CD of the old St. Louis Symphony Music School’s Young People’s Concert Orchestra, when she had performed with them back on January 19th, 2001.
“I listen more of Mama’s music?” he asked happily.

Meanwhile, Carrie had received another immaculately printed letter from her friend, the geologist, in South Africa.
And Collette stopped Puck just in time from giving Trooper one of the large cinnamon sticks from Mom’s autumnal decorations.
“He gets stick,” Puck had said seriously.
Then Maya arrived for several hours of hiking with Carrie.
Creole came over for the usual go-carts/work-at-the-neighbor’s-house/Dairy-Queen meet-up with Francis.

And Mom dropped Linnea off at gymnastics on her way to have her hair trimmed.

In the afternoon, when Carrie had returned, she busied herself with Interference of Electromagnetic Waves over a full pot of tea, trying not to be distracted by the next Doctor Who novel that had arrived in the mail.
She followed this with baking banana muffins with Puck.

That evening, Rose came over for pasta night and to hang out for a few hours while OLeif left to practice music at church.