One by One

Sunday, May 20, 2012

With Berkman out, the day looked bleak.

On the dip around the round-about, OLeif noted the purple flowers growing in packs by the highway with Queen Anne’s Lace clusters…
“What are those flowers?” he asked.
“Chicory,” Collette replied, recalling a third grade lesson on Missouri flora and fauna professored by Mom.
“As in ‘chip chippery’?” OLeif asked.
“Makes me think of Mrs. Poppins,” Puck added from the back.
“Makes me think of Mrs. Poppins,” OLeif agreed.

Apparently it had been a late night at spring formal. Linnea conked sometime after two. Francis – who knew. But he almost fell asleep during Sunday School with Mr. Pepper teaching…
“You with me, Francis?” he asked, snapping his fingers.
Francis didn’t fall asleep again.
Before departing, OLeif turned over his recurve bow from early days to a kid in Sunday School who was into archery.
They departed with Puck calling out to everyone he met…
“Have a nice week!”

$2.99 Aldi pizzas were coming out of the oven. Leave it to Aldi to make a good pizza for three dollars. Cheese or vegetable.
Carrie was a little wiped out after being on her feet the whole day with bunnies and hair styles.
Two young chaps had asked Linnea to dance. Francis had pulled some signature Joe-moves on the dance floor, which shocked everyone in the family. Apparently Izzy had broken it down solo-style… something about being white and nerdy. He had also reportedly accompanied German, Charlie, and maybe some others in wearing suit coats paired stylishly with swim shorts.
Rose couldn’t join the clan that afternoon; work summoned. Turns out it had been a good idea, because…

So…
Polly and Fernando – New Town.
That had been the plan, until…
Linnea had an appointment with the rubbish bin.
“Uh… I thought she was over that…” Collette asked. “Does she have a fever?”
A thermometer was dug out of the recesses of Rubbermaid land. No one ever had to use it…
101.4.
There would be no festivities that afternoon, most unfortunately for Mom, who loved baby showers (though the boys were especially wary).

So…
Hoping that no one else had been contaminated anyway, the trio returned home.
“Could we play in the sprinkler, Dad?” Puck barked from the back seat.
Mr. Duck was installed in the front yard as Puck lunged back and forth across the spray of H2O in full glee, unshirted for one of the few voluntary times in his life. He began dancing to the rhythm of the water as OLeif looked on with a pipe and book from the porch.

A pistol shot of thunder cracked into the night.