Parading
Back out in the morning... despite the intensity of wind and storm in the night, a steely mist sits over the county... Oxbear and Patience have a parade to walk in and/or dance through...
Drop them off at 8th and Cerre to join the crowd in mostly emerald green walking towards the staging area...
Yali and I are at the Big House before noon... a heavy tree limb crushed Mom's shed at the back of the yard Friday night... Elmer-and-family and Irish-and-family are already present, helping Mom with various basement projects... also spend some time over sandwiches and cookies... conversation about things like bleach hair dye and the F0 tornado that skipped past Irish's house Friday night... and young cousin T is running around in a sapphire blue cape examining Yali's Harry Potter minifigs with him...
Back home to sort tax paperwork... Puck walks out to chat with me about things like MO-Dot and socialist structures while he prepares to leave for work...
After Yali and I return Puck to Produce, it's time to pick up Oxbear and Patience... after Oxbear walks about 30 blocks and Patience spends half of it dancing on the trailer float with blue glitter on her face... then lunch at Salt & Smoke with other dance families before Patience's tenth show of the season at Hilton at the Ballpark... somehow the fullness of the day hasn't tired her out...
The rest of the afternoon includes stopping for butane and cash for Puck and a stop at the park until a steely rain begins to fall softly... and home for smorgasbord...
It's already getting dark... kids warm in pajamas on a rainy night...
Pick up Puck from work who takes my car out to O'Fallon for J's 18th birthday party...
Goodnight hugs for kids with the usual thoughts and unanswerable questions... “Mom, I brought up my shirt with all the colors and put it on your bed so you can take the wrinkles out for church tomorrow” // “Mom, how old will Miss E [dance teacher] be when I get married?”