Rain, so much rain
Oxbear is up early preparing to leave for a school board function... “So I shouldn't wear jeans?” he consults with me... // Uh... for a Town & Country private school 12.5 million dollar campaign fundraiser? “You've gotta blend in a little bit...” // Oxbear mock-sighs... “Okay...” and grabs a shirt off the rack printed in whimsical tropical drinks...
While I'm getting up with a light to moderate neck sprain... Oxbear opens the door to both young kids standing single file wearing enormous frozen smiles like a couple of creepy dolls... “MOM!” Yali declares running in and jumping onto the bed next to me... “I wanted Dutch ice cream and Patience SMASHED my finger in the fridge door and she was like URNNNGGGHHH!” he demonstrates, forcefully wedging his finger between layers of blankets... but he's obviously moved past the pain because he's already spinning two 3D-printed superhero guns, one in each hand, as he asks me to pull up a Minecraft music video on my phone... and Patience is asking for help mixing pancake batter in the kitchen... and Puck is also at our bedroom door asking for Oxbear to take them all to the Minecraft movie that weekend in a very almost-18-year-old way... “Hey Dad... are you taking the kids to see the Minecraft movie?” // “Would like to... wanna come?” // “Sure”
Shortly later I join Patience in the kitchen where she's already mixed egg, poured milk, melted butter, and measured mix, stirring them together in a large metal bowl... Puck stands at the island watching her technique... “Don't judge me” Patience orders him with great confidence // “I'm assessing you” Puck corrects her... he doesn't try the pancakes...
As I next sit down to stacks of budgets, bills, and scheduling medical appointments (between doctors, dentists, orthodontists, and therapists, the kids are now down to about 40-50 appointments each per year)... a light thunderstorm bruises through the land... some crackle and drizzle to start the day...
Late morning Puck assigns himself "cleaning general" of the house so that I can drive over to Chick-fil-A and grab him a meal with pineapple dragonfruit frosted lemonade... even with protesting from both younger siblings, he effectively manages the project while I'm gone...
Oxbear leaves for a lunch appointment with J.D. shortly after noon to discuss a collaborative podcast...
While I'm washing dishes and sweeping up... catch Yali chucking a hot gluestick across the room which smacks Patience in the back of the head... “Yali!” // “What? It's flimsy... see?” he brings over another gluestick to demonstrate how it couldn't possibly effectively injure anyone... somehow they pass through the rest of the afternoon without any major fighting though... Yali is instead more interested in practicing flying kicks into the back of the front door then landing on strategically-placed cushions balanced on the corner of the couch...
Mid-afternoon Puck leaves for J's house in O'Fallon...
...while Patience and I drive out through a relentless rain to the studio for her private lesson... all those stupid potholes returned from too much water action... flood warnings multiplying in the Midwest already...
Back home Yali suits up in his rain coat... can be seen running back and forth in the yard flailing his arms in the air enjoying the rainstorm...
...while Sally and I sit inside and discuss things like PTSD in the military and Maran chicken eggs in chocolate brown...
As the kids finish another Minecraft marathon with Oxbear that evening and are getting into bed... discover cold rainwater puddling in the basement again... too much rain for the soggy property to hold in all its layers...
Lightning continues to flash into the night while we watch – and laugh liberally at – a single compilation film of Star Wars Episodes I – III...
Thunder still rumbling after ten o'clock... flood warnings everywhere...