September 21
The last day of summer…
More mushrooms in the grassy median while out to the library. Like fat round gold dollars. When Collette told Puck that perhaps he shouldn’t walk in the grass because it would cut up his toes because he was wearing flip-flops, Puck replied, “It tickles my toes! I laugh!”
He was also interested in the rocks on the road.
“These are my favorite rocks I’ve ever seen on this road!” he exclaimed, picking up three angled black chunks.
And the day was heating up quickly.
About the only thing Collette learned at the library that morning, after reading a ten-stack of the Berenstain Bears to Puck, was that the series had been initialized in 1974. Brother Bear was now, at least, thirty years old, given that no bear could speak with such eloquence until he was at least three, likely four years old, placing his initial birth date in 1970.
After the library, Collette had promised for weeks — a walk to ‘the little hamburger place’ further down the street. So there they walked, in the bristling warmth of the late morning, where Puck waited expectantly for his cheeseburger kids’ meal, with accompanying owl figurine. Owls were everywhere…
“People are into owls these days because they think they’re so wise and smart,” Rose had said. “They don’t even know they’re the stupidest bird alive.”
The afternoon: cold pineapple juice for Puck, and more Greek music. Collette wrote a letter to her old pen pal in Ukraine, from whom she had not heard in years, while Puck played with the wooden mace, also from Ukraine, which was set as a new centerpiece on the kitchen table amongst the grapefruits and nectarines.
Puck also involved himself in imaginary dialog with Donkey…
“Please, God! Please, God! Please! All the way to work! All the way to work!”
Into the early evening: temperatures just below ninety. Another bubble bath for the Puckster, all thirty-eight point five pounds of baby.
Dinner involved Puck making explosion sounds with his jumbo carrot, and doing the first five catechism questions before Collette introduced the sixth:
“‘Are there more gods than one?’”
“‘There is only one true God,’” Puck repeated after her. “But no lots of dem.”
Then back to the playtime conversations in ‘mouse-worthy’ voices…
“I want an ice cream and all of the things! Oh… Thanks, officer…”
After eight, Collette prepared dinner for OLeif, and, in her usual Snicketts-fashion… forgot about the rice on the stove. So about forty minutes after its completion time, she raced back to the stove. Sticky. Sushi-consistency. Could have been worse…
And Grandma was due to return home the following day.