Spring in December

We cracked 53 degrees by one o’clock that afternoon. Windows open, of course, breezes fluttering green polyvinyl chloride branches of the Christmas tree.

Before lunch, I had driven out to pick up one of those fresh-made sandwiches from “the bad place”. Waited double-time in line for the elderly gentleman in front of me counting out coupons and pennies to the gray-mustached checker for the grocery sack of tissue boxes in his shopping cart. I’ll admit that’s pretty sad too…

Bær was feeling normal again and drove out to the Silverspoon’s in the middle afternoon where Carrie-Bri was visiting Kitts and Elvis. I kept Puck and myself at home; just in case. Too many calculations of hours from contamination to infection. I’m a numbers girl.

Another hour and a half at the park playing Aliens and hill-rolling, and an hour more running the street with neighbor kids and missile-less Nerf gun. Puck has the life; I’m pretty certain of that. And while I read through my red-backed 1834 dollar-copy of The Last Days of Pompeii on a cold picnic table, always those fascinating bits of playground conversation that never fail to entertain in occasional bursts…

“Mom, I’m going to work out. That kid has bigger muscles than me.”

“BUT YOU KNOW, GOD IS BRAVER THAN ANYONE IN THE WORLD!”

“We can’t both go down the slide at once or I might knock out your back, because I weigh more than five pounds … I CAN LIFT MY MOM!”

So more fresh air and sunshine plunging into a rose-and-violet lava sunset, dinner hoagies, a little more “I Love Lucy” … I guess that’s the way to wrap up a Christmas week in the suburbs.

Puck’s Blog: Day #18

(In answer to a few questions about his future plans.)

I want to be a scientist because a scientist discovers things and builds, invents things. So an inventor is a scientist. I will live underground because it’s cool. I will eat bacon, chicken, meat, milk, apples … Mom, can we please not talk about my life. Can we please not talk about what’s going to happen in the past? Please. Don’t write down everything I’m saying!