The Circus
Friday, October 22, 2010
It was time once again to pick pumpkins.
Over at the house…
Puck immediately went into wrestle-default when he saw Francis, and started swinging at him with a huge grin plastered all over his face.
Carrie had been doing well, and even made pumpkin-ginger muffins on Thursday.
Linnea was busy labeling the parts of a spider and drawing a map of South America from memory.
And Carrie and Rose composed an impromptu poem…
‘Oh flower,
‘Give me power…
‘I could watch you for an hour…
‘…possibly more.’
Grandma Combs arrived before eleven. And there was Linnea’s favorite: chili mac, and cream horns for dessert, while what was commonly known as ‘The Circus’ carried on… balancing pumpkins on Trooper’s nose, a photo shoot of Pumpkin sitting on the toy piano, Joe as the photographer, Rose as the stylist, and Grandma on food-props to distract the fat black blob from jumping off the piano, and Puck ‘fishing’ from the top of the stairs with a measuring tape.
So it was back out to the Augusta pumpkin patch where they had visited two years before…
Four pumpkins, an acorn squash, and a paper bag of honey sticks for Rose: orange, green apple, cherry, strawberry, and peach, later… and back home.
In the afternoon, more errands…
Collette took Francis and Puck to Home Depot where Francis picked up a roll of rope to repair the footrest on Grandma’s wheelchair.
While Puck waited in the car with Collette, he saw a tiny piece of dandelion puff stuck on the outside of the window. He spoke to it in a quiet voice.
“Come on, little puff,” he said. “Come in here. Mama, could you get him for me?”
Collette retrieved the little fellow.
“Aw, he’s so cute,” said Puck happily.
Then back out again later to Target to help Joe find a pair of jeans and a pair of gray corduroys.
And everyone prepared for their evening…
Grandma was to spend the night before leaving the following morning with Mom for the MIZZOU parade and catered tailgate party.
It was Dad’s last day with his current RABO contract.
Joe was to attend the junior piano recital of a friend, to which he brought a small bundle of five bright yellow Gerberas.
Rose had plans with Juliet.
OLeif was gone for the weekend on the youth retreat, of course.
And Collette and Puck decided, last minute, to stay the night.
At dinner…
Dad and Grandma were going back and forth as usual…
Dad was skeptical of the acorn squash that Grandma had prepared. Puck, however, liked it, and kept asking for more on his plate.
“You like that stuff?” Dad asked him.
Puck nodded.
“They try to disguise it with cheese…” Dad said.
“Snicketts!” Grandma exclaimed.
Dad’s smile lines started up again.
“You are getting very sleepy…” Grandma said, laughing. “You want to finish your dinner and go to sleep…”
“Actually, I do,” Dad replied, laughing himself, with the smile lines.
He didn’t, however, and instead continued watching the Vietnam documentary that he and Francis had been working through the past evenings together.
Later, around Jane Eyre and popcorn, Dad offered to scoop up the Bluebell ice cream.
“One scoop, Grandma?” he asked.
“One, yes.”
“Or two?”
“Not too much now. But, yes, two.”
“Could I interest you in three?”…
Meanwhile, Francis was attempting to pop wheelies in Grandma’s wheelchair before he fixed it up with the rope, which was looking absolutely ridiculous. A rope hammock strung from both armrests, on which to prop one’s feet.
After they had laughed him out of the room on that one, Francis wheeled himself into Dad’s room to ask him for advice. When he returned, he announced…
“According to Dad’s opinion, who is an engineer, and my opinion, who is going to be an engineer, we have come to the conclusion that… this will not work.”
After more recommendations from Carrie, Mom, and Grandma, on how to correct his errors, Francis just grinned and wheeled himself out of the kitchen.
“You know what, I’m gonna go take a break now,” he said. “My brain has been used.”
“Yes, his creative genius has been taxed…” Carrie called after him.
In other news…
Unfortunately, Grandma Snicketts was to have her back ‘cemented’, as they called it, as the first surgery had, ultimately, not been successful.
And the Rye family had returned from their tour of Africa.
Mr. Brocklehurst: Do you know, Jane Eyre, what happens to little children when they die?
Jane: They go to heaven.
Mr. Brocklehurst: And what happens to disobedient deceitful girls when they die?
Jane: They go to hell.
Mr. Brocklehurst: So what must you do to avoid this terrible fate?
Jane: I must take care to keep in good health and not fall ill, sir.
~ Jane Eyre