The Crazies

Puck took another whiff of his little brother’s photograph this morning after breakfast. He and Oxbear had just chowed down on eggs, bacon, toast, and chocolate milk at a diner down the highway. While they were gone, I had stuck Puck’s school photo inside the frame with his brother, so he could see them side-by-side.

“He looks a lot bigger than me in there,” he noted.

I explained the actual size difference. “I bet you’ll be able to carry him around, actually.”

Puck thought for a moment, “You won’t pay more attention to him than me, will you?”

Ah. A classic. We talked.

“Would you like to have another picture of him to carry around so you can show people?” I suggested.

“No … I’ll just tell them. Besides, Mom, I’m great with little kids.”

Mom and Dad were still in Branson. Francis had turned in late from Florida and slept through church. Linnea-Irish was collecting gear to work on wardrobe for Day Three of Izzy’s frantic final film shoot. So it was a small crowd at church that morning.

Afterwards, the crowd grew more sparse as we mingled over way too many boxes of Little Caesar’s at the Big House, vehicle repairs, and too much pollen in the air.

Just as Carrie-Bri returned from yet one more volunteer shift at the Missouri House Rabbit Society, we left for the evening to wrap up some errands.

Halfway through another round of Calvin and Hobbes, Puck suggested a word game.

“It’s called the ‘Say a Sentence That No One Has Ever Said Before’ game,” he explained to Oxbear, his co-contestant. “Go!”

“Well, look at that! The grass is full of cheddar cheese!”

“My best friend is part polar bear and part tiger!”

“4,000 pineapples are allergic to a caterpillar named Sue!”

And so forth. I think Oxbear eventually conceded the first round to Puck after, “A shark just ate me,” or something like that.

Back home, a little pork steak simmering on the stove, a little more Minecraft for the boys, and a little bit of internet research regarding poor Adam Wainwright’s “likely” season-ending injury. It’s amazing how many bad things can happen to one team in the space of 48 hours.