The Donning of the Green
Sunday, March 13, 2011
In which St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated four days early…
Collette woke with a crick in her neck that morning, reminiscent of days as a child. A sprain, as she used to call it.
At breakfast…
“Listen to this apple,” said Puck, thrusting it up to his mama’s ear. “I think there’s a worm inside there.”
Church.
Always a good two hours and thirty minutes.
Back to the house.
Chocolate brownies.
Nachos.
Sandwiches.
None for Collette…
Linnea cut her sandwiches into tiny circles and then quartered them.
Irish music.
The girls discussed things while Rose looked up obscure and unusual headlines in the news.
“Thirteen Year-Old Boy Climbs Mount Everest.”
“That sounds like something Collette would have had us do,” said Carrie. “’You will climb Mt. Everest by the time you are twelve.’”
“That was actually on my list of things to do…” Collette replied, remembering. “I had planned to climb it while I was over there adopting my second child from China…”
Puck was apparently being cute that morning.
“I will buy you a present if you let me squeeze the living daylights out of you,” Carrie bargained with him.
As much as Puck valued his life, he could not pass up the opportunity of a present.
As much as Puck valued his life, he could not pass up the opportunity of a present.
“OK… Sun…” he replied reluctantly, placing her arm around his tummy. “You may squish the living daylights out of me…”
Then the matter of the genealogy resurfaced.
“I suppose Rose gets her eyes from the Chinese branch,” said Carrie.
Rose’s eyes had long been a matter of study amongst the girls.
“You must be Scandinavian,” said Carrie.
“I’m Egyptian,” she laughed.
“Could I be from the Irish side?” asked Linnea. “Or,” her eyes lit up, “Brazil?”
“So we are descended directly from Persian royalty, then?” Carrie-Bri asked.
Collette confirmed this.
“Ah, then we are currently sojourning in St. Louis,” Carrie said with a royal flourish of her hand, and a grin.
She and Rose high-fived.
“Eew! Your wart!”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“Persians don’t have warts!” Mom laughed.
Meanwhile…
Carrie attempted teaching Home Economics to Linnea and made predictions regarding Japan’s speedy recovery due to their efficient and speedy work ethic and ingenuity.
Rose discussed purchasing fast-growing evergreens to border the yard that grew to 60 feet in height, three to five feet a year. Dad was still intent on blocking out the views of the neighbors’ yards.
“And zoysia grass,” Dad told Carrie, the family purchaser. “I want that planted too.”
And Francis drove out to pick up work applications.
Then the girls continued discussions of Rose’s signature ‘frog face’ that she would sometimes make at church, but had assumedly avoided making at the St. Gregory service, dinner, and movie at church the previous evening…
And the silly advice stamped on Carrie’s tea tags…
Appreciate yourself. Honor your soul.
“These are the worst sayings I have ever heard,” said Carrie. “One of them said something like, ‘You are the universe.’” She looked down at her stomach. “I’m not that big!”
Then they discussed again how Carrie used to get Rose in trouble or scare her so that she could comfort her later.
“Those big squishy cheeks,” Carrie grinned.
“Yeah, well, if I develop a split personality someday,” said Rose, “it’ll be because you got me in trouble first and then wrapped me up in a blanket to comfort me.”
“Remember the time I had you throw sand on the beehive?” Carrie reminisced. “Or when I put you up in the treehouse and told you that a snake was coming to eat you?”
O, the memories…
Grandma Snicketts was, sadly, unable to come over for the afternoon, due to the continued pain in her back. But at three o’clock, Grandma Combs arrived to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
She was in all her finest green, shamrock necklaces, a glittering green shamrock on her cheek, and the Irish whistle for Puck to play.
Dad immediately started scrounging in the sweets that Grandma had also brought.
“No, Dad!” Carrie scolded him. “No snacks.”
Dad took the pretzels instead.
“Martin, no!” Mom scolded. “Mom, take those away from him.”
“Give me those pretzels!” Grandma bullied.
Dad laughed, retreating to the laundry room.
“OK, stay in there, Snicketts,” Grandma laughed. “That’s all you get for the rest of the day.”
Then Rose found a giant cabbage leaf to put on Dad’s head as a hat. He was not highly amused.
Carrie was in the kitchen chopping up the rest of the cabbage in her St. Looligans tee, jeans, hemp slippers, and sport headband.
Other things ensued.
Grandma asked Puck if he knew how to do the ‘Sword Dance’. So Puck practiced.
“Last time I saw him, he wanted to know if I had a pick-axe in my purse!” Grandma exclaimed.
Then Carrie called from the kitchen.
“Collette, watch. I’m going to break the toothpick.”
Rose groaned as Carrie hopped onto her and Rose walked into the living room, carrying her, for some time too.
It was the usual spread for supper…
Corned beef, cabbage-bacon salad, and mashed potatoes loaded with every good thing. All hand-prepared by Carrie, of course. And shamrock cookies and a cake with shamrock sprinkles made by Grandma Combs. And lime sherbet.
“Have one cookie,” said Carrie, handing it to Collette.
It was such a tiny little thing… And it was her favorite holiday… Collette caved.
“It’s a slippery slope,” OLeif smiled, shaking his head.
And that was the second time Collette slipped. A slice of bread, though allowed, and a tiny cookie. All over two weeks.
As the evening came to a close, Puck was left with a book about tornados in one hand and a wedge of cake in the other, with a glowing light stick hanging around his neck. That, and sessions of Minecraft with Joe.
And Rose was being smashed by Linnea on the couch.
“Why does everyone also squish you?” Carrie laughed.
“I don’t know,” Rose replied with her fake-grumpy face.
“And you’re the boniest of us all, too,” said Carrie.
In other news…
It was Lucia’s 24th birthday. She was celebrating down in Austin. Carrie made sure to call her and advise on all the good conspiracy theory bookshops in the area.
And Donkey was still missing. Mom had promised Puck a visit to the school where Linnea’s basketball game on Monday had been held to see if he had turned up in Lost and Found.