The Green

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Saint Patty’s Day – gray and cold, a high of 43 for the day. It seemed to work just about right that way; there was still that whisper of spring in the cold.

Collette awoke that day from odd dreams of Yul Brynner and almost being arrested for entering an enormous darkened public greenhouse after hours in Egypt.

Meanwhile, for that Saturday morning, Denae was coming over to help OLeif paint the baby’s room a fitting spring green. And Collette was off to the house to make shamrock cookies with Linnea, as promised.

Upon arriving, Carrie-Bri told her about how Bing had come to borrow her cello while his was in the shop. Bing had not realized, upon requesting permission to borrow, what the current condition of Carrie’s cello case was, exactly. To refresh Collette’s memory, Carrie brought it out of her room to display.

“Poor Bing,” she laughed. “He had no idea what he was getting himself into. He’ll never ask to borrow it again.”

Carrie’s case was a normal case, but it was the collection of stickers which littered the front that gave it its flare. These decals included, but were not limited to:

• a label picturing two guns and reading “Johnny Cash”

• a pirate skulls and crossbones flag

• an Eastern Mediterranean luggage sticker (from her tour through Egypt)

• a black and white label reading: “Drink Coffee – Do stupid things faster and with more energy.”

• a large yellow 1-800-SKYDIVE bumper sticker

• another black and white label reading: “Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”

“And here’s the cream,” Carrie pointed to the top of her case:

A little pirate doll secured firmly with silver tape.

“He even had to use a viola bow because my cello bow is broken,” she added.

Yes, Bing would not likely consider borrowing Carrie’s cello again any time in the near future, not unless he had a substitute case.

Meanwhile, the skies were filled with fluffy snow. The world was once again a giant snow globe above Irish green grass. It was one of the most beautiful snows Collette had ever seen.

And Collette and Linnea played Clue while several batches of cookies baked in the oven. Soon Dad and Francis returned from where they had been working with the youth at the Sunshine Mission downtown.

“Oh, who made me cookies?” was almost the first question Dad asked upon entering the house.

Dad never could resist a good cookie.

“Did you see the cotton falling from the sky?” He asked them, getting ready to take Trooper outside.

The snow had become prettier as the morning progressed.

Before leaving for the shower, Dad had cooked up some hot dogs for himself and the boys. (Carrie-Bri was at Columns and Rose at Subway.) Dad and Linnea began playing catch with one of Joe’s juggling balls until Dad made a slight miscalculation and it ended up with a splash in the hot dog pot. Linnea giggled while he had to fish it out.

Then it was off to the Ernie’s church, where Cashmere arrived wearing a black shirt with glittering blue lettering on the front reading “bride”. Her bridesmaids also wore the same shirts with appropriate labels.

There was a spread of salads, cheese and crackers, chicken salad sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables. And a table for ice water, coffee, teas, and punch. There was the usual chit-chat, much of which centered around babies, it seemed.

Then followed several games which included the entire gaggle of ladies dividing up into small teams. After each person was given a roll of toilet paper, they proceeded over the following ten minutes to wrap one of their teammates into a toilet paper wedding gown, most of them complete with veils, some with gloves, and some with toilet paper shoes.

“Here, make a rose or something,” Mrs. Succotash called over her shoulder to Collette, while she, Denae, and Mom draped Mrs. Tecumseh in several rolls.

So Collette made four toilet paper roses which were put in Mrs. Tecumseh’s hair, and balanced on her shoulders.

When Cashmere reentered the room to judge the mock-brides, she chose Mrs. Tecumseh’s gown as “the best” and the team next door to them (which included Mrs. English and Eve) as “the funniest”.

The things people thought of for showers and girls-only parties… Collette herself, would never have thought of wrapping someone up in toilet paper for a game. But that was the way most bridal showers operated it seemed.

Cake came next – a chocolate cake and a white cake.

“Oooooh,” Denae said, looking over them. “I can’t decide which one.”

It was good cake. But shortly later, the party was wrapped up. Denae was off to a chili dinner at church, accompanied by Theodore, the boys, and even Joe and Rose, Wally and Starr, and Lolli. Mom, Collette, and Linnea returned to the house where OLeif had already arrived in time for a hearty dinner of corned beef, red potatoes in horseradish and sour cream, and the shamrock cookies. And Dad had started a fire in the wood burning stove, at Mom’s request, with her brick of Irish sod.

Some days were meant for play.