The Hunt for Potassium Nitrate

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

It was another double birthday for Denae (who was visiting Arkansas) and Diana – a good mysterious gray November day.

OLeif brought the Puck into the study that morning, carrying him by his feet. Placing him in the center of his round floor mat, OLeif asked Collette:

“Would you like some spaghetti on your Puck Taco, ma’am?”

“Sure.”

OLeif picked up a pile of computer cords and put them on top of the giggling Puck.

“Spaghetti it is, on the Taco Puck and some buggy vegetables.”

OLeif dumped Puck’s “baby bugs” on top and rolled him up in the mat.

“Alright, ma’am. Here’s your Puck Taco.”

Puck thought this was quite funny and laughed while he chewed on his baby bug.

Over at the house that morning, Carrie was lounging on the couch over her studies.

“Are these your jeans?” She asked, pointing to the jeans she was wearing.

“No,” Collette told her.

“Hmmmm…”

“Collette, I have to find the potassium nitrate today,” Frances said. “I tried the gardening places, but they said I had to have a farmer’s permit to buy any.”

Puck was making his rounds. He grabbed a fist full of bells and hair from Carrie-Bri’s scalp and gave her the death grip.

“Yow, Puck!”

“Carrie, those are MY jeans!” Rose said, entering the room.

“Are not.”

“Mom!”

“I wonder what would happen if we put a big thing of lighter fluid up in the clouds,” said Frances over his math book.

“I know,” said Linnea, pulling out a roast beef sandwich from the fridge, “it would rain lighter fluid and it would be the end of the world.”

“Mom, make Carrie give me back my jeans!”

“I know,” said Carrie, “we’ll see who looks better in them first.”

“You’re ruining them. You’ve already stretched them out too much.”

“Linnea! Give me that sandwich. It’s mine! I never got one last night.”

Linnea looked woefully at Carrie and handed over her roast beef treasure.

“Did you touch it?”

“Yeah,” said Linnea slyly, “with my grubby little hands. And I was touching the carpet.”

This still did not daunt Carrie-Bri, and the sandwich was consumed.

While Frances called the lawn equipment section in the phone book, looking for anyone who would sell a 12 year-old potassium nitrate, Carrie trimmed Rose’s hair, which she had dyed earlier that morning.

“Aw, Carrie, you got dye on my shirt.”

Linnea, meanwhile, was busy sanding down her little wood boat, which had somehow partially turned to charcoal. Her hands were soon black.

Then Frances found his potassium nitrate which would be ordered for him by none other than Walgreens. Frances would now be able to make the coveted smoke grenades.

During the usual escapades of the day, Frances finished his math and Puck scooted himself around on the floor, cheered on by his fan club. After Collette fixed two fat omelettes for Joe and the ever-hungry Frances, it was time to call it a day. She and Puck drove home under silky rolls of blue-gray clouds and setting gold sun.