The Nostalgia of a Pine Wood Derby & Other Such Good Gatherings

Sunday, January 15, 2006

[7:25am] Friday night was spent over pizza and “Brazil,” courtesy of Magnus. Accounted for that night at the apartment were: OLeif, Collette, Joe, Magnus, Wally, Curly, Rose, and Molly. Good times, good times…

There was something utterly relaxing and nostalgic about attending a Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby. Collette had experienced it four times (twice when Joe built his pine woods just before Troop 975 and twice when Frances built his in Troop 957). There was just something particularly special about the event – nothing that Collette could quite explain. Everyone who could come had made it; Carrie was at home doing school and Joe was at work. The Hobcoggins would not attend that year as Chester had opted for basketball instead of Cub Scouts until the cross-over ceremony in the spring, where he would join Frances with the Boy Scouts. Grandma Combs had come and quickly purchased concession stand tickets for everything from coffee to hot dogs. In the end, Frances took third place (the first three times) and fourth place (the last time) in all of his heats. Linnea took sixth place (twice), fifth place (once), and then sixth (one more time). Prizes were also awarded to the cub-lings and siblings, including a magnetic car/circular race track for Frances and a pink plush crazy-faced bean-bag that whistled cat-calls when hit on the hand, for Linnea.

That afternoon was spent at the movies, for OLeif and Collette – to see the new “Chronicles of Narnia.” Although Collette found herself rather disappointed with the film in the end, the Disney-ish-ness of it all, etc., she did find that her soul was stirred when watching the cold night about the Stone Table. She was reminded of Christ and of the ancient days where cold winds, utter quiet under stars of silver, old places of stone and wild mountains were the only thing man knew, of times not long in the past when the present modern inconveniences of the day, when such things as moon-rovers, Blackberries, and Ferris Wheels were things of fantasy and not even imagined. And it was a special thought to her of that ancient beauty where God must have seen more near and heaven and hell more real.

[13:58pm] And at church, it was the first day of Molly’s new hair-cut, in public. Her blonde locks were clean shaven off (since Saturday) and she now appeared remarkably like Shakespeare’s twin. She wore all black that morning, including a big black skirt, which twirled around her. It was a unique combination to see. But after the second glance, Collette was used to it, as she told Mrs. McCrae before the service.

“Hey, baldy!” OLeif joked with her afterwards on the way to the cafeteria for lunch, “Let’s go get some pizza.”

“Oh, you’re a meanie face!” Molly responded.

During Sunday School, OLeif taught of John the Baptist, and lamented the fact that he had not brought a few dead locusts and honey to demonstrate the lesson. Meanwhile, Collette read in Tabletalk of John Bunyan’s work and wished that such a thing applied to her, as was said of him by Spurgeon:

“He had studied the Bible; he had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture… Prick him anywhere; his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God.”

Bunyan was also known to have said, after being told that he had preached a good sermon one day:

“Aye, you have no need to tell me that, for the devil whispered it to me before I was well out of the pulpit.”

And after lunch, OLeif and Collette had an hour to themselves back at the apartment watching a documentary on a fellow who spent thirteen summers in Alaska with Grizzlies, who would himself, die a grizzly death, being gobbled to death through his ribcage by one of the same. Ugly way to die… Although he did seem to have a high esteem for his dangerous compadres:

“It’s OK. It’s OK. I love you, I love you, I love you. I’m sorry,” he would say gently to his furry playmates.

A man who ran with red foxes and pet grizzlies named Aunt Melissa, Rowdy, and Mr. Chocolate – a regular Johnny Appleseed, though a very controversial Johnny Appleseed.

As OLeif and Collette drove through the neighborhoods to pick up Molly and Magnus that late afternoon, Collette was suddenly reminded of something. She had just been telling OLeif of how she particularly liked Grandpa Hobcoggin. And then she was reminded of her own Grandpa. It almost brought her to tears, remembering him at the moment. She remembered the little blue dress he had bought for her when he visited the Caribbean. He had bought nothing for himself, but only that little blue dress with white lace. It had been Collette’s favorite possession. Oh, woe was the day she outgrew that dress.

And that evening there gathered at the barn and the youth buildings were Judah, Boy, Augustus, Collette, Molly, OLeif, Shakespeare (he and Molly both with “bald domes” as OLeif put it, often seen with beanie baby iguanas on their heads), Bob Buckle, Rose, Samantha Bee, and Susie Popples. (Joe and Wallace were out bike-riding that fine afternoon.) It was a great time. It did, indeed, begin with random exclamations of “We could burn down the barn!” and “I just eat my hot pockets while I read my library books.” But soon, with Judah’s and OLeif’s guidance, the discussion easily turned to the events and struggles in their lives, prayer, and discussion – It was amazing to see nearly all the kids sincerely concerned and deeply involved over the issues of the Christian life.

“‘Let me die’; now death was lovely and beautiful in my sight, for I saw we shall never live indeed until we be gone to the other world.” – John Bunyan