The Old Raven Farm
Saturday, October 1, 2005
October – Collette’s favorite month. Somehow it had come around again already. And Friday evening had been good. “Oliver Twist” was well done, although a dark film, indeed. Collette noted that they didn’t often make films like that anymore. It was hard to imagine that England was such a filthy, infested refuse at one time. But Dickens must have known what he was writing about.
And there was coffee afterward – OLeif, Collette, Evrain, Joe (who had not come to the movie, in order to save money), Magnus, Rose, and Mollie.
“So,” Mollie had asked OLeif and Collette as they entered the cinema parking lot, “how was your week?”
“Well,” OLeif sighed, “we won the lottery… and spent all of it on flon.”
“Flon?” Collette asked.
“You know – the Spanish custard?”
“Oh, you mean flan?”
“Same thing.”
And for Saturday morning, there was a photo shoot going on at the apartment, for Magnus was finally beginning the pictures for his great work. And Mollie, was of course the model, wearing white and massive eye liner.
“Oh, raccoon!” She exclaimed, when Magnus showed her the preliminary sketches for how he wanted her eyes to look.
Meanwhile, Collette heard from Mom that the Ravens were moving from Paducah, Kentucky, to Huntsville, Alabama, in a matter of two weeks. This was a rather sad thought, although happily, the Ravens were thrilled. The three oldest boys were already gone to college, but Mr. and Mrs. Raven still had Kelsie and the two youngest boys at home in their large farmhouse, far out in the country.
Collette remembered the two times they visited – once in the late spring when they walked around the acres of farmland behind the house and played tag in the fields. And then once in middle January when Garret-Nevermore and Sylvester played in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. Nevermore had starred as Joseph, and Sylvester as Levi, his brother. And then the next morning the ground was covered in snow. There had been breakfast casserole. It had been a fine visit. The Milks had been there as well and Collette, Rapunzel, Carrie, and Kelsie had hidden a note in a secret compartment (inside a chess piece on the coffee table). Ah, the good old days…
Meanwhile, at home, Carrie was working on Linnea’s Halloween costume once again. And she had also constructed a teepee for her in the backyard. Carrie somehow managed to do such things for her brothers and sisters, no matter how busy she was – studying for her bachelors degree in one year, working two jobs, making plans to work overseas perhaps the following summer…
And so it was to the Oktoberfest that evening – OLeif, Collette, Rose, and Samantha Bee. Funnel Cakes, rides, German music and dancing, bratwursts, lemonade, and good old-fashioned carnival.
Meanwhile, Mom and Joe minded one of the two Boy Scout parking lots, Troop 975. Joe road his bike about the old French quarter and Mom read from her and Grandma’s Mitford series.
The air was cool and inviting from the river and the moon was out. A lighted showboat passed down the waters toward Saint Louis. Rose and Samantha took five rides apiece, five long rides, including the swings in which they commenced to kick at each other’s seats along the way. It was a pleasant first evening of October and there was a chance of storms the following afternoon.
God was good and all was right with the world.