The Season of Fun

Saturday, September 24, 2011
In which the season of autumn compels the activities that general involve funnel cake…

To start things off, in pretty awesome news of the day… Justus of Orange was engaged to his gal, Lucille Smith. As to whether they were to be married in Japan or the States, was still unknown.

Puck was already playing outside with Sebastian at 6:55 that morning.
Plants watered.
OLeif returned shortly before ten, breakfasted, and with a handful of rough pink granite rocks for Puck from the camp grounds. He had enjoyed his first MRE, that included: hot pork sausage, pineapple, bread with cheese spread, and a cinnamon scone.
It was cold, even with the heater going.
A call from Theodore in Texas; he was about to attend his grandsons’ football games before catching his flight back to St. Louis.
Puck was a popcorn fiend; Collette finally decided just to add an air-popper to his Christmas list. Following another quadruple-sized bowlful, Collette asked him what he was up to…
“I’m just giving Daddy some privacy while he trims his beard,” he said seriously, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.
“So… you had fun?” Collette asked OLeif later.
“Yup. Got up two hours before the other guys though.”
“What did you do while you waited?”
“Oh, tended the fire…”
“Rethought you life?”
“Yeah… We each bought a box of Cheez-Its with dinner. So we sat around and toasted each other with the boxes… My hair was all slicked back from the humidity and Iwo told me I looked like a cross between Leonitus the Greek, and Pavaratti.”
Another weather headache.

By the time four o’clock rolled in, it was time to attend Oktoberfest.
Francis and Linnea had been air-softing with the youth group. Joe and Rose had exhausted an long-day hike before the girls left for church. And only Francis was up to accompanying Mom and Dad as they picked up the little Silverspoon family on the Wal-Mart parking lot.
It was the right kind of day for Oktoberfest, and the crowds were not overly heavy as they walked the river grounds, Collette imagining the lay of the land and the quiet and Indians across the river from the early days. Dad and Francis wrestled each other off the railroad ties on the walk in. A row of brightly-colored children’s teepees…
“I want to go inside one of those teapots, Mama!”
And Puck thought through what he would like to eat for dinner…
“I would like lasagna, Mama.”
“Lasagna?”
“What’s lasagna?”
A purple balloon greeted Puck upon arrival from the Shriners, and walking tacos for everyone else: taco salad in a single-sized Frito bad. A little spicy, but not bad.
At the river, Francis and Puck chucked in bits of driftwood washed high up the bank from the previous flooding near a stream channeling into the river. Puck feasted on hot pretzel, shared with his uncle. And everyone else split up funnel cakes, Dad chasing after Mom for some of hers.

Brilliant melting sunset, violets and rose.