If you ask a Pappy for some foam core . . .

PinkGirl wrote a Thanksgiving play. She typed it all by herself. (With her fingers on the “home” keys, of course.) She took it to school and showed her teacher, who suggested it be performed at “Colonial Day” on Wednesday. PinkGirl, the director, promptly gave out lines and directed rehersal at the end of the day, just before car line. Everyone who wanted a line, got a line.

PinkGirl decided she needed the Mayflower, so on Friday, after school, I called my dad, a retired graphic artist, to ask if we could have a piece of foam core. You can’t just ask my dad for foam core. The situation plays out like the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”

If you ask Pappy for a piece of foam core, he’s going to ask you why you need it.

When you tell him you want to make a boat, he’ll offer to cut it out for you.

When he cuts out a boat shape, he’ll go ahead and paint it brown.

When he paints it brown, he’ll have to paint planks on it.

When he paints the planks, he’ll realize there will need to be port holes.

After he paints the port holes, he’ll go ahead and make waves to go along the bottom of the boat.

When he paints the waves, he’ll have to make a mast too.

And of course, when he makes a mast, he’ll have to add a flag.

If he makes a flag, he’ll have to make it look like it’s waving.

And when he gives you the foam core, it will look like this:

PinkGirl woke me up this morning with “MOM! Get up! I have to see the Mayflower!” She came downstairs, silently walked over to the Mayflower sitting in my living room and reached out to touch it. I heard her quietly say, “Pappy is AMAZING!”

She took some time, touching it, looking at it, getting “in” it. Then she asked, “How long did it take Pappy to do this?”

Me: “All day.”

PinkGirl. “He did this in only ONE day!?” (pause) “He should be famous. He should be in books and stuff. I mean really, do we know ANYONE who can do this? ANYONE?”

Me: “You’re going to need a BIG thank you for this one.”

PinkGirl: “A card is WAY. too. small. There’s going to be a GIFT.”

Pappy did leave the port holes and windows unpainted and gave us some paint so PinkGirl could finish it off herself. But he was kind of bummed that he didn’t have time to add an anchor.

I already told him that PinkGirl would be writing a Christmas play.