Yawn! I wish...

This is the second morning I've awakened in the wee hours with a return to sleep elusive.  It's not unusual to find myself waking for a few moments during the night, glancing at the clock, realizing I can return to sleep with next awareness coming hours later.  It is unusual to toss and turn, remaining wide awake for an hour or more.  We are settled into our new home.  Life seems to be fairly calm for the moment.  No strange noises are going bump in the night.  Household temperature is comfortable.  Ol' Abner's sleep habits haven't changed and the dog hasn't adjusted her bedtime ritual of tucking us in then moving to another room to sleep.  So why, I wonder, am I wide awake at 3AM?

I could probably accomplish something productive.  A couple of knitting projects could be completed.  Several interesting books are at various stages, and a few moments of reading might be relaxing.  The last sleepytime teabag was used one evening last week when I felt a chill in the air and needed pre-sleep warmth. I should have replenished that supply.  Maybe I'll make a grocery list or rearrange the pantry that seems to have shrunk since we settled into the house.  Several missed programs from the last couple of weeks are waiting in the dvr to be viewed.  There was a time in my life when these were my most productive hours, but I find little satisfaction these days from nocturnal ramblings.

All I really want to do is sleep...or I think I want to sleep.  Maybe my mind and body are undergoing another evolution and three hours of sleep are all that I need.

Now I'm aggravated!  Ol' Abner left his air compressor on in the garage and it just kicked in and scared me silly!  Maybe I'll go wake him and fuss!

Limited Revelry

Last weekend we traveled to a wedding a few hours to the north.  It's never cold in North Texas until the days leading up to Halloween. This year was the exception.  An Autumn wedding long anticipating the warm autumn evenings required sweaters for most of the guests.  The ceremony and dance to follow the reception were both planned as outdoor events.  The bride and groom took their vows while the sun was still low in the sky, barely warming the cool air.  As we moved inside for the dinner, I shivered and was thankful for the sweater Ol' Abner had suggested I bring, even though it didn't exactly complement my attire.  As the dinner and cake times passed, the music warmed up outside in a large dance area.  The bridal dances were all  shortened by shivers and I retreated indoors ahead of the crowd.  It wasn't long before the tables were being cleared and the music being lured indoors.  The celebration became cozy with the guests sitting and standing around the perimeter of the makeshift dance floor.  I understand the celebrations continued well into the night, but Ol' Abner was tired and we had enjoyed the visits and views to our satisfaction.  We are now the older generation allowed to leave the party early enough to get our necessary rest.  Can our second childhood be far away?

Crawling

Getting settled in Texas Hill Country has been a busy, exhausting and exciting experience.  The manly playhouse is still not started.  The household boxes are all unpacked. Two storage units are still brimming and  we must begin planning for yet another trip back to Dogpatch.

I couldn't resist a bit of indulgence last week to assuage my longing for companionship of knitters.  Seeing  the emails updating happenings at Gabriele's reminded me of those left behind.  A visit to a yarn shop nearby sparked the need to touch some fibers and see others with similar obsessions.

Friendly owners encouraged me to join them for open knitting and mentioned the upcoming "yarn crawl", an annual event.  It sounded like a great way to locate shops where I might find touchy feely satisfaction for my fingertips, so I signed up.  I thought I might make my way to five or six of the shops closest to my comfort zone and that was the limit of my ambition.  The Hill Country Yarn Crawl is a four day event.  We were happily committed to attendance at a wedding three hours to the north in the middle of the four day weekend.  On Friday morning, after Ol' Abner had vehemently declined my invitation to drive along with me, I set out on my trek.

A beautiful drive through the hill country crossing the Pedernales River three times, the Colorado River several times and wishing I had a driver so I might stop to taste some wine along the way.  Oh yes, the hills are alive with vineyards and signs to aptly named wineries with tasting rooms.  That will probably be a day trip for another time.

 The Knitting Nest displayed a pattern for a knitted quilt using puzzle pieces as a tribute to those blessed with Autistic children.  A demonstration of needle felting was taking place and delightful bits of whimsy were forming on the felter's block.  I'm thinking a trip back to this shop may be in my plans.  The staff was friendly and fun.  They seemed to love the fibers as much as I.  It's probably not a part of town I would like venturing into at night, but an afternoon would be well spent.  I think I would love to spend a day just wondering around this part of the older area so near downtown.

On my second day, actually the last day of the yarn crawl, I hit the toll roads at the luxurious speed of 80 mph and  made my way to the remaining shops on my list.  I had managed to visit six of them on the previous Friday, so four seemed ever so manageable for my Monday drive.  The first shop was just over seventy miles from my home, but I flew by car easily out to Paige, Texas.  I am sure I've been there before.  It's along the highway between Austin and Houston and I've never noticed the little town...actually an unmarked intersection.  I turned down the listed street and found the most awesome shop and a whole flock of ladies chattering about their latest and their next projects while wearing the last one completed.

The last three shops were near central Austin.  I drove down South Congress in awe of the view of downtown I love the most, and realized I had never noticed the Hill Country Weavers on the right side of the street just as the Texas Capitol Building comes into view.  Again, this is probably not a shop for me during prime time, but daytime or weekend classes are definitely in the future here.

No doubt, a return to Wimberly, Greune and Comfort will be in the future.  I loved those shops and the views around them.  The Tinsmith's Wife in downtown Comfort was nestled among many other unique little shops and eateries.  The Old Oaks Ranch was just that...a working ranch with a yarn shop and sculpture garden amid the pastures where alpacas and other beasts grazed.  I'm thinking Ol' Abner would have enjoyed that stop, and perhaps he will one day soon!

One Home

After hiring movers to bring the majority of our belongings to the new home, we were amazed at how overloaded the truck felt as we pulled away from Dogpatch earlier this week.  Things needed to exist in the house on the mountain had been left behind with the knowledge that we would return for a couple of weeks to finish local business and await closing on the sale. Other things still in the house were destined for charity and scheduled to be picked up the day before closing.  The plan was made and seemed workable.  It was NOT.  Luckily Mountain Girl had not planned to make her move to the house until middle of next month, and she agreed to let us "store" a few odd things in a cabinet and couple of shelves in the basement.

The next stop was in the Arkansas capitol to check into a hotel for the night.  Ol' Abner had a colonoscopy scheduled and had been on clear liquids for the entire day.  We were grateful for covered secure parking for our overburdened vehicle to overnight.  A well run endoscopy clinic provided early morning coffee for me and something a little stronger for Ol' Abner.  Two polyps were removed and an admonition to return in five years was added as we made our way out of town.  An early lunch at Brown's Country Restaurant for one last indulgence in fried green tomatoes and other delicious treats, and we were finally Texas bound.

Two days later, we are finally feeling like we can breathe.  I always thought it would be nice to have two homes in different places.  It is now evident that I need one place to sink my roots.  As much as we hated to give up our sense of home on the mountain, these hills feel like home already.

The men in the neighborhood are forming a cheering section for Ol' Abner to get his "manly garage" built, and  son and daughter in law are ever near and helpful.  I've made shopping plans with one neighbor and Ol' Abner accompanied me on my trek yesterday to find new winter boots.  It's good to have great places to shop nearby.  Its also nice to know we can return to Dogpatch for a visit when the urge strikes!

Mountain Views and Visits

We have so many good friends in Dogpatch and the mountains around.  Events of the last few weeks have kept us ever aware of these friendships.  So many have offered to help load and move heavy items from the house.  Others have offered to come help us pack while some have stopped in to keep us company as we filled the boxes.  Gatherings have been hosted and it's been so nice to visit in the midst of this chaos.

Mountain Girl's Log Cabin

View from Mountain Girl's Kitchen

Mountain Girl invited us along with several friends and neighbors to her beautiful home on Pine Mountan.   We indulged in grilled goodies and  luscious beverages.  It was a delightful afternoon to relax and enjoy the views of the woods and water while laughing with  friends.  It was my birthday and cheesecake was the dessert of the day.  Of course she sent me home with copious leftovers.  We will make more friends in Texas, but the bonds forged in these mountains will always be with us.

In or Out

It would seem our days in Dogpatch are truly numbered.  A call yesterday confirmed a closing date to transfer home ownership to the new owner.  Most of the furniture has been picked up and taken to new homes.  As I sit here this morning in the quiet house, the view is pretty stark.  Empty walls and ever more sparsely furnished rooms are giving that empty-house-echo.   We are clearly on our way out of here.

Ol' Abner was to have finished his dental restoration next Thursday.  After two prosthodontists have bailed from the Veterans Administration clinic, that final step was delayed again.  He has now been "outsourced" and they have asked him not to transfer his medical care to Texas until the process (well into its third year) can be completed.  The private dentist has been given a deadline sometime in mid-November to finish the construction of nine more crowns or caps.  Concern was voiced that a move to Texas for the care would require that another dental lab prepare the crowns.  Sometimes, they tell us, the results are not a good match and less aesthetically pleasing.  Apparently this lengthy process has alerted high level providers of care.  He has been called by administrators in North Little Rock and San Antonio.  Appointments scheduled in Texas have been cancelled to allow the "tooth fairy" to revive his mouth.

So what's the big deal?  It means he will have to come back to Little Rock at least three more times in the next couple of months.  Other diagnostic tests due will necessarily be performed in Little Rock, and he will have to continue to receive his oxygen refills through the Arkansas vendor!  All his prescriptions will still come to the address in Dogpatch.  We thought we were on our way out!

Melancholy

With a touch of sadness we finish packing the unmoved items in the house in Dogpatch.  Most of the things left here will go to new owners or off to charity.  I kept most of my cooking pans and utensils in the kitchen in order to finish off the food in the freezer.  That has made for a grumpy old man around here.  I had a dozen or so chicken breasts, a couple of salmon filets and lots of frozen vegetables.  He lumps all three categories as food-of-last-resort, just before starvation.  Yesterday he ventured out and called from the grocery store to see what else I might need to fill in with bread and milk.  I suggested he bring back some yogurt, he brought home hot dogs!  This afternoon he made a special trip to the neighboring town to purchase a bake at home pizza.  I really thought it was a good idea to keep the pots and pans here for cooking, but they are being sadly neglected.

In the basement, Christmas decorations and gift wrap are being sorted for travel, donation, or discarding.  I have found little need in the past couple of years for copious amounts of gift wrap and package decor.  Tiny little remembrances for friends are often delivered in a pretty basket or special bag made to compliment the gift.  Children and grandchildren are not insulted with monetary gifts and usually only receive a couple of little cheerily wrapped packages.  It seems rather silly to haul thirty or forty rolls of paper and all sorts of ribbon.  I will continue to indulge my home in Christmas trees and all the trappings of holiday decor. The favorites have found resident storage spots in Texas.