Blurry Lights...maybe not

Night Time Horizon

I've spent many nighttime hours on the highway this month.  Spoiled Rot'n Girl and I left the Texas hills in the early morning hours less than a week ago on a bus traveling to an Indian reservation (with a most lovely casino).  Our nighttime return on a rainy night revealed a captivating view of the Houston skyline at night as it appeared to float up through the fog.  I wish I'd had my camera handy or at least tried to snap a shot with my phone.  Instead I just gaped at the breathtaking view.

This morning we sit at my sister's home just outside Lubbock, Texas, the city where I suddenly realized I was supposed to be an adult!  It's the place where I reluctantly entered the college of my father's choice, leaving my high school chums behind.  This is the place where I began my first real job. It's the sight of my first auto accident (ouch) and first broken bone, another "ouch" but separate incident. I made plans that made my father proud and my mother cringe.  Among the lights above is the place I first fell in love, had my heart broken, served as a bridesmaid more times than I really want to remember, and yes even decided to become a bride myself.  Both of my children were born in broad daylight leading to sleepless nights within these same city lights.  It may look like a vague photo to some, but to me, it holds a world of wonderful memories.

Beware Buyer!

A visit from long time friends can revive old hopes and dreams.  Our little town on the lake in central Texas was the setting for fun times with our young children back in the eighties.  We all lived in Houston at the time but dreamed of one day having a weekend or retirement home on this lake.  Our visits here often included a drive-around to look at property in the area.  Since that time both families have scattered and we have all moved far and near.

This weekend Guitar Man and Dancing Girl spent the weekend with us and our real estate agent.  We all love looking at homes, with realistic and fantasy characteristics.  We now own our home here and they are ready to begin the transition to becoming a two home family.  This is the place!  They are thinking they'll buy a "fixer-upper" with a large enough lot to add a manly playhouse.  Their needs are pretty similar to ours, so the realtor fell into step with us quite easily.  After all, he showed us homes for nearly a year before we finally completed our purchase.

When a friendship has endured over the many years, the people become a "chosen" part of our family. I met Dancing Girl when she came to our office as a temporary worker.  We were in need of a very fast typist who could quickly learn medical terms.  She fit the spot.  She was newly pregnant with her third child and needed the flexibility afforded by a temporary job.  We met her need.  From that beginning, the friendship has continued to meet both our needs over and over.

I have been watching a house up the street from us with some ugly paint and need of a few minor repairs. The price reflects the needs and falls in their desired range.  It was the first one they viewed.  After seeing several properties, they settled on it, only to see three other showings taking place the same day. No activity in nearly two months and suddenly a flurry of interest had appeared. Ol' Abner made it a point to race up the street on Harley Brown each time the other realtors came with clients. Guitar Man and Dancing Girl  made a fair offer and waited...and waited!  Meanwhile they had arranged to purchase the lot behind it for placement of Guitar Man's playhouse.  One of the other lookers, undeterred by the roaring rider, made an offer and our friends upped their ante.  After an agonizing day, they won the prize.  Now we are all a little euphoric.   Thirty years after we played here, we look forward to beginning a new round of playtimes.

and off I GO!

With the constant travel between homes interspersed with daytrips for medical visits, travel just for fun has been out of the question for the last couple of years.  It's all a memory now.  Wanderlust is coming out loudly!  I have my passport and I've booked my very first ever cruise!!! I'm riding the bluehair bus to the Indian Reservation with a friend later this month and a trip to the Pacific Northwest is well into the planning.

Ol' Abner is perfectly happy to stay in Central Texas and ride around on Harley Brown from time to time.  I want to go a little further and I don't really want to ride a Harley.  From this vantage, we can each indulge in the wanderlust that suits.  I will follow the herd of Harley riders in my cage and thrill at the beautiful hill country views without the wind in my face.  He will putter around the house and lunch with friends or son when I travel further, and we have a couple of road trips together planned.

Perhaps we have found the perfect mix of homebody/traveler formula!  It only took forty one years!

New Year...New Hopes!

I'm really glad we're finished with 2012!  You could say it was a wonderful year, and perhaps that's how it should be remembered.  My brutally honest self, however must be reminded that the fun and thrills were not as evident as this final outcome for the year would indicate.  Yes! We are Texas residents again.  No place has ever quite felt like home except Texas, anywhere in Texas, and yes we have lived in most parts of Texas.

That said, I will put a few traumas to rest here and now.  The long drawn out move took it's toll on Ol' Abner's health and my attitude.  While we are ever so glad to drive 45 minutes on a freeway to the farthest medical appointment, the good relationship with doctors and dentists hasn't yet gelled for him.

The house we found with  a "view of Lake Travis" is actually a view of the bed of the Colorado Riverbed.  Three years of drought accompanied by forced release of water to the rice-growers downstream has made our beautiful lake a thin stream of water connecting tiny pools getting shallower daily.

The house, oh yes the house, it's small...actually downright tiny.  During the move we passed along rooms full of furniture and "stuff" to friends, family and charitable organizations.  It felt good to purge, but on arrival, the scary realization that we should have purged so much more.  I like the house with it's big windows and feel of openness.  If I could only open it out by a few hundred extra feet and I do miss my high ceilings.  Nine foot ceilings seem so low after twelve, fourteen, and even a sixteen foot ceiling.  We really didn't think we needed those huge closets...Yep we did!

The extra lot in the back of the property to perfectly accommodate the manly garage/playhouse has been cleared of the scroungy cedar trees and that's about all there is to tell about that.  There is a building boom in central Texas, and our little job entices few takers.  Son brought out his bulldozer and backhoe to make the site ready for building just after we moved in.  I envisioned wonderful storage for all the containers stacked in the garage, a bathroom to keep dirty hands from keeping my back door in constant need of a scrubbing, and better yet the beginning of beautiful landscaping for the back of the property.

It's been wonderful seeing old friends now living within an easy drive to visit.  New friends have begun to evolve from acquaintances in our new surroundings.  With any move, though, we must accept the longing to visit with close friends we left behind.  I hope for a trip to the Ozarks soon!

ZZZZZZ zen?

Relax and enjoy!  That's the spirit for the rest of the holiday season.  Fort Worth is one of my favorite places to indulge the holiday senses.  I love Sundance Square with all the festive decorations and the lights at night.  This year construction is all around the cental square and the TREE...oh the poor treeee!  Rumor has it that some damage delayed it's arrival, then efforts to "repair" it left gaps not evident at night. During the day, the big bare places show and now those dismembered, reattached branches are dying.  Oh dear!  I just cannot bear to look!

We'll go east to the other side of the metroplex today to indulge a bit of Christmas spirit with daughter and her family.  Son and Daughter-in-Law made the trek North with us last night.  Traffic was awful but no road rage was erupting from either of our vehicles.  The trip may have taken an extra hour but we were none the worse for it.  Calm...that's the mood for this season.  Yep, we'll just relax and enjoy!

Chance?

I suppose it's time to go to "page 2" of the Mayan calendar.  One could wonder if that second page is hidden in the depths of a lost cave, perhaps along with the third and subsequent pages.  I've laughed and often been horrified at the serious speculative planning for the "end of the world".  My favorite comparison was a side by side photo of the calendar and an Oreo cookie.  Some clever soul determined that the Oreo stamping instructed us to Be Happy, Don't Worry...or You have nothing to fear.  My family has always suffered a fondness for this simple cookie. It's been a difficult month and focusing on the ridiculous has provided a bridge over the hectic painful days.

Dysfunction as a normal state is not pleasant.  Awful events in the news, plans at home seeming to run awry daily, items ordered and lost in transit, treasures stored so well as never to be found and a general feeling of unrest have dampened my joy.  Christmas decorations are displayed and outdoor lights are hung around the eaves of the house.  It looks festive, but under it all lies chaos.

Yesterday I strolled into a coffee shop in the neighborhood and was greeted warmly by the proprietor.  She whipped up my order with a smile and a bit of lively conversation.  I left with my warm latte and scone feeling much lighter.  The remainder of the day progressed smoothly and all my planned errands were completed easily.

This morning the urge to repeat the treat to my tastebuds was strong.  The barista greeted me with a smile and asked if I'd like my same order repeated.  She called each customer coming in by name and offered to whip up their usual morning beverage.  As she chattered away and produced wonderful aromas I talked with other customers.  It's a happening place and my sense of comfort seemed to be shared by those awaiting their order.

Next stop was the post office where I was told my long lost package was on the carriers delivery today.  Oh glory be!  A call from Ol' Abner confirmed the delivery of the package as I pulled out of the parking lot.  The package had been damaged and rewrapped.  My heart sank.  Back home, I looked at the shambles of the wrapping.  Strangely, none of the contents evidenced a trace of damage.  Relieved, no...thrilled at this twist, I headed for the mall to finish my last bit of shopping.  A full parking lot with cars circling frantically for an empty berth would normally be reason enough to turn around and go home.  I drove the first row of cars slowly almost passing a car backing out.  My car was just far enough to need to reverse if I wanted the parking spot.  Another car was a distance behind that I could have forced the issue, but for some reason I felt like being polite. I smiled as she waved after I moved forward allowing her to park.  A lady with a load of shopping bags met me at the end of the lane and motioned to me.  She told me she was about to leave and if I would circle around she would wait to get in her car until I could return.  My benefactor had provided me with a spot at the end of the row directly in front of the store entrance.  Every crowded store had an open cashier just as I approached with my purchases.  Two items on my list were the last on the shelf when I arrived to collect them.

I may stop in for another latte tomorrow!

Winter of Life

I always love the winter holidays.  From the candy dispensing of Halloween, on to the feasting in November, followed by the National Day of Shopping.  By the first week of December, I'm filled with spirit and joy and ready to hang the garlands and drape the tree.  Addressing Christmas cards by hand and including little personal missives makes me feel like I'm visiting with friends and relatives not seen in years.  Oh yes, this is a joyful time of year and I'm not anxious to see it over.  We'll soon celebrate Christmas, plan to ring in the  New Year, then love a little Valentine treat.  I'll be ready to start looking forward to spring!

Throughout the year, we remember birthdays that arrive during all seasons.  Just before we arrived at winter, Ol' Abner's mother marked her 85th birthday.  She was in "Memory Lane", the Alzheimer's unit of a nursing home.  We tried to have flowers delivered to her, but were told that leaving them in the room was not allowed as some of her "guests" often ate anything colorful.  A telephone conversation was very unsatisfying as she had difficulty talking.  Her breath was ragged and I could barely hear her whispered words.  She seemed to be in pain.  This would be her last birthday.  Our niece notified us that it was time to move her to hospice when she was hospitalized in respiratory distress.  We visited on Saturday, and said our goodbyes.  It was clear that life was slipping from her.  On Sunday, with two of her granddaughters and her eldest grandson present, she quietly passed away.

Ol' Abner was her firstborn and by law is responsible for final decisions.  Unwilling to make decisions alone, he proceeded to try to reach his three younger brothers.  The oldest granddaughter had been the primary caretaker for the last three years and he was so grateful for her input as he completed paperwork and gave necessary permissions.  She and the oldest grandson took charge of planning the memorial service. I helped with calls to other family members.

Memories of many years have been revisited by telephone these last few days.  We will honor her life with a celebration this weekend.  I will rearrange the results of the Christmas decorating to dig through some boxes and albums to find pictures of the feisty little woman who gave birth to the love of my life.