Nacogdoches

We spent most of the day in Nacogdoches....... the oldest town in Texas. The town (or city) has a list of "Firsts for Texas"-- the first oil well (1866), the first newspaper (1813), first two-story building (1779), to name a few. Wonderful little community with a quaint historical district filled with bricked streets and all kinds of shops. There's a beautiful university built right in the midst of the "piney woods" of Nacogdoches.... the piney woods being common in that part of east Texas.

We met a realtor up there who took us to half a dozen houses this afternoon. It was an easy ride up to Nacogdoches.... just a little over two hours away, much closer than our favorite Hill Country town of Comfort. There's also a vintage hotel (The Fredonia, built in 1955) where we had both lunch and dinner..... wonderful hotel near the center of town.... everything inside looks as it probably did in the 50s, and it was very comfy and quaint.

Each of the houses we saw today were unique in their own way. One small cottage on the lake was large enough for a weekend lake house, but very un-cared for by the present owner. Original kitchen floors, original bathrooms, original everything, and it looked as if a drop of new paint hadn't ever been thought of in that house. Very sad, since the lake in back of the house was beautiful, and the houses around it were all in nice condition. When I see a home in such poor condition, it makes me wonder what surprises are in store when you start renovations. The kitchen and both bathrooms would need to be done over, and the three bedrooms were very tiny and very dirty. Plus, the owner wants way too much for that house, considering its poor condition.

The next house was also on the lake, but on the opposite side from the smaller one. The homes on the other side of the lake were all newer, all larger, and all in excellent condition. As expected, the prices were higher. But what a house...... gorgeous move-in condition, with lots of bells and whistles and built-ins. The front of the house was sort of a traditional Federal-style, but the back reminded me of the Savannah houses. Not one large porch, but two-- one upstairs, one down. We weren't looking for a two-story house, but this one is hard to pass by. The lake view from this house was even better than from the first house. The kitchen was smaller than I thought it would be in a house that size, but so what......... I don't want a lake house so I can stay in the kitchen and cook.

We also saw a beautiful 1898 Victorian home that had been fully restored.... again, too much house, though, and no lake view. But it did have its own very large pond. It also had half a dozen bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms... plus a guest cottage, a garage with an upstairs apartment, and a workshop.... way, way too much house. The outside was all perfectly painted, in the "Painted Lady" style of the Victorian houses in San Francisco. Lots of detailing on that house, lots of beautiful gardens all around the grounds. Its drawback, and the one that made us say no to that huge property, was that it was on a main road..... all kinds of cars and trucks going by. I would worry about Gracie and the cats with that house, plus we don't want to be listening to road traffic in a country home.

The other houses we looked at are fading in my memory...... they were nice, but just not for us, being either too close to the center of town, or too close to the neighbors, so we quickly walked in and out of those.

Nacogdoches was more of a town than we thought it would be, and we weren't disappointed with it. There was not one, but two hospitals. Small shopping plazas were scattered here and there, and it had some of the larger stores for convenience at the edges of the town, and quaint shops that have been in the town for years and years.

It was a town that we'd consider moving to, if we ever chose to leave this area. And, by buying that larger home on the lake, the move would be easy because we wouldn't have to downsize our lifestyle to fit that house. Everything we have in this house would be very much at home up there. So that would be a plus as well.

Again, so much to think about. I'm still partial to the mountain-top house in Comfort, but I understand now why my husband said that the four-and-a-half-hour drive there just wasn't an easy one. It is farther away than we'd like it to be, and the drive up that mountain (without owning a four-wheel-drive vehicle) is hard on his car, and I wouldn't even think of bringing my little car up that mountain for fear of all those pebbles ruining the paint.

My husband did all the driving today, so he's sound asleep. I tossed and turned for an hour, then got out of bed and came here to type. I keep thinking about the lake...... it sure was pretty, and very quiet and relaxing. While we stood at the boat dock and looked at the water, a family of ducks came on by to say hello. I know our little Miss C would love that house... there's a perfect bedroom for her, with a little alcove window that she'd love to read in. We didn't tell her that we went looking at houses today....... I don't have the heart now to tell her anything until we find something.

C called us today while we were gone, and we heard her message on our answering machine when we got home. It was pouring rain when we left this morning, so C thought we would be home on such a rainy day. I called her after we listened to her message and she wanted to know where we were "on such a drippy, soggy day." I told her that we had errands to run, and stores to stop in, and she reminded me that I don't like to go out when it's pouring rain. (That child is just too bright.) I told her that we just had to get some things done today, rain or shine, so out we went. (It rained all day here, but the weather was fine in Nacogdoches.)

When and if we find a country cottage or a lake house that fits us perfectly, we will surprise her with it and ask her forgiveness for my little fib to hide today's adventure to East Texas. Had Miss C been with us today (as she would've wanted to), we would have come home from our trip with two puppies.......... one very little dog was running around loose at the smaller house on the lake, and then on our way out of the town, we saw a small dog sitting at the side of the road. Both times, we just had to look the other way and hope that someone else would be the one to rescue those two dogs. It was the hardest thing we had to do today.

"Have a Happy Memory Day!"

That's what our waitress told us in the local Thai restaurant the other day... "Have a Happy Memory Day!" She meant Memorial Day, of course, but "Memory Day" was just as appropriate, if not nicer and more meaningful.

We also went to a Thai restaurant late this afternoon, with our friends K and B... we met them downtown at their house and went to their favorite Thai restaurant there. Very different than our local Thai Seafood, but every bit as delicious. No matter how busy our own Thai restaurant gets here, it's always very quiet within the restaurant. Not so at the downtown Thai.... when we got there, only half a dozen tables were occupied, but the noise level was such that we asked to be seated on the other side of the room so we could enjoy our conversation.

K and B are already planning their yearly adventure..... to India this time. They will leave in early December, returning after the first of the new year. They take such adventurous trips.... last December's trip was to VietNam. I asked them if they ever thought of just going to European countries like France, Italy or Greece. They said they will do those trips when they get older. Both K and B have celebrated their 60th birthdays.

Pouring rain this morning.... absolutely pouring rain for over an hour or more. But the sky cleared up and the sun came out and it was hot and bright and perfect. Glorious weather for Memory Day.

Frogs on Steroids

I swear, I've never seen such large garden frogs as I have this past month. Usually, the frogs that hop around the lawns and gardens here are teeny things, which could fit inside the shell of a small chicken egg and have room enough to dance with another frog.

This past week, however, I've seen some big frogs...... big enough to be a door-stop if they weighed more, just to give you and idea of their size. I guess the cats on the street haven't been catching them when they're smaller, and they've grown into super-sized frogs. (You want fries with that?)

They sure are cute, I have to say that. Last night, there was one on the front porch when I took Gracie outside. He just sat there on the brick border around the flower bed and looked at me. As calm as could be, just looking right at me, not bothering to move even when Gracie put her nose down to him for a little sniff. I know he was alive, because I could see him breathing as he stared up at me. When I came back from walking Gracie, the frog was still on the brick border, but he had moved down a little bit to get a better view of the street. Just what we need-- a guard frog. (A frog guard?)

The lizards have been a little larger this year as well. I know that because they crawl up and down the dining room windows from morning till night, which pleases Mickey Kitty to no end. He watches the lizards through the windows as if he's watching a movie. The dining room windows are tinted, to filter some of the sunlight coming through. When the lizard is on the outside of those windows, he's actually looking at his own reflection and not able to see Mickey Kitty on the other side of the glass. So while the lizard is admiring his handsome self, he has no idea that there's a small black kitten dancing around on the other side of the glass and trying to capture a pink-throated green lizard.

The spider webs have also been large this season....... more like condos than simple webs. We know that because we nearly walked into one not too long ago that was constructed by our front porch and blocked the pathway towards the sidewalk. My husband nearly walked right into that web one morning as he went out the door with Gracie. He re-located the web, using the broom to move it to the side flowerbeds. Our dear friend Frankie would've been proud of that.... she never disturbed a spider web.

Frogs and lizards and spiders...... and let's not even talk too much about the alligators. Two huge alligators were pulled from nearby bayous during the past couple of months. One was measured at eight feet long, the other was nearly twelve. Large enough to catch someone's small dog or cat, if the gator was hungry, and large enough to pull an adult down into the bayou if they got too close. The Chronicle had an article about alligators...... they said to walk, not run, if you see a gator in the water or on the banks of a bayou. The Chronicle article also said that the gator will give you a loud hiss of warning, so you'll have a head-start as you "walk slowly away, do not run" from the alligator. Can The Chronicle be sure of that? What if the alligator is having a bad day and doesn't feel like giving that hiss of warning before he takes off running towards you?

We see young kids right here in our subdivision playing near the bayou. They also sit down near the bayou with fishing poles, hoping to catch turtles and catfish that are always in the bayou. Makes me wonder why signs aren't posted warning of the dangers. On the grounds where my husband works, there are signs posted telling everyone to Beware of the wildlife.... deer, alligators, bobcats, snakes.... and a few others that I just can't remember right now.

Time to stop typing.... I started talking about frogs and ended up with alligators and snakes on my mind. Hopefully, they'll be out of my mind by the time my head hits the pillow tonight.

Chili's

We went out to dinner tonight, with our young friend C and her mom. C was using one of her birthday coupons-- the one for a hamburger dinner. In her 15-yr-old opinion, Chili's has the best burgers, and that's what she ordered. So big that she couldn't finish it, but she got a to-go box and will enjoy the rest of it for tomorrow's lunch.

Thankfully, Chili's also had grilled salmon and fresh vegetables, which is what I ordered. As did my husband...... guess he wasn't in a burger mood. (Thank you, Muljibhai.) After dinner, we went to C's house and played a game of Blokus. We all still love that game, and we're having fun with it whenever we can. My husband and I took that game with us into the Hill Country a few weeks ago, but we never even took it out of the bag....... we were too busy enjoying the night view from the back deck of that house. (Jeez..... alwasy get back to that house, don't I?)

Speaking of the house, of course both C and her mom asked what was going on with that... and C is clearly disappointed that we don't own it yet. I can see that she's decorating her room in her mind every time she asks about it.

We explained to them that we're stepping back from that house for a while, and looking at other houses in other towns. We don't want to go down that road again--- telling C about any house that we happen to find..... we'll just wait till we really find the house that we intend to buy from a seller more willing to negotiate. Then we'll surprise her, and I know she'll be so happy to have her own room in a country house that she'll forgive us for keeping it secret for a little while.

C has repeatedly asked us to take her along for the ride when we go into the Hill Country looking at more houses. My husband and I have discussed that, but we don't think it's a good idea. Better to surprise her with a for-sure house, than to muddle her mind with maybe-houses.

Mountain-Top vs. Lake-Front

I think my sister and I were on the phone for nearly three hours in the past couple of days. Thankfully, being that we have the same cell-phone service, the calls are free. We were talking about the house on top of the mountain in the Hill Country.

Not only were my sister and I discussing that house, but my husband and I have talked about it till we're just weary of talking about it. The bottom line is that the house is listed at over-market value. In the beginning, we didn't think the house was too much money, considering the land it was on and the view it had from the back deck. But then, after my husband made all the phone calls to the tax and appraisal offices, that opinion changed.

Then there's the water system for that house, which has private tanks that are just a little below the required capacity-code for that county. Which is fine for the present owner, but for a new owner facing land inspections, the water tanks would have to be brought up to code, at considerable expense. Not something we want to take on, and not something the seller thinks he should be taking on either.

Then we get to the price....... my husband's gut feeling is that his own maximum price for that house isn't going to measure up to the seller's minimum price. My husband was willing to make a second offer on the house if I urged him to do it, but I didn't. I just couldn't have lived with myself if I had to "talk him into" that house, no matter how much I love it.

And, as my husband has said all along, and as my sister has told me over the past couple of days: "There will always be other houses, other views, and you may even find something different, something better." Which, of course, is true. We also heard from the realtor up in the Hill Country.... he says that the house on top of that mountain isn't being shown all that much. Most likely due to its location, which is way off the "beaten path." Having that gorgeous view, after all, does have its disadvantages.... one of them being an unpaved mountain road to get you from the bottom to the top.

So...... out came the book on Texas towns..... we're looking at other places...... considering other options. Now my husband is finding lake-front homes. Not river-front, which could and would flood, but quiet little lakes. Lakes without marinas, so we don't have to deal with loud motorboats and jet-skis. We're looking for peace and quiet, not water-traffic.

We will look some more....... and keep that mountain-top house up on the shelf for a little while. I haven't looked at the photos of it since the last night we stayed there.... but I don't need to. I know every inch of it still.

The Long and Winding Road

Not only is the road up to the top of that mountain in Comfort a long one, but the path to buying that house seems to be growing longer as well.

I drove our young Miss C to school today, her schedule cut short because of final exams, and she asked me why it was taking so long to buy the "mountain house," as she's calling it. I told her that the seller is wanting much more than property values are worth up there, and my husband is trying to make a reasonable offer without going over the top.

Right now, we're waiting on a call from the realtor, before my husband puts in another offer on that house and property. I think this will be the last offer, however. If the seller can't meet us half-way on this house, then we'll be looking at other properties. Which will break my heart, but that's just the way it's going to be.

As much as I love that house, my head is telling me not to be paying too much for it. My heart, however, says just buy the house and enjoy it for the rest of our lives, and after that, let Miss C enjoy it for all of hers. There will, of course, be other properties, other homes, other views. Not that one, but others, so I'm just getting my mind set for that. And I told Miss C to get her mind set as well. Thankfully, she hasn't seen the house yet, other than in the photographs, so she really has no way of knowing how beautiful it truly is. She asked me if she could come mountain-house shopping with us the next time we go up into the Hill Country. I told her that I would keep that in mind, but I don't know that we'd do that. Miss C is worse than I am when it comes to getting emotionally attached to things.... I can just see her wrapping her arms around a fencepost and vowing not to move until we tell her which room will be hers.

My piano lesson was yesterday.... which turned into more of a talk-fest than a lesson. K and her husband own property in other states, their latest being a house in Tennessee, which they go to as often as they can. The Tennessee house isn't up on a mountain, but it sits on quite a few acres. They will most likely move there when her husband retires from his job here. On some days, he is closer to retirement than she thinks, so the move to Tennessee may come quicker than she planned. When that time comes, I'll be looking for another piano teacher, but I'm not even going to worry about that yet. There's enough on my mind with the Hill Country house that we're trying to buy.

I haven't looked at the pictures of the Comfort house since we got back from spending the weekend up there. I thought that would help, to not see it, to not look at the rooms and all the antiques it's filled with. I tried to tell myself that if I didn't see the stone gate, then I wouldn't miss it. If I didn't see the photos of the view, then I couldn't cry over it. So wrong. I can see every inch of that house, inside and outside. I can tell you what the wind sounds like, I can tell you what the long kitchen table feels like when you run your hand over it. I know what's right outside the bathroom window as you sit in a bubble-bath, and I can hear the little waterfall fountain outside the French doors of the master bedroom.

I dream about that house, I think of it constantly when I'm not even trying. Since we got back from Savannah, I've stopped turning on mom's teapot lamp in our kitchen. Seeing that hopeful little light just made me sad. If we do get that house, then I'll turn the lamp on in celebration, rather than keeping it lit in anticipation.

If it's meant to be, it will be. I am so tired of telling myself that. I truly, firmly believe that we were meant to be in that little cabin. Right there, right on top of that mountain, watching the sky at night and hearing nothing more than our own breath and the wind woooshing through the cypress.

The Movies.....

At the suggestion of Sonny Seiler, the Savannah lawyer that we met while we were there in that beautiful city, we went to BlockBuster to rent a copy of "Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil."

Sonny himself is in the movie, which is why he suggested that we see it..... he plays the judge in the trial of Jim Williams...... a quiet, reserved judge, much unlike the boisterous good-old-boy Sonny. And the law office in the movie--- The Armstrong House.... that's just where we were when we met Sonny, right in his office with all the memorabilia of Uga, the Georgia State University bulldog-mascot. It was amazing for us to see all of Savannah in the film, and we kept saying "We were there! We walked right there!"

True to my belief, however, the movie didn't measure up to the book. Does it ever? You just can't get inside the author's mind when you're watching the film version. You really need to read the author's words to "get it."

But we kept our promise to Sonny Seiler, and that's what counts. I mailed him a thank you note today, and told him that we saw the movie. I told him he did a grand job as the judge in the film. Honestly, though, he would've made a better Sonny in the film than the actor who played him.

I also sent a note to Muljibhai, thanking that quiet Tybee Island gentleman for talking to us about the benefits of a healthy life. I told him that we've been eating fresh foods and salads ever since we got home, which we have.

In tomorrow's mail, I'm sending a package to Willie... our new friend in Savannah who introduced us to Sonny. I'm sending him a jar of Texas-made apple-strawberry jam, and I also included a package of gourmet dog biscuits for his little puppy Susie.


This afternoon, we went to see "The Da Vinci Code" starring Tom Hanks. Very intense movie, but we were expecting that, since we both read the book. Again, the book was much better, and it gives you more of the history behind The Vatican than a two-hour movie can give. Tom Hanks was believable in the movie, however, and the script was nicely done. But very intense.... I had to shut my eyes during a few of the scenes.

Two movies in one week. I think we're done for a while. We don't go to the theatres very much.... not much out there worth the price of a ticket, and I'd rather be reading anyway.

Lobster Surprise

We went to our young friend C's house for dinner last night..... her mom had invited us for dinner last week before we went to Savannah. C's dad is back from his job in Louisiana, and he'll be home now for two weeks, before going back to his job again. It's a two-week on, two-week off schedule, and no one is complaining about that any longer, considering that they almost had to move to Las Vegas a couple of months ago for the dad's job. C still talks about their trip to Vegas to look at houses there....... and she still swears she'll never set foot in Vegas again. She's only 15, however, so I'm sure she'll be easing up on that oath at some point in her life.

We got there last night to find lobsters boiling on the stove, which was a surprise to us. We thought we were going for a "simple Saturday night dinner," as C's mom had told us. C's dad S was boiling the lobsters for just a few minutes, then he wrapped them in foil and let them finish cooking on the barbeque.

As soon as we walked into the door last night, C ran to me and gave me a hug, telling me that "Those lobsters were alive! I named them all, then Dad killed them!" Apparently, she hadn't seen that part of the lobster-dinner process before, even though she's eaten lobster many times over the years. I reminded C that the meat for the hamburgers that she loves was also once alive, but she quickly told me that she'd never seen her dad kill a cow in their kitchen. (Which is a good point, of course.)

C pointed to the breakfast room table, which had been set for dinner. Not only did C set the table, but she pointed out the placecards that she had made for all of us. White placecards, each with a picture of a lobster that she had colored with red pencil. Not only did she make placecards for each of us, but when she realized the fate of the lobsters, she made smaller placecards for them as well, printing their names on each. C is reading "Romeo and Juliet" now, and the names of the lobsters were taken from the book. (My lobster was named Romeo, and my husband's was Mercutio.) I was very flattered that our young Miss C thought of making placecards. I saved our placecards (both ours and the lobsters') and brought them home, just as C has saved all the placecards she's had at our house over the years.

The other surprise was that C had searched on the Internet for lobster trivia and jokes, and she had a print-out of what she found next to her dinner plate. C learned that idea from my husband because he will do the same thing before our Charades parties or smaller dinner parties, the only exception being that he'll memorize what he finds on-line. C's dad told us that his daughter is picking up interesting habits from us, and he said that was "a good thing." We laughed and asked him if he had been listening to Martha Stewart lately.

C will get her learner's permit when school is out this coming week, then her parents are enrolling her in a driving school. They'll get a break on the car insurance if she takes lessons from a school, but C also reminded me about my promise to teach her to drive. "A promise is a promise," is what I told her. She's going to be a good driver, I'm sure of it. She's responsible, alert, and self-reliant. And she makes very pretty placecards. What a kid.... she just makes us smile all the time, I swear.

Tybee Island and Muljibhai

We took a day tour from Savannah to Tybee Island while we were in Georgia this past week. There's a beautiful lighthouse there on the Island that my husband wanted to explore, and we wanted to see what the beach community looked like. We tried walking on the sand but it was filled with tiny bits of shells and pebbles, plus it was very sunny and warm that day and my husband burns easily, so we just appreciated the clean water and the clean beach before getting back up to the pavement.

The tour bus left us off at the lighthouse..... 178 steps up to the top, and of course we did that. Beautiful view from up there, and the weather was just perfect that day, as well as every day we were in Savannah. After the lighthouse, we decided to walk towards the Main Street of the Island, rather than waiting around for the tour bus. And again.... there I was in my cute little pink sandals, rather than flat shoes or sneakers. (Crimes of fashion, I swear.)

But we walked.... and walked.... two miles, maybe three.... I have no idea how far we walked, but I was wishing that I had brought along the little pedometer so I could've kept track of how many miles we walked every day.

At one point during our walk on Tybee Island, I spotted a bench under a shade tree and I told my husband that we should sit on the bench for a while before walking on towards the restaurant. We'd had an early lunch, and after the lighthouse and the Tybee Island Museum, we were more than ready for lunch. We had passed a lot of benches during our walk, but they had all been in the sun. Thankfully, this one was in the shade, and we were enjoying the rest and the cool breeze under that tree when along came Muljibhai.

Muljibhai is a 75-yr-old retired civil engineer who helps his son manage a beach motel on Tybee Island. I know all of that because Muljibhai stopped to say hello to us while we sat in the shade. As we discovered with many people in Savannah and on Tybee Island, everyone is just so very friendly and quick to start up a conversation. Muljibhai is from India, originally, and since his retirement, his mission in life is to educate the world at large (or at least in Georgia) about the benefits of healthy living.

According to Muljibhai, if you want good health, you must "earn it," because "good health cannot be purchased in bottles and jars." At 75 years of age, Muljibhai walks five miles a day, doesn't wear eyeglasses, takes no medications, doesn't have health insurance and doesn't see a doctor. His hands are steady, his voice is strong, his posture is excellent, his eyes are bright. Of course, I asked him to sign my "Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil" book, which he gladly did.

He spoke to us for nearly an hour, and my husband and I were totally impressed with his healthful lifestyle. Muljibhai eats only fruits, nuts, vegetables, beans, lentils, brown rice, and whole grains. No meat, no fish, no dairy, no sugar, no fat, no salt, and of course, no processed foods. He swears that this has kept him healthy. After all, said Muljibhai: "Do monkeys wear glasses? Does a lion get ulcers? Do birds have high blood pressure?"

Since my 30th birthday, I have eaten precious little meat and hardly any chicken, but I do eat fish. I use no salt, no butter, and only a touch of olive oil when I cook. Salads, fruits, vegetables, fish... that's the main part of my diet. I do, however, have a sweet tooth, and I love ice cream on a hot day. I used to be much stricter with myself during my 30s and 40s, but since my 50th birthday, I've eased up a little bit. As I did in Savannah, at The Lady and Sons restaurant, where I enjoyed Paula Deen's corncakes and candied sweet potatoes and peach cobbler. My easing up with myself has, since my 50th birthday, taken me from a size 6 to a size 8. Not that a size 8 is anything to complain about, but it makes me think of my Aunt Dolly, who, at 94 years of age, is still the same size 6 that she has always been.

Both my husband and I were thoroughly inspired by Muljibhai, especially after that gentle old man invited us to his home at the motel to show us his library of books. In the most gentle manner, Muljibhai suggested to my husband that he needed to lose some weight so he would be able to enjoy a more healthy life, a longer life. My husband didn't even flinch at Muljibhai's words, so gentle were they spoken, so genuine in their request. We said our goodbyes to Muljibhai after nearly an hour and a half of conversation, taking his address with us, along with a list of books on healthy eating and living.

We walked away from Muljibhai's home feeling very lucky to have met him, and very humbled by the quiet, dignified simplicity of that man's life. About a mile down the road from Muljibhai's motel-home, we found a restaurant for a late lunch. I ordered a salad, with conch fritters on the side. My husband ordered broiled shrimp with fresh corn, and he didn't touch the butter that came with the meal. We talked about Muljibhai all during our lunch.

Now, I have to admit here that before we left Savannah the next day, we went back to The Lady and Sons for lunch, and there were foods on our plates that Muljibhai wouldn't have approved of. And we talked about Muljibhai all during that meal as well.

We both went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon. We filled the shopping cart with over one hundred dollars' worth of fruits and vegetables. No meat, but I hardly buy meat anyway because I rarely cook it... my husband orders meat in a restaurant when he wants it. I didn't buy fish yesterday because I have a freezer filled with salmon. We bought not one processed food.... and I know my husband was thinking of the frozen "White Castle" hamburgers in the freezer-cases of the supermarket.

My husband is determined this time to lose the weight he has gained over the years. He sees Muljibhai as an inspiration, an educator, a wise man, a gentle soul trying to enlighten his own little part of the world. We both had fruits and vegetables and salads yesterday... and I am in my glory, I must say. When I lived alone, before we got married, my fridge was always filled with fruits and veggies and I truly loved to make fresh and colorful salads with dozens of ingredients. I've made those salads since we've gotten married, of course, and I truly do still enjoy them, but it's more fun making them for two, rather than just for me.

As we stood in line at the supermarket yesterday, I looked at our shopping cart filled to the brim with fresh foods and told my husband "Muljibhai would be proud!"

Charm Bracelet

Every time we travel somewhere, I think about buying a simple sterling silver link-bracelet and filling it with a charm from every place we've visited. In all these years, I've never done it.... till this last trip to Savannah.

I was wanting to buy one of those "Bird Girl" statues, the same as the one shown on the cover of the book ("Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil"). All the statues we saw were either too expensive or too tall and too heavy to bring back on the plane. Then I found a sterling silver charm of the "Bird Girl." Well, that did it...... and that's how the charm bracelet got started the other day in Savannah. I had planned to find a silver-link bracelet when we got back home, but while we were browsing through the Savannah shops on River Street, I found the perfect bracelet at a reasonable price. My husband bought it for me, and we made a list of all the places we have traveled to since we met in 1992.

I have discovered that those tiny silver charms are very easy to find on-line, and that's just what I did this afternoon..... for just a few dollars per charm, I found one for each city on our list. For New York, I bought an Empire State Building; for San Francisco, a trolley; for Canada, a maple leaf; for Amsterdam, a tiny windmill.... a cactus for Arizona; a Liberty Bell for Pennsylvania; a sand dollar for Galveston; a koala for Australia. I even found a charm for Yellowstone National Park, and Disney Mickey charms for both the Florida park and the California park. For a few of the states, I had to get just the state-shape, like for Connecticut, Montana, and West Virginia. And for our trip to Las Vegas to see Barry Manilow, I found a tiny silver grand piano. I even found a conch shell Key West charm. There's a special one for Ohio--- a tiny cottage charm, because we stayed in a small hundred-year-old cottage while we were in an Amish town called "Charm."

Tiny cottage........ which brings my mind back to the cottage in the Hill Country. I swear, I just cannot get that log and stone cottage out of my mind, no matter how I try.

Savannah

We've just returned from a three-day stay in Savannah, Georgia. I've been wanting to go there ever since I read "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil," by John Berendt. Such a great book..... I've read it three times (the latest reading just before we left for Savannah so the story would be fresh in my mind).

That port city was just as described in the book....... beautiful squares surrounded by wonderful old mansions..... cobblestone streets, cute little shops and restaurants along River Street, and the friendliest people. I bought half a dozen books there, all on Savannah.... books are always the best souveniers.

I brought my own copy of "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil" with me, and I carried it every day as we walked around Savannah. I was determined to ask people we met to sign my book for me, and I did just that. That book is still sold everywhere in Savannah, from cafes to grocery stores to gift shops.

The first person we met in Savannah was Willie. We were walking in Forsyth Park and needed directions to another one of the squares. We approached a man walking his little dog, who had said good morning to us when we first entered the park. Not only did Willie give us directions to where we wanted to go, but he gave us his own spin on the history of Savannah. We talked to him for over half an hour, and when we were through, I asked him to sign my book. He insisted that he was "just nobody," and I insisted that he was "somebody to us," and he signed my book.

Then he took us across the street to the office of Sonny Seiler (the lawyer in the "Midnight" book)--- Willie told us that Sonny went to his church and would be happy to sign our book as well. So into the law offices we all went, along with Willie's little dog. Not only did Mr. Seiler sign my book, but he showed us photographs of himself and Clint Eastwood (the director of the "Midnight" movie) and admonished me for not seeing the movie. I explained to him that I never enjoy movies made from great books, and he told me that I should see the movie anyway, since he had a part in it. We promised him that we'd rent the movie from Blockbuster and watch it. Which we will, as soon as my husband finishes reading the book first. My husband hadn't read the book before, but after seeing just how much influence "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil" still has on Savannah, he started reading it while we were there.

We saw Willie again on the day we left Savannah... he had invited us to the Lutheran church where he works, so we went there to say goodbye and I asked him for his address so I could send him a little something from Texas. Maybe some Texas-made jam, or some biscuits for his little dog Susie. Willie was just so friendly to us and we all talked as if we'd known each other for years. We walked around "his" church admiring all the stained-glass windows, and the organist was practicing and we got to listen to her beautiful playing as well.

Another person who signed my book was Lemonde..... we saw him in one of the squares as we were walking towards "The Lady and Sons" restaurant-- owned by Paula Deen..... delicious food.... we ate there three times and loved every calorie-laden bite. (I am now back to salads.) Anyway, about Lemonde....... I bought five little roses from Lemonde--- roses made from palm leaves. Lemonde sits in the squares making these beautiful little roses. He doesn't sell them... he just makes them and lets them sit on the stone bench next him. You can't help but go and have a look, and when you ask if they're for sale, he will tell you "They're not for sale, but you can take one and I won't refuse a donation." Such a quiet, soft-spoken little man, with the brightest eyes. I asked him to sign my book and you would've thought I was giving him the world. I took five of his roses and told him I'd think of him when I looked at them, and I gave him a nice donation and shook his hand.

So much more to write about Savannah....... but I've got so much to do today, trying to catch up with laundry and chores. One thing is for sure---- I wish I had brought different shoes on this trip. Sandals just weren't the best thing for those cobblestone streets. The only shoes that worked were sneakers or loafers, both of which I hadn't packed. As we walked around the streets, I noticed that most of the women were looking at the shoes of other women as they passed by (myself included). Those of us with the cute little summer sandals were walking the slowest, and those with the padded sneakers walked with their heads up, seemingly unaware of the rough cobblestones at their feet.

As always, no matter where we go and what we see, it's so nice to be home. Gracie and the cats were just fine........ the pet-sitter gives them a lot of attention while we're gone. And the little cottage up on the mountain in the Hill Country is still there..... I've been thinking about that all this time, waiting for my husband to make another offer on that house and the property it's sitting on. Not even the beauty of Savannah could make me forget that little house on the mountain.

Art Car Parade

We went downtown today, for the annual "Art Car Parade." We met friends R and C there before the parade, and had lunch at one of the cafes inside the city's loop. Then off to the parade we went, taking just one car to make it easier to find parking near the parade area.

I think there were about 175 vehicles is this year's parade.... everything from cars and trucks to motorcycles and bicycles, with a couple of boats thrown in for good measure. There were cars decorated with mirrors, fruit, computer disks and old record albums. Cars that looked like dragons and dogs and space ships and wild animals. There were lots of surprises, from the super-long dragon car to the little cupcake cars that may have been tricycles--- hard to tell because you couldn't see what was underneath the cupcakes.

That parade is always a lot of fun... thousands of people line the streets to watch the cars, and every vehicle gets a good round of applause-- and the smaller the vehicle, the louder the praise. There were a lot of kids in this year's parade... school groups which put cars together, and young kids with decorated bicycles and wagons--- and even a motorized bathtub on wheels, complete with bubbles.

We got there early, and found a spot in the shade under the trees...... nice breezes blowing for the whole time we were there, and we were sitting pretty in the lawn chairs that we all brought along. After the parade, the four of us went to one of the local ice cream shops, then we drove further into the downtown area to an art gallery. R's hobby is painting, and she now has more than three dozen watercolors on display in the gallery. She had invited us to the opening, but we were up in the Hill Country that weekend, so today was the perfect day for us to see her work, being that the four of us got together for the parade.

I could see that she put a lot of thought into her paintings, and I was attracted to two of them-- one with a southwestern flair-- a painting of an adobe house; and the other was of a tombstone standing in front of an old Mexican church. The one with the tombstone and the church was by far my favorite. Can't say exactly why.... I was just attracted to it.


Speaking of being attracted to something....... our first offer on the house and properties in the Hill Country was sent in this morning, and rejected by the seller this afternoon. The seller has also decided now not to sell the additional acres on the other side of the mountain. Which means that if my husband makes another offer, it will be just for the house and the five and a quarter acres that it's sitting on. Which is fine with me, since I didn't think we'd be buying any other acreage other than the property that the house is sitting on anyway.

My husband doesn't want to make a second offer right away..... he'd rather wait a few days so we don't appear to be desperate, or to appear that we want just that house and no other. I can't stand all of this. I had a gut feeling about that seller........ I thought the best tactic would have been to just make an offer on the house and the land it's sitting on, then once that deal was made, to then discuss the other properties. I didn't even mention that to my husband because I'm too emotionally invested in this house, and I don't think I can even look at the business-end of this deal in a rational way.

So I'm leaving it up to him...... and to the seller. Two men.... both of whom might just let their egos get in the middle of this deal, which can bring it to an end or a standstill. I just have to keep telling myself "what will be, will be." Sure makes it hard to sleep, though.

And I wish to high heaven that we hadn't gone up to that mountain and stayed in that house for two nights....... that was the worst thing for me to do because it got me even more emotionally invested in that house.

Happy 11th Anniversary

As I type, it's just after 8:00...... we went out for dinner to Babbo Bruno's, for an anniversary dinner. The owners of the restaurant had sent us an anniversary gift-coupon for a free dessert, so we ate just half of our dinners (which we usually do anyway) and then splurged on their "flourless chocolate cake" afterwards. I had to laugh because we didn't finish the main course, but there was precious little left on that dessert plate when we were done. That flourless chocolate cake is served warm, and it's delicious. They always put either ice cream or gelato on the plate, which I only take one tiny taste of..... I figure that I'm using up enough calories on the cake.... I don't need to add on the extra sin of the ice cream.

Eleven years.... seems like yesterday that we were up in NY for our wedding ceremony, and then celebrating at Lou's restaurant for the dinner with our family and friends afterwards. How did all these years go by in just a heartbeat? We have a video of the wedding dinner, and we've watched it over the years. At times it's sad to see, because there are at least half a dozen people on that video who have passed away now.

On this day, right at this moment, my husband is faxing paperwork into the realtor's office for that house on top of the mountain...... so negotiations have begun. It's yet another sign, I swear. The date on the original deed was my husband's mom's birthdate, and now we've set the motions in place on the date of our anniversary. Now honestly....... wouldn't you agree that it's yet another sign? (My husband thinks it's merely a sign that I've lost my mind.)


We were going to call our little Miss C to tell her that paperwork has begun for the house, but we'll wait on that. She's bound to call anyway. That child has been calling here every other day since we got back from the Hill Country. She has no idea about the process of buying a house, and I think she equates the purchase of a house with the purchase of a book: find the one you like, pay for it, and it's yours. Little Miss C already has a collection of things to bring to "her room" in that house, such as artwork she's drawn, and clay statues she's made. She has carefully picked out things from her room that will "fit in" with a country-cottage home on the top of a mountain. And she has volunteered to go up there with us every time we go, so she can help "to clean, to garden, to rearrange, to do whatever you need." Bless that child, I swear. I hope she has extra-special angels watching over her every minute of every blessed day.

From my lips to God's ears............ Do you hear that, Miss Frankie? Watch over that child!

That mountain-top home is so much on my mind these days that I totally forgot that Barry Manilow (!!!!!!) was on The Today Show this morning. Sorry, Barry... it just plain slipped my mind. I wonder if Barry would like to sing from a mountain top in the Hill Country of Texas? I know one thing for sure--- I won't be blasting Manilow's music from that mountain-top, the way I do in my car or in our home here. It's just so quiet on that mountain, and I wouldn't want anything to disturb that. Not even Manilow. (Sorry again, Barry.)

Mom's TeaPot Lamp....

When my husband's mother passed away, a lot of the treasures in her house found their way to our home. One of mom's favorite lamps is now in our kitchen. It's just a little stained-glass lamp in the shape of a teapot and teacup-- the teapot part of the lamp is actually suspended over a teacup, and tiny crystals are "pouring" from the pot to the cup. Both the teapot and the teacup have tiny bulbs in them, so it's more of a night-light than a reading lamp. Mom bought it on one of the home shopping channels, and she just loved it. She had ordered just one, to make sure it was as nice as it appeared to be on television, because she had returned a few other items from there that weren't up to her expectations.

When she got it, she absolutely loved it and called it a "happy little lamp," even though she was more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker. She tried to order another one for me, but the teapot lamp had sold out and they weren't getting any more of them anytime soon. Not to worry, she said... when her time came to "pass on," the teapot lamp would be mine. When we were all at mom's home after she passed away, my sister-in-law told me to pack up the teapot lamp for shipping here. Apparently, mom had told her where the teapot lamp should be after she was gone.

That teapot lamp is sitting on top of our fridge. I turn it on just about every night, and I always make sure it's lit up for our parties and holiday dinners. I turn it on during the day as well, when I need mom here for a little support. I can't even begin to count the number of times she would call me during the day just to chat, and I would call her as well, just to tell her about my day.

I've been turning on mom's teapot lamp every morning since we got back from the Hill Country. I turn on the switch and say out loud Save that house for us, mom. I know it sounds silly, or corny, but I just have a feeling that it may just work. I'm too nervous about all of this to say "If it's meant to me, it will be." My way of thinking is that "If it's meant to be, then make it be."

My husband has been looking over all of the paperwork that the Hill Country realtor sent him on the cottage. Looking over the original deed, we saw that the present buyer purchased the property for "our" cottage on March 17th, which is my husband's mom's birthday. Well, of course, I looked at my husband and told him that "It's a sign!!!! Another sign!!!!" (Leave it to me, and I can find you a "sign" in just about anything.)

So again, I'm trying not to think about the house up there, but it's very hard. I still have the pictures of it on my computer, but I haven't looked at them in days. It's just too difficult to keep looking at something that we may or may not get. My mind sometimes wanders and I find myself making up mental-lists of what to take up there.... as soon as that happens, I pick up a book or play the piano or do some housework, just to get my mind away from that house. As I'm typing, my husband is on the phone with the realtor and they're going through the paperwork that will get us into negotiations with the seller.

Mom's teapot lamp is lighted and glowing, and I've thought of taking that up to the cottage rather than keeping it here. I want part of mom to be up on that mountain, and the little teapot lamp seems to be the perfect thing because it's more home-y than antique-y. I've also looked at our friend Frankie's picture and told her to watch over that house. I know that if Frankie were still alive, we would've taken her to that house and she would've sat out on that deck with a cup of coffee and told me that we'd driven her straight to heaven. She would've sat there and cried, just because of the beauty of it all.

Between mom and Frankie, you would think we'd have enough angels watching over that cottage for us till all the papers are signed, sealed and delivered. As my dear friend Blanche used to say: From your lips to God's ears.

Comfort on my mind........

I cancelled my piano lesson today.... so much on my mind with the Comfort house that I knew I'd be wasting both my time and K's time if I went for my lesson this afternoon.

Just can't turn off my brain about that mountain-top house....... without even knowing it, my mind is making lists of what to bring up there--- things from our porch here, grocery items for the pantry, books for the built-in shelves, kitchen utensils..... even right down to buying a second bread machine so we can have freshly-baked bread up there for breakfast.

I've got to stop this. Everything now is in the hands of the realtor and my husband. They're sending information and questions back and forth, and I'm just trying to sit back and relax and make believe that it doesn't bother me one bit if we get that house or not. All I can say is this--- if I were a nail-biter, I wouldn't have a finger-nail left to my name.

My husband quoted a line from a friend of ours--- "He who cares the least wins the most." They were talking about success in the real estate market. I wouldn't be a good player, I guess, because I can't keep a "poker face," and I can't stop myself from getting emotionally attached to a property. I love our home here, actually love it, and I know that I already love that stone and log home up on that mountain. I can picture myself hugging the stone entrance the next time we go up there.... stretching my arms out as far as they can reach along that stone wall, just to let that house know that it's in good hands and I will take care of it till my last breathing day on this planet.

That's how strongly I feel about the house up there, and the property. Call it a gut feeling, call it woman's intuition, call it whatever you like. But I also know my husband isn't investing in real estate on the basis of guts or intuition.

I think I'll go inside and polish my nails...... the more mauve-y they are, the less chance they have of being attacked by teeth.

Birthday Dinner for L

We celebrated C's mom's birthday last night...... we went to a local Thai restaurant for dinner. Just the four of us...... me and my husband, C and her mom....... the dad will be back from his Louisiana job later on this week, and I'm sure they'll be celebrating her birthday once again. The Thai restaurant always serves such fresh and delicious food, plus it's a small, quiet place with tablecloths and gracious service.... always such a treat to go there.

Instead of having dessert at the restaurant, we came back here for cake and tea. That idea was a last-minute decision in the afternoon, because my husband remembered L telling her husband that she always made birthday cakes for everyone else but no one had made one for her in a long time. I had cake mixes in the pantry, and frostings, so we got busy here and put together a chocolate cake. While that was in the oven, I set the dining room table and made birthday placecards. For a hastily put-together party-for-4, the table looked very nice in blue and ivory.

This past Saturday, our young Miss C surprised her mom with a little lunch-party at their house. While L was off doing her usual Saturday morning errands, her friends came to her house at the invitation of C, everyone bringing something to contribute to a pot-luck birthday lunch. C had invited us last week, but we couldn't go because of the trip to the Hill Country. C wanted to postpone the party until we got back, but I told her that that wouldn't be right, and I suggested she just go ahead with her plans and we'd celebrate with the two of them the day after.

When we went to C's house to pick them up for dinner yesterday evening, I was tickled by the decorations that C put up in the breakfast room for her mom's surprise lunch. The chandelier above the breakfast room table had curls of ribbon hanging down towards the table, and there was a birthday banner across the breakfast bar, and bundles of balloons in the corners. I had to smile at the curls of ribbon, because that's what I've done here, and C has always loved that idea. To see that she had done the same thing for her own party made me just smile.

During dinner last night, C and her mom asked about the cottage, and C especially is getting very anxious about it. I've told her just to keep her fingers crossed and hope for the best, and that my husband will do the best he can with the offer and negotiations. Poor little C is worse than I am.... she already has a "pile of stuff" to take to the cottage to make the little loft bedroom her own, and she plans to make us a blanket for the bed. I told her not to start making anything, not to start packing up anything... to just wait till everything is "signed, sealed and delivered."

From my lips to my own ears.... that's where those words should go. I, too, am anxious. I, too, want that house and that property. But, to quote our little Miss C-- "I don't want to rejoice until I know for sure."

Phone Calls to the Cottage

While we were up at the cottage, my cell phone rang twice. One phone call was from our little friend C, who called late one night before she went to bed. She apologized for "bothering" us but she said she couldn't stand the suspense. I told her she wasn't bothering us at all, because I thought it was truly sweet of her to call.

C wanted to know if the house was everything we thought it was, and she asked if we were going to buy it or not. I told her the house was everything and then some, and that my husband still had to talk to the owner and to the realtor. As I stood there on the back deck, C asked me to describe everything to her. As I did, I heard her crying on the other end of the phone. When I asked why she was crying, she said that it all just sounded so beautiful and she hoped that everything would work out. That child, that child.... she is so perceptive, so sensitive to everything around her.

C also asked me if she could plant "Miss Frankie's flowers" on the property up there, and of course I told her that would be a wonderful idea. --- When our friend Frankie passed away last year, I gave packets of Morning Glory seeds to all of her friends, asking them to plant the seeds in Frankie's memory, being that Frankie's favorite flower was the Morning Glory. C never planted her seeds because she couldn't find "the one right and perfect place."

Of course.... I took that poignant request to be another sign to buy that house. I still have those Morning Glory seeds.... I planted just a few of them in one of our flowerbeds, but they didn't come up. I took that to mean that Frankie didn't like that particular spot. Frankie's heart was immersed in nature. I know she would love it up on that mountain.



The other phone call while we were up there was from my sister. She called after she heard about the terrible storm and flash-flooding in San Antonio. She knew we were up at that house, but she didn't know how far it was from the storms.

While I was on the phone with her, and reassuring her that the mountain-top retreat was indeed far above flooding probability, and over 40 miles from San Antonio.... she told me the latest news from our mother.

She got a phone call from mom, who told her that she had just sold her house in Florida, and she's moving back to NY. My sister didn't know anything about this, so she was surprised by it all at first. But then when she got to thinking about how many people my mother knows in NY, as opposed to the few people she knows in Florida, and then it made perfect sense. She doesn't know where my mother will be living when she gets to NY, but my mother told her she'd let both of us know when she settles in. She told my sister that she won't be buying another house because she doesn't want the bother of a house.... she plans to rent something, most likely an apartment.

My mother gave my sister a message to give to me: "Tell your sister that if she tells those people any of my business, she will never hear from me again for the rest of my life." By those people, my mother means my dad and everyone in his family. I had to laugh at that statement..... I don't hear from my mother as it is, so her threat is meaningless. Her threat is also ridiculous, because no one in my father's family wants to know her business. Makes me wonder why my mother thinks her "business" is so important to the universe.

I'm glad that I had told my sister about the package that my mother sent last week... this way, it didn't come as a surprise to her when my mother called to tell her about that, and her impending move from Florida to New York. My mother also told my sister to tell me that another small package is on its way to me-- the second one will have old photographs in it.

Should be interesting to see what old pictures she's sending.

Back from The Cottage

It is just before 11:00 on Sunday morning as I'm typing this. We got back home last night, after spending two nights up at the little cottage on top of the mountain. I hated to leave it...... and my eyes were filled with tears as my husband drove back down the mountain and into town.

Not that we hadn't driven down that mountain while we were up there, because we did go into town while we were there. We met with the realtor to see two other houses that were up for sale (neither of which had any appeal to either of us), and we went grocery shopping at the small supermarket. Wonderful little market, the size of "supermarkets" back when I was a teenager, before they became mega-markets with miles of aisles and millions of products. This little market had an ample supply of produce, meats and fish, frozen goods, bakery items, pet supplies, cleaning/laundry items... just about anything you could need. The frozen food section even had boxes of "White Castle" hamburgers. (Of course, I told my husband that that alone was a "sign.")

I was finding "signs" all over the property while we were there. One of the wind-chimes out back had dolphins on it. Dolphins! In the middle of the Hill Country. Dolphins are our young friend C's favorite thing in the world... her goal in life is to be a marine biologist so she can work with and study dolphins.

In one of the bathrooms of the cottage, I found a framed painting of a martini glass, of all things--- also a bit out of place up on the mountain. Underneath the painting of the glass were the words "Here's looking at you, kid." -- Which is, of course, Humphrey Bogart's line in the film Casablanca, which is my favorite movie of all time, bar none. When I was a kid, my dad used to sing "A kiss is just a kiss......" when he kissed me goodnight, because he loved that movie as well. My dad always said that the only person who looked better than him in a tux was Bogart.

The house up on the mountain, which I'm calling a "cottage" now, was just magical. It truly felt like home, and I knew it was a happy home from the first time we walked into it last week when we were first up there with the realtor. During this trip up, we met with the original owners, the husband being the builder. The house is just five years old, and it's as solid as the stones and logs that were used to built it. He showed us all the photos of the house being built, and you could hear the pride in his voice, and appreciate the workmanship that went into the building of it. We spent over two hours with the husband and wife, and we went over everything. There's even a hidden tree-house on the property, and a cave that was dug out by the husband and his son. So many nooks and crannies and surprises on those five and a quarter acres. There's also a small waterfall built into the terraces outside the master bedroom--- something we hadn't seen the first time we were up there. The switch for the waterfall is in the master bedroom, and the trickling down of the water was as soothing as could be.

The owner's wife told me about the holiday dinners they hosted up there, along with Easter egg hunts and scavenger hunts. She said they've had as few as four guests, and as many as 40 from time to time. (40 for a party, not for sleeping over.) Everything she said about her house there reminded me of our home right here. Which, of course, I took as another sign that this is indeed the cottage for us.

The first night we were there, a terrible storm ravaged San Antonio, which is only 40-something miles from Comfort. My husband and I were on the back deck and we watched that storm rolling through in the distant sky. We watched the lightning as if it were a fireworks show, which indeed it was. It was just beautiful, and it all brought tears to my eyes.

The second night, about 2:00 in the morning, we heard rain outside and got up to watch it. It began to hail, and we watched the raisin-sized hail pellets bouncing off of the stone terraces and the wooden porch and deck. It was all just magical. And it was a horrible rainstorm, but I couldn't have felt safer.... that house is just so sturdy, so fortress-like with all the stones and logs and concrete walls. I felt the same thing up there that I've felt down here... that the house just wraps itself around you when you're in it. Another sign.

My mind about the house, our cottage, is made up, of course. I knew it when we were leaving it yesterday afternoon. I couldn't look back at the house as we drove away because I didn't know if I'd be seeing it again, and I didn't want to remember what it looked like the last time my eyes saw it. So I just looked away into the woods and tried to stop the tears. I couldn't even speak, I was just so choked up. I don't even know when I claimed "ownership" of that cottage. As I washed dishes in the sink? As I made tuna and avacado salad for our first dinner there? As we watched the lightning storm from the deck?

So now begins my husband's thinking... and his discussions with the realtor up there in town, negotiations with the owners, and discussions with a good friend of ours in Dallas who's been selling Texas properties for over 40 years. Ultimately, this decision is my husband's, and I've told him that. I can't make this decision with a clear head, because my heart is already in that house.

My husband has said that if we don't get this house, there will always be another house. I told him that's the rational, sane way of looking at it, and my head understands that, but my heart doesn't. My heart is telling me that if we don't get that house in that town, I may not ever be able to set foot in Comfort again. I haven't told my husband that, because I'm trying not to put any pressure on him. This has got to be his decision, and I'll stick by whatever he ultimately decides to do.

Which reminds me of something one of the shop-owners told me while we were in town. I was asking her about Comfort, and discussing the reasons why the town has stayed so small, so quaint, so Mayberry-like for over a hundred years. She told me that "People don't pick Comfort..... Comfort picks its people. And it just doesn't pick anyone who doesn't get what this town is all about."

In my mind, Comfort picked us ten years ago when we first went there, and every time we've talked about the Hill Country, our conversations always got back to that one town. In my mind, we're already there.

Perfectly Gorgeous Day...........

The weather has been just perfect...... sunny and hot, but not broiling. Everything is in bloom and wherever you walk, the scent of the camellias, hibiscus, white lilacs and jasmine is just floating along on the breeze.

Before we know it, temperatures will be over 100 degrees and garden blooms will be reaching for the sun in the early morning, wilting by noon, recovering by dinner-time, and stretching towards the moon by day's end. Then the process begins again the next day.


I decided, on this gloriously beautiful day, to call my mother in Florida. I figured that it was such a pretty day that no matter what was said over the phone, I could deal with it as long as the sun was shining so nicely. I called once this morning, once this afternoon, then once after dinner. No answer each time. No answering machine, either, so I couldn't leave a message. And I tried to keep the thought out of my head that she has "Caller ID" and she was there looking at my number in the little screen and deciding that she wasn't ready to talk to me yet. I'll just wait and try again. I'm determined, when I do get to speak to her, to keep the conversation light, keep it lively, and keep it away from the past. That subject has been talked to death with my mother and I don't want to get into that again.


We called our little Miss C this afternoon, since she didn't show up here after school today. My husband told her that we had lost our key, and he asked her if we could come over to her house. I don't know how many seconds it took her to realize that he was just joking, but she laughed out loud at that. She said that she had so much homework today that she just walked straight on home after school let out. My husband thinks that C doesn't really lose her key... she just misplaces it so she can have a reason for stopping by here. (As if she needed a reason.) What a great kid. I could say that a thousand times.


The cats spent most of the day either out on the screen-porch or out in the yard today. AngelBoy took a nap on one of the little wicker seats in the flowerbed, and ShadowBaby curled up on the outside deck near Rusty. Mickey Kitty sat on the porch and watched butterflies. I haven't let him out in the yard yet. He's too young, and too little, plus he runs very fast and I'd never be able to catch him if he decides to take a flying leap up onto the fence--- which I think he would because he's just so dang curious. The other cats are too big and too old to do that anymore, so they're just fine in the yard. I don't leave them outside in the yard unless I'm home, though. We have too many neighbor-cats that have their claws and can climb over the fences. One of our first cats died after a fight with a stray cat soon after we moved into this house. It was a painful thing to go through, and I wouldn't like to repeat that.

Mickey Kitty is the cutest kitten still.... he's very small for his age, so I'm thinking he was the 'runt' of the litter. He is the funniest little guy.... when I call his name, he comes bouncing through the house to find me. All of our cats know their names. If I call out a name, just that cat will come running, not all of them, so I truly believe that they do know their individual names. The only time when they all come running at once is when I pop open a can of "Fancy Feast." They not only know the sound of the can opening, but they know the sound of the cabinet door beneath the kitchen sink where I keep their food dishes. If I open that cabinet before I open the can, they'll come running into the kitchen. Mickey Kitty runs so fast that he usually slides on the tiles and bumps into either my legs or the cabinet itself. Such a funny little guy.


"The Amazing Race" is still on TV, and my sister and I are watching the episodes and calling each other after the show is over. I called her tonight and she had to call me back because she hurt her hand--- the "hippies" (two guys from San Francisco) came in last tonight, but it wasn't an elimination round, so they got to stay in the race. They did, however, have to turn in all of their cash and all of their luggage.... they only get to keep the clothes on their backs for the next leg of the race. And wouldn't you know it.... one of the hippies left his shoes in the car, so he couldn't run fast enough to beat out the team called "MoJo" tonight. That was when my sister slammed her hand on her table and hurt her wrist. Talk about getting involved with the show.

Her hand is fine, but she's lucky--- the table she slammed her wrist on top of has a glass top. Imagine going to the emergency room because you slit your wrist on a glass table because one of the hippies has to continue in the race without shoes? Try explaining that one to the emergency room doctor.


Anyway..... that's been the day........ I hope the rest of the week is as beautiful as today was.

More Surprises......

Our young friend C stopped by after school again today, along with her friend L. When I walked to the front door, the two girls were standing on the porch, backpacks slung over their shoulders, with big smiles on their faces. As C walked into the foyer, she said "Darn... I forgot that silly key again!"

I made sure their moms knew where they were, and the girls stayed here till C's mom picked them up after work and drove them both home. C and L did their homework, then worked on the collages that they had started here last week.

Another hot day, of course, so out came the lemonade and cookies. I usually have cookies and sweets in the house for when the girls come over on Saturday mornings, but now I see that I'll need to buy a couple of extra packages. Either that, or start baking. The school year will be ending in just a couple of weeks here, and I have a feeling that the girls will be riding their bicycles over to our house during the week, not just on Saturdays.

C asked me if my husband had come to any decision about the country house. I told her that we're still thinking. C said she didn't want to "rejoice" till she heard the final news, so she wouldn't be too disappointed if we decided against it. I told her she would be the first to know, either way.


I called my sister tonight, and let her know about the package from my mother. She hasn't received a package, and she doesn't think she will. We both know that my mother "has issues" with me, not with my sister. The reason being that I've kept in touch with my dad and the family (after my parents divorced in 1961) and my sister is "like Switzerland," as she calls it--- she keeps to herself and doesn't bother with anyone else.

Which is easy for her to do, being that she was still a baby when our parents split up. I was nine years old...... I grew up with my dad and the entire family. How in the world could I have turned my back on everyone? I always was my father's daughter, and in my opinion, my mother has never been able to overlook that or forgive me for it. That's the reality of the situation and I've learned to accept it. I don't fault her for it, I don't judge her.... it is just what it is and that's that.

So.... I'll wait a few days and call my mother. Or maybe I'll just wait till next week. I want my mind to be at rest when I call her, because I know how the conversation will go and I want to be ready for it. My mother will want to discuss the past...... she left my dad over 40 years ago and she cannot put it behind her, and is still bitter and unhappy about everything that took place after she left. My sister told me that my mother has called her recently and asked about me. My sister's answer to her was "Call her and just ask her yourself." Switzerland refuses to get in the middle of anything and anyone.

Divorce. It's like an earthquake... the damage goes deep and the aftershocks pop up when you least expect them. It just never ends.

It's nearly 10:00 p.m. as I'm typing....... I had a piano lesson today, then went out to the Thai restaurant with K (piano teacher), then came back and was surprised by the girls, then did laundry and ironing (which wasn't as much fun as helping the girls with their art projects), and then the nearly two-hour phone call to my sister. It just feels like it's been a too-long day.

Mexican Non-Labor Day

Today was a day of non-work for Mexican immigrants...... they're looking to make a point, to show how many jobs they hold in certain areas. I'm not sure if they did this nationwide or not, but I could see the difference just in this area on this one day.

I went to the local bakery to buy some ground coffee, and the store was closed. As I stood in front of the store reading the sign which stated they were closed because of the Immigrant Rally Day, I remembered that all of the employees of that bakery are Mexicans. Illegal immigrants or citizens....I have no idea, but they're all Mexicans.

After that, I went up to Kroger to get some grocery shopping done. A lot of the shelves were empty, and a lot of the produce displays were empty. There were carts filled with boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, all waiting to be unpacked. Looking around at the employees in the store this morning, I didn't see any Mexican workers at all, which is unusual for that store, because a lot of their employees come from Mexico.

All day long, I didn't hear one lawn-mower going.... and I realized that all of the lawn services are either owned by Mexicans or staffed by Mexicans. Monday is also a trash pick-up day, and I was wondering if the trucks would come around. They did, much later than usual, but I didn't look outside to see what nationality the workers were today. But on the days that I have seen the trash trucks, all of those men are Mexicans.

Well, the immigrants have made their point, and I would say it was a success. Say what you will about letting Mexican immigrants into Texas, but these hard-working people are filling the jobs that most Texans don't want.

Afternoon Surprises....

Our favorite little Miss C stopped by here on her way home from school this afternoon.... she was with her friends M and L. Of course, L has been here many, many times with C, and M has been here for our holiday parties, along with a few of the other kids in C's group of friends. C had a little bundle of hibiscus blooms in her hand for me, and as she gave them to me, she said: "Don't worry... I made sure to get all the ants off of them first." That kid is just too cute.

Hot afternoon today, so the kids waded through iced tea and lemonade, along with cookies and chocolate. C and her two friends were walking up our street just as my husband was leaving for his office. C hugged him in front of the house, then asked where he was going. She later whispered to me that she wished he could've stayed because she wanted to "show him off" to M. Her friend M is a boy, so I'm guessing she wanted M to think there was "another man in her life." My husband will either be happy or humbled to hear that he was nearly the object of C's "Show and Tell."

The three kids stayed an hour or so before leaving to go to their own homes. I made sure that their parents knew where they were right after they got here. Before they left, though, C wanted to know if we'd made any decision about the country house. I told her that we were making plans to go back up there so we could talk with the owner, and she said that was a good first step. She also said that she had a "neat piece of driftwood" so she can make us a sign for the front gate. I hadn't told her anything about the names I thought of for the house, and she didn't know that I was even thinking about names and signs, so I was happy that she came up with that little thought all on her own. If we do get this house, or any other up there in the Hill Country, I will let C carve out the name on her driftwood. That child, I swear.... she does surprise us in so many good and wonderful ways.


Still another surprise later on this afternoon....... a package delivered via FedEx, from my mother. Haven't heard from her in a few years, and neither has my sister, so the package (needless to say) was indeed a surprise. For reasons known only to our mother, she wishes not to stay in touch with me and my sister. I have long since stopped trying to change her mind on that.

I was watching Oprah when the package was delivered, and as soon as I saw the return-address, I nearly dropped it on the kitchen counter. I didn't open it right away... I continued to watch Oprah on the little TV in the kitchen and just looked over at the package from time to time. It wasn't ticking, so I guessed that it was okay to leave it sitting there for a little bit. (Okay, bad joke... but I couldn't resist.)

I opened the package to find a bunch of things that I had given my mother over the years.... a sweater, a cameo pin, a cross-shaped porcelain box with a rosary inside, a Mother's Day plate, and a Christmas apron. She also included a TIME magazine that was published right after New York City's Sept. 11th tragedy. Also in the box were a bunch of religious pamphlets and blank notecards from a local charity in the state where she lives.

I put the sweater into the box I keep for the Senior Center. I'm sure one of the ladies there could use it. Into the Senior Center box went the porcelain trinket-box and the rosary beads, and even the notecards and the religious booklets. I put the cameo pin in my jewelry box, and the candy-cane fabric apron into the washing machine.... if I find that I don't wear either the cameo or the apron, I'll give them to the Senior Center ladies as well. I paged through the TIME magazine and looked at the graphic photos of the World Trade Center before and after it all collapsed to the ground, and realized that the pictures of that awful day made me feel much worse than the stuff my mother sent back to me.

Heaven only knows what message my mother wanted me to get from the return of those gifts.... I've long since stopped trying to figure her out. Maybe she's just cleaning out things that she has no use for, which would be the charitable way of looking at it. But honestly, if you want to hurt someone's feelings, then just put gifts they gave you into a box and mail it to them out of the blue.

I refuse to let that box from my mother ruin my spirits. We've had a good week here talking about the country house, and C and her friends stopped by after school and the breakfast room is still ringing with their laughter. A cardboard box from Florida filled with stuff just isn't going to get me down. So I think I'll take Gracie for a walk and keep telling myself that over and over as we go towards the park.

The Comfort House

The Comfort house is still on our minds....... we're going to speak with the owner of the house and arrange a visit up there, so we can spend a couple of days and nights in the house and see if it's all that we believe it to be.

As soon as my husband told me that he'd try and arrange that, my mind started making a list of what to bring/what to pack/what to buy. I know one thing for sure..... I won't be packing as many clothes this time.

The only things you need up in the Hill Country are a good pair of jeans and comfortable walking shoes and a few tops. If we do buy this house up there (or any other) I would leave clothes up there so I wouldn't have to pack a bag each time we went up. I'd have the pantry stocked with cans and jars, and all we'd have to carry up there would be perishables.

I've looked at the photos of the Comfort house at least a hundred times now, and I know the lay-out of the house by heart. I've sent the pictures to just one close friend, and I'm trying my best to keep a clear head about all of this. I have to admit that I will leave the final decision to my husband because I know he will make an intelligent decision, rather than an emotional one.

As for me, I can already see us there....... I can imagine us bringing Gracie with us when we go to the house, but we'd leave the cats here for the pet-sitter to take care of. I would not be able to live with myself if one of our cats got out of the house and got lost in the woods up there. The five acres is all fenced in around the property line, but that doesn't mean high wood fences like we have here.... the fences there are low enough for the wild deer and goats to jump over. There are also bob-cats in those woods which can easily catch a house-cat. If we ever decided to live up there permanently, then I'd have the outside deck of that house screened-in, to better protect the cats if they ran out that side of the house.

I also keep thinking of what to "name" the house, because of course you have to do that. Most of the property gates have signs on them with the names of the houses....... this one doesn't, since the owner had it rented out for vacationers from time to time. Although you'd never know that, looking at the pristine condition of the house. I've thought of Comfort Cottage, and GracieLand, and Heaven's Gate, and even simply The Comfort House.

I've got to quit this....... I'm trying to keep a clear mind and just wait and see what happens, but already I'm making lists and re-arranging that house in my mind. As that old saying goes-- "If it's meant to be........"