had finally given me all it was going to give. It seemed cold. Yet the temperature read 90. Hurtling towards the end of October, as we were, I wondered if it was going to really get cold. The weekend was complete and the week ahead was going to be a challenge. Yes, we had the dogs!
Samantha and Edward had decided to go on a road trip. "If we start early and drive through the night ..... Then we will be back next weekend!" Really? And as they were driving, they could take the dogs, right? How naive can one be! (Rhetorical of course!)
Going to Las Vegas via Oklahoma seemed a little peculiar, but as my daughter pointed out to me, they would pass three Buccee's, and anyone who was as obsessed with Buccee's as she and Edward, would agree that the route was the only possible one to take! Edward had long wanted to visit the Win Star casino on the border of Texas and the Sooner State, and this would be a great opportunity. Apparently, the buffet is amazing! Although I am not one to encourage gambling, they are adults and I am sure, sensible! Although relinquishing my right to authority when I said, "I do" in response to the question, "Who gives this woman to this man", six years ago, I retain the right to worry as a mother! However, the casino hopping has ceased to be on my list of concerns. They have been visiting the City of Lights in the Silver State for years, and still have their shirts; several of them from Buccees! My concern was that once leaving Oklahoma on Monday morning, they had a sixteen hour drive, through some very uninhabited terrain!
I walked the animals on Sunday night and started to count. "Six more nights!" I could handle this! I hung off the end of the bed on Sunday night. "Six more nights". I cleared up the shredded tissue and strewn toys on Monday morning. "Six more nights".
After swimming on Monday, I stopped to speak to Raul. "Your last day?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "But it is getting cold. You have to be careful", he said, seriously. I promised him I would not be irresponsible, and if the water felt too cold, I would not take chances. He seemed to be placated. I smiled as I climbed the stairs. I seem to have a group of people, with whom I have no formal 'social' relationship, concerned for my wellbeing.
I walked the dogs when I got to the office. We went for a nice long trek along the car parks and then back inside. It was a beautiful morning, and after I deposited them on the other side of the gate that has been put up between my office and the rest of the space, I was no longer on duty!
My phone had been 'pinging' throughout the day. A little after ten, the kids had driven back into the panhandle of Texas. Shortly after lunchtime, I got a picture of the two of them wrapped up and a temperature reading of twenty three (farenheit). By three o'clock the video showed them going into the petrol station, walking on snow. Samantha was excited. I started to get a little apprehensive. The weather app on my phone had been updated to include Albuquerque and Flagstaff, two main cities in New Mexico and Arizona, just to see what they were going to encounter. The snow in Albuquerque had been coming down for several hours before they were out of Texas! As we were leaving the office, they had crossed into New Mexico and the temperature had dropped to nineteen.
"Five more nights", I said to myself, as I let the dogs into the house after walking them at 10:30 in the evening. "After tonight, only five. I can do this!" My eyes were burning from the wind. It was officially cold. I knew I would not be sleeping very well. Apart from having the dogs to contend with, my younger child was driving her way through the night in sub freezing temperatures, and thick snow. I know she is over thirty. I know she is with her husband. I know they are sharing the driving. She is still my baby!
At three fifteen I could stand it no more. "Are you in Flagstaff yet?" The answer came back, thankfully, very quickly. "An hour and fifteen minutes out". It had stopped snowing once they had left New Mexico, but the temperature had not risen.
Living vicariously through my daughter is not always the best idea! Driving to Las Vegas seemed like a blast, and I had contemplated making the trip with them, as I was invited, but I thought about Edward and whether he really wanted 'the' mother-in-law as a back seat driver. He probably would have been quite happy with the idea, as he would have been able to curl up on the back seat and sleep, whilst my daughter and I shared the driving. However, I chose not to. "You can fly out and we can all drive home together", was the second offer. Perhaps, I thought.
At five thirty, they were about three hours away from their destination. What should have taken sixteen hours was turning into twenty four. New Mexico had slowed them down considerably. The Interstate speed had been reduced from 75 mph to 25 mph. However, it was morning, and the sun would rise soon.
Raul was finishing his morning 'drive inspection', as I walked down the road on Tuesday morning. "You not swimming! Good!" he said. The wintery shower that was beating into my jacket convinced me that he was right. When I say my jacket, I am not being entirely honest. I forgot that I do have a waterproof in the cupboard that would be perfect for this weather, but instead I checked the drawers in the room formerly known as Samantha's and found one of her old track suit tops. It was bright orange and perhaps better in the pre-dawn hour. She must have been taller than me when she was thirteen, from which era it hailed, as it was quite large on me. Not only do I not throw my things away, but I seem to have retained quite a lot of my daughter's clothes! The red (pyjama looking) track suit bottoms with the pink hearts and tootsie rolls would have to be replaced!
After drooling over the icy looking pool, I finished my walk and got ready for work. Long sleeves! I hate wearing long sleeves! Although my winter 'look' is generally more sophisticated to that of the summer, the long sleeves indicated the end of this year. When summer is over, the year is all but done here, and although some may argue, I do not wish time away!
Out came the coat. The boots followed. Despite my sleepless night, and non-preferred alternative exercise, I felt quite good. Not quite the model on the catwalk, but with the gloves and hat, I could have pulled off a 'what the mature lady is wearing' section of a magazine! No guessing which magazine, but I did get some compliments! I suppose in an environment where a pair of jeans is king, it is not much of a challenge, but I do enjoy being different, sometimes!
I had set myself a different challenge for dinner on Wednesday, and thought I would make an 'alternative' southern style meal. The 'alternative' part was that I was not going to fry the chicken. Instead I would coat it and bake it. However, the hashbrown casserole, buttermilk biscuits with gravy (yes white cream gravy that I detest) and collard greens (don't ask) would be quite the achievement, should I pull it off! My first hurdle came when my shredder accessory broke. Having bought several blenders and mixers, I still resort to my old fashioned food processor when it comes to shredding and slicing. Out came the flat shredder and I shredded several large potatoes before realising that perhaps one of the other electrical gadgets may possibly give me a 'shredded' effect. Too late! Managing to keep my finger tips, I completed the job! Would I need to add a new food processor to my shopping list?
"Four more nights. You can do it!" I told myself. I wore a coat. The dogs wore a coat! It was cold. Thankfully, it was dry, but crisp. The wind had dropped slightly, but it was still strong enough to slap my face as I rounded the corner. I hoped I would sleep! A long walk in the cold should, should, make the dogs sleepy, should it not? The kids had arrived at their destination shortly after ten my time, eight Pacific time, and so they were no longer a reason to stay awake! I had a busy morning planned so I needed to be alert!
Bleary eyes, I got up and headed downstairs. Dinner was not meant to be this much of a challenge, but I was very tired. Joe said it was okay to come and visit for a while, and I jumped at the chance! The wind had picked up again, and the rain was like sharp pins on my cheeks. It did wake me up. "Not swimming?" said Charlie, who was dressed in a waterproof covering, and a hat. "Don't tempt me?", I said, and told him that I was too stupid to deny a challenge, even if said in jest. He found that amusing! However, just for good measure he told me that it would not be a good idea to subject myself to freezing temperatures! Another good Samaritan!
After the postman had collected my few letters, and told me that I would have to 'get someone' to put the mail in the box at the bottom of the driveway tomorrow, I left the office. "You mean the relief guy will not come in and collect from us?" said Grant, tongue in cheek. "We will have to be like all the other offices, I guess, and not have personal service. I feel so slighted!" I told him, also tongue in cheek. Dana thinks I am highly favoured! I guess I am!
My kitchen was somewhat of a disaster area, and I was quite relieved
I did not have to take thirty minutes out to go swimming. I made buttermilk biscuits, and wondered about the gravy. Grant had told me that he also hated it with a passion. "It's thick and apart from the pepper, it's tasteless". However, this was a southern dinner, despite the 'alternative' chicken. I set to!
Apparently collard greens are rather bitter. "How do you get the collard greens to not be bitter?" came the question. "Is it because you didn't chop them?" I looked a little bit confused. "Are you meant to chop them?" I responded. Mental notes were being made. The biscuits were, apparently, fluffy and fabulous! However, the best compliment came when Grant and Dana got up for seconds! I was very excited!
"Three more nights", I said as I walked the boys around the complex. They took quite some time to accomplish their tasks, and there were going to be no accidents on my watch! Three times we walked around, and finally, success. Dana does not come with me on the evening walks, as if they do not 'take care of business' within the first five minutes, it is back to base!
Walking has its advantages, I am sure, but at the moment I cannot fathom what they are! I thought I would be at work on time, but I was not! "The cleaning lady left late!" I told Dana. Grant made me coffee and then said, "You must give me the recipe for your cream gravy. It was amazing!" You could have scooped me off the floor with a spoon! I laughed and laughed. A born and bred Texan, who abhors cream gravy, wants my recipe! Of course, I added a couple of things, like stock granules, and chopped up sausage, (which is sometimes included,) but it was still cream gravy! Jerry asked me what was funny. I told him. "Oh he's from 'the Gin', (a pet name they have given Grant's current home town,) he will eat anything!" he responded. "Well, thank you for that vote of confidence", I told Jerry, who laughed at my sudden deflation!
I didn't want to go to the post office on Thursday afternoon, and Grant would have happily gone for me, but without his Girl Friday in the office, he was swamped. The line was long. I had several packages that had to be sent out and were too heavy to put in the box. "Hey sweetie", came the familiar voice of Vikki, the now head cashier! "How are those grandbabies?" she continued. The customer at her counter looked over, waiting for the reply. "Getting bigger", I said. "They will do that" said Vikki, and her customer nodded, knowingly. When I was finished, I called across. "Bye, Vikki. See you soon". "Take care, hon", she shouted, and her new customer waved. Austin at its best!
"Two more nights", I said to the dogs, as they sauntered around the complex. It seemed to be slightly warmer, although it was still a little on the chilly side. The walk took a long time. I was counting down the days until their departure. I was just looking forward to an evening where I could sit down, in the warm, and not have to venture out for a late night walk, if I didn't want to.
Friday started off quite cool, but it was warm when we left the office. I did not need a coat! I drove myself home, and wondered what the water would be like. "Are you going swimming?" said Dana, as he came in with the animals in tow. I didn't really have to think about it. "No", I responded. "Good", he said. I was surprised he asked, due to my inability to deny a challenge.
Out came the boots, and Stetson on Saturday morning. The season was almost officially over! I headed north and did my shopping. It took much longer than I had anticipated, but the queues were quite long, and the traffic not as light as it has been. I came home, unpacked and went down to the pool in anticipation! It was quite lovely. At about 77, I thought I would sit and read for a bit, and maybe, maybe take a dip. However, when you can't feel your legs, because they are so cold, yet you can feel them because they hurt, you know the water is too cold! I stayed poolside for about an hour, and once the sun had departed, so did I! It was encouraging, though, as perhaps the overnight lows would rise. It's November, woman! Try as I might, I cannot give up! On my way back to my condo, I saw a young girl, perhaps in her twenties, heading towards the pool, with a mat and a tripod. Dressed in a sort of leotard, I gathered she was going to exercise. (Samantha puts her phone on a tripod to watch what is next in the routine.) It took all my strength not to follow her. If she so much as put a toe in the water, I would jump in. What is wrong with me!
The dogs were very quick to complete their ablutions on Saturday night. We walked the circuit, just to wear them out! It did not work! Once inside, they appeared to gain energy! One more night. One more night!
I woke early on Sunday. The clocks had gone back an hour and it was light. I headed out for my walk. I don't remember being so energetic last year. If I didn't swim during the week, I walked at lunchtime. I never walked early morning! On my final lap, I saw one of my neighbours. "Not swimming?" she asked. I told her that I had been up until Monday, and she shuddered. She thought I had given up a couple of weeks ago. "Have you seen 'My friendly octopus'," she asked. I responded in the negative. She continued to tell me it was about a man who goes deep sea diving, without a wet suit, in very cold water, and just acclimatizes to the cold. I told her I would watch it. "Not that you have to go in the water. You don't have to go into the water", she said, with pleading eyes. Challenge!
I shall go down to the pool, just to read, and test the water. It is what I do! The wind seems to be picking up slightly, although the temperature is pleasant. I promised myself I would take care of 'winter projects' this weekend, but I will probably break that oath!
The first day of November, and I am still not giving up. The temperatures are due to rise next week, and into the following week. Overnight lows are predicted to be higher than the day temperatures this week. Apparently, there is no snow forecast on the homeward bound route for my daughter and her husband, and I am hoping to see them soon. I am not sure who will be happier, me or the dogs! However, it will be good to have them home safe and sound and in Texas. That still sounds a little strange, but then life has been strange, here and in ............. another story!
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