This old gal….
Got the tables turned on her… At the Ezy Kleen Laundromat…. Not much going on….a few people here and there…women…men…a dad and his young teen… This husband of mine….got lost in the video game corner…using our laundry quarters strategically to try to win a game by knocking quarters off a ledge…into his eager hands… I cheered him on…cuz why not…you’re only young once…have a little fun while things tumble…. Returning from a load check…the teen smiled at me…like we had a secret…and asked how the video game was going…. We joked that we were sure the win was big…. When his folding job was done…he joined us…with quarters of his own…playing the Candy Claw…and cheering my Mr. on…. He’s 15…. loves the Huskers…used to live in Lincoln…has an older brother with autism who benefits from stress balls at school…plays Minecraft but not too much…and worries he has OCD because he likes structure…. We shared his Candy Claw candy….while we talked…and tried to decide if we liked the blue raspberry chewy prize… He and his dad said good-bye as they headed out… And then I realized…today I wasn’t the observer…at the Ezy Kleen…I was the noticed…this 15 year old…with the kind smile…who loves Sour Patch Kids….wondered about MY story… The mom me…loved talking kid talk…the teacher me…loved it even more…someone..somewhere…knew just what I needed… A Laundromat…BFF And this husband of mine…agrees.
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This husband of mine and I…
Went on an African safari…Texas Style…beautiful clear skies….cool temps….acres of free roaming animals… Speed Limit 20...no traffic...one way only...well marked drive…no way we could get lost on this adventure… Hundreds of animals….exotic…native…threatened…healthy…beautiful…some curious…others pesky... Only one we brought home...chose her carefully…tucked her gently in a brown paper sack…knew she was perfect for us... Named her Dotty…a new friend for Spotty...because retired or not…some of us are still just kids at heart… And this husband of mine…agrees... This husband of mine… Has a new best friend...he calls him….Best Friend… The ladies…at the resort…say he’s a stray…been here two years…they call him Izzy... During the day….BF is an office cat…eats kibble…plays cat toys…and cuddles the boss...nights and weekends…BF is booted outside…to roam the grounds…and do what cats do… My Mr…frets over BF…out in the night..all alone…afraid he’s too cold...or hungry…or lost...each morning…he checks…to make sure BF is waiting…by the office door…for his people to come... And no matter what…Best Friend is always there…by sun up…even on weekends…when only we know…his people aren’t coming… We will be your friend…we say…when your people aren’t here…but…it’s hard to get in the Cool Cat Club…and so far…we don’t have what it takes… But we can wait…we have time…and patience…and cat treats…we will be here…when you need us…cuz that’s…what best friends do… And this husband of mine…agrees... This husband of mine and I…
Spelunked at Natural Bridge Caverns... Got lost…of course…not on the drive…not in the cave….but from the ticket booth to the tour entrance... Was pretty tight quarters…190 feet below ground…water dripping everywhere….wet slick path….hot as a sauna… but it was stunning…and magical…and comical... Because….there’s always a Mr. Whatever Expert...trying to stump the 20 year old tour guide with queries…if these pillars grow one inch every hundred years…how many years old is that 20 foot pillar… Anyone? Anyone?...And sweet tour guide Emily wanted to be anywhere but there…delivering her canned tour jokes like…Bueller…Bueller...and responding to Mr. Expert pretty much with an ohh emm geee… But for 2 hours we were all cave friends…oohing and ahhing over the mysteries of the underground….and immaturely chuckling at the 15000 year old bat guano… And this husband of mine...agrees... This husband of mine…
Does this thing when we're driving...it’s like his personal version of Slug Bug...but in our case…it’s called Jeep... Every time he spies a jeep…he says…jeep...not loud…not forceful…just an observation…jeep...this came to be...soon after the first love of his life…rickety old red Jeep Cherokee…was towed to that scrapheap in the sky... We’d be driving along…chatting away…and…blah blah blahbedy blah jeep blah blah blah blah jeep blah blah… Then…on our country Sunday-drives-every-day-of-the-week…he added two more items to the game…cows…and predator bird…blah blah chat chat cows blah blah predator bird chat blah blahbedy jeep... This old gal can tell you…that never in all her years…has she ever noticed or used the term…predator bird...and now…here she is…playing the game in her head…stop sign…jeep…need to turn right…cows….slow down…tight curve up ahead…oh huh…there’s a predator bird… The seed had been planted…one of us has now been conditioned to notice these things too… So clever wife me started her own game…blah blah Target…blahbedy blah…Chick-fil-a…chat blah…donuts… Because we all know…what works for the goose…will work for the gander... And this husband of mine may not be aware…but he…agrees... This old gal…
Is a people watcher...an observer...a wonderer… It was Ezy-Kleen Laundromat day… I notice…a beautiful lady…wearing the most adorable yellow jumper with painted flowers… I notice….she has five large loads drying….and at least that many to fold…and I wonder why she’s washing...her decorative curtains…bedding…pillows…blankets… I notice….she has oxygen strapped to her back…and she looks tired…and I wonder what I can do for her today… We chat…while we fold…and she shares… She was in the hospital 3 months…thought she was going to die…she’s tired and still so weak…but she wanted everything clean…the jumper is comfy but she feels women judge her for wearing it…because it’s so bold… I tell her…I’m glad she’s recovering…her jumper’s not being judged but instead being admired…because secretly…we all wish we were brave enough to wear something so fun… We smile...she says I made her day...and says she knows she will feel like herself again by summer… And this old gal...agrees... Everyone has a story… Notice…Wonder…Care… And this husband of mine...agrees... This husband and I…
Are hobbling today…maybe….it’s because somehow….we got lost…in Guadalupe State Park…read the path map wrong...thought we were taking a nice short jaunt…around a loop… But...Map Reading Misfits R Us….didn’t notice the YOU ARE HERE arrow...red…big...noticeable…until three miles up the path…when the loop didn’t materialize… Then we realized we didn’t start where we thought we started...and weren’t walking the direction...we thought we were walking...and there…was...no…loop… But this old gal...loved this hike...the paths were paths…and marked… saw my first armadillo…the river was stunning… Knew a wise man once….who had an 80 year old friend named Hoot…and after a day of doing farm chores would chuckle and say…between me and Hoot…we make one man… And that’s how it is…with Mr. and Me…between us…we maybe make one person with enough map reading skills to at least...get us back to the car… And this husband of mine…agrees... This husband and I…
Went back in time… Visited the hometown of LBJ…aptly named….Johnson City…saw his childhood home…the settlement area of his ancestors… Drove through quaint little Blanco on the way… These little towns so intriguing…the architecture….use of stone…gray lumber…the character…the story each tells… It’s like this old gal is suddenly in an episode of Bonanza…mosey up to the General Store…run into Little Joe….ahhh…Little Joe…he was the childhood crush of little me…a photo op would be needed for sure…in front of a pecan tree…the sky bluer than blue… You never know what you may find…when you go back in time…popcorn and apples…the black and white tv…family time…and the Ponderosa… New adventures…sweet memories…and old heartthrobs… And this husband of mine...agrees... This old gal… Saw something beautiful…at lunch… A family comes in…Mom…Dad…Grandma…two cutie patooties…both preschool age...Cutie…was not having it…screamed all the way in…and kept it up a good long while…the no tears just wailing kind of screaming… From this old gal's seat...the view was them…and only them…couldn't help but be drawn in…while eating…it was dinner and a show... Cutie pulled out all the stops…wailing…sniffing…blubbering…at one point he slid down the booth and curled in a ball under the table… Watcher me...was riveted…not because of the tantrum…but instead….how it was handled… Dad hugged Cutie close and helped him butter a roll…Mom held his hand and took him for a walk…they worked to distract…support…encourage…they were a calm...quiet…synchronized team… This old gal complimented them…on our way out…told them what great parents they were…Patootie showed off his muscles and said I had a pretty shirt…Cutie said he loved soccer…and Spider-Man… This mom heart was warmed…seeing these boys loved…this teacher heart encouraged…seeing these boys loved… What the world needs now…is love…sweet love… And this husband of mine…agrees. This husband and I…
Went there…yep…this old gal said it…we….went….there…. Comic-Con... Who wouldn’t want to be engulfed in a sea of colorful characters…chatting excitedly…bringing life to the party…were easily the oldest people there…except for Erik Estrada… Knew none of the famous people highlighted….except Erik Estrada… Recognized only a few participants…Spider-Man…Ghostbuster…Deadpool….and Erik Estrada… Were most likely the least knowledgeable in attendance…couldn’t put a name to one anime character…had no idea there was ever a cartoon voiced by….Erik Estrada… But we didn’t go there because of his animated series…or that iconic show Chips…no...we went because that 2013 movie… Chupacabra vs. the Alamo…starred…none other than...Erik Estrada... So worlds collide…TV stars from the past…the chupacabra…The Hill Country Comic-con….one block away…. It was a blast... And this husband of mine…agrees. |
This Old Gal
Devoted Wife Magical Mom Retired Teacher Embracing life's grand adventures with humor and grace. Archives
July 2024
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