Freedom

As we look forward to a long holiday here in the United States I know almost everyone who works will be delighted to have a few extra days off. I know I was when I worked. A few extra days of freedom were much appreciated.


It is going to be a quiet weekend here in North Central Texas. Alex has moved on and didn't cause us too much grief; however, it was a close call for my youngest daughter. She had to work in Houston the day Alex came in. It was pouring rain down there. As she was starting home to Austin on highway 290 her car started skidding and ran over the median. She had one side in her lane and one going into the opposite traffic. A policeman stopped and helped her out of the car. She had no injuries, Thank you Lord! and the officer told her lots of people have been killed at that place. There is a section of road by my house that everytime it drizzles someone runs up in the yard and into a tree or something. My daughter was blessed and watched over that day. She didn't tell me until last night...little goofball. Her neck is a little stiff, but otherwise she is in good health. I gotta tell ya...she was totally freaked out and she never gets scared. Thank goodness for huge company cars, a Crown Vic. The car was totaled and the undercarriage was torn all to heck, but the top didn't have a scratch on it. It will be months before she gets another company car, but that is ok with me. It wasn't her fault and nobody was injured. I haven't talked with her today, though. Correction....I did talk to her this evening and she feels fine. She is ironing and cleaning house getting ready for the long weekend.


I'm looking forward to a day of not having to do anything. Since I've been feeling better they are getting farther and farther apart. It looks like I'm going to have to start hawking my little garden for worms too. I went out to check the little vegetable garden this morning and there was a gigantic worm that had eaten all the leaves off one of my okra plants and had done a number on one of the eggplant leaves. The worm is now residing in a bag of yard clippings. It actually was a beautiful light green worm. It wasn't a tomato horn worm, but it was/is a work of art. It has "scales" that cover and protect it. Worst that happened to it here was it got dumped into a bag of yard waste. It is probably chomping away in there.


The days have been much cooler and we finally got rain from Alex. It is too bad we can't share it around so nobody gets too much or too little but we are grateful for it. We had been entering a drought before the storm. It is very unusual for it to be coolish in July in Texas! The week before the temps had been 100F.

4th of July plans are being made and they are super simple. My cousin is coming to visit and is bringing desert....after a flashing round of emails we both decided brownies would be the very best thing in the world for dessert. I have some frosting and she has something equally evil, but legal, for them. I'm going to cook a brisket and some pecan smoked sausage, sliced red tomatoes, some squash from our little garden, and some peppers from our little grocery store, and maybe some macaroni salad for them. Trust me I'll be not having carbs for a good long time after Independence Day! Also, I am going to splurge on a new Scrabble game for us. I love playing and my cousin and I used to have several games going online at Scrabulous, but they have gone by the wayside now. She plays some game that is very similar, but I haven't gotten into it yet. It is fun to play with her, her daughter who lives in Seattle and my sister.....who we think cheats with Scrabble aids. We consider that to be not as pure as going it straight, but we cut her a lot of slack.

Last night was an experience with the C Pap machine. Yikes! At first it was the devil to get set up and started and then it wouldn't work properly. I finally got to sleep with it blowing my face off, but it was sleep. Then about 4am I awoke with a start and said "What the HECK! There isn't any air!" It had just quit working and I had to take the thing off to breathe. "Saint Hubby" worked on it and got it going somehow or other. The rest of the night was uneventful and this morning we started trying to figure out what was going on with it. We finally just called them and they are bringing a new one out next week. She asked if I could manage on my own and I told her I'd managed for 65 years and I figured a few more days would be doable. I'm fixin' to give it another run and see what happens. If you don't hear from me again, it will be the C Pap turned on me and smothered me.

I ordered "Mrs. Miniver" the other day from Amazon and am anxiously awaiting the movie. I'm wanting it right now, but the postage to get it in 2 days was astronomical. So, I'll wait. They might have it at Blockbuster, though. I thought that was such a good movie.

After 9/11 I wondered if I would or could be as strong a woman as Mrs. Miniver. Maureen Dowd wrote a column about that subject after 9/11 and it got me thinking, and I still wonder from time to time. I love to read her columns, but have fallen off the wagon lately in keeping up with her strong wit. I miss Molly Ivins and Ann Richards, too. Makes me wonder where have all the strong Democratic women gone. I'm grateful to have lived while they were alive and so vibrant.

Sleep well. I'm going to go throw myself in the bed now. Night Night