Home again, home again

Not exactly dancing a jig, but very happy to be here. Came home yesterday, well, Thursday late afternoon -- I'm obviously having a few sleep challenges here, but that's nothing new -- and felt a million times better just being able to be with dog and husband and see what has been going on with the house. I find myself surrounded by angels.

Larry is head angel. He is a great, great help -- tender, caring and so thoughtful. He's ready to do anything here at the house, since he doesn't have to make that three hour or more round trip to PV and back every day now. Nine times in ten days....Those of you who have been on that road should have a double appreciation of the effort he put out.

Remember Lucy? She's been staying in the guest room here. She's a messy, crazy, slightly flakey 23 year old English girl who has decided to forego starting her master's degree at Exeter this fall, and is staying on in Guayabitos, dancing with the entertainers at the Los Cocos all-inclusive resort here. It's like the movie Dirty Dancing. "I'm that girl!" she says. Her schedule is really bizarre, but she's great company, sweet and affectionate to me, brings flower bouquets to brighten the bedroom, and makes me happy.

And Mona....wonderful Mona from down the street. The same Mona that introduced me to the petroglyphs at Alta Vista where we got stuck in the road and she and I and the nun who was her B&B guest at the time got the truck out by ourselves. She has taken on the task of seeing that I am well fed. She is a juicing fiend, knows her fruits and veggies, yogurts and cereals, and makes heavenly soups full of good things that process easily through tender innards. This is a great relief to Larry, whose idea of a balanced meal is a slice of pizza and a cupcake in each hand. It is answered prayer for me. I looked at that huge bowl of Raisin Bran my sweet husband presented me with this morning and thought, "God, help me." The phone rang -- and it was Mona!

So I think I'll crawl back into bed now and see if sleep will come. More tomorrow. I'm getting back in a writing mood.

I knew I felt bad....but not THAT bad!

Things got a little rough in Lubbock -- like a crisis. Larry and I cut our trip short and headed back to Mexico. Got here a week ago today and entered the Amerimed Hospital in Puerto Vallarta the next day. I've been here ever since. After taking five units of blood, I went through surgery on Saturday, and have been recovering. Hoping to go home tomorrow, but we'll see.

Thank you, dear, dear friends for comments on the blog (this is the first time I've visited it since last August!). And for calls here to the hospital (that's difficult and expensive, I know). But especially for e-mails. Everytime one comes in it's like a bouquet. Larry has been reading them all to me, and I will respond to each one eventually. He has tried to keep up, but being a two fingered hunt and peck typist who hasn't learned to copy and paste, it is a real effort for him. I can't begin to say how much it means to know people care.

I care, too, and will begin blogging again through these next days. Life is worth living -- especially now that it may include solid food again. :-)

Suspended Animation

Thought I'd let people know we haven't fallen off the planet. There is nothing going on. And I realize that this is the first time in, maybe years, that we haven't had a project, or guests, or something pending to consider. We're still here, hangin' out at Mom's. Biggest decision of each day is whether to eat out or in -- and then where. Will write more when there's something to say. Thanks, you who have rattled my cage to see if there's still life. Glad you care! Love it when you throw peanuts.

Of brisket and memories....

The aroma filled the house this morning at three o'clock. I woke up with my mouth watering. Beef brisket, salt, pepper, garlic -- wrapped in foil. 200 degree oven all night. Falling apart this morning. Brisket brings back so many memories.

Thirty eight years ago today -- in a house ten blocks away -- I woke up for the last time as Susan Jackson. By evening I'd be Susan Cobb. I still am. Happy Anniversary, Cobbo, love of my life. I'm so grateful we're together. Thank you for hanging in there with me.

This would have been a fortieth anniversary high school reunion for me. If they'd had one. I checked the website. Nada. There were several class contacts and I e-mailed an old friend I recognized, thinking she might still be in town. Nope. Oklahoma. She seemed friendly and I responded with way too much info. I haven't heard back. I don't blame her. I was overcome by nostalgia for....what? Maybe it's because I've been in bed for several days and got a little crazy.

My mom shows love with food. I've been a challenge for her lately. Cobbo and I crossed the Texas border and began indulging crispy, crunchy everything, eating deep fried like we'd never tasted it before. Shoot, it was America! You could actually drive through a restaurant and get food -- a LOT of it. "You want more fries with that, Mister?" My system rebelled about three days later, and I've been sidelined for a while.

Lying on my back, Mom's spent a lot of time by my side, patting my hand. We talk. We remember. I'm coming around, and, well, now there's this brisket thing....

Maybe it's time to take a look back at Lubbock. Put a little history down for posterity. Maybe work through some issues of what I love and hate so strongly here.

Larry and I are scheduled to be here for the next five weeks. There's not a whole lot to do and a lot of time to do it. So I've started a new blog: Flatland Voyages. If you're up for a detour, come on along.

Happy, Happy, Happy

THIS is what Happy, Texas, looks like, coming from Lubbock, headed north to Amarillo. Not exactly the terrain you see in the movie Happy, Texas -- which, by the way is a really funny movie, despite its geographical errors.

Back when I was a kid working for my dad, I remember addressing correspondence to "Happy Gin." We're talking cotton gin, but I thought it was a hoot of a name. Made me grin yesterday when Larry and I went with motorcycle seller Mitchell to the Happy State Bank, so Mitchell could pay off his loan and give us title to Larry's new Harley.

So THIS is Larry happy, happy, happy once again.

Flying Solo

It was a big day last Tuesday for my niece Ashton, and I was there! A loooooong time ago I got my pilot's license down in Midland, Texas. The day I soloed, there was no advance warning. My instructor just asked me to pull over and let him out, (we were on the ground) and said I was ready. So it really was an all-by-myself solo with no one to witness or record the event.

Ashton had a lot of notice, so her mom and dad, her aunt and grannie were all out rooting for her and taking lots of pictures. Here's one of me and the Cessna she was flying. I don't think that hangar has had a paint job since I landed here on my cross country back in ..... oh never mind.

Ashton is also taking Russian. Wants to be an astronaut. Wonder if the second language shouldn't be....Chinese?

Lucha Libre en San Antonio

This is just a short blog entry. I'm at Susie and Mark's house in San Antonio and I'm showing her how to blog! Thought you'd like to know that the lucha libre mask I brought for nephew Forrest was a big hit, even though the bright red trim had faded to pink. So now, Susie, this is the way you post a photo.....

More later, people. We're doing well. Heading for Lubbock tomorrow.