Just Another Manic Monday

 (I realize that today is Tuesday, but I damn sure didn’t have a chance to blog anything yesterday!)

I got an unprecedented 3 calls from my son yesterday - the first two were appreciated but unremarkable; just routine stuff. Zach is dealing with the aftermath of his car accident: fortunately the other party is accepting complete responsibility which means he was able to pick up a rental car yesterday & return Andy’s old Lexus. The old reliable warhorse of the Impala is fixable with Andy’s help in finding a body shop, which is great news…

But when he called me at the end of the day asking me if I wanted to meet for dinner, Z’s voice sounded funny - of course I would come meet him even though Monday night would be something out of the ordinary. I was glad I had completed my errand of mercy over lunchtime, making a house call for a friend to euthanize their elderly Doberman. Fortunately traffic coming from the south (going into town) is minimal in the evenings; Zach asked me to rendezvous at Andy & Adela’s house which there again was perfectly reasonable since Andy has been struggling - I had tried to take them some Chinese food on Sunday, but Adela had taken him back to the VA.

It came as a complete shock when Zach walked into their kitchen with his little bag from the high-end jewelers - his surprise was that he had gotten Victoria‘s rings paid off! He had not mentioned a word about it for months & months; with their recent “little bumps in the road”, I’d been afraid to ask. Of course I’ll post photos when I can - I don’t want to rain on my son’s parade, but as much as he would love to propose to her when they go to Mexico next week, all three of us (Andy, Adela & myself) advised him not to take the rings into Mexico. Andy said it best: that Z might make an honest man a thief. Fortunately Zach seemed to get where we were coming from, but he rushed off shortly thereafter to talk to his friend & former roomie Brooks. Adela loaded me up with leftover birthday cake so Peran & I could have our own little celebration when I got home. This does make me glad to be the mother of the groom with less financial obligations - I had offered to sell my old rings and contribute those meager funds towards the cause, but there’s not a market for small, mid-quality natural diamonds when you can obtain these huge, flawless laboratory-grown ones for a fraction of the cost.

Today’s gonna be a terrible Tuesday in its own way, so I’d better start getting ready. My dogs woke me up barking at something around 2 AM but I managed to shut down my anxious brain and drift off back to sleep until shortly after 6:00.

The Ties That Bind

 I had to look it up to confirm dates, but when PF Chang’s came on the scene in the early 90’s, I remember it as more of an upscale “Asian-fusion” dining experience? Never in our regular rotation like our beloved Tex-Mex joints, but we went a few times Back in the Day… All I can say now is that it’s definitely gone downhill - feels as if they’re serving Panda Express in a fancier setting!?!

Let me back up and start at the beginning - all I intended to do yesterday afternoon was to deliver a couple of pumpkins to my son, but I wound up with an impromptu invitation to Victoria‘s grandmother’s birthday celebration. Of course I will never bypass any invitation from my son, even if it involves getting roped into running an errand like picking up her birthday cake (Zach had forgotten he had a dentist appointment). But with all the fine dining opportunities that abound in the DFW area**,  somehow we wound up at PF Chang’s? Victoria had the day off so she had taken her grandmother to the Dallas Arboretum, perfect weather for their pumpkin-patch display!

** we had to find someplace that would satisfy Victoria‘s grandfather’s inconsistent appetite; he has not been doing well, but that’s another story

PF Chang‘s now has their “Chef’s Feast” option which is the best value since you get an appetizer, soup or salad and then a main-course dish. Andy was adamant that he wanted “no rice!” as we patiently explained to him multiple times that the rice would be served on the side. (Even more alarming than his physical deterioration is his cognitive decline) And again, while it was nice to see everyone, this was not a memorable fine-dining experience like our expedition to the Fort Worth stockyards two weeks ago… “I ate it anyway” so won’t be approaching my scales after all that oil, sodium, & MSG. The highlight was returning to Andy & Adela’s to cut the cake & witness their dog Mac’s unbridled joy at seeing ZACH!!! since he’s been taking him for walks. (I wanted to tell Mac I know how he feels, but if I wiggled my butt & jumped up & down in delight, Zach might not invite me over as often ;-)

Time to disturb my little lap warmer Izzy & get on with my day

Diminishing Returns

  There comes that cold hard point in one’s existence where the reality of your own limitations (physical, financial, existential??) meet the parameters of this Great Escape you’ve planned, like waves crashing upon the beach. And in the long run, having as little effect.

Nothing really “bad” happened on my mini-vacay trip to Quitaque; things just didn’t go quite as planned. Most folks were somber as we realize that this might be our last chance to enjoy these trails as the ranch is on the market (for the low low price of $8 million - needless to say, it might take a while to sell) and who knows if the new owners will continue to allow equestrian access? 

https://www.land.com/property/5457-acres-in-Briscoe-County-Texas/20852165/

Silas didn’t like his new boots (I think more a case of he’s never worn such things before rather than not fitting properly) so we wound up picking our way gingerly through the first day barefoot. We wound up falling in with a group of 7 moms & daughters; everything was fine but we had to go slow and both of us were tired at the end of our 16-mile loop. I treasure these horse-camping opportunities for the splendid isolation/private time it affords me, but this time instead of reading & journaling, I mindlessly surfed the 'Net. (Cue minor guilt for wasting precious irreplaceable time) Silas’s back wound up a little sore so I decided not to ride on Day 2. My friend Chris’s horse likewise had girth galls, so we had a nice “coffee-time” visit Saturday morning before I loaded up for a leisurely haul home. Chris is recently widowed (her husband passed away last month after an extended cancer battle), so she of course is still grieving as she adjusts to her new reality.

About 150 miles from home, my truck developed an alarming vibration. Everything was running fine, so I slowed down and kept proceeding towards home (spoiler alert: it was a bad tire, but it didn’t blow out on me and I got home safely even though my nerves were stretched tight) Victoria’s grandfather has loaned Zach a car to drive to work as he goes through the slow & tedious process with the insurance adjuster. (I offered him either my baby Buick or my mom’s big land yacht of a Buick, but he’d rather drive Andy’s old Lexus) Once the settlement is complete, we will sort out what to do about a “new used” vehicle for him.

At some point I have to seriously question how much benefit I received from this recreation: this last weekend seemed like it carried a large component of stress, even though it was great to see everyone as always. I am on my last week of this two-month commitment to acupuncture, and while I can say I seem to be sleeping better I don’t know that it’s done me much benefit in my other symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, etc.

I didn’t take very many photos but I’ll try to post a few later.

                                                   This is another friend's panoramic shot

67 Inches Above Ground

 I recently completed “Six Feet Under” which, while quite engaging & entertaining, did not seem to have the profound effect on me many other people have attested. Perhaps because I deal with death & dying Every. Damn. Day - granted, in veterinary medicine, not the human field but it makes me more inured to it. “Yes, Virginia, we’re all gonna die & it’s a process for the most part that we have little or no control over!”

Last night, Zach had completed his first community outreach program for the City of Dallas (setting up a table, handing out water bottles & talking to citizens at a nearby park) - he was feeling good about himself after a 12 hour workday when some kid ran a stop sign and Zach could not avoid hitting him. Fortunately Zach is uninjured, although he is stiff & sore and may go to an urgent care clinic today to have his potential whiplash injuries investigated, but in all likelihood insurance will total his car - it’s a 2012 Impala & it’s just not worth that much! So, like it or not, we will be car shopping and Zach will have to take on (another**) car payment.

**I’m still covering the car payment on the other car which Zach seems to have ceded to Victoria for the most part - I’m grateful he wasn’t in the Lexus; it would’ve been heartbreaking to wreck that one!

So I’d better shift my freight to get moving on my own workday, since I don’t want to sacrifice my ride this weekend, carpe diem & all that…I’m going to finish paying the piper for my colleague Dr M by spaying their pet skunk!