Dogpiled

Inspirational song: Long Way Home from Anywhere (Bruce Robison)

My gosh, I love my family completely, through all their charms and faults (and too a man we have our share of each), but after five days and four nights, I am so glad to be on the ground in Colorado. The return trip was uneventful and easy. I didn't have to wait a full minute at the curb for pickup. And we encountered next to no traffic coming back to town. I can finally unwind now.

The animals have all greeted me. The dogs have already been kicked out once for getting over-excited and wrassling on the bed, on top of me. Saoirse is back and Beinn is wondering if he is allowed in yet. It's flattering being missed, but that doesn't mean I want new bruises as a way to say hello. Even Athena knocked my phone into my chin hard enough to hurt. 

I can't wait until tomorrow, when I get to go visit with the babies again. It has been a full week since I saw them, and it is so difficult to go that long. I got regular photo updates and two video chats while I was gone. It doesn't compare to having the real thing in person.

Covet

Inspirational song: Sunday Morning Coming Down (Kris Kristofferson)

Aw, another piece of my formative years has gone. I remember a whole lot of Kris Kristofferson music playing in the soundtrack of my youth. I should be happy he stayed with us as long as he did. Farewell to a brilliant singer-songwriter.

We were invited to go to church with my uncle and aunt this morning. They have just found a tiny church kind of out in the boonies where they felt instantly connected, and they wanted us to share their experience. I will admit, the congregation was welcoming, and the message did resonate. And driving past farmland was lovely too. There were a bunch of yellow weedy flowers growing along the sides of the road. There were at least two separate types, and we pulled over at my request to get a picture of some of them. When we were driving fast, we thought they were sunflowers, but when we stopped to look, we were much less confident in what we were seeing.

We had a homemade dinner at my cousin's house. It's almost my uncle's birthday, and they wanted to bring him over for a family meal to mark it. I haven't seen my cousin's youngest son since he was a teenager, and now he is grown and engaged to be married. How does time pass so quickly? While we sat and talked to the family, I spotted an antique rocking chair that was child-sized, for their grandchildren. It wasn't the classic wooden rocker, but an early 20th century upholstered one that is remarkably similar to the full-sized one I have that belonged to my great-grandmother. It was made, or at least reupholstered, in the small north Texas town that our Reynolds clan hails from. It must be a good thing that my uncle took us to church, because oh, forgive me, I covet. So much.

I head home tomorrow. I don't know the plan for the day. By ear, I guess.

One Side to the Other

Inspirational song: Traveling Soldier (Bruce Robison)

Time in Tulsa was too short. I got to see everyone, which was nice, but I spent most of my time decompressing. I'm not sure I was talkative enough. I'll have to make another trip down sooner than later. (Sorry, didn't mean to drop the S-word on the OSU side of the family.)

I made it to OKC five minutes past my initial show time, although by the time I got on the road, my deadline had slipped by an hour. We were originally going to go to Eischen's early, but once my uncle really thought it through, he decided early on a Saturday would be unwise. He was proved correct, when the waitress said it was hopping until the OU game kicked off, and by then everyone had gone home to watch.

It was pretty cool to be able to watch football with my dad, uncles (one of whom was a coach for years), and aunt who is as fluent in the sport as anyone for having been a coach's wife all that time. That was like reliving the best part about fall holiday gatherings. The only part that would have made the memory sweeter would be the one uncle singing the Houston Oilers fight song like he used to in the old days. And even though we watched OU all the way to the end, I still got to see the 4th quarter of the CU game. It had a delayed start, so there was just enough time to catch the end.

On the way back from Eischen's bar (where fried chicken is their specialty, but I managed to get a frito pie that was GF), we stopped at the veterans museum owned and operated by the Yukon American Legion. (My cousins will correct me if I'm saying the wrong organization.) They have an extensive collection of artifacts, and my cousin and his wife who are on the board of the museum, are understandably proud of their museum. We were all impressed, I can say with certainty.

I have another day and a half here before I head home, so I think I can pause here for now. There will be plenty left to write about.

Low Key

Inspirational song: America (Simon & Garfunkel)

My Tulsa family and I understand each other pretty well. We don't need high-power, fancy entertainment. For that matter, we barely need entertainment at all. We are content to exist in each other's presence, piping up with questions and comments when they occur to us, but also just zoning out on TV or reading or just resting. It's a relief not needing to perform for anyone, or be on the go through my whole vacation. We used to try that when I was a lot younger, but even then I had trouble keeping up. I predict the other side of my family, who I will meet up with in OKC in the morning will have learned this same lesson. There may be more lively conversation, but no one is going to expect me to dress up for fancy dinner or hoof it around an amusement park or anything physically taxing. These are vacations that are actually vacations now. 

While my brother and I were watching TV (he was watching and I was 3/4 napping in front of the TV, 1/4 surfing Threads), I came across mentions of a new documentary on Netflix called Will & Harper. It was about a former writer on Saturday Night Live who transitioned and she and Will Farrell took a road trip from New York to LA, visiting all kinds of small towns and uniquely American sorts of venues (for example, a stock car race in Meeker, OK). She and Will had been close friends for 30 years, and she wrote some of the most famous Will Farrell SNL bits, like the fake ad for "Whoops, I Crapped My Pants" adult diapers. The documentary was funny and poignant, and it was every bit as good as the social media posts led me to expect. A few other folks from SNL made brief appearances in it, but the main storyline was what made it worth the watch.

I've tried and failed to get a picture of the sweet, little black cat who has been very interested in being my friend. She likes to come up and ask for pets, but the one time I tried to set her on my lap she said nonononono and ran off. We can try again later for snuggles. That or maybe I see if she can fit in my suitcase and steal her. She would fit right in with Athena and Jackie, right? They wouldn't terrorize her much. (Yes, they would.)

Important First Stop

Inspirational song: Tulsa Time (Don Williams)

In my own time zone, it isn't even 8 pm yet. Regardless, here I am about to drift off to sleep. I had less than 5 hours of sleep last night, in part no thanks to Beinn sleeping across my legs for the first part of the night. We rolled out of the driveway about 615 this morning, and made it to the airport by 730. Bag drop was easier and faster than the old way. Security was not bad at all. Neither of the flights were full, so I didn't have to sit in a middle seat once. Honestly, the only thing I could think of to complain about was a lack of easy-grab gluten-free options in between where I bought my book and when I picked up a rental car hours later.

I made sure to drive through a Braum's before I made it out of Oklahoma City. I was starved and got a cherry limeade and fries. I was much improved, but why did I not go ahead and get a milkshake for the road? I was right there! What a dumbass move.

So I learned something new today. Did you know that the turnpike between OKC and Tulsa no longer takes cash for tolls? Yeah, it would have been nice if one of y'all had let me in on that fact before I loaded up about four pounds of quarters and a wad of dollar bills in my purse. It costs almost double the toll for them to bill the license tag. How does that work on a rental car? They just slap another charge on your credit card, or send you a bill that you have to remember to pay in a timely fashion (my weakness)? 

I am in the bosom of my family now. We have had a lovely dinner and time to chat. They have been mellow about me winding down and we are just watching funny videos now. I think if I drift off, they would just throw a blankie over me and let me be. Perfection.

As Ready as I Can Be

Inspirational song: Bales of Cocaine (The Reverend Horton Heat)

First off, I just have that song stuck in my head. Don't take anything else from it. My housemate said something about low-flying planes, and my brain was off to the races. If you aren't already familiar with it, and you like a bit of silly rockabilly, I encourage you to test it out. It's a toe-tapper, and it will be stuck in your brain too.

I'm packed. I didn't do it until pretty late tonight. By the time I started matching up tops and pants and naming the days I would wear them, I had hit a low-stress point. No extra clothes, no "just in case we go someplace nice" outfits. No swimsuit. No hair styling tools, unless you count a handful of bobby pins and basic curl cream. I'll be wearing the only pair of shoes I need. And I have no need for a laptop or iPad. Not this time. I'm in my second smallest suitcase and there is plenty of room. If there is anything I desperately need, they have Walmarts in Oklahoma. I'll be fine.

I had to clean the house a bit before game night, but I had so little energy. I stopped a lot, mostly because my back felt like it was accordioning down. I think I'm standing at around 5' 2" right now, which is not normal. I need a good stretch and crunch. I miss my monthly massages so much. At least I got the things I needed to do done, but it meant I had to really push myself to go out of the house to get cash for tips and tolls. 

I plotted out the route between my mom's house and the RV campground where I meet up with folks. En route there is a Sonic and a Braums right next to each other. I'd be tempted to do a blind taste test of cherry limeades, but it would be a waste of time. Braums would win every time.

Let It Out Early

Inspirational song: When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin)

Normally my end of day blogging is my regular catharsis. I get to process what I've gone through physically and emotionally, put it in context, and move on. It's like pulling memories out and storing them in the pensieve in Dumbledore's office. Tonight I went and got into a conversation with my housemate where a sore spot got accidentally pressed, and emotions bubbled up, and oops, things went all cathartic. She had asked me what should have been a straightforward question, but it hit dead center in a topic I try to keep buried. Now I have very little left in me for introspection. I'm drained.

I think I need to leave it at that and see what pictures I took and stole today. The children were exceptionally cute, from what I heard, but I only took a screen grab from a single video. They never jumped on bedtime snap filters, but I did send one. And I think we missed an opportunity to name Beinn after the Looney Tunes Sam Sheepdog. His pose today was spot on for me.

Oh Woof

Inspirational song: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Wham)

Pre-travel jitters have arrived, right on schedule. I have done this a hundred times, and every time the anxiety gets me. I know how to pack. I've made adjustments in my routines that will make getting through the airport a little smoother. I updated my car rental app with the correct expiration dates on my credentials. Most of my laundry is washed, even if it isn't sorted or particularly wrinkle-free. I even have pre-purchased gluten-free breakfast for myself. I'm good at this. So why am I stressing about packing, and TSA, and middle seats on Southwest, and rentals, and driving the turnpike between OKC and Tulsa, and avoiding discussing politics with my entire family and... oh, wait, is that the one I'm freaking out about? Hey, fam, can we promise to talk about anything but that? For reals?

This afternoon was my annual eye exam, that I get roughly every 18-20 months. Yeah, I'm terrible at getting that one scheduled. Because of the medication I take for lupus, I have to see an ophthalmologist rather than just an optometrist, and have more extensive testing done. Eyes dilated, field of vision tests, all that. They said my eyes still look fine, including the tiny cataract that hasn't changed since last time. Tricare covers all of that, but they don't throw in the glasses prescription, so I had to pay for that separately. I made my next appointment while I was there, so I didn't have to pick up the phone sometime in early 2026 and apologize for being late. I stepped outside, had the sun hit my dilated eyes, turned and went back for the plastic sunglasses. It wasn't until I was on the bridge over the railroad tracks before I realized I didn't grab my prescription that I paid for. 

Our livestock guardians have been extra guard-y for weeks. I thought I had a handle on them learning the word "STOP" by way of a squirt bottle, but without the teaching tool, it isn't working when they bark at quarter to six, when it's still dark but someone regularly walks their dog. I don't want to get out of bed, and they don't want to shut up. They were particularly agitated this evening, at late dog-walking time in front of our window. The squirt bottle was helping, but it also chased Saoirse around to the other side of my chair. She proceeded to bark at full volume right in my ear hole. That was four hours ago, and my eardrum still hurts. Does anyone have any good tips for calming guardians who love to bark more than anything?

Special Weekend

Inspirational song: Roll with It (Steve Winwood)

This felt like a big holiday weekend for me. All the key points were hit--feasting, family, and football. My cooking experiments were successful, my family (both blood and chosen) were happy and social, and CU won in an intense homecoming game. Heck, even the Broncos won today. The weather was perfect for drawing in closer. It wasn't quite as foggy and drizzly as I wanted, but it was cold and wet all morning, and it snowed on the boys on the mountain. This was an absolute showstopper of a season change.

Those cinnamon rolls I have been chattering about were all I could have ever wanted and more. Until you've gone a decade or longer not being able to access soft, pillowy breakfast pastries, you can't truly imagine the despair that I banished this morning. I made them exactly as directed, pouring hot heavy cream on them right before they went in the oven (steamed under foil for the first 20 minutes). I doubled the recipe but only made a single helping of the frosting, and it was a smart call. When the kids got here for breakfast, I had a pot of coffee brewing. We had to work to get the children to try bites of the rolls, but my daughter and I managed to put away two whole ones each. I had an out-of-body experience when I tried mine. I was so hopped up on sugar I had a hard time focusing at my afternoon meeting for GOTV volunteers, but here I am late at night, wondering whether I can justify a half one for dessert. (I can't. I'm exactly full enough.)

I feel like I should pull out holiday jammies for tonight, and if I had an ounce of space in my stomach, I'd make hot chocolate. Having housemates increases the feeling of company staying with us, like it's an unusual situation rather than our normal day-to-day. Where is the line between that special holiday feeling and getting numb to the status quo? I'm glad I can still marvel at the feeling like a child. I don't want to lose this.