Friendship

By Caroline T. Jackson

Friendships are a rare commodity in this fast paced world that we live in today. Gone are the days where you went to visit your neighbor to catch up on their life, their families and share your stories or concerns. Now we live with the computer which comes in all sizes and shapes, instant messaging, phones that allow us to text and take pictures, keeping us connected when we are miles away. The face to face contact has been reduced to brief moments that we try to fit into our calendar.

I just returned from a 3 day visit with five of my closest friends that I met in college. I have never lived in the same town with any of them but over 40 some odd years we have stayed connected and have made an effort to have that unique face to face contact as often as possible. It may have been just a lunch as I was passing through town or an overnight visit with one or more of them in their various homes but each time we just stepped back into that special relationship that develops when you are young and experiencing life.

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Reflections

By Caroline T. Jackson

This was to be a year of reflection…..kick back….find out what makes me tick and where I want it to take me. In addition we were expecting our first grandchild, and I wanted to be available at the drop of the hat to help them. These were excellent intentions, well thought out and purposeful…..right! I did all the right things, declined some volunteer opportunities which ONLY I could do, got out my art supplies and dusted off the easel as I was going to explore my artistic side. I even signed on to TCP to write because I love to play with the written word and it gave me an opportunity to buy myself a little notebook to take with me when we travel. My husband is very territorial about his computer! Doesn’t this sound like a plan to you?

On September 2, our daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl…2 weeks early who just happened to be breach. This prompted an unplanned C-section which required me to stay with them for 3 weeks. Oh, how I hated every minute of that situation! Right……I could hardly tear myself away to return to my home….they NEEDED me. Truth be known, they were probably glad to see me go! So I returned home to ready myself for a long planned trip to Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains located in the far corner of West Texas. I capitalized “west” because it is big enough to be its own state! I had joined up with 8 artists to “paint Texas,” and we were off on our first adventure.

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Waiting

By Caroline T. Jackson

The dictionary (yes, I still use one) defines waiting as “a period in which one waits.” Now that explains it all, doesn’t it? It leaves out the element of anticipation, excitement and, yes, even dread when you are waiting on some event to take place in your life. We had made plans for an extensive road trip and already packed and ready to roll when the doctors decided it was necessary to do some extensive testing on a recent and recurring medical issue my husband was experiencing. The doctors involved didn’t know what was wrong and finding out that we were going to be gone longer than a week, decided that they better test now rather than later. That way we wouldn’t have to wait! I find it necessary to share with you that the so called patient is not a patient man…having spent a life time in a very precise occupation.

 As we all know, the wheels of medical testing don’t always run on the fast track and I can attest to the fact that we felt like we were on the side track. The MRI’s or the CAT scans were done on a Thursday afternoon two weeks in a row and ,of course, no results would be available before the following Monday. The following week a biopsy was again performed on a Thursday with the promise of results the following Monday. I thought all doctors took Thursday afternoons off! Yesterday was Monday and when finally pinned to a wall, the nurse responded that it might be 5 to 7 days before we heard!  What was it I said about waiting?

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Final Note

By Caro Jackson –

Our trip is over but one of the best ways to end it was spending a night at Palo Dura Canyon in the Panhandle near Canyon, Texas. We left a day early and were sad because we weren’t able to spend a couple of days with the major portion of Front Street. We set out for the first time in two cars as I was following Don home for a change and not riding in the passenger seat. We left at 6:30 a.m., just as the eastern sky was getting light, and headed south toward Alamosa with only one small pass to cross. May I just say that any pass in total fog makes me feel as though I am driving off the edge of the world. La Veta Pass was shrouded in a fog that I can only compare with an old Sherlock Holmes movie and I had no idea whether I was following anyone. Breaking out into the light of day was a gift from above.

The remainder of the day was spent with a book on tape where I almost resented Don calling to check in with me! But I did insist that we take the slight detour and head to Palo Dura for our stop that night. We were practically the only campers there, so we got an awesome spot in one of the areas. Now,  a slight cold front had come through and the air was very chilly—unusually so for August—but we were happy to have it. Along with the cool front came the clouds, which, of course, meant that the sunset would be a nonissue on the bright orange and red cliffs surrounding us. This was almost a slap in the face of my artistic endeavors! We made the drive around the park catching some of the vistas with the camera, and lo and behold the sun came out and the colors of the cliffs and the shadows strengthened, and my final day was rewarded with eye popping oranges and reds contrasted with bright greens, a result of recent rains. We relished the last rays of the day reminiscing about the last two months but looking forward to returning home and family. We arose early before the sunrise and departed with the first rays of the morning coming up behind us. I should have stayed for that part of the day, but the pull of home was strong, and besides, I had to finish this book before I got home or I would have to sit in the car until I did!

Having finally unpacked the trailer and mowed the head high grass in Doss and having traded in one car and a truck for a new truck, I headed to Fort Worth to help with Caroline (such a sacrifice) as she was under the weather. Wade had just finished a 60+ race in Wichita Falls, Blair was out of town and coming home sick as well, and Ann had been on grandmother duty overtime. Caroline will be one year old tomorrow and has totally stolen my heart, because she is a “people” now and we have rolled on the floor, read the same page on one book over and over, been to the zoo, and shared squashed banana together. What more could I ask for? Roaming the countryside is a gift for the eye, but holding my granddaughter and seeing her smile is a gift to the heart. We are blessed with great friends and great families. God is indeed good!

Summer Plans

By Caro Jackson –

“Laughter is the beginning of prayer,” states a quote I read yesterday on my wonderful calendar. I think it might be better than a bumper sticker, and I hope that you will find something to laugh about today.

We are traveling on the road, escaping the heat, and have settled into cooler climes. We have some friends here, who make it all the more delightful. The weather is awesome with cool mornings and warm afternoons and a touch of rain thrown in. My husband has already found some streams to fish, and I have been able to go on my own to paint, yea! I have already read three books, which may be a record—ought to be caught up for various book clubs.

We left our home base with the idea that this would be good time to try to drop those extra pounds that seem to follow us around. South Beach seemed to be a good way to start so we vowed to begin after our weekend in the Texas mountains with friends. Thank goodness, because I would have missed the desserts that we shared with good friends. So off we went toward Colorado, studying the method to become mere shadows of our former selves. Right!

When I began telling the driver, who shall remain nameless, what was NOT on the list, the light went out of his eyes and he began to feel weakness in his knees. After several meals, he said he felt like he was going to die. You do feel a little devoid of energy. Could be the fact that you are getting no sugar.

When we arrived here, we were met by friends we had met last year who came to greet us. Of course, they immediately invited us for a cocktail which is a no-no. Not good. Three days and we were back to the beginning. No longer able to blame the lack of energy on the altitude, we began a modified version which will probably not modify us enough, but it is a start.

We were invited to dinner the second night at the home of good friends who have a knockout house on a hill with a view to kill, and we were presented with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn from a special restaurant here. Wanting to be the perfect guests, we dug in and vowed to start dieting another day.

Breakfast is about the only thing under my control and we have altered it as well. I am convinced that the only way for us to actually get through the first two weeks is to lock the two of us up at home and throw away the key. So I have renamed ours the “trailer trash” diet and we are moving on doing the best that we can with a tiny fridge and three pans.

We are off to the mountains today with friends so perhaps we will add a little more exercise to the mix although the dogs make me take a long walk each day. I guess the bottom line is just to enjoy where we are, do what we can, and remember to laugh. Have a great week!

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