I had disregarded them for the longest time, my Texas cousins. Not out of disrespect, nor affection, it was that blood thing. When I learned at the age of 18 that Jim Whatley was not my biological father, something clicked off in my head -- like de-certifying an election. The whole thing felt like fraud. I guess it was, really. And it's not that I held anything against my country cousins, with whom I'd grown up, over holidays and summers in Graford, Texas where my … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2011
Chapters, No Verse, but…a little melody?
August 10, 2011 By
Today class, we're going to engage in a little chapter review. August 5th marked one month on the road so far and the half-way point on this journey, much in the same way the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, New Mexico, the restaurant where I very indulgently ordered a piece of coconut cream pie yesterday, is the exact geographic middle of Route 66. Ever tardy, I realize that I have been remiss in providing details on the road map ahead and the checkered, pothole-laden … [Read more...]
Nothing is Random, or, Seeing God in Maggie Edens
August 6, 2011 By
Thank you all who snatched me back from the slippery soap scum of fear and loathing in the shower. Normally I just have that reaction because I can't see my toes without bending. Kidding. (not so much...) Tonight, I'm in Graford, Texas, about 60 miles west/northwest of Ft. Worth, staying at my cousin's house, whom I have not seen in about 46 years. He and his wife's log cabin, which they've have built and customized in an unbelievably amazing fashion, complete with a … [Read more...]
Shower Moment
August 4, 2011 By
You didn't really know this, but I promised to be completely honest with you on this trip. It can't just be la-la-la-la Chicken Soup for the Highway, Tales of Inspiration and Joy From the Construction Zone Across America. Shit's rough sometimes. Now, I hesitate to bring this up, because, let's face it, I did this on my own volition. It makes it that much harder to face feeling like a fool. This was a conscious decision, a "moral imperative" said I, so pointedly in my … [Read more...]
Carolina Comfort
August 2, 2011 By
Before I roll into Texas and the history palooza this immersion will undoubtedly prompt, I'd just like to tell you why I love North Carolina. I guarandamntee you I will choke up writing this. (Now that we've clearly detected a pattern here....) It's because it took care of me. North Carolina took care of me and my children, time and time and time again. A brief history: I moved to NC in February of 1992, the trailing spouse of husband #2, whom I'll call Rick. He was … [Read more...]
True Grit
August 2, 2011 By
I called his number, a little nervous. It had been nineteen years since I'd see my former brother-in-law, Pat. I'm thinking,"why in the hell would he want to see me?"; the former sister-in-law, the outlaw, the one who'd asked for the divorce from his little brother. Into every life, a little guilt must fall. But it was in fact my first ex, the high school sweetheart ex, my favorite ex, who encouraged me to call his big brother, Pat, the retired Navy captain. I was only … [Read more...]
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