A Long Day

IF you look closely, there's a little blackdog

curled up nextto Moran's head

Friday night may have been the longest night, but today was, for me, the longest day. Colin and granddaughter Morgan were at the cottage by ten this morning, having set a speed record from Tomball that I don’t want to think about. They hung around for about an hour, packed up the many bags I had—clothes, food, presents—and we were off to Addison and Jamie’s office where we would pick up a foosball table.

Which somehow took two hours. My sons enjoy each other’s company and kept disappearing into corners of the office, no doubt talking about the toy business and who knows what else. What they weren’t doing was dismantling the foosball table for moving. Morgan and I grew increasingly bored and hungry, and Sophie was anxious in strange surroundings, with a small dog who tormented her with his treat when she didn’t have one.

We left the office close to 2:30 and made a beeline for Wendy’s. Then it was on Highway 45 headed to the Houston area with a whole lot of other folks. As Colin told Lisa, the two of us argued the whole way and it wore me out. I accused Colin of thinking every statement I made called for rebuttal. Morgan and Sophie slept. Time passed.

We stopped at the Buccee’s in Madisonville for gas and a potty break. Horribly crowded, and forgive me, but I do not enjoy being in the teeming midst of humanity. And I’ve talked long and loud about how kind people are when you’re on a walker. Not at Buccee’s. They cut in front of me, scowled at me, and not one person smiled.

Coin decided to take a back way from Madisonville which would have the benefit of missing the awful traffic that is always in The Woodlands. But when he said, “I think I’ve done this once before,” I was not inspired with confidence that we were saving time. The back road landed us in Navasota, and I was in familiar territory.

Colin and Morgan had left home at 7:15 this morning, telling Lisa we’d be home before seven. We made it by 6:50, and Colin said to Morgan that it had been a long twelve hours and they had made a loop around Central Texas. I was with them more of the day than not, and I was tired.

Lisa greeted us with wine and chicken piccata, and we munched on Christmas cookies and did the Advent Calendar. Sophie has settled down in her crate, and I’m about to go to bed. It’s good to be with family.