Mostly a good day

 

If you’ve lived in Texas long at all, you know the weather cannot make up its mind. Today was one of those days, supposed to be sunny and dry, a nice contrast to all the soggy days we’ve had. But then, about nine, Dan the PT man was here, and we were both riveted by the TV which showed a great green glob to the west of us—headed straight for Fort Worth and predicted to be here about 9:45.

Sure enough, the sky, which had been bright blue, darkened, and I waited. But other than a few drops, nothing happened. I think the storms were all to the south of us. I did warn happy hour guests that the patio might not be inviting, but by five o’clock, it was sunny and pleasant. There is no figuring out Texas weather. Right now, the sky to the northwest, which I can barely see over the housetop, is a wonderful warm peach.

But with gratitude for the sunny weather, I got to thinking what a good day it was. I had some encouraging medical reports—at least to my laymen’s eye they were encouraging. I’ll talk to the doctor tomorrow, but the indicators of my kidney health seemed in line. And clinically, my legs and feet are less swollen—still puffy, but not so much so that I am aware of them all the time. The PT nurse said she thought they were markedly improved since she first saw me a couple of weeks ago. And I felt good all day, something that hasn’t always been true of late.

But the big news is that today was launch day for the reprints of two of my 1990s historical novels—Libbie (Elizabeth Bacon Custer) and Jessie (Jessie Benton Frémont). They have been available in digital forms, but now they appear, from a new publisher, with new covers, in trade paper, mass market paper, and digital formats. To me, it’s a great compliment that the publisher (TwoDot, a division of Globe Pequot, which is a division or Rowman and Littlefield, or the other way around) thought them worthy of reprint after twenty-five years or so. It’s like welcoming back two old friends, whose life stories I know well. And to my further joy, the publisher is putting some marketing behind them, as am I.

The other nice news is that cowboy poet/singer/entertainer Red Steagall gave me a wonderful blurb for my book due in September, The Most Land, The Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas. The publisher, TwoDot again, wanted a second blurb, so today I asked Deborah Liles, history professor at Tarleton State University with a special interest in Texas ranches, and she readily agreed to blurb the book. I’ve become aware lately that she’s someone I’d like to know—we have a lot of interests and friends in common.

Good friends Phil and Subie came for happy hour tonight, and for some reason I turned cranky. So mad at myself now. I could feel it happening, but I seemed unable to stop it. We talked local politics, and while we are mostly on the same page, we disagreed about whether or not something was dirty campaigning.

Then on to a discussion of my need to renew my handicap tag and get an official I.D. since I no longer have a driver’s license—and I think I’m the one who brought it up. But it didn’t go well. After they left, I double checked to be sure what I had learned was true—I can take care of both pieces of business at the Southwest subcouthouse. But those errands have become a sensitive subject, as had my forthcoming dental appointment, and I would so love to have it all behind me. I don’t think Jordan would want me to do any of those things alone, because of the difficulty of getting in and out of the car and her conviction that someone will mug me while I’m dealing with my walker. But scheduling them cuts into her work time, now that the world is open again, so it’s a frustrating matter for both of us.

But I am truly sorry I let all that get to me with guests, no matter that they are friends of some fifty years and no doubt love us in spite of our warts and ill-tempered moments.

As I wrote this, the sky went from peach to gray, and night is upon us. I’m sure tomorrow will bring a brighter outlook on the world. After all, even in my funk, I realize I have so much to be thankful for.