Family worries and retirement

Two days ago my oldest daughter was rear-ended in Austin. She said she felt a sharp pain in her lower back when it happened and didn't know what that was. My brother knew exactly--a cranialsacral injury. So they talked, he was going to help her look for an osteopathic physician in Austin who was certified in cranialsacral work. This morning he called fairly early to say he hadn't done it because he'd had a "hiccup"--spent yesterday afternoon and half the night in the ER and was admitted to the Granbury hospital for rapid heart rate. Hey, a whole new thing for me to worry about. I emailed all the kids, and Colin responded that he'd just woken up from his colonoscopy. Yikes! My family was falling apart. Tonight all is well--sort of. Megan spent 3-1/2 hours in the dentist's chair, so didn't have time to investigate doctors, though she admitted this morning her back is sore. And a friend was good enough to get online, search Austin D.O.s and come up with a name for her. My brother is still in the hospital--they're going to decrease his medication and send him home tomorrow. He's bored. I didn't know he took medication to regulate his heartbeat, so somehow knowing this is not a brand new problem makes me feel better. And Colin is fine, will go to the doctor next week for the path report and to schedule further testing to deal with his Crohn's disease. None of it is ideal, but it's a lot better than it looked this morning.
When I used to contemplate retirement, I was terrified of waking up in the morning and wondering what to do with the day. Not a problem. I have so much work on my desk, plus errands to run, plus things I want to read, I hardly know where to start the day. This week I had one long day at home alone; otherwise it's been errands and lunch and class and all sorts of things. Haven't written nearly as much as I'd like. The weekend doesn't look much better, until Sunday. But Monday it starts all over again. And I've volunteered to work at the local Bill White campaign office on Tuesday mornings.
Several of the members of my class didn't show tonight, and I joked with one that we needed a class in simplifying our lives. I think I need that for sure, but  it beats the alternative of sitting around wondering what to do with my days. I am so much livelier and happier when I get out and interact with the world.
Great lunch today with Melinda from TCU Press--we talked about kids and weddings and grandchildren and all sorts of stuff. And we both enjoyed chicken salad at Patrizio's. Melinda is one of the people who keeps me grounded.

Exploring

My friend Carol and I went exploring today. During my time at TCU Press, we talked to members of the Sanders family about a history of the Garden of Eden, an African-American community on the east side of Fort Worth. It's residents have dwindled in numbers, but the descendants of Major Cheney, who founded the community in the 19th century, still live on the family property and there are other residences scattered around, although the area is now heavily industrial. When we worked on Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook, newly out, I had the pleasure of getting to know Brenda Sanders-Wise, a prime mover in organizing the history. Carol has been given the task of researching and delving into the history to help shape the book. So we both wanted to see the Garden of Eden. Alas, there's not much to see from the street, though a piece of land being cleared bears a sign indicating it is the future home of a replication of the home of Major and Malinda Cheney--whether it's the first home that burned or the second I don't know, but I think most of the family homes are way back off the road, in the woods and close to the river. They still raise their own produce in summer and fix lavish Sunday meals--we though maybe if they saw us drive by we'd be invited for lunch, but of course we saw no one. But Carol is a back-roads explorer, and we drove down several, mostly surrounded by industrial sites, including perhaps the largest junk car yard I've ever seen. But at least we got a feel for the geography and place, and when we both see Brenda at a happy hour next week, we hope to tell her about our trip and ask some questions.
Then I led Carol the explorer to the beer can house closer to our part of Fort Worth--I've mentioned it before but it is a modest (to say the least) house decorated with an amazijg array of strands and strings of Miller Lite cans, some artistically shaped so that the look almost like Christmas tree ornaments.
Our explorations left us hungry, of course, and we had lunch at Patrizio's, where I had angel hair pasta with artichokes, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and a lemony sauce--so good. Tonight I ate out of the refrigerator, using up leftovers from the weekend.
For fans of To Kill a Mockingbird: Today I read about a lawyer who was asked if there could ever be a lawyer like Atticus Finch. He replied he didn't think anyone could be that perfect, but that before he had a serious talk with his teen-age son, he asked himself, "What would Atticus do?" A local bookstore jumped on the idea and is now selling bumper stickeers that ask "What would Atticus do?" and "What would Scout do?" I'm sorry I don't have the information, but you can probably Google "Atticus bumper stickers" and find it. What a great idea!