Louisiana Trip Part One

Seeing the red dirt along the side of the road was a good sign. It meant we were getting close to Calvert, Texas where my grandmother, "Babbi," lived. The butterflies in my stomach always started when we saw that dirt. We always had fun at her house. There were trips to the local bus station/grocery for a "soda water," and strolls to the tree-shaded local cemetary to look at headstones dating back to the early 1800's. Babbi cussed like a sailor, gave me rose-scented hugs and kisses, and cooked awful meals. But it was paradise for us.

Babbi moved to our town when I was in middle school. I remember thinking how great it would be, to have her close by all the time. And it was. Through high school and my early 20's, we had lots of Saturday morning breakfasts and sometimes Sunday night dinners with my mother. We talked and laughed a lot. As time went on she got a bit more frail. Probably in my late 20's I became a caretaker at times, sitting with her after cataract surgery, or taking her to Target because she was afraid to drive in that part of town. And we still always had lots to talk about.

About four years ago, Babbi's memory became less clear. She was having more difficulty with daily tasks, such as managing her money and finding her way around town in her little car. So she moved in with my mom. We continued to be close and I still enjoyed spending time however I could with her. Then, one day nearly three years ago, she abruptly moved to Louisiana to live with her sister. There were some difficult issues between her and my mother, and she felt it best to get away.

By that time, I had a preschool-age son and an infant daughter. Traveling with my small kids did not appeal to me, and I wondered how I would get over there to see her. I knew at her age, anything could happen to her health at any time. But I refused to believe I had seen Babbi for the last time. Complicating all of this is the fact that I am phobic about driving unfamiliar places by myself, so leaving the kids home with Eddie while I went alone wasn't going to work for me either.

Finally, my brother Brian and I got our act together and flew to New Orleans this past weekend. It was an awesome trip. To be continued.....

Lately

Current mood: blah


My life has been a repeating cycle of: laundry, shuffling kids, attempting to clean the house, cleaning dog poop/pee off the carpet, cleaning up dog slobber from the crate. Also lots of standing in rain in the backyard waiting for dog to do his thing. And there's been some grocery shopping thrown in there for some excitement.

Really, the coolest thing that's happened is the boy lost his first tooth at school! He came home with it in an envelope and was so proud he'd pulled it himself at lunch. Night before last he lost the one right next to it at dinner. So I have mastered the tooth fairy thing now.

Eddie says when the shutdown is over I can escape and he will watch the offspring. Last night I put myself to sleep fantasizing about checking into the Hilton, eating room service, soaking in the hot tub, and watching movies.