Forget Waldo. Where's Patricia?Three guesses...and the first two don't count.
Here are a few thoughts that have floated through my brain while driving, over the past three days and the last 1400 miles...and still counting...
1. Momma was right. She always said the roadbed of I-40 was poured, east coast to west coast, following the sun. Going from east to west in the late afternoon can be brutal on the eyes.
2. Papaw was right. If someone invented a giant vacuum to suck up all the cotton (lint) on the roadsides of West Tennessee this time of the year, he'd be a rich man. (Of course, Papaw would think it had to be a man to invent such a thing...so, maybe he was wrong, too...:)
3. I love the coast and The Beach. I love the mountains and the Piedmont. Heck, I <3 North Carolina altogether. But NC just doesn't really have a region to compare to the farms and fields of West Tennessee. And I think I need to get an infusion of it annually.
4. There is nothing like an old friend. One, who...when she receives a text out of the blue asking to meet...drops everything she is doing to make it happen. And then who picks up the conversation right where we left off, like it was 15 minutes, instead of 15 months ago. Is there something better than BFF? 'Cause that's what ATT is for me.
5. Seeing one of the last of your Mother's contemporaries frail and failing is a painful thing to witness. Not enough tissues in the car, dang it. Of course, this was the reason for my pilgrimage at this time, and to this place. Painful as may be, it was still worth it.
6. Seeing your 104-year old cousin in relatively good health and even better spirits is a remarkable thing to witness. Puts a song in my heart!
7. Having a brother & SIL who live "en route" of all my running about is a fortunate thing. Having ones who let me use their house like a B & B when they're out of town is priceless.
8. Having a husband who not only understood why I had to make this trip, but also insisted I go...and then dog-sat, painted the front porch rails, AND installed the new kitchen light fixture while I was away is beyond priceless.
9. Tennessee has, without a doubt, the cleanest Rest Area rest rooms...and the most anemic hand dryers. Three words. Paper. Towels. Please.
10. I love technology! Being able to stay in touch with everyone via my cell and texting is great. And what would I do without satellite radio?!
11. I hate technology! Just when you need to do something, you are in a NO SERVICE area. Never fails.
12. Being the driver, I can "take the road less traveled," i.e., US Highway 70, or a scenic drive...or, as Mr. T calls them "Bird Roads" (for the picture of the mockingbird, Tennessee's state bird, on the road signs). That's where you find the good stuff, like Mud Puddle Pottery.
13. I'm not so sure about technology. Mr. T said "Apple's 'Find My Friends' ap says you are about 300 miles from High Point." That's nice. Wait a minute...I wonder if it can tell I stopped at that yarn shop in Crossville? Hmmmm...
14. Mr. T is right. The slowest drivers are on those so-called scenic roads. Where is I-40?! Time to make tracks back home!
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Update: I'm back in HPNC, safe and sound...and only a bit worse-for-wear. Nothing a good night's sleep in my own bed won't cure. Glad I went...glad I'm home. No regrets.
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