The Scenic Route

 

 

Driving home yesterday evening, I realized my commute IS indeed something notable. Something worth telling about. I like to write about my life in juxtaposition. Who I am, who I think I am, who I want to be...

 

Approaching 50mph, having recently turned onto a two-lane, no shoulder road, which I spend 12miles of my daily drive on Monday - Friday, I saw two horses. In my lane. Walking toward me. Why yes they were saddled and being ridden by two cowboy looking men. Now, this does not seem safe to me. But I shouldn't be surprised.

 

It was within this mile stretch of road only days earlier a young girl, maybe ten or eleven, was walking her goat down the road. The goat was huge. After passing the goat on a leash, and bumping over the railroad tacks, which I get stuck at about once a week, I saw a woman out for some target practice. In her front yard.

 

It is a normal, middle-income brick home, two to three bedroom, garage, flowers growing the in the flowerbeds and a huge dart right in the front yard. Then, Pocahontas, complete with waist length hair blowing in the breeze, is shooting this massive bow and arrow. In her front yard, ten feet from the before mentioned two-lane, no shoulder road.

 

This windy road is like none other. Especially since driving was not something I missed while living in NYC. For my first month back in Texas I was fearful as my foot pushed on the accelerator and the speedometer neared 70mph. Two lane. No shoulder roads. During our stint in upstate New York, roads like this had a speed limit of 55mph. Not in Texas. I'm doing better, at least I drive the speed limit now. And if you want to do 70 and the speed limits 60, go around! (Maybe I am a Memaw.)

 

Driving: it's new again. It's scary. It is even more exciting when watching out for horses and goats and coyotes and wild hogs. I almost forgot to mention, I saw my first coyote yesterday too. I know... the country life abounds with excitement. However, being raised in the country and hearing them nightly for many, many years of my life, I'm surprised it's take me this long to spot one. However, I'm hardly and country girl- I'm just from the country. And coyotes aren't something you normally see at 8:00am dashing across the road like a white-tailed deer. Which would have been a little more storybook.

 

So nothing life-changing here today. Just realizing that life is what you make of it. Being bitter and feeling I have nothing in common with the bow shooters and horse riders and twelve cat owners isn't exactly true. I'm a different sort of country.

 

Here is my Baby Bella. She is now twice this size.

I do not take her for walks along the Farm-to-Market road.