JUST FLOATIN' WITH THE MUSES

The only bad thing about there being so much to do in this area, and having friends who are involved in so many different activities, is that it is sometimes very difficult to even find a time when we can all get together. I thought we were never going to come up with a mutually agreeable date for our Mexican potluck! Cheryl has been out of town and missed the last two Meetings of the Muses, so we thought we'd get together for a float at the Blue Hole and catch up with her. Unfortunately, she can't do it this afternoon due to an appointment in San Marcos. Deb suggested we do it at noon, but I have a mystery shopper gig over in Austin at that time. And of course, I'm leaving for Houston tomorrow. This is so very frustrating! But, better than the alternative, I suppose. Imagine having nowhere you are dying to go, no projects or stack of books that are calling out to you, and nothing in particular that interests you. I guess that's my idea of Hell.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

Well, I think we're finally getting the hang of this "Independence Day In Wimberley" thing. First time we went to the parade, we got there plenty early, but didn't think to bring any chairs, had to stand around in the blazing hot sun for hours, and still couldn't see all that well. This time we drove separate cars into town for an early breakfast, left the truck parked with its back to the street in front of the cafe, and went back home. We came back just in time for the parade and set up our comfy chairs in the bed of the truck. Brilliant!

Once I was situated on my perch, I happened to glance down and see two little girls on miniature lawn chairs, hidden between our truck and the one next to us. In their laps they each held a plastic bag containing a slew of hand-braided red, white & blue friendship bracelets. They must have spent untold hours making them, I suspected to earn money, yet were sitting there quietly where no one could see them. "Excuse me ladies," I said, leaning down. "Are those bracelets for sale?" Their heads bobbed up and down. "Well I sure could use one!" With a little encouragement from us and their grandfather, they began working the crowd, and before long, their bags were stuffed with dollar bills (and even a $10 or two).

There were quite a few classic cars in the parade, but more than one ran into the same problem as this mustang, and ended up having to be pushed most of the way. Perhaps that's why they always bring plenty of extra passengers. I'm thinking the gunslingers on their horses had the right idea.

My favorite entry of all was probably the "Frump Float" float. There is an amazing woman here in Wimberley, named Mary King. The way I hear it, about 20 years ago, when she and a dozen of her friends were all in their 60's, she decided to invite them all to lunch. The only hitch was that, if they wanted any food, they first had to put on a swimsuit and float with her on the creek behind her house. The tradition is still going strong, only the guest list has more than quintupled, and most are now in their 80's. One day not long ago, her adult son overheard her speaking to someone about the annual Frump Float, as they called it. He misunderstood, and thought she was referring to the upcoming parade. "Mother!" he exclaimed, "Surely you ladies are not going to be in the parade wearing your bathing suits!" She turned to him with twinkling eyes. "Why thank you son. What a brilliant idea!"

SHE'S GOT THE LOOK

If you've ever considered spending Independence Day in the Texas Hill Country, having the proper attire is extremely important. Finding a practical, yet stylish way to keep the sun off your face should be your number one priority. My friend Deb, who is driving the VW bug convertible, has the right idea. So do her Aussie friends who were on walk-about, and just happened to arrive in Wimberley in time to participate in the July 4th parade. That's our friend Bob Kirkham driving the cherry red caddy, and I think that family behind him, with the matching doo-rags, are looking mighty stylish too. And what about those girls modeling vintage costumes made by a local designer. Are those parasols cool, or what? I'm getting there. I have a couple of great hats, but those white capris and crocks are really detracting from their coolness. I'm ready to go for the whole ball of wax. In fact, I'm feeling the need for one of those very sassy petticoats that are hanging in front of Wall Street Western, and maybe even some rhinestones. Whad'ya think? After all, you know what they say around here - It's never too late to be a cowgirl!

SHE WENT OVER THE EDGE

I was so proud of myself. I thought I was really conquering this Pioneer Woman thing. I no longer give a second thought to the swarm of red wasps I have to pass through in order to enter my house in the summer. I smash scorpions with aplomb. I don't make a peep when passing the huge blob of daddy long-leg spiders that like to hang out on the back porch wall, just above my trash bin. In fact, I'm completely nonchalant about scooping the individual spiders out of the shower with a tissue and flushing them away. However, when I discovered this week that one of those throbbing masses of spiders was lurking on the backside of my commode, just waiting to creep out the moment my back was turned, so to speak, well, that was just way more than you could expect a Dallas girl to endure, wasn't it?

DESIGNER KIDS

A friend of mine absolutely adores reading about psychology and watching shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil. Although I tease her about it, she really does come up with some jewels of wisdom occasionally. One time we were talking about our kids, and why they weren't better about keeping their rooms clean, or why they put off doing homework until the last minute, etc. She told me that she once saw some expert (maybe Dr. Phil, I'm not sure) tell a group of parents to take out a piece of paper and list 10 or 15 character qualities they felt were most vital. When they had finished, he told them to circle the first 5 they wrote down. He then said "You see that circle? That is your child, isn't it? I bet those qualities describe him to a tee. Why? Because that is what you value most, that is where you put all your time and effort, and that is where you went out of your way to teach by example. Sure, having kids who never make messes and never procrastinate would be nice, but look at your list. See how far down those qualities are? How much time and effort did you spend on those qualities, and how often were you lax about them yourself?" Well, there you have it. By choosing what to stress and what to let slide, we more or less "designed" our kids!

Just last week, this lesson was brought home to me in a big way. I was in a parking lot, and walked around to the passenger side of my car to load some packages. Much to my dismay, I discovered a huge, long gouge dug into the side of the door. Of course, there was no way of knowing exactly when or where it happened, as I don't often use the passenger door. And, since the perpetrator hadn't bothered to leave their name or seek me out, repairs would be coming out of my own pocket. I suddenly flashed back to an incident when my son first got his driver's license. He had been at a friends house late one evening, and someone had parked their car directly behind the driveway. When he was trying to back out, he accidentally bumped it. The damage was almost imperceptible, it was late, dark, and not a soul was around. What did he do? Got out and wrote out a note of apology, including name and phone number, and stuck it under the windshield wiper. When the car owner called the following day, his first words were "Man, you sure have an honest kid!"

Guess what was number one on my list of desirable characteristics?

IN PURSUIT OF PASSION

I can't believe it. I now have 13 blogs bookmarked at the top of my computer screen, and feel compelled to go visiting each and every morning. And the number continues to grow! Not only do I check them each for new postings, I also read the comments, occasionally leave one myself, then am forced to return later, to check and see if anyone responded to my comment. What has come over this dedicated luddite?

One blog in particular has me puzzled. It's called Orangette (http://orangette.blogspot.com/). Whenever the author does get around to posting, which isn't often, instead of receiving one or two comments like the rest of us, she usually gets fifty or more! Too many to even bother reading, truthfully. And there's no point in leaving one of my own, for it would just get lost in the crowd. As I understand it, the reason she posts so infrequently is that she is too busy putting the final touches on her book. The one that came about as a result of her blog.

I wonder sometimes if she doesn't miss the days when she used to write just for the sheer joy of it, with no pressure or deadlines. Does she pine for the time when each and every comment left was a jewel to be savored, read, and reread? What was it that set her blog apart from the masses, causing it to soar in popularity and grab the attention of the publishing world? Was it the pastry recipes she learned in France? The artful photos of white on white table settings, conjuring up visions of European bistros and cafes? Or was it that one just became caught up in her story, and had to see how it turned out?

And so, I have decided to undertake a journey. I have traveled back to the beginning, and am working my way forward. I have gone back to the time, four years ago, when she had just returned from her life altering sojourn in France, decided to abandon plans for pursuing a PhD, and pursue instead her passions for food and writing....back to that very first day, when she sat down at her computer and typed the words "It's awfully quiet in here."

DREAMS BECOME REALITY

Exactly three years ago, I wrote the following in my journal: "After we bought this house, with the great view and the fabulous porches, I started picturing long tables out on the upper porch, surrounded by an eclectic group of interesting people. Maybe we'd get together about once a month, to have one of those Tuscan-style feasts - the kind where everyone arrives mid-afternoon, each bringing a special dish based on what's in season or made or grown locally. We would sit down to eat late-afternoon, and we'd stay there eating, visiting, laughing and sipping wine, until after the sun goes down. Then perhaps we would adjourn to the outdoor fire-pit for coffee and more laughter."

I tried hosting a few of these "feasts" in the early days, but things just didn't pan out as I'd hoped. For one thing, we really didn't know more than one or two people in Wimberley, so our guests had to be brought in from out of town. Since we only had one guest room, that meant part of the guests were just making day-trips in, and if you're facing a two-hour drive home after dinner, you are not prone to linger. Also, I felt bad about asking someone who has traveled some distance just to join us, to also transport a bunch of food. Then too, there was the fact that we only got to come here a couple of times a month ourselves, and had lots of projects that needed working on, and lots of places that needed to be explored. After several occasions when one or another of our guests of honor had to cancel at the last minute, we finally realized it just wasn't worth giving up a whole weekend each month for cleaning and preparation, and so the dream just fizzled away.

Recently, however, it began to bubble again. It started with The Muses. I finally realized they were just the sort of people I'd dreamed of meeting when we first came to Wimberley: intelligent, open-minded, creative, diverse, passionate. I had a feeling their husbands were all those things too, and was anxious for John to meet them, so the idea for a front porch feast began to percolate once more. Because we are all so involved, it was difficult to agree on a date. Finally we settled on June 21st and, like the very first one I held three years ago, this was to be a Mexican Pot Luck.

I'd dreamed of "an eclectic group of interesting people", and that "We would sit down to eat late-afternoon, and we'd stay there eating, visiting, laughing and sipping wine, until after the sun goes down," and that's exactly what I got. We started off with appetizers out back on our little stone terrace under the trees, then moved to the dining porch for Rick's wonderful guacamole, Deb's beans with tomatillo salsa (from her garden, of course) and sour cream, Debi's Spanish rice dish (and since she actually lived in Spain, you know how good that was), and my Black Bean Tortilla casserole. Finally we adjourned to the balcony porch for my Mexican Chocolate Brownies and ice cream with "special" praline crumble topping, and some very passionate conversation - almost too passionate at one point, but just as I'd hoped, the opposing parties were each respectful of the other's right to their own opinion, and eventually reined the conversation in so that there were no hard feelings. Finally some took their leave, but a few of us ended up back on the terrace, enjoying a pulsating heat-lightning show behind the clouds, loathe for the evening to end. John and I finally collapsed into bed around midnight.

As I post this, I am reminded of several comments I have found on my blog lately, saying "You are just having way to much fun up there!", and an email message I received saying "You really have found the good life in Wimberley!" Finally I realize, I have found it, haven't I? After decades spent reading about others who were "livin' the good life", people are now reading about me? Well, what d'ya know!