A Close Encounter of the Marsupial Kind

 

 When the holidays are over, I like to leave the garland upon my deck.  I replace the colorful Christmas lights with white ones and switch out shimmery lavender bows for the red Christmas ones.  I call it my “winter deck.” 

My winter deck at night

The other night when I went out to turn off the lights at bedtime, the overhead deck light turned on because it is on a motion sensor……and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a big, fat possum munching on something on my deck!   

Our two-second, silent conversation went like this:  

“Whhaaattt???” 

“Whhaaattt???” 

“You gonna hurt me?” 

“No, you gonna hurt ME?”

“No, but what the hell are you doing on my deck?”

“Oh, well, I’m just helping myself to some of this lovely stuff the birds left here.” 

“I see. Ok, then, carry on.” 

“Nah, I’m outta here!”   

And with that he was gone.  Strange.  

 I’m glad neither of my little-old-lady cats was there to witness the encounter, because if one of them had been there, our conversation would probably not have been so civil. And somebody might have ended up with a wound. 

Snowpocalypse 2015

Eight things I learned  while taking a stroll through my snow-blanketed neighborhood this afternoon:

1.  In spite of all of the intervening years since childhood and all of the adult responsibilities that come with it, I still love winter!

 

Ice skating with Dad in Snyder Park, Springfield, Ohio--1955

Snowpocalypse, Maryville, TN, 2015

2.  Snow defines everything.

3.  Snow tells stories.  For example, it appears that the critters have a field day in the middle of the night in my yard.

 

4.  And just why did someone take their dog walking, not just through my yard, but right outside my bedroom window?  and when??   Creepy.

5.  When one takes a winter walk, one is advised to stuff a Kleenex in one's pocket before one leaves the house. (no picture for this one.)

 

6.  Once I've put a hat on for my walk, it is best to just leave it on all day.  Helmet hair is not a good look for me. (no illustration here, either--sorry!)

7.  Weather phenomena for each season have their destructive abilities.

 

The cedar between my neighbor's and my yard split in half under the weight of ice and snow.

 

Sadly, the gorgeous pine across the street was seriously damaged in last week's ice storm.

8.  However, the results can provide some great materials for home decorating or crafts!

And at the end of my winter journey, one last treasure awaited--a steaming bowl of yummy chicken corn chowder! 

Authentic New Mexican Food



Meandering through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains



What was missing for us was context. 

One bright southwestern day, my friend Nancy picked me up at the Albuquerque airport and we headed up the highway toward Santa Fe to attend the 2007 Science and Consciousness conference.  Since Nancy lives in Florida and I live in Tennessee, we only see each other once or twice a year, and when we do, the gabfest is on!  We had a lot to catch up on that day—her experiences earlier in the week at Dr. David Hawkins' workshop in Sedona, my latest adventures in eHarmony dating, her journey to the mystical Chaco Canyon, my studies in New Thought and Religious Science teachings.  Somehow between "How are your kids doing?" and "How do your mom and dad like living in Tennessee?" we took a wrong turn and found ourselves on a serendipitous journey. 

That afternoon the road took us on a rambling tour of the northeastern part of New Mexico, up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.   Now truly tourists and not just conference attendees, when we arrived at Santa Rosa we decided to drop in at the information center, a charming structure that had been a railroad station generations earlier.  With to-go coffee and maps in hand and a renewed sense of direction, we continued blazing our trail, winding our way through alpine forests which enfolded us like a cozy fleece blanket on a winter afternoon. Drinking in the unexpected gift of the beauty all around us, it was obvious why folks who live there call their state The Land of Enchantment. 

When we came to the tiny town of Mora, snuggled deep in the forest, we decided to stop for the night.  Mora had one small family-owned motel and Hatcha's Cafe—all we needed besides the fresh air and nourishing vista.  It only took us a few minutes to get settled in our modest but welcoming room and we were out the door in search of a meal.  Lucky for us, the one restaurant in town would be open for another half hour—plenty of time for us to fill our empty stomachs as our eyes and spirits had been filled by the beauty and magic the day had brought us.



The enchanting Mora Inn





What, exactly, is "new" Mexican food???



 One thing had us puzzled, though.  Painted in large letters on the stuccoed side of the cafe was the claim, AUTHENTIC NEW MEXICAN FOOD.  What? we asked each other.  We had heard of "Old Mexico" but not "old Mexican food."  Everybody knows the special Texan twist on traditional Mexican fare as "TexMex."  But what could be "new" about the food they served here? 

The menu looked pretty similar to those in Mexican restaurants we were familiar with.  Our selections were delicious and fresh, and we cleaned our plates.  Even so, there wasn't anything innovative or unexpected about our meals, and the nagging question persisted. So we asked our waitress, "What makes the food here 'new'?"  When she looked at us blankly we tried again:  "The sign says 'authentic new Mexican food'…."  While her eyes said, "you're not from around here, are you," she politely offered, "Well, we're in New Mexico…."  Omigosh, we giggled as understanding sank in.  We were, indeed, in New Mexico, where they serve authentic New Mexican food.

Maybe it was the dizzying heights and wispy mountain air.  Maybe getting lost in The Land of Enchantment threw us temporarily off-balance.  Whatever the explanation, that journey gave us one of the best gifts life has to offer--a chance to have a good laugh at ourselves.

The End of the Tale--er,Trail!

Taking the Next Exit

"Whale," entreated the voice on the phone. "Ah can pay you mower to teach these three claysses than you can mayke substitute teachin' all year." She had a point.  Yet my own just-uttered protests that "I am a high school, not a college, teacher" caused me to hesitate.  She used my pause to accelerate. "Would you at least be willin' to come to mah office on Monday to tawlk abaout it?"  I relented. "OK, how do I get there?" Her instructions were clear: "Take I-40 West from Knoxville and get off at the next exit after Brown Squirrel Furniture." 

Usually when we take an exit off of an interstate, it is a purposeful act and we know what to expect:  lunch at Cracker Barrel, a fill-up, or a cozy room for the night.  Sometimes we get a surprise, like the time I was driving from Florida to Tennessee to visit my sister and a tire blew as I was leaving the interstate.  To my great relief, a full-service station was right next to the Hampton Inn where I’d planned to stay for the night.  Thank goodness there was a safe place to land at the end of that exit ramp.

I didn’t realize it when I took the next exit after Brown Squirrel Furniture the following Monday morning, but that decision provided me with a safe place to land, too.  By the time I'd reached Dr. Reynolds’ office, I realized that she was right.  Comfortable or not, since I’d moved to Tennessee without having secured a high school teaching job, I needed to accept her offer to teach college students until I could get "a real job."  I put it in drive and signed on the dotted line.  That was twenty-three years ago.  I have remained at Pellissippi State Community College, teaching writing and college success classes, directing a learning center, earning two graduate degrees and, for the past thirteen years, counseling students to seek their own path. 


Sometimes an exit ramp is just an exit ramp.  Other times it’s a byway to a new life.

A Little Bag of Treasures

My friend Cindy and I walked out of The Little Nature Store in Boerne, TX, one hot, sunny day this past July having had a very enjoyable time browsing. We each even found a few items to take home with us.

Chow Time at Rudy's

I was in Texas attending  a conference of the National Career Development Association; Cindy was there to be my tour guide when I wasn't attending conference sessions. We had seen the bats in Austin, sampled the bar-b-que at Rudy's and strolled along the San Antonio River Walk. On this particular day, we were on a mission to find some Texas wine for me to take back home to my sister who was keeping my cats happy while I was gone.

What an amazing phenomenon!

The Little Nature Store is a blend of science project resource mart, feed store for creatures both domestic and wild, and organic nursery. We were both charmed by it; it made me miss the nature store we used to have in our local mall. When we had satisfied ourselves that we saw everything from the plush Songbirds of North America collection to the bins of gleaming gemstones to the glow-in-the-dark stars to glue to your bedroom ceiling, we paid for our selections and headed out to find some ice cream. Happy with her selections, Cindy peered into her recycled-paper sack and referred to it as her "little bag of treasures." We looked at each other and exclaimed in unison, "There's an essay in that!"

The Little Nature Store, Boerne, TX

"There's an essay in that" became a major theme of that trip.  In fact, recognizing  writing topics during our adventures has been a feature of our friendship ever since the first year we both taught English at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, FL. While on the phone one afternoon that fall I happened to mention that it was "my first non-anniversary."  We met for supper that evening while I told Cindy my story and she molded it  into an essay.  We've been writing buddies since then.

I've been going through a dry spell lately when it comes to writing.  My job, boyfriend, cats, and reruns of Sex and the City have consumed my attention and time for the past year or so. But Cindy's "little bag of treasures" comment got me thinking about the various kinds of items, insights, lessons, experiences, friends, etc., that we collect along the way of our life's journeys. One treasure I gained that day in hot, sunny Boerne, Texas, is a new way of thinking about the journeys I have been on during my life, the many wonderful treasures I have received from each of them, and a renewed interest in writing.

So here I am at the beginning of a brand new journey into the world of blogging.  I can't wait to see what kinds of treasures it brings me!