*Source: TJ
Since I hit the road last week, every night I’ve been waking up confused in the dark: Where am I? Who am I? Whose bed is this? Why am I not in my own bed? Where’s the bathroom?
Over the past days I’ve been amazed at how nasty and grumpy people have been. I’ve been despairing at the toxicity of humanity. The airport was a sea of hisses and snarls and sneers and glares. Even the normally Jekyll-y Southwest attendants went Hyde on us. But, I met the smiliest TSA guy ever. And when my battery-depleted car stalled in the dark in the middle of busy Marin Avenue and there wasn’t even enough juice to flash its hazard lights, a man stopped and pushed my car and me to safety at the curb, just after some buttwad in a yellow convertible screeched past, caught my eye and yelled, “Fucker!”
A while later, while I was still waiting for AAA, another passerby stopped to give me a jump start. And then he said, “Here, take this battery charger home tonight and put it on trickle, so your battery gets a full charge.” “Why do you trust me?” I asked. “Well, if you don’t bring it back, I’ve got another.” I returned it, along with a box of Vermont Button Cookies, the following morning.
It was worth every minute of the three hours it took me (due to car trouble) to get out to Anna’s and Frank’s. On their big TV screen was a movie of a fireplace, with a soundtrack of crackling noises.
Yesterday Mitra fit me into her busy schedule. I believe I gave her joy as she yanked the fur from my face, causing excruciating pain. I’ve never seen a gal look so fulfilled. Her place of employment is a hair salon for elderly people. Partway through my denuding, her co-worker poked her head into the torture chamber and said, “Elizabeth would like to make an appointment with you.” “Don’t leave me in the middle of my appointment,” I asked. She replied, “Let me just make her an appointment before she passes away.”
Next stop was Grass Valley. These are itinerant residents of the Rancho:
Teej and I went to town to do errands, and got to see Syd & Hil for a while. A treat.
Last night I opened Teej’s amazing present: a box of twelve tissue-paper-wrapped goodies, to be opened in sequence. To appreciate it, you have to sing the contents: 12 hatless acorns, 11 cupcake holders, 10 wooden match sticks, 9 Halloween taffies, 8 cocktail umbrellas, 7 olive swords, 6 plastic spoons, 5 explosive devices, 4 rolls of coins, 3 hair ties, 2 bobby pins, and the egg of a very small swan.
I should add that I got wonderful x-mouse presents from everyone else, too: a pig-shaped travel pillow from Molly, clothes and money from Small, a beautiful glass marble from Eleni, slippers with illuminated toes from KT, candy from Jay, a t-shirt from Anna…
Tomorrow I leave here and go to Sac’to, where I hope to see my friend M briefly, and if possible to see some dance buddies, whom I haven’t even contacted yet.
I have nothing to say-just wanted to let you know that I read each blog post thoroughly and with relish, and I’m so grateful it’s here.
And I’m sorry I was such a grump.
I’m really, really sorry.
Love.
Rereading this post…
Ha-“whose bed is this?”-
Like mother, like daughter, I suppose…
You look so happy here.
But you’ll be happy there, too-wherever “there” happens to be.
Ugh.
I’m sorry.
But it had to be said, because as far as (I think) most of us here are concerned, it’s the truth.
It’s the truthy-NESS, in any case.