A Puppy, a Pumpkin and Various Weapons

While all around town, college kids have come home for fall break, there has been no sign of our daughter. She chose to travel west during her free time to what was described as a ranch.
I don’t know much about it, but I have seen the pictures. A couple of her roommates, another constant companion or two and a few wild card group members posed well-armed for a photo in front of the, um, ranch house?

I know most of these young people and they don’t need high-end lodging to have a good time. They are perfectly comfortable to, as my daughter puts it “just love each other and play.” I guess the availability of various weapons helped. I’m kind of afraid to ask questions after seeing the arsenal at their disposal. A slingshot is scary enough, particularly at close range.


If that didn’t have enough destructive potential, there was always archery.

And, of course, what would a days-long symposium on weaponry be without an opportunity to brandish a shotgun? I can’t say I’m comfortable with all this. I’m just glad it’s coming to light for me after the fact. Of all the things that remain unclear and unsettling, the central question remains: what was she shooting at? Also, did she get a proper and thorough safety briefing? Did she wear hearing protection? Is everybody okay? There was some four-wheelin’, too, from what I can tell. And based on what I’ve seen, this involved mud ridin’. I guess there might have been a hootenanny down at the barn, but who knows?

Knowing this crew, there was an abundance of tomfoolery to go along with tree climbing.



And the tire swinging.



Also involved in the shenanigans, somehow, were a puppy and a pumpkin.

I guess it was a healthy escape, a good ol’ down and dirty old fashioned good time out on the Texas plains. I can only imagine what the food was like. They probably got some fatback from the chuck wagon. Maybe they rustled up some venison along the way. Or, antelope chili? All that was left of whatever animal it was were the antlers.

And I’m guessing they had to be careful what they consumed on Saturday night, because out there in lawless country, there was just one iron-clad rule, which was conspicuously posted.


The best news, for me at least, is that everybody made it back to school in one piece. And today presumably they showered and shed all the mud and gunpowder residue.
If you can't mess with Texas, it's pretty clear you can manage to make a pretty big mess in Texas if you have all the right tools.

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Tracks: Tires and Tears

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why I have a tendency to dwell on the negative. For instance, why can’t I celebrate that we just spent four warm days with our daughter while she was home for Fall Break? Instead, I’m too busy being sad that she’s gone again. She pulled out of the driveway of the family home today, returning to her new life in Ft. Worth.



Her time off from school seemed to be consistently busy, but kind of low-key. After a brief trip to Baton Rouge to visit friends at LSU, she came home for the weekend. Happily, two young ladies came along with her and another came over from Louisiana Tech for a brief reunion. This made us happy because we got to see them, too; and make no mistake about it, my wife and I miss having them around.
Still, the visits were all too brief and the image of my daughter behind the wheel of her vehicle has become distressingly familiar. We put on a happy face and said so long, sending her on her way with a hug, a kiss and a wave. There may have been a tail wag thrown in for emphasis.



Of course, I thought about how long it should take her to make it back to campus, added about fifteen minutes to the back end and then called. Thankfully, she made it back to the dorm safely. Happily as well, I suspect. Being home was great when it seemed like old times. Having her friends around for a few days contributed to that feeling. After a couple of days limited to going out to dinner and watching TV with her parents, a campus crawling with people her own age had to have a certain appeal.
As she left, I hugged her a little too long and kissed her one too many times. My thinking is, you can never get those moments back so hang on to them as long as you can. Strangely, a few minutes after she thought she was rid of me, we ran into one another at a gas station.



She laughed and graciously hugged me one more time. Then, she was on her way with a full tank of gas and a recharged spirit.
Let’s put it this way, she shed no tears when she hit the road. I wish I could say the same for myself.

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There She Is, There She Goes!

It’s Fall Break in Texas, and college girls have come home!



Parents are happy about this development, no doubt; but one particular member of our family was so excited she couldn’t decide how to express herself. When the dog saw her long-lost friend, she had a look of confusion on her face. That lasted but a fleeting moment, until she apparently became convinced that IT REALLY IS HER! She’s standing RIGHT THERE. That’s when the spinning started. Yes, the dog was spinning in a tight circle and whimpering. Spin. Cry. Spin. Cry. Spinandcry, spinandcry, spinandcry. She just could not contain her glee. The feeling was mutual.



On the other hand, the Old Fat Cat was aloof. Keep in mind; these two have been close companions since our daughter was six years old. For about fifteen minutes, the cat wouldn’t have anything to do with her. Then, gradually, she decided not to punish her mommy anymore and the two were reunited. The family home was nothing but a pit stop, sad to say. Indeed, it is fall break in Texas; but not in Louisiana. So, the majority of her friends are still clustered at college. I guess the idea of staring at her parents and grandparents for almost a week was just too scintillating to bear. So, less than an hour after she arrived in the garage, she was off again, bound for Baton Rouge.



She said during the college selection process that she didn’t want to love LSU because she wanted to break away from the crowd. That’s where the crowd is, to be sure, and that’s where she plans to spend the next couple of days. I understand. I hope she has a great time. Her friends are no doubt thrilled for the opportunity to spend time with her and show her around. They have promised to deliver her home in one piece.
That’s good. She needs to get back here. The dog is confused.

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