Thursday, January 04, 2007

Life in the Fast Lane...

I went to Austin over the Christmas holiday (for Christmas, actually) to visit my children. This time, I made it from my front door to theirs in six hours and five minutes (on the Saturday before Christmas, no less). And I learned a few things along the way:

1. It is possible to tailgate someone going 70 miles per hour. I know. It happened to me three times, not including the police car I had to move out of the way for. I was flying down the road, looked into my rearview mirror, and was shocked to see my poor car being pursued closely by another.

2. Carnivores do live in Austin. I was beginning to think that everyone (almost) was either vegetarian or vegan, but my son took me to a party on Christmas day where the hosts actually served meat. I was surprised. And pleased.

3. It is possible to have too many cats. My kids claim 9 of their own. But, because they have provided the cats with easy access in and out of the house, every cat in the neighborhood comes in to eat. I counted at least four cats that didn't belong to them going in and out after a nosh.

4. If you leave Austin early enough the day after Christmas, you can avoid the after-Christmas-shopping crowd in nearly every town you go through. I didn't get held up once because of shopping traffic. In fact, I was only slowed down by the speed limit changes.

I enjoyed my visit, even though my daughter left on Christmas day to go to Oakland with her boyfriend. I had enough time to visit with both of my kids, so I was glad for that. I was happy to get back home, even though I had to spend an hour straightening up after my own cats. They had a really good time while I was gone.
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Speaking of cars, mine is in the shop for repair. I'm driving this mafia rental car--a VW Passat-- and while it is a nice car, it's too big for me. Even with the seat pulled all the way up, my feet barely touch the pedals. Thank God for cruise control. AND it takes premium unleaded gas. I drive 90 miles a day when I have to go to the "big" city to work and premium is expensive. This car is going to cost me $50 by the time my car gets out of the shop; it really shouldn't cost me anything, since I wasn't at fault in the accident. I need to talk to my insurance people about this.
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School begins again in 11 days. I'm not ready for it. I've spent most of my "off time" knitting. I knitted a pair of socks, a pair of slippers, a baby hat, bootees, and I'm almost finished with a baby blanket (the baby things are for my youngest brother and his wife--they are expecting their first child in February; the baby's a girl--her name is Ava). I'm working on another pair of socks and another pair of slippers. While I was in Austin, I knitted two hats and a scarf. And, if you get to Congress Street, visit Hill Country Weavers. They have a great selection of yarn (some of it is expensive, but worth it).
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Well, I hope the New Year is good for all of us. I'm looking forward to summer already!