Winds, meetings, gifts

Mama and I traveled through the late afternoon and evening on Friday on our way to Amarillo and got there about 6:30 pm. It was late enough that we just grabbed something small to eat, checked into our hotel and then went to do some shopping. As for the hotel, Mama was very disappointed with the layout. She does not like hotels where the rooms open onto an exterior walkway; and thereby, the parking lot, the street or the pool area. We had a very bad experience once and she has never gotten past it. It ended up working out okay because the room we stayed in was at the back of the complex on the second floor. It opened toward the pool but there was no activity there. I do know that the price was right and we ended up getting a fair night’s sleep. Mama was a little upset because she had specifically asked if the rooms opened onto a walkway or to an interior hall. She had been told that they did not open to an outside walkway. How the girl that made our reservation came up with that answer is beyond me.

The wind buffeted us the entire way there, the entire time we were there and the entire way home. It has not slacked up as of this morning. One of the benefits of living on the farm is that it is situated in such a way that we do not get the fierce winds we experienced in Bowie. It is often a surprise when we head out to find that the winds are blowing so strongly. That is a blessing for us and the animals on the farm. We get enough of the winds that things are not still but unless it blows out of the north, we do not usually get the full force. It was actually cooler at the farm than in Amarillo but it was hard to tell as we walked from one store to another while we were there. The cold temperatures and the strong winds limited the outdoor activities at the hotel so it was not all bad.

My meeting with Tim went well. It was probably the shortest meeting I have had with him in several years. I thought it would be more complicated than it turned out to be and Tim was ready for the information, plugging it into his spreadsheet as we went. We were done in twenty minutes. Mama had left me there to go make a store run thinking, like I did, that we might be a while. She was a little taken aback when I called her so soon but was back to get me a few minutes after I called. We spent the rest of the morning shopping, ate lunch and then went to see Mrs. Patrick.

We spent an hour or so with Mrs. Patrick just catching up as best we could. Her memory is fading and her mind tends to wander but we had a good visit. She seemed connected and engaged. She shared stories of her time in Korea, of her childhood and some of more recent events she could remember well enough to communicate. She sat on the couch with her very aged cat who requires constant care from her. The cat will stretch out her paw indicating that she needs a drink of water or a bite of food and Mrs. Patrick will lovingly bring the desired dish within reach so the cat can drink or eat as requested. Not something I would do but she loves her cat and it gives her purpose; she is needed, even if it a need I would not respond to, it keeps her going.

We left after our visit with Mrs. Patrick but not before she had given Mama a beautiful silk portrait of some Koi fish. The silk-work portrait is about twelve inches by thirty-six inches. It is beautiful. It was purchased in Korea and brought back to her home from there. The colors are bright and vibrant. I will be hanging it in our bathroom to blend with the beach theme of the decor.

Mama is thrilled to have it.