Deep in the heart...

It's a bit before 5 am here in Waxahachie and I am awake due to some acid indigestion and a bit of a grumbly tummy. Most everyone else has just barely climbed into bed. It tends to be this way when mom gets together with her sisters. I can't imagine being in a family with 5 sisters. There are only 3 of them here now and it get a bit loud and unruly at times.

Despite the Internet guestimation of 14 hours, it took us closer to 18 in our 2008 Saturn Outlook to travel here on Thursday. We left a little after 5 am and arrived here shortly after 11 pm. Partly because my sister decided to take us a scenic route in Iowa, partly because my bladder is the size of my pre-pregnancy pinky. We stopped twice to eat at small diners along the way. The rest of our stops were at gas stations to use the facilities and fill up the enormous vehicle. The third row seats fold down and so do the second row, so we folded the back seat half way and made a bed of pillows to take turns sleeping on. It wasn't too uncomfortable. I had the pleasure of driving through Oklahoma City and it was extremely busy, my desire to stay at the speed limit and my mother's desire to keep up with the flow of traffic forced my 'turn' to expire quickly. I may not be allowed to drive on the way home...aw shucks.

We went straight to the sheets Thursday night and arose Friday morning to the sound of a tiny whine. It seems one of Auntie's 10 puppies had taken to a fever and wasn't doing well. She called around and finally got an emergency appointment with a veterinarian. It seems little Belle (who is only 10 weeks old, weighs less than a pound and is already sold to a potential buyer for 2000 clams) has low blood sugar. In fact, her blood sugar level was 14 when normal levels are above 40. We were forced to give her 1cc of karo syrup and water every 15 minutes all day. I do believe that Auntie just finished a dose in fact. She seems to be perking up and hopefully come day light she will be a new pup. Unfortunately, this breed of Yorkie sometimes has problems with liver function and the poor thing may require surgery to place a stint near her liver. She is so tiny and even full-grown may not even tip the scales at 3 pounds.

Belle came with us everywhere yesterday. We went to the market for some fresh food, to Walgreen's for a prescription and to the lake for an afternoon swim.

I experienced a first. Since the county that Auntie lives in is 'dry'. Several surrounding counties market unique ways to sell alcohol. Needing some cool beverages for the lake, we put an empty cooler in the car and drove to the rear of a convenience store where there was a 'garage' of sorts with wall to wall coolers of beer, wine and beverages. Upon entering the garage we popped open the hatchback and a girl in a tube top and shorty shorts walked up to the drivers window and took our order. She then proceeded to fill the cooler with the drinks and topped it off with 5 gallon bucket of free ice. She shut the back and off we went.

We drove past fields of cotton today. The first time I saw cotton was in Mo., when I was a teenager. I would like to stop and get a sample for my daughter to share with her kindergarten class for show and tell. It is pretty green here yet, they don't harvest it until late September or October, but the little white tufts of cotton are just peeking from the pods and it looks beautiful in the fields.

In a few hours we are going to the Farmer's Market to see the local produce and arts. We also plan to meet my mother's aunt and her cousin for lunch in Dallas. It is an hours drive from here.
Tonight my uncle is making his famous barbecue ribs and we plan to eat and relax as we are leaving after breakfast Sunday morning.

My poor sister has not been feeling 100% and believes she may have caught a bug or something. Last night while sitting outside enjoying the 80 degree evening breeze she was wearing a sweater. I called home to check on things and my ds has not been feeling well either. I feel a twinge of guilt for not being there to take care of him, but I know my dh is doing a fine job. While we were traveling here on Thursday he managed to make another batch of salsa and take the kids fishing. Yesterday, my dd was on the phone telling me, "daddy was late picking me up from school..." I could only imagine her standing outside the building looking up the block with her hands on her hips. I have no idea where she gets it from. I am pretty sure he has his hands full. I have complete confidence my children will be fine...the house? now that's an entirely different story.

Well, it's almost 5:30 and the snoring dogs are reminding me I should be resting. I was going to try and put a photo of beautiful Belle on here, but I don't think I brought the right power cord for doing it. I will ask my computer whiz sis in the morning if she is up to it.