Back Scratcher

 Another giveaway from the Business Expo was a back scratcher.  I always have an itchy back so I was excited.

Not that exciting for sure but I actually have a back scratcher story.

Back when I first retired in 2010 I worked seasonal at Walgreens. We had a boxful of wooden scratchers but had sold them all.  A lady came in on Christmas Eve afternoon wanting to buy one. She was in a little panic...her little boy had asked Santa for one. I called our manager who called around & finally found one at another store.  Christmas saved!!

Chiltons

A cocktail as bright and pure as the West Texas sun.

First thing is, I'm not a drinker. I've never had a Chilton. But it was allegedly created in the Lubbock Country Club bar by a Dr Chilton working with a bartender.  And in Lubbock, it's a big old deal. Every Lubbock drinker apparently loves them.

A couple of years I was working at a local kitchen store & the owner wanted a tea towel with the recipe on it. She said she'd contacted her towel printer & they never would get it done. But she was not a follow up person so I don't know if it was true. I never saw one...until...

...the annual Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Business Expo where a local printing company had created one. And they were handing them out for free!

In a rare mean moment (really), I have to laugh a little. You snooze, you lose.

14 Years?

One day last week after running errands, I stopped at Chic-Fil-A for a sandwich. After I had my food, I noticed a young man walking across the parking lot carrying what appeared to be everything he owned. He had a large,fat garbage bag, a computer case & a guitar. I pulled over & asked if he was hungry. He was & I went back through the line & got his lunch. When he walked over,as I always do, I asked him what he was doing out there.  He told me he'd been homeless for 14 years. He really didn't go into much detail but said he's been all over the country hitchhiking. 

He appeared to be in his 30s, with dark hair & a beard. He probably needed a shower but he wasn't filthy. He was well spoken & grateful for lunch. And he then asked for a ride to a Starbucks, for wi-fi if I was guessing. He said he understood if I said no & I did say no. I'll buy anyone a meal but I'm basically not all that trusting.  

His name is George. I pray he's safe.

But I've been thinking a lot about the situation. I'm such a homebody & cannot imagine living on the street. And I'm fully blessed so that probably won't happen. I cannot imagine not having my own space. I mean, 14 years is a choice. 

I even talked to my neighbor who runs a non-profit ministry & she said she finally had to turn adults away because she figured out they don't want a hand up, just a hand out. And it was making her jaded. And I hate that because she loves what she does. 

Amarillo on Mother's Day

Best Mom Ever.

I knew Mother's Day was coming up & it's been 22 years since I lost mine so I never look forward to the day. I decided as a distraction I'd do a day trip to Amarillo to watch their minor league baseball team play an afternoon game. And then spend the night at a hotel, one of my favorite things to do.

I headed out Sunday morning knowing I'd be a little early--it's a 2 hour drive. However, when I hit the Hale County line, they'd decided to put out every cone they owned. They'd closed alternate sides of the road closing til I was out of Hale County. The road was not torn up. There were no workers. I think the cones were there to annoy us. On my way back yesterday all the cones were in the median. I'll never understand that process. 

Then I decided to stop at Happy,TX, The Town Without a Frown. I just drove through. It was church time & they all looked full. The main thing I noticed was the smell. We are talking feed lots galore. Pee-You!  The smell of 🐄💩 or 💰 depending on your perspective. 

I got to Amarillo about 1130 & I was not exactly sure where I was going & thought I'd pull into a convenience store to put into my GPS but going through town I oddly didn't see one. I knew it was downtown so I kept driving til I saw an exit to a President's name. That means downtown Amarillo. I luckily chose the right one & stopped at a store & then looked up & the stadium was right there. As a person who is chronically lost, I was shocked! 

I possibly illegally parked in a lot across from the stadium but I wasn't the only one. And my car was there at the end of the game. Yay.

The team is called the Sod Poodles. That's the swanky guys.  The poor ones are prairie dogs.

They were playing the Tulsa Drillers.

First thing I noticed is my seat was in the sun. And the sun was hot. I sat there a little while but then moved up to a seat in the shade that I'd have to give up when the seat holder came. But they never did.  Finally in the last inning I was cold so went down to the front row to warm up.  I'm glad I moved because I would have looked like a boiled lobster if I hadn't. Even now, I'm a light pink.

I'd thought of getting stadium food for lunch but after paying $9 for a cup of tea & seeing the prices of everything else, I decided I could wait. There were several families who saw little of the game between the concessions & bathrooms. I was shocked that they could afford to take a family out at those prices. Yep, I'm cheap.

An afternoon of baseball is always a good thing & the "Soddies" won 6-1.

Then my hotel was about 3 blocks away. It was an old high rise building that was converted into a Marriot. It had a beautiful lobby & my room was on the 9th floor. Great room, comfy bed, I felt totally safe. 

The only picture I took was of their mail slot. My old work building had one too that the post office stopped servicing years before but I loved it!  The hotel one had a padlock, ours had just an old key slot.

Across the street was a building built by Santa Fe Railroad in 1928 & was sold to Potter County for city offices. But the sign is still on top & it's beautiful.

After checking in I went to Buc-ee's!  The beauty of the store is hard to explain. It's huge. It has tons of gas pumps. Store is clean, the bathrooms are spotless. They have gifts & snacks,clothing & a hot food bar. In Buc-ee's you can buy moccasins,jerky & cake balls! I saw a sign about hiring...$20 an hour. Well paid staff keeps a nice store. I only bought snacks. I've been in several of their stores if there is one in town, I'm going.

After, I was hungry & didn't want fast food & didn't see a go in place on the road I was on so I went to Cracker Barrel.  My favorite there is chicken & dumplings. Their's is ALMOST as good as my mom's.  I thought about her the entire meal. I was sitting alone, but I wasn't alone.  

I was tempted to get their Sunday special, chicken pot pie. But, while I don't normally count calories, the pot pie was 960 calories, the chicken & dumplings was 360 so I made the better choice. And it was darn good.

On the way home, I had pancakes & bacon at a country restaurant called Youngbloods. Also, darn good.

I'm trying really hard to get out more & see other people but it's hard to always be alone. I'm used to it at home for sure & there are places I'd rather go alone but sometimes I want to see other people. I need to see others. And it's hard to eat alone but I'm forcing myself to do it because there are times when I really crave restaurant food. I always feel like I would be judged but I truly know I'm not. I just need to make it normal.