Some days a girl needs to get out in the fresh air. Yesterday was one of them. Some Mud Ducks hang around their distant watering hole and are quite content. Lounging about, whining about all the things that could be better but aren’t because it is too cold, or too wet, or just tooooooo. I find some Mud Ducks don’t yet have the concept of choosing happiness and growth, which makes my own first assessment of myself as a Mud Duck suspect. Yesterday, I became migratory fowl while looking at the brewing storm clouds amassing. I needed respite from my Christmasy nest.
New and interesting food sources in my little town don’t appear every day, especially during Covid. Slowly, I have tried and tired of each one, and yesterday, nothing sounded as if it would hit the spot. The the daily special at The Wig Wam, nor eating in a restaurant full of goofy bear decor, were right for yesterday lunch.
Braving the wind outside, I used my trusty new leaf blower to move leaves from the porch to the jet stream right that blew by my house. My 30 trees already know the routine. Leaf out, enjoy the summer, shed leaves and sleep. So, the shedding has almost finished and I am sure I hear many of them snoring. It is a mystery where all the dropped leaves have gone. I have cleaned up 4 trash barrels worth, but the wind has taken the rest far, far, away to lands unknown. For that I am thankful.
Oliver managed to get himself into trouble again, eating another path light, so, things in the house were quiet with him in Puppy Time Out, already asleep, while dreaming of how he will steal the next light. His one truly naughty side cannot be hidden. Oliver is a destructive chewer who never stops. Ever. Most toys are liver to him. He eats anything and everything plastic. Afflicted with a syndrome of some kind, plastic is his life force. I am am aware and careful as I can be. Yesterday, Puppy Time Out was a safe option for him, as I sat frustrated and cooped up.
Who better to jet away with than……The Wonderful And Most Entertaining Miss Firecracker!!!! For new readers, this wonderful woman and I became friends the minute we met while attending a Men’s Group Function in which our husbands were members. The four of us hit it off. She was a huge reason why we chose to move to our town, they having been here for 14 years. Never did we know 2020 and cancer would steal them both away, just months apart. Yes. Miss Firecracker!!!! Maybe, just maybe, she would be up for a trip to the desert home of Top Gun. I had been wanting to try a Sonic Burger, and there was just such a place right of 95.
Miss Firecracker, being just as cooped up and bored as I, jumped at the chance and in a few short minutes, we started on our journey 30 miles East. I was in my black and orange “Vaqueros” hoodie, jeans, and Ugg boots. A standard uniform these days, with winter almost here. She, on the other hand, was styling, as usual. In a darling black suede leather coat with fringe on the arms, her perky smile, sparkling eyes, and the most adorable macrame/crochet purse, her look was complete. We set out into the desert on our 30 minute ride east.
Traveling with a desert girl who knows things, it was fun to have her point out the mark on a huge mountain outside of town that looks like a primitive, hieroglyphic horse. Below that, a sheep’s head. There are more shortcuts to learn. More stories to share about two guys we loved so much. Traveling with her, we become fireworks, exploding across the horizon as we gasp and cover any range of subjects. Time stops and careens ahead at the same time when I am with her.
Rolling into the fringes of town, she mentioned she knew of an actual restaurant that we might try. With a turn off the main drag, we arrived at an adorable place called The Grid. It had something for everyone, and the parking lot was jammed with cars (less than 50 people, I am 100% sure) The outside was Nevada approved. You can’t judge Nevada with a mere drive-by. The most wonderful shops and stores are just through the door. Most exteriors look terrible, because they are sandblasted on most days by high, sandy winds. These are extremely hard on humans and buildings.
Miss Firecracker knew just where we should eat. A restaurant like something out of a Top Gun movie that I would envision. Polished cement floors, corrugated aluminum on the walls, exposed ducting instead of a ceiling. A place were things were discussed, hashed out, decided and agreed upon. A no-frills place where people go to chow down. On one side was a bar/eating area, complete with at least one pool table. The other side was the restaurant, which was considerably less busy. The place was industrially sexy, my favorite style of decor. Yes. Miss Firecracker elevated my mood with this suggestion.
On the way home, she full of Rueben and me of Hamburger, we hadn’t even touched the surface of all the topics we could easily share. The best Carpet Cleaner, past Shrine memories, whistful thoughts on our guys, topography of the high desert, shortcuts, and the wind. We chatted all the way back to her front door and the end of our luncheon date.
I am so grateful to have a friend like her. We share so many things. Her first hand knowledge of what it is like to go through this wilderness is such a comfort. I don’t need to explain if my eyes mist over at a sweet memory. Not needed is the background story to what VST was like as a man. She knew him. And I knew Mr. Motorcycle Jacket, her guy. Suave and well spoken. He came across like Bailey’s and Coffee, hold the whipped cream. He was smooth and sweet, with an added urgency of caffeine. He was a gentleman, first and foremost. An old curmudgeon to her at times, but they were the moon and the stars together. And now, the sky seems a little awkward without his presence.
Try going off your normal grid like we did yesterday. It was a mini-vacation to laughter and fun. Pick a new place to visit with an old friend. And, don’t forget to laugh. It feels great.