Entry #48

Entry #48

Wednesday, March 14

1:00 p.m. We just returned from a week in Colorado to visit David’s paternal grandmother and my friend of nearly 30 years, Madeleine, and her family. Upon de-boarding the plane in Houston, we were met by a blast of warm, intensely humid air, followed by toxic paint fumes, with “Wet Paint” signs taped haphazardly along the exit ramp carpet. Welcome Home!

David and the kids had the opportunity to ski with Peter and Will (Madeleine's husband and son) the day after we arrived in Colorado, but were completely zonked by the afternoon, since they’re not used to the difference in elevation (I think the mountain was 9500 feet above sea level).

While the boys went skiing, Mads and I went for a hike. Despite the moderate climb, I was breathing hard. No wonder so many athletes train in Colorado—you need a strong set of lungs to oxygenate that thin, dry air. Luckily the scenery is so darned beautiful—helps keep you going while your heart is palpitating.

Noah and Aidan had a great time with Will, who had a blast bowling and hiking and just hanging out with the big dudes. At school, he introduced Aidan at school as “my cousin” and “the son of my mom’s very close friend.” Later that day he compared his spinning tops to "the planets rotating around the sun." Hard to believe he's only six years old.

The drive to see David's grandmother in Delta took us past snowy mountain ranges, open plains, wineries and farms. Grandma "K" (Koretha) now lives with her daughter, Theresa, and her second husband, Leroy, whose father was once the sheriff of this town.

While Boulder seems to be a liberal, environmentally aware and wealthy enclave, Delta appears to fall along the other end of the political/environmental/socioeconomic spectrum. David’s Aunt Theresa, who moved to Colorado about 20 years ago from Los Angeles, explained that there is no recycling whatsoever in the area, so they just throw everything away. The center of town spans along one road, a charming Main Street, though, like many rural areas, now has a Wal-Mart, too.

The first night Grandma K treated us all to Chinese food. The local favorite is House of Chin’s Oriental Restaurant. (Hearing aids are sold there, too, according to a posted sign.) David’s aunt is an avid movie collector, so we had the luxury of watching some newly released flicks, which was fun. More than anything, it was great to see Grandma K, who remains as sparkly as ever, despite her advanced age and limited mobility. She'll be 95 in August.

Thursday, March 15

1:00 p.m. During writing class last night, my cohort "workshopped" the first several pages of this blog. While I know that presenting Faux Real in Texas to a class full of Texans might not be the wisest move, I was curious as to how they’d react (though I did wait until the 10-week session was nearly over, just in case).

To my great relief, the feedback was largely positive, but one person, whose family has been in Texas since the 1800s, wrote “I love this blog...To be honest. I don’t know why I like it. This is the most irritating description I’ve read of Houston and there’s not one sentence that is incorrect or even describes it harshly.” 


She followed this commentary with some fascinating historical information (and agreed that I could share it with you as long as she remained anonymous):

“I think there were several Girl Scout camps in the area of The Woodlands that my brothers and I went to while growing up. I have only heard about The Woodlands being beautiful and safe or being the farthest right-wing, evangelical Republican stronghold in the vicinity of Houston...

I can personally tell you that the ‘gun games’ you hear about are real and have been since the 1950s or earlier. Both of my brothers had to have a BB gun first, followed by a pellet gun, followed by a shotgun. I don’t know a single male or female around my age that grew up in Texas and hasn’t ever shot a gun. Even I have a shot gun and I hate guns.

A lot of people were and are first-generation off a ranch or farm and considered animals as livestock. Any non-working animal that can’t be sold or eaten is a luxury. I can’t stand these people, but I can understand where they come from and why they put little value in pets.

It’s still difficult to understand this redneck, uneducated attitude around Houston, but it’s a little easier when you know that Houston was an overgrown town that people came to from the farms, ranches and oil fields around Texas. The people who ran the farms, ranches, and oil leases were not dumb, backwoods thugs that seem so prevalent today. Houston was a very young city, particularly considering how large it has gotten. It was much, much smaller not so long ago.”

5:00 p.m.  My motivation to go grocery shopping today was lacking, but the empty fridge was beckoning, so I went to the nearby HEB to stock up after being gone for a week. I was greeted by the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile parked in front of the lot. Now that's what I call a Welcome (Weiner) Wagon!

 Friday, March 16

7:00 p.m. After dropping off Noah at Fat Ogre, a gaming place that hosts Magic Tournaments (the card game, not visual tricks), I took Izzie for a walk in a neighborhood we had yet to explore. It’s called “The Cove,” which would sound very alluring if not for the association I have with the 2009 documentary (about dolphin hunting in Japan) that shares its name. 

I looked up "The Cove + The Woodlands" via Google, and there's actually a three-minute video that takes you through this upscale neighborhood, complete with piano music and monotone tour guide. Street names include Wayward Cove, Leeward Cove, Pleasure Cove and Treasure Cove. I happened to park on Racing Cloud Court—I figured I could remember that.

On the way home,  I drove past a street called Blue Fox Road. I’ve since learned that this street is located near the following: Lynx Lane, Raccoon Lane, Red Deer Lane, and Woodchuck Lane (as well as Blue Fox Court). Seems the gal who named all roads in this area was in a forest creatures kind of mood that day.

11:00 p.m. I just happened upon some breaking news, another major OOPS by Governor Perry that will adversely affect women on Medicaid: “Texas Loses Entire Women’s Health Program Over Planned Parenthood Law:”

“The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday that it will cut off all Medicaid funding for family planning to the state of Texas, following Gov. Rick Perry's (R) decision to implement a new law that excludes Planned Parenthood from the state's Medicaid Women's Health Program.

Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations (CMSO), wrote Texas health officials a letter on Thursday explaining that the state broke federal Medicaid rules by discriminating against qualified family planning providers and thus would be losing the entire program, which provides cancer screenings, contraceptives and basic health care to 130,000 low-income women each year.

"We very much regret the state's decision to implement this rule, which will prevent women enrolled in the program from receiving services from the trusted health care providers they have chosen and relied upon for their care," she wrote. "In light of Texas' actions, CMS is not in a position to extend or renew the current [Medicaid contract]."

The federal government pays for nearly 90 percent of Texas' $40 million Women's Health Program, and nearly half of the program's providers in Texas are Planned Parenthood clinics. But the new law that went into effect earlier this month disqualified Planned Parenthood from participating in the program because some of its clinics provide abortions, even though no state or federal money can be used to pay for those abortions...” —Huffington Post