a weekend of destruction.

Well, I think it would be safest if I was given the boundaries of my porch, bedroom, and kitchen here at the Marfa house. Today I was asked what's new in my life...let me share with yall what is new since Friday night...

1) There I was driving on the ranch road home from my friend's house. Just wanted to catch up and see him for a bit. And the next thing I know, my car is up on rocks and swerving towards a large hill of earth/rock (picture a cliff that is about 15 feet high and dirt/rock mix)...then I swerve to prevent this large hill...go another probably 15 yards and end up lodged on a very large cement rock/block structure. From the moment it began until that ending atop the infamous rock, it was a good 55-60 yards of fear, panic, and trying to not flip. Actually, the fact that I DIDN'T flip or get hurt anymore than the busted oil pan is a miracle in and of itself. You know that song, "Jesus take the wheel..."?? Well, He did just that on Friday night. After an afternoon with my friend, Sam, of jacking up the car, removing said rock from underneath, and figuring out how to rope her behind his truck, we arrived back in M-town to assess the damage. What should take about 20 minutes on a paved road to get home took over an hour due to driving 10 miles an hour with a little red car behind the big, savior truck. At least Lola was safe and able to be fixed!

2) Then today I was, being the good granddaughter that I am, mowing the lawn instead of hiring someone else to do it. I had gotten into my mowing zone and was solely focused on destroying the large bush of weeds before me. They were at least 3 feet tall and a large amount of them - I thought that surely my strength, determination, and newly established mowing skills could defeat said bush. Well, I did...after busting a sneaky PVC plumbing pipe that was hidden amongst the weeds! It was a spring of fresh, delicious water flowing freely onto the very dry ground of our backyard...only, water is a limited commodity out here and it needed to be rescued, not wasted on pestering weeds! I frantically grabbed my phone and called the only logical person that could help in dire moments: my mother. Well, her being in Dallas and not being a plumber did not help too much...she instructed me to head to Wayne's across the street and then Dan's behind our house. Anyways, after about 30 minutes of the three of us (ok, just them two...I just stood by and watched) digging out the water power nozzle thing, turning off the water, replacing the chopped off top to the pvc pipe, and returning the water on, we (or maybe just they...) fixed it. In reality, it was not a huge deal thanks to my VERY generous and understanding neighbors. But, it was still yet another destructive move of mine, though not on purpose, and another life lesson to add to the books.

So, I have had my share of excitement, stupidity, and fixing problems that were probably easily prevented in the first place. Man, it's exhausting being me! The car is actually not so bad since a oil pan is nothing in comparison to what the damage could have been. The problem there is that I was supposed to leave for Houston on Tuesday for a 12 day drive/adventure throughout Texas for various graduations, family times, and friend seeings. Lola will not be accompanying me on this adventure and I am currently trying to figure out a) can I get a rental car for a decent price that insurance will cover and b) can I get back to Marfa by Saturday night?? These both need to happen as I have no dollars and I work on Sunday morning. Great.

On a lighter note and to add some humor to the post (although, both of the former scenarios definitely have elements of humor and ridiculousness...), I had a delicous dipped cone from DQ today. I was working on researching the rental car situation this afternoon when it hit me: I need...I want...I DESERVE a DQ dipped cone! Well, I am currently carless and my legs are tired from today's run and mowing adventure so I proceeded to dig out the bicycles hidden in the garage. After hauling the first to the alley, I realized it had a flat. After hauling the 2nd to the alley, I realized that biking up hill with tired legs is EXHAUSTING! But there was the creaminess of DQ soft-serve, the crunch of the cake cone, and the deliciousness of the hard chocolate shell in my vision pressing me on towards the goal: DQ. Though I am sure I looked ridiculous, I made it to this place of deliciousness and sat on the curb whilst enjoying my sweet, crunchy, chocolatey treat. What a way to end the day...until it started sprinkling and I still had to get home! Oh well. Tammy accompanied on the phone while I pedaled through a light sprinkle...I took the long route home just to avoid the dreaded hill behind the house. Trust me - it was worth the extra .3241 miles that it might have taken me.

All in all, my first weekend here in Marfa was, well, MARFAlous. It had plenty of moments to keep me on my toes, time catching up with friends, and ended with a classic treat from a classic stop. I hope you all were as active and entertained as I was this weekend but maybe a bit less destructive in the process. Happy Sunday and love from the little house on the hill.


Marfa means...small enough to bike for a needed DQ treat when your car is currently out of service.