Like Before

Horses, a dog, corn fields and my orange car. Iowa. Screams IOWA, huh? You may need to click on it, to biggify it. Well, maybe all except the orange car aka my Pumpkin. This was snapped at a chum's house. They have 5 acres of mowable yard, the rest somebody farms on. They live on a gravel road. I'd forgotten how tricky gravel can be--if you go a bit too fast--trust me.

Iowa. This is the first visit, since my dad's passing in 2001, that the visit home felt different. It felt good. See, even tho Iowa was my home, I had no home to go to. My dad wasn't there to great me with his infamous King Edward cigar in his mouth. Would be an emotional roller coaster, the few times I did go back to Iowa. A classmate, who lives in Iowa, still says it's sometimes hard for her to come to our hometown, because her parents are gone too. I thought I was alone--yet more and more adult children, more so those who have moved away, experience this. I still have friends and other family---however it just wasn't the same.

This trip tho--I didn't feel all the emotion. Sure, I cried when I headed out to the cemetery to see my parents' graves. I told them I still wanted to make them so proud. Outside of that--I felt closure. All was OK.

In fact, I had the BEST time in Iowa, I'd had in a long, long time. I was asked if I would ever move back. I don't know. Being there, did feel right. Maybe because all the classmates, back for the reunion, knew me 'before'. Knew me from the first. And I liked that.

Lots to ponder as I drove south on I-35 and smiled when I finally saw this sign:

Would I move back? No clue.

I do know, I have lunch tomorrow with a classmate who's lived in Dallas, maybe just a bit longer than I have. We hadn't seen each other in a few years until this past weekend. Sadly he's now a widower. Our Saturday night chat was filled with sweetness, fun, and laughs.

Just like I remember.

Just like before.

$1.52

Is what I paid per gallon to pump gas into my Pumpkin. Was it that long ago, the cheapest was $3.85? My car was more on "E" than I realized because 15 gallons fill 'er up went in for 23 bucks.

For about a second--and I repeat--second--I thought, "Hmm, I could almost drove the 750 miles, all up I-35 (except for the last 35 miles), to visit family and friends, for that price." Then a clip of Northern air blew through me. Then the radio person told me it would be about 27 degress tonight in Dallas. Well, Dallasites call that 'bitter cold'. So reality hits how the Northern air in Iowa would be colder. Plus the temparture of 27 degress might be considered 'balmy.' And, ya know, I'd have to pull out my winter coat out of neccesity. Pesky little frostbite thing. But that's the not the biggest worry.

Where IS my winter coat? Why worry about since the weather will close to 60 in a couple days? So, no Iowa in Winter. Catch me maybe Spring...after the final snow. Maybe.

Sorry family and chums.