Gracie Enters Her State of Birth

Gracie often heads to Pennsylvania to replenish her soul.  A place with tree-covered hills which burst into to a vast expanse of sassafras yellow and maple scarlet in the fall.   She also loves the great variety of evergreens there -  Scotch pine, Norway spruce and blue spruce which were shaped like giant bee-hives in her Grandparents yard.  The Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus, an invasive, was brought there in 1784 and it is also called the Tree-of-Hell.  Perhaps this proves that perspective is everything.

Her first stop is to visit her daughter.  Gracie is delighted to see her and grateful for a loving reception and delicious dinner.  Gracie wants to buy a few things for the trip, most importantly books and music. She picks out two books:  The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer.  Her choices illustrate Gracie's broad range of interests.  As they near the cash register, her daughter says:  “You are homeless and unemployed, Mother, I’ll buy the books for you.” Gracie protests, but she is outnumbered by the cashier and her daughter’s beau.  She thinks to herself “Be gracious.” and then gives an enthusiastic “Thank you.” This scene is repeated at the CD store and at lunch.  “Wow!” thinks Gracie, "This is fun!”  She's deeply touched by the offer of a home, should things go awry on the road, but Gracie likes her independence.  A conversation with another of her children sheds light on Gracie’s feelings.  “Mom, you are so much more fun to visit than to live with.” said one of her sons.   She laughs, but when she replies “I feel the same way about you,” the son’s face drops in shocked surprise.

Within the same city, Gracie has a fine example of what she wants to be like when she grows up in her sensible 93-year-old second cousin on her father's side.  She lives a few miles from Gracie’s child, and the cousin’s sister, aunts, and other relatives rest in the graveyard where Gracie walks when visiting her daughter.

This second cousin lives independently and allows her children to visit and assess her ability to walk up and down the poorly lit, steep, wooden basement steps.  She still drives her car though not at night or on major highways; she does her own shopping and cooks tasty food similar to what Gracie used to eat at her Grandmother’s.  She likes crossword puzzles, is an avid reader  with an interest in religious material,  including, the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, the Methodist hymnbook and the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.  She is bright, witty and a joy to be around.  No wonder Gracie feels she is a woman to emulate. 

It’s time to head out of town. Gracie cannot depart without documenting her stay by adding to the “animal photo collection.”  Gracie likes to have her picture taken with statues of animals or live ones.  Her children do not seem appreciate her hobby as she has been told that there is a “senility spreadsheet” where these pictures are being logged. If this is senility, by gum, it’s fun! 

Copyright © 201 Martina Sabo

Gracie Arrives in the West

He grabs her by the shoulders, looks into her big green eyes and vehemently says:  “Gracie, you’ve got to get the hell out of here; you are driving me crazy.  You just gotta leave!"   She is stunned by her handyman’s words.  She has never heard him swear, not even when he is up to his elbows in the worst possible plumbing project. They have been through so much together and his knowledge, helpful attitude, abilities, and kindness have often blessed her life.  She trusts his advice on much more than just home repair...

Gracie’s departure date is quickly approaching and things are breaking left and right, but the tall handyman, who looks like he should play bass with ZZ Top, comes repeatedly to the house without complaint.

He takes her by the shoulders again and says:  “Don’t worry about your house. I will take care of it while you are gone and everything is going to be fine.”  She believes him, takes a deep breath, gets a goodbye hug and kiss, hops into the packed car and leaves. A noble friend is a blessing from God.

She makes a number of minor adjustments on the road. For one thing, her radio buttons no longer match the local stations. Gracie looks at the radio and wonders:  do you push tune or seek/skip? She never eats fruit unless it is cut up, but it's not really safe to be chopping up apples and nectarines while driving. Ugh, to just chomp into them seems an impolite adjustment to make. Apples are safe enough, but to have nectarine juice drip out the corners of your mouth or down your chin is downright repulsive.  She is alone in the car and the unicorn pillow won’t tell. 

She gradually adjusts to new technology.    She's never had a lap top and she hopes she can learn to love hers, even though it contains unfamiliar programs. As you might have guessed, adjustments are not Gracie’s forte yet adjust she must.

And adjust she does, learning to grab the apple, snack bar or water from the cooler without stopping the car and keeping her eyes on the road simultaneously has become habit. The car is now home base and everything is in its proper place as she obsessively and compulsively puts everything in the same place.  Road tripping is becoming a way of life, a part of her good life. And then, more adjustments as Phase One is completed when she pulls into the driveway at her western base just a few hundred miles shy of the Pacific Ocean.

Road Tripper's Badge of Honor

Yes, some people call it a skin cancer breeding ground or a vitamin D receptacle.  She is a bit dissapointed that she didn't really tan but turned orange instead.  Too bad it's not Halloween she could be a pumpkin. To Gracie, however, it's a badge of honor because although she's a homebody by nature, she just drove the hefty distance of four thousand three hundred and sixteen miles, (4,316).

How could she have driven so far and not ended up in the Pacific Ocean?  It must be all the fun things she did in between. 

More details to follow....side trips too.

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo

Gracie and Words Beginning with "P"

Be careful what you pray for, you just might get it.  Gracie learns this lesson as she kneels in prayer and asks what seems like a simple question:

 "What would happen if I rented out part of my house?"

 The next morning she awakens to an email from someone from her past:

"My husband can telecommute and we were looking for a place to rent for five or so months,,,," 

she reads with astonishment.  

 "Is this an answer from God or am I reading it wrong?”

she quizzically asks, looking upward.  She ponders what would have to be done for such an exchange to take place and wonders where she would go. Her son counsels:

"Commit now; plan later."  

That doesn't sound right…. Then he explains:

"You ask someone to marry you, then you plan the wedding; you save up for a house down payment and then get a mortgage.” 

OK, this does make sense. She begins to plan as questions flood her mind beginning with what should she pack away and where should she put it?

She prepares by sorting through the genealogy closet where she finds her father's high school yearbook from 1935; her mother's diploma from nursing school, and her Mum's wedding dress from September 1, 1939 (the day Hitler marched into Poland). The family joke was that was the day that two great wars began. She finds her own 8th grade graduation picture and stands in the middle of the room crying for the loss of one friend fifty years ago and then cries all over again for the joy of the friend that remains so after fifty-eight plus years.

Gracie realizes, as she never has before, that she has a great sentimental attachment to her home. This process of packing up and moving out may be harder than it first appeared. She cries a lot and then forges ahead. Everything seems to fall into place largely due to her fantastic handyman and friend as his help and advice is comforting.  She distributes some things to friends and relocates others within her own home.

“Keep a list, Woman!” says a small voice in her head, 

“The days are winding down.” and suddenly Gracie panics.  

“What's happening? Why I am leaving a perfectly wonderful life for the Unknown? What if…?! What if…?! What if…?!”

 She begins to realize that "if" is one of the biggest words in the English language. Again she hears her son’s counsel: 

"Ma, Ma," (it's always two Mas if he wants her to pay attention) "of course you will miss your old life when you are on the road, but that doesn't mean that what you are doing doesn't have value."

Can this font of wisdom be her child?  She takes his words to heart and also remembers the words of her friend Esther when faced with a major decision in her own life“…if I perish, I perish.” But if not???? 

Gracie takes a deep breath and  plunges into her future.   

More will be revealed as the path unwinds. 

Copyright © 2014 Martina Sabo