Living on Texas time

Blog, I've missed you. Let me catch you up on things.

We are back in Austin, Texas, U.S.A. It is better than I remember it.

We've only been gone 22 months and the energy here feels like it has multiplied by 10. All over town there are new restaurants and bars and condos and high-rise apartment buildings, there are more parks, the buildings are taller, the river is prettier, more people are riding bikes and there is more music.

This is a vibrant, smart, progressive, quirky, unpretentious, friendly city. I am in love with it. It feels so good to be back.

I was sad to leave Grenada, so I'm surprised to report that I do not miss it. That was fun, but this is home. I feel like I've been walking barefoot on a rocky trail, and I just came across my favorite and most comfortable pair of shoes. I put them on and they fit just right and my sore feet feel soothed.

Grenada was interesting and breathtakingly beautiful and magical. But living in Grenada was work. I got used to it and it didn't bother me and it was even good for me, but now that I am back here I remember why I had a shock those first six weeks on the island.

Getting reacquainted with a dishwasher and a washer and dryer in the house and central air conditioning and paved roads and 24-hour services and hot water and water pressure has been nice.

And it may be hot here, but the Texas sun in the morning has nothing on the sun at 12 degrees North of the equator.

And the grocery stores. I could go on and on. And on. About the grocery stores. Grenada friends, you know what I am talking about. This could be the single most important difference between everyday life in America versus life in a less developed country.

Grocery stores here are ridiculous. So...much...food. So many choices. An entire aisle devoted to breakfast cereal. Fifty different types of lunch meat. Hundreds of cheeses. Produce. Bread. Cleaning products. Makeup. Sauces, dips, salsas, marinades, dressings. Pickled things. Smoked things. Aged things.

And cheap. It is all so cheap. I'm not getting into the larger political, social, economic ramifications of so much cheap food at our disposal. Let's just take it at face value - it is awesome.

And I can go to said grocery store, or anywhere else for that matter, after 9 p.m. After Liam is asleep, if I need to pick up a gallon of milk or buy a swimsuit, I can. Every store is open, almost all the time.

My local pharmacy has a drive through window. The post man delivers mail to my door. There is a convenience store on every corner. Within walking distance of our house is a Dollar General, Randall's, Gold's Gym, Central Market, Borders bookstore, Target and countless restaurants. In one square mile of Austin there are more businesses than on half the island of Grenada.

I cannot wipe the you-know-what-eating grin off my face. Life is so convenient here. Washing a load of clothes takes an hour and a half at any time of the day. No need to wait for the sun to come up so the clothes can dry on the line. There is a dryer that will get that done in half an hour.

Dirty dishes? Throw them in a machine, flip a switch and they are clean.

A morning jog is safer here. The sun is not threatening to fry your skin in a matter of seconds, there are no loose dogs trying to bite your calves, the roads are smooth, no ankle-breaking potholes to dodge, and there are sidewalks. Sidewalks! What a smart idea.

It warms my heart to be in Texas. The unmistakable outline of the state, the lone star, the flag, trucks, rivers and lakes, oak trees, boots, beer, barbecue. These are all things I identify with, and when I see and feel and hear and touch these things I feel right at home.

The music - songs by Willie, songs about Willie, songs about Texas and dancing and drinking and swimming and driving. The steel guitar. The fiddle.

The food - sausage and brisket, breakfast tacos and enchiladas, queso, salsa, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans.

June bugs that kamikaze through the air. Their little legs stick to my hand when I catch one. The sun going down at 9 p.m. making summer nights last forever. Violent rain storms with thunder and lightning. Endless pastures and fields dotted with cows and horses.

Family is so close. Just a few country songs on the radio and we are with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. And old friends, they are gold. We are right back where we left off. Everyone here has helped us in immeasurable ways to get quickly readjusted.

We showed up like refugees wearing frayed shorts and carrying four suitcases and in no time we had a furnished house, food in the fridge and a party to welcome us home. C.J. settled in to his studies, and Liam and I haven't stopped reuniting and playing with all our old friends.

My only anxiety is that it will all be over too soon and in a few short weeks we'll be leaving for Brooklyn. I am o.k. with living in the epicenter of the universe for a few years but really I'm just thinking, how can we get back to Texas?? Everything we hold most dear in our hearts is here.

In the words of Tanya Tucker: When I die, I may not go to heaven...let me go to Texas, Texas is as close as I've been.