Grateful

Getting to Thanksgiving was a little challenging this year so we are trying to chill and enjoy our time together, which means that most of the cooking is only just barely in progress.

Tuesday night after work, I headed to Edinburg to pick up the Lone Star Girl.  I already am not a fan of trips to Edinburg undertaken so late because I do not love driving through Brooks County on 285 at night, with all the too-fast cars  and rigs that think passing is such a good idea.  We made it down that road fine, though, and past the big Stripes on 77 in Riviera only to come across a giant roadblock teeming with Border Patrol before reaching Ricardo.  

I think the Falfurrias checkpoint must have known something was going on in the area because when we went through, they had asked us a bunch of questions and searched our car while we are so not what they are looking for that they usually barely glance at us.  We told them we were headed to Corpus, so I wish they had told us that we weren't going to be able to get through back there as it would have saved us almost an hour, but they did not.   The agents at the roadblock in Riviera said it was going to be hours before the road opened and suggested a detour that was going to add a good long while to our drive and it was already almost 10pm.  We went back to the Stripes, pulled out a map and called my dad to verify what looked like possible routes and then headed all the way back to Falfurrias and got on 281, planning to head through Kingsville the back way on 141.  I do not know that side of 141 and was very nervous about it, wondering if it would not be safer to keep going to 44 in Alice. We found 141, though, and took it through to 77, past the roadblock,  without incident.  We should have gone the Alice way, though, because when we were almost to 44, there was a terrible accident a few cars ahead of us and we and a whole bunch of other people there were stuck there for a good half hour or more.  The Girl and I made it safely home a touch after 1am, though.

I am not even mentioning the issue of having to take the Girl's ant venom serum home to get measured.

I had work on Wednesday and by the time I got home, I was very tired.  I feel selfish to say so, but I am a little relieved we have no Thanksgiving guests this year, under the circumstances, because we did zero cooking last night and are doing it all now, with no real need to worry about the time, which is nice.

I am grateful to be here with Lone Star Pa and the girls, safe at home with warmth and shelter and good food and good health.  I wish everyone else had the same.

Happy Thanksgiving.