Yesterday I spent the day in my hometown visiting Mater, Tink, Katydid, and Chico (Katydid's absolutely adorable Chihuahua). Mater returned there recently after living in our state's largest port city and then our state's absolute hinterland. Tink attends the university there, and Katydid lives within a reasonable distance. I had not visited Mater since she moved back, and Tink left for college a couple of weeks ago so I decided I needed to make a trip "home;" Katydid was a bonus. Personally I think Katydid was afraid I might make "brownie points" with Mater so she was willing to give up sleep and her Saturday to make sure the points were shared.

I live in a bedroom community of a metropolitan area, and my hometown is a well-known university town approximately 65 miles away (Mater would know the distance to a tenth of a mile). On a good day the trip takes an hour and a half; on a not-so-good day it can take two hours or more. A good day means one leaves home at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, and a not-so-good day is any other time on any other day. I absolutely HATE the drive. There is no good way to get there from here. There is a state road that connects the interstate with my hometown, and it is named "University Parkway." It would be more aptly named "University Parking Lot." It is my personal belief that traffic engineers spent months timing the traffic lights along this stretch of highway to ensure that traffic is ALWAYS snarled and that all drivers must stop at all traffic lights.

Anyway, Mater, Katydid, Tink and I went to lunch at my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant where they serve the world's best guacamole. The owner recognized Mater (she was a regular patron before she moved away) and sent two ginormous desserts to our table. We had already eaten ourselves senseless, but being the troopers we are we managed to polish off both. I cannot possibly convey how absolutely miserable I was for the rest of the day.

We then went "shopping." It isn't really shopping when you go with Mater and me. For us it is a mission: You find what you are seeking, you pay for it, and you leave. Katydid and Tink could spend hours (if not days) looking at everything and never buying anything. They discuss the pros and cons of each item (if only with themselves), place it in the cart or basket, wander to the next aisle/next item where the ritual is repeated, and then usually return most, if not all, of the items to the shelves before leaving the store. Mater and I enter a store, swoop down on whatever item is desired, present it to the person desiring it, and are then ready to move on. I guess you could say we are "minimalists" when it comes to shopping. My apologies to Tink and Katydid.

I spent the balance of the afternoon with Tink, trying to convince her that I can't quit my job, sell the house, and move to my hometown for the next two years while she finishes her degree at the university. We spent a couple of hours at Starbucks, and it was good to be able to just talk about anything, everything, and nothing.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and I had to face that horrendous drive home. I seriously considered faking a heart attack on the side of the road so that I could be airlifted by helicopter to a hospital nearer my home. But then...what would I do about my car? Would it be towed? Stripped? Vandalized? Even if I found it where I left it and it worked, I would STILL have to drive it home. In the final analysis (which took all of 30 seconds), I decided to "put on my big girl panties and deal with it." I drove home.