Hinds County Gazette I am Taking the Greyhound Bus to see the USA!

Mother getting a pedicure.

John with his 4 wheeler .

John has been gone two years, mother died over a year, my two old dogs passed this past year….So right now it is just one dog, Charlie, the golden retriever, two cats, Harper Lee and Scout,, and me living on this hill… even with the changes, my life seems to be on the same track, pretty much as it has been on for over 40 years. My schedule was shaped by others much of the time… staying home is not without responsibilities…the daily, the weekly routine of seeing that things get done, and the home runs relatively smooth…cooking at a certain time, shopping , and being home just in case I might be needed …I am not complaining, I enjoyed my life and would not have traded it for a “Real Job”.

But, I am slowly coming to realize, I have 24 hours to do what I want to…even more slowly I am losing those feelings, that I am suppose to be tending to something or somebody.
I can run vacuum at 2 Am… if I want to I am not disturbing anybody…my life has changed…but I have been reluctant to change my life.

So now then I said all of that to say…you all I have mashed the reset button on my life…instead of wandering around wondering what I should be doing…I am going to “DO”! Recently on C-Span’s Book TV they had a lady, Kath Weston, a professor at the university of Virginia, on talking about her latest book, Traveling Light; On The Road With America’s Poor…. This lady traveled all over the united states on the bus!

I am going to try it! A short trip first, to Florida, Mid March,…. yeah, I am going to grab up my backpack, strap on my camera and hit the road with Greyhound and leave the driving to them. My bother, and his family are in Florida. If I like that trip, I will go to North Carolina in May, to see Grandson Philip graduate from high school…if that trip works out…I want to take the bus back to Nebraska in late June…to take pictures…lots of pictures of the wheat harvest., And of the places of my childhood…Just in case one day my kids or grand kids get curious about where John and I grew up….so far they have shown little to no interest.

Traveling by bus is very economical…round trip to Florida is not but $120. Air fare is quite reasonable now too…but you do not get to see anything. Some of my friends are speculating , that before I get off that bus in Ft Myers Florida, I will have seen a whole heap more then I wanted to see….So Taking all of their concerns and warnings into consideration…I will be boarding the bus in V’Burg, and if I don’t like the way the trip is going…. I can get off in Jackson.

I did not tell daughter Angela until I had already purchased my nonrefundable ticket. Angela is a lot like her dad…some things you just do not mention until after you have carried out your plan. So, when I bought the ticket I Emailed, her the itinerary, I had no sooner I hit the “send” button on the computer… my phone went to ringing….It was her, she did not even say hello…it was “do I even want to know where you are going on a Greyhound bus?” there was a tone to her voice…she didn’t say too much.. not really…. But I could tell by her tone and her breathing, those long breathes and audible sighs…. she was not excited as I was with my latest scheme to add some adventure to my life.

I of course I heard of Muscadine grapes…But the first muscadine I ever ate was one of Hugh Allen’s …his vines are on his fence so close to the road, that when they began to ripen they became an irresistible temptation to the walking group…. we sampled them every morning during the season…..we would try to pretend he cared, but he didn’t…if fact this past fall Peggy Ann and I stopped by to admire the muscadines…there wasn’t any… Hugh from inside, must have seen the disappointment on our faces…because he came out and lifted up some leaves to reveal bunches of the prettiest muscadines, you ever saw…”Here, the birds didn’t get these”
When ever I see a muscadine in the grocery store or the farmers market, I always think of Hugh Allen…

My sympathies go out to Hugh’s family, Mr. Allen passed away this past Thursday afternoon.
Love to all
Call if you need me