Things I'm Learning in Mineola, TX

Good morning from Lake Holbrook, where the weather has finally cleared. We've had rain and drizzle for several days, keeping us indoors and keeping some furniture deliveries away. We moved into the lake house last weekend and now we're looking forward to Thanksgiving here next week. Happy holidays to you and your family wherever you are spending turkey day. It is my most fervent wish that you do not spend the holiday at an airport!

I wanted to share a few things I've learned over the past two weeks. Keeping in mind that I'm a city girl and I only had what other people told me and my experience at our primary house, I was a little surprised.

1. If local people tell you they'll be here, they'll be here. (People from other communities may not be so reliable.) If they tell you they'll be here at 9:00 a.m., be ready at 8:00; they may well be early.
2. Give away plenty of autographed books, especially if the person you are giving them to has some knowledge of the area where they are set. Almost everyone is from someplace else.
3. Do not expect city amenities at restaurants, and do not expect to find a nice bar where you can go for a glass of wine with friends. If the VFW doesn't serve it, it doesn't get served.
4. Expect lots of stories about the origins of things and the histories of neighbors. This may not necessarily match the other histories you've heard or the legal records you've seen.
5. If they don't sell it at Wal-Mart, you probably aren't going to get it (new.)
6. Don't expect to go shopping anywhere but Wal-Mart after 5:00 or 6:00 p.m.
7. Don't expect to go out to a restaurant with dim lighting except on Friday or Saturday night, if then.
8. Ask if people will deliver large purchases, especially after explaining that you do no own a pick up truck. (Expect some looks of pity or disbelief.)
9. If something needs to be done, you can probably find someone's brother, cousin, neighbor or friend who will do it gladly for a reasonable price (unlike in a large city, where apparently no one really needs to work.)
And finally, on a personal note ...
10. Carefully consider what you need to take upstairs and what you need to retrieve from upstairs before running up and down the steps a dozen times in a row. At some point, you will lose the desire for mascara, clean socks and that magazine you were reading.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a great week.

Victoria