When I arrived in Boise, I called my mom to tell her my plane had landed. Then I waited with about six other people for our luggage to make its rounds on the baggage carousel. Then I walked out of the terminal, where I found four other people waiting for their rides. Maybe ten cars drove by while we stood there. Three of those cars picked up the people waiting with me on the curb. One, of course, was my mom.
2. Thursday afternoon, my brother stopped by our parents' house. He doesn't do this very often; we're still not sure why he happened to drop by that day. My sister has been staying with our parents several nights a week since my dad's health started to decline, and she came home from work early that day. So we all ended up sitting around the dining room table, eating Costco pumpkin pie together. I really can't remember the last time just the five of us sat at that table.
Later, my mom reported that my dad--who doesn't always know who I am, or where he is, or even how old he is these days--said to her, "It sure has been a long time since we had all our kids around the table, hasn't it?"
3. Early Friday morning, I went for a run while it was still pretty cold outside. I got so excited by the sight of my own breath that I felt a little ridiculous. My parents live next door to a city park, so I started out with a lap around the walking path that runs along the outside edge. About halfway through my lap, I ran up on a small bevy of quail.
I'd forgotten all about quail. They probably exist in some part of the bird sanctuary that is Texas, but not in my suburban neighborhood. When we lived in Boise, my husband and I rented a small house on a huge lot that was a favorite gathering place of the neighborhood quail--at minimum, there were ten quail in our yard at any given time. So I was really glad to see these guys.
Quail are skittish, so I expected them to fly off as soon as I came near them. They didn't, though--not right away. They took off at a run, first, their top-knots bobbing, and for awhile they just ran along beside me.
4. I didn't realize how much I love the sound of Canada Geese honking their way south for the winter until I heard a wedge of them overhead later in my run. I got all teary and stopped running so I could watch them fly off toward the mountains.
5. After my run, I headed for the grocery store and found myself caught in a time warp as I drove away from my parents' house, listening to "You Shook Me All Night Long" on the oldies radio station.
6. At the grocery store, I bought a few things to make marinara sauce--my mom had grown one enormous tomato that must have weighed two pounds on its own, and it was getting a little squishy from having been handled and shown off. So I offered to make a batch of sauce while she went out to get her hair done. I used the monster tomato (and six smaller ones), plus some olive oil, onions, garlic, and fresh basil. When the home health aide came to check up on my dad, she said "Whatever you're making in there smells pretty amazing." I felt more like myself in that moment than I think I ever have in my parents' house.
7. Friday afternoon, I met my friend Steph for coffee. She asked if it was too cold for me to sit outside while we talked. It was 70 degrees that afternoon. "I'm not that much of a wimp," I said. "Well, you never know," she said. "Last time you were here, it was 65 degrees and you were shivering the whole time."
8. A chai latte from Lucy's is so, so, so much better than a chai latte from Starbucks.
9. Saturday morning we went to the open air market downtown. The artist who creates and sells key chains made from Scrabble tiles didn't have an X tile with a map on the back, to replace the one my son lost since our last trip to Boise, so that was a disappointment. I wound up buying my kids U. of Idaho t-shirts instead. They already have Boise State shirts, but only because I was desperate for souvenirs the last time I made a solo trip and the airport gift shops, predictably, sell only the spirit gear for the hometown team. I cheer for Boise State, but I do it around a lump in my throat. When people see my kids' shirts and ask if I went to BSU, I always clarify that I'm from Boise, but I went to U of I and later taught at BSU. Idaho is too small a place for serious rivalries, but I'll never be able to cheer for BSU with a clear conscience.
10. BSU beat San Jose State in a Saturday evening game. I had to quit watching when the score hit 28-0. The final score was something like 45-0.
11. Sunday morning, I woke up before the alarm went off at 5:00--my brain was still on Texas time, as it had been the whole time I was visiting. My sister drove me to the airport on completely empty roads, and I walked right up to the ticket counter when I got to the airport. No line, no waiting. There are bonuses to living in a small town. I hope I never forget that.
12. A vanilla latte from Moxie Java is so, so, so much better than a vanilla latte from Starbucks.
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