Those of you that are regulars here at the Asylum know that
well over a year ago, I packed up the truck (pick-up and U-Haul, how’s that for
Jode street cred!?) said “so long” to the fam, and headed east to the great
state of Texas. Since the girl, aka my daughter, had yet to complete her senior
year, I figured I best leave her and her mom at the Cali homestead, lest I lose
my standing as “Father of the Year”. So for the last 15 months it’s just been
yours truly, learning the ins and outs of this wacky country they call
Texas…….here’s what I’ve come up with so far.
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They say Ft Worth is where the west begins |
Texas Nation – Texas is its own country dammit, or more
accurately, a republic, y’all. Trust me,
you’ll hear that a lot, as in all the flippin’ time, Texans are a proud bunch
and they want you to know that if you just don’t behave (the “you” in this case
is the rest of the damn US of A) they’ll just pack it in and secede from your
sorry ass. Don’t laugh, they mean it.
Howdy Partner – As a group, Texans are some of the most
maddeningly, pathologically, aggressively, genuinely, and heartwarmingly
friendly people on the planet. No BS, no Texas tale, it’s a fact. They will
strike up a conversation, help you change a flat, or give you a heads up on
cheap ammo……anytime, anywhere. Don’t freak, it’s not a scam or a hustle, they
just wanna talk to ya, say “hey”. At first it’s a little weird, but you’ll get
used to it………and trust me, you have no choice. They’re gonna get all up into
your business. If that really creeps you out, your only hope is that eventually
the “forgeiners” (that’s all of us pal, see Texas Nation) will push the natives
out………then Texas would be no different from, say, New York, and then who would
you chat up at the Tom Thumb?
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Yee Haw! Rodeo Life |
Weather or Not – The cliché goes, “…..don’t like the
weather, just wait around five minutes, it’ll change”. That goes double for north
Texas, although you might cut the timeframe in half. No one, and I mean no one
comes to Texas for the weather. Summers are hotter than the self-cleaning cycle
of your oven, provided it also doubles as a Turkish steam bath……..yeah, it’s freakin’
humid, oh, “but not as bad as Houston”. Awesome. At least it cools down at
night, to about 90. The wind can blow in every direction at once, and we’re not
talking tornadoes either. Ah yes, twisters, we have a wonderfully elaborate
warning system here in Tejas, why, I don’t know, since we don’t have any
basements to hunker in, and the houses are constructed to no apparent standard
or code. Local legend has it that the
proper tornado survival equipment consists of a couple of lawn chairs and a
cooler of beer……is that true?
What is a fact is
that It rains so hard it’ll remove paint………..well, not really, but the damn
hail does, applying a lovely “Titlest”
like treatment to what once was the smooth surface of your vehicle. At least
you don’t have to shovel snow……..much. So what’s this crap about when the sky
turns green!?! And how the hell can it rain from a clear, blue sky…………really!
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Say hello to my little friend, he just might be in the hedge |
Wild Kingdom – Here’s the straight dope………..every living
thing in this state is trying to kill you, 24/7/365. Nothing personal, just the
facts. Stinging, biting, scratching, clawing, infecting……..whether it’s the
soccer moms of Southlake or the fireants under your porch, keep the topical
cream handy and wear gloves, this is war. If you dig beetles the size of………well,
Beetles, wasps the on the scale of hummingbirds, lizards watching O’Reilly over
your shoulder, racket wreaking bugs that could drown out a Manhattan boulevard
screeching from your flora……….oh, and did I mention the snakes? Don’t worry,
they’re not all deadly, just stay out of the lakes, off the trails, and out of
your yard, and you’ll be fine. What’s not to love????
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Big City with a Small Town feel |
But you know what? It’s still a pretty damn cool place to
be…………and we haven’t even begun to talk about driving, shooting, and trying to
buy booze on a Sunday!! Stay tuned fellow chromies!