It\u2019s just in me, I reckon\u2026 My sister-in-law, originally from east Texas, says that about folks when they appear to be doing anything that seems beyond their ability to control\u2026 We all have a few things that would fit neatly into such a scenario\u2026 like\u2026<\/p>\n
I sometimes suffer from the paralyzing effects of inertia\u2026 or some variation of procrastination, if you prefer. It seems I\u2019m not alone in that predicament, but that\u2019s another story. The purpose here is to point out that I am such a person, but, happily, that I\u2019ve also found a reliable \u2018tonic\u2019 that always works, usually far beyond my expectations. You know it variously as \u2018wind therapy\u2019 or some other witty metaphor, but for me it\u2019s just that simple\u2026 When in doubt, head out!<\/p>\n
Matthew had just blown through, and the predictable aftermath, assuming one sustained no injury or damage, is the feeling of relief and joy\u2026 and restlessness. Yep, the temp had dropped several degrees and the humidity was a fraction of what it had been recently, too. WOW! ALI was practically pleading with me to get her out from under the cover and let her run.<\/p>\n
I, of course, was coming up with all sorts of \u2018good\u2019 reasons to remain stationary. Even I could only fight the unmistakable call of the open road for so long, though. I\u2019d actually been engaged in one of my many stealthy forms of \u2018justified\u2019 procrastination at the time\u2026 when my ability to put-off truly important stuff was finally overcome.<\/p>\n
Yep, I was on my laptop surfing the net, visiting a few familiar sites here and there, ordering a couple of things online (who knew guys can be such shoppers too?) \u2026 posting messages on our board\u2026 You know, all that \u2018necessary\u2019 stuff we seem to just have to do. It struck me that\u2026 well, that I was wasting what little time I have remaining piddling around, and that I should go while I still can. Only piddling time will be here soon enough\u2026<\/p>\n
I forced myself to finish packing the brand new T-Bag I\u2019d bought online recently to replace the most recent one we\u2019d worn slap out through significant usage.\u00a0 Surprise! Everything fit! Just barely, though\u2026 Ever notice how things always fit just right when we\u2019re loading up for a road trip\u2026 but, three days later you can\u2019t pound, stuff, refold, or roll all your crap so it will all fit back into your bags? I refer to this phenomenon as \u2018cargo swelling\u2019. It doesn\u2019t help if you pick up additional \u2018essential\u2019 items along the way, either.<\/p>\n
I hauled everything out to ALI, strapped it all into place, returned to the house to finish my \u2018personal\u2019 preparations, then\u2026 I set the choke and turned the key. Nothing\u2026 Oh, I might as well push the starter button too\u2026 She roared to life instantly\u2026 eagerly\u2026 she needed this as much as I did, and she wasn\u2019t messing around here either!<\/p>\n
It is important to note that all of the activity up to that point was more or less forced. I had to overcome one of the many features of inertia\u2026 a seeming lack of energy, motivation, and enthusiasm to get up and get out. I\u2019m starting to wonder if this may be the most insidious aspect of this condition\u2026 Perhaps that\u2019s why we are so slow to undertake the cure\u2026 I mean, a good thought is one thing, actual exertion and effort quite another\u2026<\/p>\n
Well, once I threw my leg over her saddle and settled my delicate derriere onto that comfy Ultimate booty holder, everything changed! Now it seemed as though effortless willing of things to happen was all that was required\u2026<\/p>\n
Muscle memory has to figure into this somehow, but no conscious thought followed by effort generated through deliberate transference of instructions to appendages is ever noticed\u2026 Nope, it\u2019s time to go, so the throttle gets twisted, the clutch released, and the feet automatically find their way to the Cobra floorboards\u2026 It\u2019s almost like dreaming of floating along on a cloud\u2026 except that your eyes had better be open!<\/p>\n
It usually takes less than a mile for a recurring series of thoughts to cross my mind\u2026 Why am I doing this now? Why haven\u2019t I been out here already? How could I possibly sit in that house when I could have been doing this? Do we need a government program to remedy that condition?<\/p>\n
Soon enough we were cruising down the road, and all was well in the cosmos\u2026 I happened to glance at the trip log\u2026 Yep, I\u2019d parked our girl without topping off again, so now some push water was going to be required. No biggie, a familiar station was just up ahead\u2026 Done, then back out there\u2026 This is really living!<\/p>\n
I\u2019d chosen a route\u2026 well, actually a route had evolved as we ridden along, but it was still familiar to us, as all are\u2026 There are just so many ways in and out of Florida, and I have spent most of my life down there\u2026 so\u2026 Anyway, I set a couple of mental \u2018way points\u2019 in my thinker muscle\u2026 Places where we could get a room\u2026<\/p>\n
We passed the first couple of places, but no need to stop yet, so we continued on to the next\u2026 and the next\u2026 At last, I decided to stay in Eufaula, AL\u2026 We\u2019d made it close enough to be within easy riding distance from an important early item I wanted to address\u2026 I\u2019d missed that on our last trip, but this time there simply was no excuse\u2026<\/p>\n
CF Penn Hamburgers was introduced to me in June 1962. My family had moved to Decatur, AL, then, and the first guy I\u2019d met was a neighbor, Bobby Dempster. Well, fifteen-year-old boys being what they are, we wound up doing a bit of exploring\u2026 and CF Penn was an early introduction that he assured me would be an important one\u2026 He was right\u2026 far more so than I could have imagined at the time.<\/p>\n
I instantly fell in love with those delightful morsels, and my affection has only grown over the years. Even though I spent three years in the Army, and I returned to Florida in 1970 to live for the next thirty-five years, I managed to stop by Penn\u2019s at least once in every calendar year, including this one.<\/p>\n
My niece called me a week or two ago to let me know Penn\u2019s almost closed, but they were still there after all\u2026 for now\u2026 Dang! Now you see why it is imperative I go there again\u2026 just in case\u2026 I never thought that day would come, but now I feel a strong need to support that business as best I can.<\/p>\n
Penn burgers are an acquired taste, but not something requiring a sophisticated palate by any means\u2026 In all candor, I\u2019m quite sure that for me anyway, it has at least as much to do with nostalgia as it does with flavor. I\u2019m in the minority on this, according to my own unscientific, not statistically valid study of the matter\u2026<\/p>\n
Folks I know generally fall into one of three groups, when it comes to this particular dining experience. There are those who will accompany me there and join me in devouring a few (my riding bud, Jim Dorman, is such a person). There are also those who will accompany me there, but will not eat even one (Napper is such a person). Then there is the other half of my acquaintances who won\u2019t even go there with me in the first place (my ex-wife is such a person).<\/p>\n
Well, stopping in Eufaula had positioned us nicely to arrive in Decatur for an early afternoon gastronomic event\u2026 the much anticipated royal repast! Naturally my arrival time will depend in part upon when I depart this motel\u2026 It seems nippy outside just now, so I\u2019ve been dilly-dallying to slow the pace of activity and thereby allow for a more pleasant ride shortly\u2026 Hmmmmm\u2026<\/p>\n
I wonder if this just might be another of my curious idiosyncrasies at work here, too\u2026? I have this thing\u2026 I call it dietary foreplay\u2026 that I employ to heighten meal expectations and to get the \u2018juices\u2019 flowing\u2026 Am I subconsciously setting myself up for a taste-bud extravaganza?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s just in me, I reckon\u2026 My sister-in-law, originally from east Texas, says that about folks when they appear to be doing anything that seems beyond their ability to control\u2026 We all have a few things that would fit neatly …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-meanderings-by-ddt-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":770,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions\/770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}