Texas Embassy

We’ve closed-up our Embassy for the season and we’re on the move! Freshly landed in Texas, and we’re giving ourselves a proper tourist experience.  Our first move was to rent the largest people mover we could get our hands on. Everything is bigger in Texas and so is our rental. What I love is that the company put XL into the name. It’s as if they thought, “Though it takes up the ENTIRE lane and though the passengers are all at eye level with semi drivers, we need something more, to make people understand.”

We are living large.

Staying in someone else’s embassy is always an adventure. Staying in my parent’s embassy is a cultural adventure. Their quirky home and its land perfectly suits them. It embodies what a Texas experience should be, to me. When our airplane touched down, my mom sent me this welcome text.

WHAT?

The next night, my dad got out the rifle and handed it to my wide-eyed husband. “Here you go. You’ve got the quickest route to the backyard. If the dogs tree a possum in the middle of the night, you’re not going to get any sleep until you go out there and deal with it. You’ll know by the sound of their bark.” The ancients appeared unaware or unconcerned with our gaping mouths and worried looks. They went to bed. Indeed, even at 3am, the unique yap of two hunting dogs calling for backup was very clear. I’m a much lighter sleeper than my husband. I felt it was my duty to help those dogs out.

“Hey babe, the dogs have got something. Do you want me to go out there with you?” Here’s a tip, if your wife ever says that to you, it actually means, “Wake up and Get Out There! Those rotten dogs are keeping me awake.”

My super spouse said he could handle it all on his own and he even threw in a “thanks”. He did that because he can talk in his sleep. The dogs weren’t giving up, so I wasn’t either. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to help? I could hold the flashlight…” I try to keep it positive. He groaned; that meant he was actually awake. He muttered; that meant I was getting my way. He shuffled out into the cold dark night with a rifle.

The next morning at breakfast, we confirmed to our hosts that the rifle had been used, but to no avail. The dogs were just running from tree to tree, happy and excited to see my husband with his pathetic flashlight, shooting up into the darkness. “Well, sorry about that”, said my mom as she sipped her morning tea. “Sometimes that does happen.” I decided it was time to take a risk. I asked, “Have you ever considered… locking up the dogs at night?” My mom leaned back in her chair and after a pause, gifted me with a thoughtful “Hmm.”

What’s striking about these Texas ambassadors, is that both of my parents are introverts by nature. Yet, since they’ve become empty-nesters, they have consistently opened up their home for meetings and long-term guests who needed a safe haven. And despite great misgivings, they consistently open their home to me, my husband and our three little pigs. Instead of trying to change who they are, in order to offer someone else’s pre-approved version of hospitality, they are un-apologetically themselves. They are absolutely honest about the welcome they offer and the needs they have as individuals. If they need quiet, they say so. If they need you to help with cooking, they say so. If they need you to shoot something in the backyard in the middle of the night, they say so.

Welcome to their little patch of Texas.