Old Decathlon Olympics Journal

Monday, Oct 18: Saturday, Oct. 16 at Jessiebelle's

Monday, October 18th, 2004

The time line I am writing about in this journal entry is two days behind the date that this entry was suppose to have been made. I suggest that you ignore the date on the page. The word limit is a serious hindrance to my reporting the events of my enjoyable weekend at Jessiebelle’s in Houston.

After coffee and donuts, Jessiebelle welcomed me to accompany her to the airport to pick up her husband. He really is tall, dark, and more handsome than Jessiebelle has every explained. The man could be a model, and he has gorgeous legs. I first noticed his legs as he was dutifully doing yard work while wearing shorts. I notice men’s legs because my father’s legs were so … so ugly. I love my husband, but he has legs that look just like my father’s. I hadn’t really thought about any of that until I witnessed Jessiebelle’s husband attending to their yard. Jessiebelle has a very nice back porch were smoking is allowed, and we spent many enjoyable hours on her back porch over the entire weekend discussing everything under the sun – including her husband’s legs, and the fact that he really is a fine specimen of a man. J.J., Jessiebelle’s husband, made me feel every bit as welcome in their home as Jessiebelle did, even after I explained my burlap feed sack and burka comments that I made concerning his daughter’s wardrobe.

I was a state licensed building contractor for over twelve years, so my interest in construction should be understandable for those who know this. Jessiebelle and J.J. have an amazing home, and I am so happy to report that she maintains what I consider to be a very normal, comfortable, lived in home. I explained to Jessiebelle that I was coming to see her, not her house; if I was coming to see her house I assured her that I would have made an appointment. That is what I always tell people that come to visit me, “If you are coming to see me - come on, but if you are coming to see my house, then you need to make an appointment.”

Jessiebelle has an amazing, eclectic collection of things that I would not dare consider dust collectors. Nope, I would not consider any of the well-placed accents as typical or run-of-the-mill. Some of her pieces I would consider museum quality works, but the most amazing thing to me is that she has managed to keep them while raising children. Incredible. My children, on the other hand, can screw up an anvil, so I can only talk about the things that I used to have verses what I actually have. So not only is Jessiebelle incredibly smart, married to a tall, dark, and handsome man, she has managed to raise two exceptionally well-behaved children. And I met her father in law, A.J., who at eighty-two years of age could still be considered quite a catch, and he also has a healthy appreciation for gourmet donuts, too.

Saturday evening Jessiebelle cooked dinner from scratch. I can’t begin to remember or explain exactly what she cooked (a plentiful, uniquely flavorful beef & rice traditional Iranian affair), but lets just say that it was really more than just delicious. I ate well and plenty, and not because I was exceptionally hungry; it was truly exceptionally good.

Dinner was wonderful, but being made to feel as welcome and comfortable at their family dinner table gave me a very delightful, warm fuzzy.