Lucky Trip #7

The trip back to the US in July was challenging as usual, but this time I was accompanied by my daughter and her family, so there was the additional complication of traveling with two toddlers – my grandsons – plus the two dogs, stroller, luggage, and my backpack with the strap that broke at the last minute. Then add in the eight-hour delay at Charles de Gaulle airport! My eldest grandson took a little stroll with my dog Cam. Luckily, they didn’t get on the moving sidewalk!

I had two positive experiences in the midst of this. The gruff Air France ticketing agent actually told me my French was good (a total lie, but very appreciated). I thanked him for speaking French back to me because many times service personnel will reply in English. I’m sure it’s easier for them, but it robs me (the person trying to speak their language) of a useful learning experience and occasionally a feeling of accomplishment. The other bright spot was when the French border agent looked at my passport and told me in French that I looked much younger than my age and winked at me! That made my week!

We finally made it to Houston at midnight and had to spend the night at the airport hotel, making our return a day late. Maybe next summer’s trip will be easier. We’ll see. My daughter and I mutually agreed that we’d never travel together again on a transatlantic flight with our dogs and children.

The summer flew by – time spent with kids and grandkids and good friends. But I spent way too much time with medical professionals. The bottom line after various tests is that something other than cancer will probably kill me. My heart is showing some wear and tear, along with most of my other parts, but nothing dire or urgent. The cancer in my stomach is one-half its prior size. It’s unclear if it remains malignant and I won’t know until the next check-up in January. Living with uncertainty is difficult, but life is uncertain, isn’t it? I’ll probably die in a car wreck (you’ve seen my car?!) or falling down and hitting my head, which I accomplished once this summer – I had a bump on my head and scabs on my knees to prove it.

Throughout my life, I’ve been called variations of the name Susan and other sundry nicknames, including Dorsal and Shrimp, but by far my favorite one is Zsa Zsa. Of course it’s my favorite because that is what my three grandsons call me. I’ve explained before that I chose the name because it is the Hungarian version of Susan. But also, it’s so FUN! No Granny or grandma for me! And Zsa Zsa Gabor, the only other Zsa Zsa I am familiar with, is such a fabulous role model. She was a Hungarian actress, socialite, and former beauty queen. She was a star of movies and television and famously was married NINE times. Her ex-husbands included Conrad Hilton and the actor George Sanders. And she lived to be 99! My goal!

It’s been seven years since I started my adventure in Spain. This month is the beginning of my eighth year. That is hard to believe! The trip went pretty smoothly this time. No dogs lost! ! I’ve only just arrived on the other side this week and I haven’t made it down to Begur yet. I CAN’T WAIT!! My landlady surprised me when she let me know that she had installed air-conditioning in my apartment – something I NEVER imagined would ever happen!

Every year the road trip from France (where I leave my car with a friend) to Begur is interesting and different. This time I stopped at the Mushroom Museum in Saumur, France !!!! More about that in the next episode!

Lagniappe: I read this description in a real estate ad here – “There is a small storage room ideal for storage.”