Sunday, November 23, 2008

An Old Guy's Random Remembering #2

THE DECADES OF KAREN TERRY
3/16/03

decade 1 0 - 10 decade 5 40 - 50
decade 2 10 - 20 decade 6 50 - 60
decade 3 20 - 30 decade 7 60 - 70
decade 4 30 - 40 decade 8 70 - 80


THURSDAY EVENING, THE WIFE APPROACHED ME AFTER DINNER AND SAID, “YOU BROUGHT IN THE MAIL TODAY! DIDN’T YOU NOTICE THAT YOUR NEW MEXICO MAGAZINE WAS IN IT?”

“NAW, YOU GET ALL THE MAIL, WHY SHOULD I LOOK AT IT?” AS I GLANCED THROUGH THE MAGAZINE, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN ARTICLE ON KAREN TERRY. IN THE TEXT I NOTICED THAT “THE JOURNEY TO FAME AND BACK LEFT HER A BIT CYNICAL, AN AURA WHICH ACTUALLY BECOMES HER IN THIS HER EIGHTH DECADE OF LIFE.”

I YELLED TO MY WIFE “KAREN TERRY CAN’T BE OVER EIGHTY!” IN 1977, WHILE VISITING IN SANTA FE WE STAYED FOR A TIME WITH KIP, A FORMER CO-WORKER. THIS WAS A COUPLE OF YEARS AFTER KAREN HAD BUILT HER FIRST HOUSE, WHICH HAD WON NATIONAL ACCLAIM IN THOSE BRIEF YEARS OF INNOVATIVE ADVENTURE BEFORE THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION OF 1980 SET BACK THE FUTURE.

ONE DAY WHILE KIP AND I WERE CRUISING AROUND ON HIS MOTORCYCLE, I ASKED IF WE COULD CATCH A GLIMPSE OF KAREN TERRY’S HOUSE. “SURE, I KNOW KAREN, WE COULD DROP IN ON HER,” WAS HIS ANSWER.

I COULD ALMOST SMELL ADOLESCENT TESTOSTERONE EMANATING FROM THAT 52 YEAR OLD MAN . I TRULY THINK THAT KIP FANTASIZED KAREN, A NICE LOOKING, HOWEVER ROBUST AND RUGGED WOOD SCULPTOR, WOULD, PERHAPS SOMEDAY, INVITE HIM OVER FOR A SPOT OF “HERBAL TEA AND ME”.

WE DIDN’T FIND KAREN’S HOUSE THAT DAY, AND IT WAS ONLY WHILE READING THE ARTICLE LAST EVENING THAT I REALIZED THAT HE PROBABLY DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT. WE WERE ABOUT FIVE MILES FROM WHERE THE ARTICLE SAID THE HOUSE WAS LOCATED.

THEN, DOING SIMPLE ARITHMETIC, I DETERMINED THAT SINCE IT'S 2003, KAREN IS 73.

IMAGINING THE ARTICLE HAD SAID SHE WAS PAST 80, I HAD SUCCUMBED TO THAT SILLINESS THAT SAYS THE NEW MILLENNIUM STARTED IN 2001. ACTUALLY, WE ARE NOW IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF MILLENNIUM 3.

I AM IN MY SEVENTH DECADE OF LIFE, AND SOON WILL BE IN MY EIGHTH! KAREN IS ABOUT SIX YEARS OLDER THAN I. THE ARTICLE SAYS THE HOUSE SHE’S BUILDING NOW WILL BE HER LAST.

I THINK I’M BEGINNING TO FEEL OLD.

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