The Nick Saban of Mah Jongg

My friend Ruth E. and I decided we really like all the friends in Houston as they were the most hospitable group. We stayed in a fairy tale house in a fairy tale neighborhood. Sometimes Fairy Tales are scary and so many house were Uber decorated for Halloween. We are talking dozens and dozens of pumpkins at each house. Scores of those giant skeletons and giant dog skeletons. Hundreds of smaller skeletons, spiders and ghosts.

I guess if your house is 20,000 or 30,000 square feet the number of pumpkins is proportional. I can’t imagine what it is like on Halloween night. Then again, there are giant walls and fences around so many houses I am not sure if trick or treaters can get in.

Our hostess, who had one of the most fabulous houses in the neighborhood drove us around and one street away from hers was one called Lazy Lane. Lazy Lane had the biggest collections of mansions on perfectly manicured lots all with gates, and guards in guard houses.

Talk about a boring job. Sitting in a little box and waiting for someone to come over. Sometimes you couldn’t see the house, maybe just a top of a roof. Even a peek of a peak was enough to tell me I was glad I would not have to reroof one of those houses. It would cost as much as my whole house.

But don’t judge a person by their roof. My students were so sweet, fun and kind. One of the best was someone who couldn’t even come to class, but had taken from me in the Bahamas. She came to the cocktail party and we caught up. Sadly she did come to dinner with us.

At 10:30 last night she texted she was running over in her PJ, to bring me a jar of a cbd cream called be chill. She said it changed her life when she rubbed it on her feet and legs. Thankfully the security guard let her in at that late hour.

It was delivered to my room as I was also already in my PJ. I rubbed some of the special cream on my tired feet and legs from standing up all day. They did tingle. I am not sure how long that sensation lasted as I passed out right away. Sadly I had to leave the jar with her friend to return to her because it was too big to go in my carry on only bags and I didn’t want it thrown away by the TSA.

I am hoping this is not my last trip to Houston. It was pretty magical. I was paid the highest compliment by my host who hails from Louisiana, when his grown up son stopped by this morning. He introduced me to his son as the Nick Saban of Mah Jongg. Since the family considers coach Saban the goat, his son practically bowed for me upon his father’s proclamation. How can you not love that?