Chapter 11
The following day, Mary Louise was busy cleaning and cooking because it was her turn to host dinner. No one minded paper plates in the least, but Mary Louise enjoyed setting a pretty table. She splurged on fresh flowers for the centerpeice and pressed crisp edges onto the linen napkins. The stroganoff simmering on the stove smelled wonderful. Cheyenne had been true to her word, texting her an easy and inexpensive version of the classic. Mary Louise realized she’d been so busy preparing, she hadn’t eaten anything that day since a carton of yogurt at breakfast.
She loved inviting people into her home. That was one thing her and Albert were in sync on. He relished letting his friends select an expensive cigar from the humidor in the study, and then leading them onto the patio for a smoke and a glass of good scotch. If only she had the money back from all that Albert had spent on cigars and scotch. No need to dwell on that now. Why? Because it was okay to be happy. “It’s okay to be happy,” she said, for the second time that day so she had completed her homework. Now to have fun and enjoy her friends.
Dottie and John were the first to arrive. Mary Louise got them settled with a drink and a small plate of warm tortilla chips plus spinach and artichoke dip. Appetizers weren’t usually part of the norm, but Mary Louise had been craving spinach and artichoke dip and she certainly wasn’t going to make it just for herself.
She turned up the heat on the pot for the egg noodles. Nothing worse than gummy, sticky egg noodles so she’d waited until the last minute to cook them. Once the water boiled, it would just take a few minutes for them to cook.
The others streamed in and Mary Louise felt happy. There was that damn word again. Even when Jerry lingered too long greeting her with a hug and a kiss, it could not dampen her mood.
When the food was ready and all set in the serving dishes, Mary Louise called everyone to come and eat. The first few minutes at the table were void of any meaningful conversation as everyone dug into the meal.
“Well, I had to get a new washer and dryer,” said Dottie.
“Oh no!” said Joanne. “What happened?”
“I can’t really complain. The old ones were about twenty years old and the washer just gave out. Not worth fixing, so I figured I should go ahead and get a new dryer too. But the ones I had to buy were so expensive! I told the guy I wanted to buy a new washer and dryer, not a new car. And then all the knobs and lights and controls. I feel like I’m getting ready to fly the space shuttle. Why do they have to be so complicated? I just need to wash and dry my damn clothes. AND, you won’t believe this.” Dottie paused for dramatic effect. “They have Wi-Fi.”
“Wi-Fi?” said Mary Louise. “On a washer and dryer? What in the world for?”
“That’s what I asked the guy. He said so I could download an app and control them from my phone. So I says, why in the hell would I want to do that? That app isn’t going to put my clothes in the washer. So I should put my clothes and detergent in, and then go sit in my chair to use my goddamn phone to start the thing?”
Mary Louise laughed. She would have paid money to be there watching this little scenario unfold.
“That explains why they are so expensive,” said Joanne.
“Yeah,” said Dottie, “for something I’m never even going to use.”
Dinner was going great. The beef stroganoff was a big hit, and Joanne was very pleased with her buttered noodles. As usual, the women flocked together and the men flocked together. The men tended towards sports and politics, two subjects that Mary Louise knew little about. Her father had been an Astros fan, beginning back when they started as the Colt 45s, the first Major League Baseball team in Texas. That was one happy memory she had, sitting next to him on the couch watching the Astros on T.V. Gene Elston giving the play-by-play, although Leo Passe was her favorite. Who couldn’t love it when he’d shout out, “Hot ziggity dog and sassafras tea!” She could care less about college football, or the pros, especially the pros. Who cared about those prima donnas? Although Albert went to Rice, he would root for any Texas college team on the T.V. He loved the Oilers until they went to Tennessee and became the Titans. He never cared for the Texans, especially after he moved his family to the Austin area, which was fine by Mary Louise.
As for politics, they were all crooks and frauds according to her father. Mary Louise agreed and refused to get all worked up about something she could do nothing about. She voted. Lord knows she voted. One of the least proud moments of her life had been a few years back when a young woman where she worked made a comment along the lines of, “It’s stupid to vote. I’ve got a nail appointment on my lunch hour.” Mary Louise had given her the “Women died to give you right to vote” speech with such passion it made the girl cry.
On this particular evening the men were discussing neither sports nor politics.
“Anyone know how to get rid of armadillos?” asked Jerry. “I’m being invaded and they’re digging up all my flower beds in the back of the house. I don’t know where they came from. I’ve never had an armadillo issue before.”
“Coyote piss,” said Larry.
That got everyone’s attention and the new washing machine conversation was quickly dropped.
“You’re making that up,” said Dottie.
“Hand to God,” said Larry. “We had a problem at the old house, and as soon as I started putting that around, never had another issue.”
“Where in the world do you get coyote piss?” asked Jerry.
“Callahan’s General Store,” said Larry.
“That’s where I get my beekeeping supplies,” said Jerry.
Callahan’s was an Austin legend, opened in 1978. You could get everything from chicks (the chirpy kind), to western wear to pig feed.
“Where do they get the coyote piss?” asked Beverly.
There was a moment of silence as everyone pondered this question.
“Can’t say as I know,” said Larry. “Smells just awful. Juanita wasn’t happy about it. Had a couple of complaints from the neighbors but when they saw how well it worked, they went out and got some too. ”
Mary Louise looked around the table at the beautiful flowers, beautiful place settings, and delicious food and could not believe they were talking about coyote piss. Then she smiled. There was no place in the world she’d rather be at this moment.
She couldn’t remember the last time Larry had mentioned his wife, Juanita. Mary Louise had never met her, but had noticed pictures when it was Larry’s turn to do dinner. He had dibs on Mexican food, or more appropriately Tex-Mex and no one was sad about it. Enchiladas, fajitas, street tacos. He made the best Spanish rice Mary Louise had ever eaten, learned from the fabled Juanita. As the story goes, she went back to Mexico one day to take care of her sick mother and never came back. Larry didn’t like to talk about it, so they didn’t. He had two daughters. One had moved to California and one had moved to Vermont, of all places. They made it back to Texas very infrequently.
“Well, Larry,” said Beverly. “What’s the latest on the music venue?”
“Good news so far. Their wastewater permit is still pending. They can’t do a thing without that.”
“What else can we do to stop them?” asked Mary Louise.
“We can all chain ourselves, naked, to the trees on the property and refuse to move,” said Beverly.
“Why do we have to be naked?” asked Joanne.
“Better news coverage,” explained Beverly.
“No one wants to see a bunch of old naked people chained to trees,” said Mary Louise.
“You might be surprised,” said Beverly.
“Maybe it would scare them away,” said Dottie.
“They don’t even live around here,” said Mary Louise. “They all live in California and have their minion army of lawyers taking care of everything here.”
While doing her research, Mary Louise had discovered that the local addresses on all of the public papers showed attorneys in Austin.
“There’s got to be something reasonable we can do,” said Mary Louise looking pointedly at Beverly. “A petition maybe?”
“I don’t think that would do any good,” said John. “It would just give them a list of how many people they’re pissing off. I don’t think it could actually do anything to stop them.”
“What about our congressmen and women?” asked Larry.
“They don’t give a shit about anything except getting re-elected,” said Jerry.
“It might be worth a try,” said Mary Louise. “Maybe we could all write letters. Get some of the other neighbors to do it too.”
“Unless those envelopes are stuffed with money, forget it,” said John.
“It’s all about the Benjamins,” said Dottie, nodding her head.
Mary Louise thought back to her corporate days. Clearly they couldn’t fight this battle with money, so what was the next best thing? Power.
“Okay, then who has the power? Who, today, right now has the power to block this thing?”
“TCEQ and the county commissioners court,” said Larry.
“Does anybody know anybody connected with either the TCEQ or the commissioners court?” asked Mary Louise.
Silence.
“Looks like we all need to start making some new friends,” said Beverly.
John said, “I know someone who works for the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Do you think they’d be interested?”
“That property runs along Barton Creek,” said Mary Louise. “I’m sure they’d be interested. Let me go grab my notes.”
When they first moved to Austin, Mary Louise saw signs that read, “Entering Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.” She’d never understood what that meant until she started digging around, gathering information about how the music venue might affect the environment.
Mary Louise sat back down at the table, notebook in hand and reading glasses perched on her nose. She slipped out a piece of paper she’d printed off.
“According to the website, water circulates through the Edwards Aquifer as part of the hydrologic cycle from “recharge” areas to “discharge” locations (springs and wells). Approximately 1,250 square miles of Edwards Limestone is exposed at the ground surface and composes the Recharge Zone where water enters the Aquifer. Surface water from springs and streams originating on the Contributing Zone reaches the Recharge Zone where much of the flow sinks into the Edwards Limestone. Some water also enters the Edwards Aquifer through interformational flow (from rock formations adjacent to the Edwards Limestone) and from direct precipitation on the Recharge Zone.
“The Edwards Aquifer Authority regulates the use of the aquifer, specifically the portion of the Balcones Fault Zone Edwards Aquifer, an area that provides water to over two and a half million people and covers more than 8,000 square miles.”
She looked up from her reading to multiple open mouths and blank stares.
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” asked Beverly.
Mary Louise looked down to the part she had highlighted and re-read, “Surface water from springs and streams originating on the Contributing Zone reaches the Recharge Zone where much of the flow sinks into the Edwards Limestone. Like from Barton Creek, which borders the venue property.”
Would they have concerns about a few little acres? She certainly hoped so. Natural resources had been in the public eye of Austinites long before Mary Louise moved there with Albert many years ago.
She had also uncovered additional concerns about the environment. One of the most notable incidents was surrounding the preservation of Barton Creek and Barton Springs. Barton Creek, fed by Barton Springs, is a tributary that flows through the Texas Hill Country, feeding into the Colorado River. The creek passes through the Barton Creek greenbelt, protected lands that are a habitat for many indigenous species of plants and wildlife.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s, development in Austin began to threaten the water quality of the creek, as well as the quality of life for the surrounding wildlife who depended on it. In 1979, the Save Barton Creek Association was formed in response to community concerns about the impact of urbanization on Barton Springs and Barton Creek.
The organization had been at work for many years, helping to pass the Save Our Springs Ordinance, drafting Austin’s first watershed ordinances, and advocating for the creation of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. They were a voice for policy opinions on water quality, flooding, environmental protection, and natural resource conservation. Maybe they could help too.
“Depending on what dessert you have planned, I may or may not be able to provide you with that number of my friend from the EAA,” said John.
“Italian wedding cake with cream cheese frosting,” said Mary Louise.
“I’ve got it right here in my phone,” said John, plucking it out of his shirt pocket and beginning to scroll.
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