Arizona

Last week I ended up in Arizona at the nursing homes I visited when I worked for my previous employer. I enjoyed seeing the people and places I hadn't visited for 3-4 years. I saw two of them that week and will visit the other two the first full week in January.

Turns out that the week I was in Arizona was most advantageous. Missouri had freezing temperatures and winds that were above the range that is usually experienced in Missouri. Phoenix set records for high temperatures. Sunday and Monday the temperatures were above 80's.

I tried hicking Squaw Peak which is just about one mile north of the Arizona Bilton Resort where we were staying. There is about a one mile trek to a summit which overlooks Phoenix. That sounded doable to me until I had made it about 1/4 of the way to the top and could look WAY WAYYYYYY up and see little figures continuing to traverse the switch backs and disappear around boulders. Then I looked down (see picture above) and decided it looked far enough away that I could take a picture and go back down to sanity.

An alarm

Gosh, I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post. I was doing so well.

November was fairly routine, with the exception that I went to the wrong nursing home outside of Detroit. Luckily the one I was scheduled to visit was only 30 minutes away and I was able to get to the correct place and complete the engagement as planned. The problem there was that I left my cross stitch project (a pillow case with trains for Griffin) at the hotel in Monroe, Michigan. I had completed all the complicated parts that had to be carefully counted and was down to the last three easy areas! I called the hotel on November 19th and they had recovered my ART. They said it would be mailed by that afternoon. I still had not received it by Saturday, November 27th and was a little frustrated. When I checked my credit card I discovered they had not mailed it until November 24th. Hopefully it will have arrived by the time I get home on Thursday. Right now I am irritated that I forgot my scissors and chewing the thread with my teeth leaves tattered ends that are very difficult to thread through that little hole in the top of the needle.

I had a great week of vacation which included three Thanksgiving dinners and Mira's birthday. I am now endeavoring to compensate for the additional calories in preparation for Christmas!

This week has lots of travel and leaves only one evening for the computer and crafts. I flew to Delary Beach, Florida on Sunday evening, arriving at the hotel around midnight. The next morning, as I was nearly dressed and groomed with suitcase packed, the hotel fire alarms went off. I shut the bathroom door to drown out the noise and continued to finish my hair and make-up. The alarms continued (and they were VERY shrill and loud). When I heard the sirens I realized that even if I completed packing, I could not use the elevators (I was on the fourth floor and had a large suitcase, rolling briefcase, and tote bag), I decided to grab my room key and purse and go find out what was going on. Arriving on the ground I found hotel guests in jamies around pool having breakfast. It was a beautiful morning of sunshine and around 75 degrees. I asked for a Diet Coke. About 10 minutes later we were told we could come back into the restaurant and lobby, but could not go back to the hotel tower until the firemen had checked it out. I finally made it back to collect my possessions and was only about 10 minutes late to the nursing home.

I left Florida on Monday evening at 5 PM, 18 hours after I arrived, and flew to Cleveland, Ohio where it was 40 degrees and raining. From there I drove to Canton, Ohio and arrived at the hotel at 11 PM. Tonight (Tuesday) is my only night to relax, watch TV and embroidery, if my teeth remain sharp enough.

Germs

Tuesday I was at a facility in Ohio doing some record reviews. One of the staff was coughing and said she was getting better. ....... She was taking antibiotics for pneumonia. I had a flu shot over two weeks ago, however, that doesn't protect from colds, etc. I warned her not to be giving me any germs. I just don't have time right now.



Yesterday afternoon I started coughing. It was a congested cough. By the time I went to bed I had a scratchy throat to accompany my cough. I took some NyQuil at bedtime and slept well, but woke this morning to a sore throat, a headache and more intense congestion. I have no desire to let this progress. I started a Z-Pack today and hopefully this will resolve quickly.

Florida

This week I am in Florida, the Palm Beach area. I was loving the crisp weather in Missouri. I had windows open and slept with the down comforter. It was wonderful!!

I arrived in Florida on Monday afternoon to upper 80 degree weather and that has been maintained since my arrival. This afternoon we had some pretty heavy rain, but the temperature remained upper 80's. I happen to LIKE cool weather, which is probably why I will not be retiring to Florida any time soon.

I am amazed at the terrain of this portion of Florida. From city to city is only a few miles. I am staying in Boca Raton. The facilities I visited on Tuesday and Wednesday are less that five minutes away, but are in Delray Beach,Florida. Between there and West Palm are several more Florida 'cities'...... Lantana, Boynton Beach, etc. I am scheduled to be in Juno Beach tomorrow. That will be about a one hour drive.

All I have visited are wonderful communities for OLD people. Discovering these communities has made me re-evaluate what my expectations are for my 'golden' years. These 'retirement communities' are the preferred way to make the most of the next phase of my life. Just need to stay on task to save and avoid debt so I will have the resources to choose where I will live.

Nice Calm Week

This week was a drivable week. I was to be in Ames, Iowa Tuesday and Des Moines on Wednesday. I made reservations at a Hampton Inn in Ames for Monday and Tuesday night and planned to have dinner and a movie with my sister-in-law on Tuesday evening. I was barely out of KC on Monday when I had a call from the Ames facility that they needed to cancel my visit. I turned around and went home. I am sorry I missed seeing Debbie, but will be back in Ames in a few weeks so we can get together then.

I rescheduled my Thursday to Tuesday and planned to drive to Des Moines and back on Wednesday. The good news is that I ended up being able to be at home for 10 days in a row. In addition, my nephew and his wife had their baby yesterday, so I was able to visit them at the hospital today. Good scheduling!!

Tomorrow I am going back to St. Joe and will have lunch with a couple of good friends. A good week to have some down time.

Wrong Sex

This is just toooo good.

I have been aggressively crocheting an afghan for Hillary to give to a friend who was expecting a girl. It is PINK. The goal was for the afghan to be completed no later than when I headed out on Monday afternoon, the shower was on Tuesday. I was in great shape to meet the deadline.

Last evening Mira and I made vegetable soup. Hillary and Griffin arrived in the late afternoon to interact and share time together. I continued to crochet on the PINK afghan. At some point I asked Hillary if her friend had decided on the PINK/brown combination of colors, or if she (Hillary) just picked them out. She replied she didn't know for sure what the colors were.

The evening progressed and then Hil confessed. When I asked about the colors, she realized the friend was actually having a BOY!!!!! Guess she will need to purchase a gift after all.

Volume Adjustments

Typically I read whenever on an airplane. When I read, I can close out everything. This week I am crocheting the plane trying to complete a baby afghan for one of Hillary's friends.

On the flight from Cleveland to Chicago I was amazed at the noise. There were conversations going on all around me. I would listen to the different ones depending on which was the most interesting, and then I would just listen to the combination of sounds. Reminded me of a very busy happy hour.

I changed planes and flew from Chicago to St. Louis. That flight was so quiet you could have heard the proverbial 'pin' drop. Everyone was reading or sleeping.

Quiet

It's a quiet, routine week. I am so glad to be back to a 'normal' travel schedule. I was able to have family over for a cook-out, clean my house, organize some clutter, and do some shopping this week-end, The problem with NOT working all the time, is that I have more time to spend money, but it sure was fun.

I finally arrived home on Friday morning, in time to have a quick nap and head to St. Joe to take Mom to the doctor. The appointment was for 12:45. We saw the doctor for about 5 minutes at 2:15. I then headed to Albany to watch the installing of a deer stand. I wasn't quite dressed for the adventure, (sandals in the timber?) so I got to sit in the 'gator' and provide supervision. Wonder how I ended up with stick tights on my khaki pants. Saturday was spent in stores.

I didn't have to leave until Monday afternoon, and while the plane was about 20 minutes late leaving, Chicago traffic was light and the drive to Valparaiso uneventful.

At this point I am fascinated with hauling the miner's out of the mine. Hope I can force myself to go to sleep. I'm sure they won't be out until nearly morning and I can catch up on Good Morning, America.

Too Late

I successfully avoided Chicage O'Hare Airport for more than a year.

This week I spent several days in the central part of Illinois with the plan to end up Thursday evening at a building about 20 minutes from Chicago O'Hare airport. At the time I made the reservations, I considered flying Southwest into Midway, but would have headed for home at 7 PM and arrived back in Kansas City at 8:30'sh. I decided to fly American from O'Hare because I would be able to leave at 5:45 on Thursday and be home earlier. Since the client was estimated to be only about 20 minutes away from O'Hare, I figured I could leave by 3:45 or so and make it without a problem.

WRONG.

I left the Nursing Care Center about 3:45. Due to construction and traffic, I arrived at the Rental Care Return at 5 PM. The shuttle bus driver was wondferful and dropped me off at a curb side check-in to ensure my luggage would make it onto the plane. I suppose the luggage made it, but I am at a Marriott at O'Hare for the night as I did not make it through security in time to arrive at the gate and board the plane.

I would have been better served to have flown Southwest to Midway and traversed the extent of Chicago to the Midway airport.

Just Chillin'

The client I had scheduled for today called yesterday and canceled. They were having computer problems with the transition to the new system. I offered to come anyway and assist them to trouble shoot, but they were adamant they wanted to reschedule. I am in the middle of Illinois staying in Peoria. The plan had been to return from Taylorville, Illinois to Peoria (about a 1 1/2 hour drive), spend the night, see the Peoria client on Wednesday then drive 3 hours back to Chicago for the Thursday client.

I gave some thought to trying to move the Thursday client to Wednesday and changing my flight, but the logistics would not work, plus I could have ended up with both hotel and flight penalities. So I have had a day off in Illinois.

I slept in and puttered around in the hotel room. Drank hot tea and worked my e-mail. I checked out about 11:30 and made the 3 hour drive back to Chicago. Since I had the time and no deadlines I went to a movie. I saw 'Social Network' about the Facebook founder. It was great and I had wonderful popcorn.

I'm now watching the new Law and Order (Los Angeles) and catching up on reports. It has been a relaxing day.

Best Buy

This week I am in Illinois at multiple nursing homes in the central part of the state. I flew into Chicago on Sunday evening and drove to Peoria. From this central point I had scheduled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday evening I was to drive back to Chicago for the Thursday visit and fly out of O'Hare Thursday evening home. Yes, it was a four day week with travel on Sunday, but the plan was for this to be the end of Sunday travel.....and that is STILL the plan.



So what happened?



I realilzed, while sitting at the airport in Kansas City, I did not have the charger for my computer. Remember, I am traveling on Sunday. Since I arrived in Chicage around 5, I tried to find a store which might have a charger I could purchase. I found a Best Buy which was open until 7 PM. I asked about Dell products. They said they had them. When I went back to the computer section, the employee provided me with a product that contained several options and said it was compatabile with Dell. I asked if I could retrieve my computer to be certain it would work prior to purchasing and was told I would not be able to remove the product from the package prior to purchase. ............. Um........ If I purchase and if it doesn't work, I will return and Best Buy will refund my money. ........ They agreed they would. Sounds kinda crazy to me.

I went to the car and brought my computer into the store. I purchased the device. The store personnel removed the charger from the package and it did NOT work. They then re-packaged the item and processed my return. This is just TOO crazy.

I carefully used the remaining battery on Monday evening.

On Monday morning I called St. Louis and reported that my charger no longer was functional. I have had this computer for 3 and 1/2 years. Upon checking my registration numbers, the trouble shooter said that I was no longer in warranty and they needed to replace my computer (a good thing), but in the mean time they would overnight a charging cord to my hotel.

This is Tuesday and I have the replacement charger and am back in business.

Premier Week

The week television resumes has been enthusiastically anticipated by this Road Warrioir. I scheduled mhy travel to make certain that I arrive at the hotel in time for my favorite shows. Last week it was Dancing with the Stars on Monday. That wasn't a problem as I traveled on Sunday and drove from KC to St. Louis. I was in control of when I left and arrived. Tuesday was a bit tricky as I was driving to Osage Beach and couldn't leave until the presentation was over. I made it fine to see the results show, and was gratified to see David Hasselhoff was voted off.

This week was the return of Desperate Housewives and Sisters and Brothers. The deadline time was 8 PM. When I first left home, the GPS said I would arrive at 8:29. Disappointing, but at least it would be taping at home and I could watch it later. Somewhere before Lawrence I looked down and it said I would arrive at 8:09. YEA. Driving across Kansas, I took the turnpike and you can really make time. I gained 12 minutes through Kansas and another 5 in Oklahoma by edging the speed limit. BUT then I came upon a traffic problem in Oklahoma City, due to construction. I lost 3 minutes in that mess and was so excited that I made it to the hotel with a few minutes to spare.....

Then, I pulled into the parking lot just as a Tour Bus was unloading in front of me. The group was on their way from Indiana to Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival. I had visions of long lines to check in and more minutes ticking away. Fortunately, they all had their keys and I was able to check in and make it to my room just as Desperate Housewives was starting. AND I got a room upgrade to a suite.

The Long Week-End

This week-end I said, "Good-Bye" to my husband of 31 years...the father of the two most wonderful children that were ever created. While his alcoholism lead to the end of our 31 year marriage in 2006, the past few weeks have allowed some resolution to the conflict that became a part of our lives. Since the diagnosis in early July of Stage IV Melanoma, he had been sober. We had the opportunity to again be a part of his life, and he, of ours. While this was not the resolution we had hoped for, it was certainly a more positive resolution than many of the options we had feared. At this point we need to remember the Randy who was....not the Randy who he became.

Family Reunion

Today I spent 14 hours in a hospital waiting room. My sister had a scheduled procedure and all went very well. At the end of the day she was in a room and talking with me about how much she felt like MOM. I reassured her she has a way to go.

My sister spent the night with me. She brought a box of 'stuff' that had been in her attic from Grandma Henson (our maternal grandmother). We went through the box, finding everything from boxes of greeting cards, items our children had sent to grandma, pictures, recipes, and canceled checks from 1920's and 1930's. Grandma signed them, "Fay Henson by wife" in the 20's. By the 30's she was signing, "Fay Henson by Burnetta".

We were out of bed at 4 AM and at the hospital by 5:30. When you are an early bird you get the best parking places. There were three just outside the entrance and I got one!! She was taken back to pre-op about 6:15 am. I went back to sit with her about 6:45. She headed to the OR around 7:45. The procedure was to take from 4 to 5 hours. It actually took around 9. I returned to the waiting room.

Needless to say, I was sleepy. I worried a bit about how I could doze in those waiting room chairs, then found five recliners in the back part of the waiting room. At that time only one was occupied. I staked my claim and settled in. A little later a man and wife cabbaged on to two more. He immediately kicked back and started snoring. I was reading and dozing in mine.

The hospital has a nurse who rounds the waiting room every hour or so to provide updates about what is going on in surgery. The first time she came around she asked the sleeping man if he would like a warm blanket, and brought him one. I was cold, which is quite unusual for me. I had a t-shirt on with jeans and was cold enough to be uncomfortable. I had donned my sisters long sleeved blouse over my t-shirt, which was helpful, but I was still COLD. I wanted a blanket, but she had already passed me by. I read and dozed and then she came back with more news. I asked for a warm blanket like that man over there had. It was the BEST. I slept off and on until Todd and Bob arrived around 11.

About the 'family reunion'. I was in the farthest back section of the waiting room and as the one lady and the couple left, a group people kept filtering into the area. They would all greet the new comers and settle in all around me. As the crowd grew in numbers, the volume grew. I kept thinking their 'person' would be finished and they would leave, but more people kept coming. Once Todd and Bob arrived, I got up and moved to a section of chairs where I crocheted and visited with them. The other group continued to grow and the volume increased. Then I noticed they had set up a table with food. As people came, they brought a dish. It was at that point I started identifying them as the 'family reunion' people. Whatever their family member was having done was nearly as lengthy as ours. They talked to the the surgeon and filtered out only minutes before we did.

Long Beach

I have had a great week-end in Southern California this Labor Day holiday. Charlie and I arrived at Cousin Marian's on Friday evening. We explored Long Beach on Saturday (all day) and Sunday (evening). Long Beach is where Charlie spent both elementary and high school days of his growing up years. We had a great day just wandering around the area. Lunch was at a Mexican restaurant with wonderful food at an overwhelming quantity. We finished it up today for lunch!

Sunday morning we went to Forest Lawn at Glendale. I was sure Charlie would like the history and religious overtone. We sat through the program about the stained glass version of "The Last Supper". As we were leaving the area, we saw a platform with flowers. I got out of the car to investigate and discovered it was a platform dedicated to Michael Jackson. On it were numerous notes, pictures and cards as well as flower arrangements which were fresh flowers and pretty new.

We went from there to the Freedom Mausoleum where I lost Charlie. Marian and I sat on the steps thinking he would ultimately reappear. I finally found him from the exact opposite direction I expected.

Charlie and I returned to Long Beach on Sunday evening. We explored and checked out the pool hall where he learned to hustle. (I have to wonder if that is a useful skill??????) He found his childhood home. It is currently on the market for $219,000. It sold for $30,000 in 1960'ish.
He said he is pleased to discover he was raised in a 1/4 million dollar home and never knew it.

Right now I'm on the 14th floor of a Hilton in Pasadena, California. It is a corner room with great windows. The view is wonderful.

Long Drive

My schedule has been turned upside down over the past few weeks and instead of being in Boca Raton, Florida, I am in Decatur, Illinois. It was easier to rent a car and drive six hours than to fly with connections in either Detroit or Atlanta and a 2 hour drive after I landed in Peoria. It's a pretty east drive across Missouri on Hwy 36. Not much traffic and four lanes all the way.

I stayed in Decatur and drove into Sullivan this morning. It's a small rural town of around 4,000 people with a large retirement community where I am providing two days of education to about 150 people. Tomorrow night I drive to Peoria and repeat the process there, and home on Thursday night.

The area is very pretty. Lots of tall golden brown corn. I have seen two fields where they are already picking the corn. The best field was the field of Sunflowers.....as far as the eye could see. Great big yellow/orange flowers with dark brown centers. The GPS took me to Sullivan on back roads, but returned me to Decatur on highways, so I didn't go back past the field. If I go back by the sunflowers tomorrow morning, I will have to stop and take some pictures.

Argentine, Michigan

This week I am in a rural area of central Michigan. The second leg of the flight was 15 minutes from take off to touch down on a propeller plane (Detroit to Flint, Michigan). I hadn't been on a propeller plane since I quit flying to Garden City, Kansas and had forgotten how LOUD they are. The best part of the day was landing in 72 degree weather after leaving 95 degrees and 100% humidity.

This is a beautiful area with multiple large lakes and farms. The homes and yards are lovely and the fields lush. On the other hand, there are many vacant business buildings and empty car dealerships. After all, this is Michigan where the ecomony and employment opportunities have suffered.

I'm here until Thursday afternoon, then home to KC to sleep and drive to Des Moines on Friday.

Getting Old

When I started this traveling stint, I carried my luggage on rather than checking. Used a back pack so I was only dragging one item on and off escalators, parked in Economy Parking and shelped my own bags off and on the shuttles. Times have changed.

First I will confess about my only phobia. I have a fear of DOWN ESCALATORS. I believe it is deep seated and has its roots in the Sears building at 22nd and Mitchell in St. Joe. That was the first escalator in St. Joe. I can still remember Mom trying to get me on the down escalator there. I was terrified, missed the step and fell. To this day I enter the down escalator with trepidation. My criteria is that I must be able to place my left hand on the hand rail. I will stop before I get to the entrance to rearrange my pull luggage, book, bottle of water or what ever, so my left hand will be free to engage with the railing. If I have two pull luggage pieces, I take the elevator as there is no way I can step on the the escalator without touching the handrail. This is why I quit using my rolling briefcase and started using a computer back pack. It kept one hand free while I pulled my suitcase, which I carried on.

In June I needed to take a large suitcase which had to be checked, so I converted to the rolling briefcase and have never looked back. I now check my luggage and enjoy the freedom of not dragging all my stuff with me. Only once (last week) has this created a problem, and then I was on the return leg, so it wasn't too inconvenient that my luggage was delayed. Granted, it requires a wait at the airport for the luggage to be unloaded. I can live with that wait.

For several months Charlie has taken me to the airport and picked me up, thus I haven't been leaving my car and using shuttles. This week he was headed to North Dakota, so I was on my own with transportation to and from the airport. On the way there I was thinking about long term parking and just couldn't make myself go to Economy Parking and drag my luggage around. I went to The Parking Spot, where the shuttle comes to my car, I pop the trunk, and the nice driver retrieves my luggage and places it on the shuttle. So it costs a little more, I deserve it!!

Oklahoma City

Yesterday I was able to visit the Memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing. It is beautiful, inspiring, sad, gut wrenching and additional adjectives I haven't been able to identify.

I wandered the Memorial and toured the Museum. The room dedicated to the victims has memorial boxes with pictures and items donataed by the familes which reflect to individual. Again, the adjective to descibe the room and the emotions has yet to be created.

Stormy Weather

What at ending to my week!!

I had a non-stop flight from Detroit home yesterday afternoon and was to arrive at 6:30 PM (Central Time). About the time I stopped to fill the car up before returning it, my phone rang and it was Delta telling me that my flight was going to be delayed an hour. Okay.

I turned the car in and arrived at the airport and went to find a glass of wine. I had a nice chat with a lady who missed her 3 PM connection by 15 minutes. The next flight was leaving at 9:30. Made me feel lucky! We discussed books. I'm reading an Abigail Adams biography. She was reading one of those "The girl who....." books. (Aren't you impressed that I actually TALKED to someone at the airport?)

I reached the gait at 5:45. No plane was visible. The minutes ticked by.....no plane was visible. It was becoming pretty obvious that we were NOT leaving at 6:30 (Eastern) The plane finally arrived a little before 7:00 and we were boarded and taking off around 7:30 (Eastern). So I'll get home between 8 and 8:30. Okay.

I'm reading Abigial Adams and dozing. I made a peanut better sandwich with the sandwich thins and little cup of peanut butter I had in my purse and had a snack with my Diet Coke. Then dozed and read some more. I noticed the flight was getting rather bumpy and recalled that Charlie had told me Kansas City was supposed to get some 'weather'. It seemed like we started to descend, then went back up a couple of times. I figured the pilot was looking for a smoother ride. Then he came on the PA and announced the airport in Kansas City was closed due to weather and we were going to circle around for awhile until the weather cleared. Okay.

So I'm reading and dozing and 10 minutes or so later, he comes back on the PA and says we are going to Omaha to re-fuel and wait out the storm. Okay.

When we landed in Omaha, I checked the radar on my cell phone and was actually a little sad that I missed the storm. I looked like a doozy!! We were ninth in line to re-fuel. I heard later they sent some planes to St. Louis to re-fuel. We took off back to Kansas City around 9:45 PM. The pilot told us the KC airport was again open, but that they had several planes in the sky and were working to get them down. We would have a leisurely flight as we would have to land to according to how they would sequence us. Okay.

We landed without incident, but I saw some awesome lightening during the flight. We landed around 10:30 PM--4 hours late--not bad considering.

The next issue was luggage. Four flights had landed within minutes of each other and multitudes of people were around the luggage carousel. Slowly bags came out and people picked them up and headed out into the night. But not mine. When I was the last person standing, I went to the office and asked if all the luggage had been unloaded, as all the people were gone! She checked my ticket and discovered my suitcase had been loaded in Detroit and then taken back off the flight. Okay.

She completed whatever computer stuff needed to be done and said it would be delivered to my house once it finally reached Kansas City and gave me a locater number. This morning I checked and it had been found in Detroit and was being put on a flight to Kansas City. By 10 o'clock it was in Kansas City and with the delivery person. It arrived at my house at 3:30 this afternoon, so all is well.

And wasn't I just commenting that I hadn't had any travel issues for quite some time........

Loosing Cabin Pressure

I finally have an exciting TRAVEL story. I haven't had a canceled flight for any reason for over a year. Some delayed, some shortened time frames to catch connections, and some irritating experiences at the ticket counter, but no cancellations.

Yesterday I was flying Delta from Kansas City to Detroit, non-stop. I left at 1:30 and the flight was about 1 1/2 hours. We left pretty much on time. I was reading and dozing and the chimes sounded that we were above 10,000 feet. The PA system clicked on and I expected the flight attendant to come on and tell us we could now turn on our electronic devices. Instead, it was the pilot telling us that we had suddenly lost cabin pressure and were returning to Kansas City. I look up to see if those yellow things had dropped from the ceiling. I thought they were released when cabin pressure was lost, but we were not high enough to need supplemental oxygen. I wondered if I should be worried, but we didn't seem to be having problems, so I kept reading. I will admit that I was quite happy when the wheels touched down in Kansas City.

We sat for a while, then were told the problem was going to take quite some time and we were to deplane and go back out to ticketing to re-book. It is now about 2:50. My choices were:

1. Take a 3:10 flight from Kansas City to Atlanta. Leave Atlanta 7 something to Detroit and arrive in Detroit at 11:45,
2. Take a 5 pm flight from Kansas City to Minneapolis then to Detroit and arrive at 10:45, or
3. Go home and take a 6:15 AM flight this morning (Wednesday) non-stop to Detroit, arriving at 9:20.

I chose to go home and take the 6:15 AM flight. I was supposed to be at the facility in Monroe (which is about 30 minutes south of the airport) by 9 AM. I figured if I landed at 9:20, I could be at the facility by 11 AM, which would be better than traveling for 14 hours. I slept great, just not long enough and this morning everything went quite well. We are about an hour and a half behind on the agenda for the two day training course, but I usually get done about 3 on the second day, so I figure we can make it up in the morning and still get done on time.

I stayed late this evening to audit charts and make up the 2 hours I was late. Tomorrow I may explore. I think I'm pretty closes to Lake Erie.

Home

I requested a 'wake up' call for 4 AM and was actually awake about 20 minutes before the phone rang. The last flight out of Kallispel, Montana is early afternoon so I end up staying until the next day.

I have never been here in the middle of summer and was amazed at the number of passengers who were in line to leave at 5AM. We left on time, but were about a hour and a half late leaving Salt Lake City.

Have had a good evening at home. I needed to sort and get rid of a variety of "STUFF"!!!!!!

I was notified this afternoon that I will be required to spend one week every month in Florida. That will be a GOOD thing in the winter. In the summer I will just plan to stay inside.

I Saw a Bear

The weather in Montana is wonderful-----mid seventies.

Last night I after I finished up at the nursing home, I headed to Glacier National Park and drove the Going to the Sun Road from the west entrance to Logan Pass (which is at the continental divide) and back. I wanted to go all the way across, but I didn't really have enough time. It was rather rainy and overcast on the way up, but cleared off on the way down. The mountains are breathtaking. I saw some wild goats at Logan Pass and got a picture of a couple of them in the parking lot! Back at the bottom, I saw a bear! He was crossing the road. I was so surprised I didn't even think about trying to get a picture.

The road is well maintained and the lane next to the drop off has an edging of rocks most of the time. I was a little nervous starting out, as I remember well the back road into Aspen, Colorado. I didn't have to drive then, Ann did, so I was able to keep my eyes shut for the scary parts. This road didn't have any parts where I wanted to keep my eyes shut. Of course, that may have been because I was so focused on the road, I didn't have time to look down to see how close I was to falling off the edge of the world.

I head back to the furnace in Missouri tomorrow morning at 6 AM. Think I'll try to get a nice walk in tonight.

Where are you?

Okay.

All you people who complain about my lack of postings........Where are your comments?

Northern Michigan

This week I was in Northern Michigan in a little rural town called Fairview. I had a wonderful time!!

The nursing home is part of a community which includes independent living. I stayed on the grounds in a great little duplex complete with a garage and garage door opener. I had two bedrooms and a full kitchen which was stocked with condiments and a bottle of Chardonnay. I drank the Chardonnay, but did replace it for the next person who gets to stay.

It took me a couple of hours to realize there was no central air conditioner, but a wall unit. I turned it on, but it wasn't able to bring the temperature down below 76 degrees. If you are reading this, you know I like it COLD when I sleep. It seemed pretty comfortable outside, so I opened the window and turned the ceiling fan on and slept well. The next morning it occurred to me the air conditioner might have frozen up and went outside to check it out. The air conditioner had a COVER on it! It's a wonder I didn't burn the place down. I removed the cover and it was amazing how much more efficient it worked. The weather was overall just superb. High 70's and low 80's with low humidity. I actually walked both evenings for about 30 minutes and slept with an open window every night. Then I came home to 90's and humidity.

The second down side to the accommodations was NO INTERNET! Fortunately, the facility had wireless and they set my computer up so I could use theirs.

The third was the absence of a bath tub. Only a shower. Enough said.

The nursing home was a typical small town facility with excellent care of residents who had resided in the community their whole lives and everyone knows everyone else. The staff was exceptional and the three day training was much fun as they were open and willing to learn.

All in all a very good time. Next week it's Montana.

Wonderful

The travel to Frankenmuth wasn't too great, but the week has been one of the BEST.

I'm staying at a Drury Inn which has a great hot breakfast and a happy hour that features real food. The mattress is great, the air conditioner keeps it cold and I haven't slept this well for quite some time. The weather is perfect spring weather. Low seventies, low humidity, sunny skies and light breezes. And the locals are all upset that the temperature may reach 90 this week-end. I'm sorry I have to go home tomorrow to the 100 degree 90% humidity in Kansas City.

Frankenmuth is a touristy town and I have never been here during the tourist season before. I tried to eat at my favorite restaurant on Monday about 2 in the afternoon and the wait was 1 1/2 hours! I gave up and went to the grocery store.

The assignment this week is primarily education, which makes the report much easier to write and I really enjoy the staff at this facility. All in all, a significant improvement over the crazy time in Baltimore last week.

Home tomorrow evening and planning a fun fourth of July week-end.

What Happens When You Don't Fly Southwest

When you don't fly Southwest, you have great stories to post.


This week I had to fly Midwest because Southwest doesn't fly to Flint, Michigan.


I always try to be at the airport at least one hour before my flight. This never presents a problem with Southwest. This morning my flight was scheduled for 8:25. I arrived about 7:15. I was amazed at the line at ticketing! I had my boarding pass, but needed to check my luggage, so I had to get in line. There were some kiosks available, but I couldn't figure out if you could check luggage there, so I got in the long line with all the people who had suitcases. The line moving pretty slowly and when I reached the sign that said, "check in closes 45 minutes before the flight" I began to panic. I finally dropped out of line and went to the counter. I told a check-in person that I had an 8:25 flight and the line was moving pretty slowly. She asked me if I had a boarding pass and I said I did. I got it out of my briefcase and showed it to her. She told me that I could use the kiosk, but said that line didn't seem to be moving much faster. I asked what I could do be be sure my luggage was checked in time for my flight and she said, "You could get to the airport at least 2 hours before your flight is scheduled to leave." I couldn't believe it! When lines are long and slow, I am used to PA announcements asking people who are on flights getting ready to leave to come to the front of the line. I looked at her and said, "I guess this is what happens when you don't fly Southwest."


I decided to go the kiosk line. They did not have an attendant assigned to the kiosk's, which was why that line was moving so slowly. The mean one from my earlier interaction came over and totally ignored me. By then I had completed the process to check my luggage and only needed an attendant to pull my sticker and place it on my bag. This would have taken her about 30 seconds, but instead, she spent 10 minutes teaching this lovely elderly couple how to use the kiosk. I figured that since they had taken my money to check my luggage, they had to take it, but doubted if it would actually make it to Flint when I did. When she finally tagged my bag I headed to the gate.


Seems when the day gets complicated, it never changes. Getting through security was a challenge. People kept setting off the alarms and having to come back and remove jewelry and belts, but then they figured out it wasn't the people, but was the little man standing next to the screener with the oxygen tank. When I made it to the gate, I found out my plane was to be 30 minutes late leaving. I had to connect in Milwaukee, but that actually worked without a problem, even with the delay.


I made it to Flint,and so did my luggage, but, alas, there was no one at the National Counter to rent me my car. She finally came back from the bathroom and I was able to drive to Frankenmuth without any further problems.

Rain Rain Go Away

This week was spent driving around Indiana.

I flew into Chicago Midway on Monday afternoon and prepared for a 3 1/2 hour drive to Terre Haute, Indiana. Unfortunately, I was in the wrong lane for my exit and ended up adding an additional 45 minutes to the trip. The GPS took me through Gary, Indiana to I-80 to I-65 and finally back to the highway that went south to Terre Haute. As I drove south the weather varied from sprinkles to rain and I could see incredible lightening across the sky infront of me.

When I finally made it to the hotel, the guy checking me in asked me if I had encountered the tornado. Thankfully, I was able to say I had missed that experience.

The next morning I had to drive an hour south of Terre Haute and did not encounter rain, but the afternoon drive was terrible. I headed out at 5 PM and had a 3 1/2 hour drive ahead of me. The drive ended up taking around 4 1/2 hours and the rain was unrelenting. I had only about two episodes of 15 minutes or so that I did not experience hard rain which decreased visibility. And when the semi-trucks passed me, I couldn't see anything at all.

BUT, when I opened my drapes on Wednesday morning, the sun was shining and the sky was a vivid blue.

I'm home tonight (Thursday). Got here about 8 PM and couldn't believe how HOT is was for this time of night. Once it quits raining I think we will bake.

Vacation

I've had nearly three weeks OFF the road. I took vacation the week before Memorial Day, did two St. Joe visits the week of Memorial Day and this week am doing Kansas and Missouri, which are all drivable. It's been nice to be home. Next week I have to start traveling again.

I spent two days working in my yard, did some babysitting and actually cleaned my house! I was a great week to be home.

I did break this 'at home' time up with a purely pleasure trip to California last week-end. I had plans to go to Palm Springs with my cousin Marian, but she had to go and have a heart attack the Sunday before! She was discharge from the hospital on the day I arrived (last Thursday) and we spent a very lazy week-end at home in Sherman Oaks. I went to the pool at her complex each afternoon and the rest of the time was spent on the new hide-a-bed watching movies on the DVD. I was able to embroidery and crochet during the movie marathons. We had lunch at a couple of really neat places and explored to find Michael Jackson's house of death and follow a Michael Connelly trail around Hollywood. All in all a great week-end.

Now I'm easing back into the work force.

Obese Nurses

It rained all week-end in Kansas City, finally drying out around noon on Monday. I got on a plane at 2:30 on Monday and flew to Detroit only to catch up with the rain. I have always enjoyed rain and liked thunder storms immensely, however, I am beginning to get a little tired of having frizzy hair.

I am in Waterford, Michigan this week. It is a suburb on Detroit on the northern aspect of the city. Lots of water and lakes around here and it is very pretty. This week I get to stay in the same place all week so no changing hotels from night to night. Makes the eveings so much more relaxing and I can actually get work done in the event I should choose to do so. Tonight, though, the priority was 'Dancing with the Star' elimination for the finals next week.

So now for the story about 'obese nurses'. Hillary is at NTI in Washington D.C. this week, which is an annual conference for critical care nurses. She texted me this afternoon (after I missed a phone call from her) with this messge: "I was just going to comment on how fat all these nurses are." I replied, "They probably ate at a 'champagne breakfast brunch" and she texted back, "Probably. I bet at least 75% are obese."

So I am checking messages during a break from an all day seminar I am presenting. In the room are two MDS Coordinators (average weight) and a Director of Nursing (obese). I chuckle and start to say to them, "my daughter is at NTI in Washington DC and just texted me with a comment about................" Then started stuttering and trying to come up with something to avoid the 'obese' issue in the present company. I started scrolling though my phone to buy time to come up with SOMETHING. I finally said, "commented that is was hard to participate in disecting cadavers with a hangover." (Sorry, Hillary, to expose your excessive Saturday celebration, but I couldn't come up with anything else !!!!!)

The message.........consider present company before sharing cynical comments.

Midwest

This week I am flying Midwest. I walked into the airport on Sunday evening to a LONG line through security. I guess I'm pretty spoiled by Southwest. I never have to stand in line that long unless I am taking an early flight on Monday morning.

It's pretty cold in Wisconsin for the middle of May and I didn't bring a jacket. I made it back to the hotel this evening on gasoline fumes because I didn't want to pump gas in the cold and rain. Here's hoping it is warmer tomorrow.

Comfort Zone

I'm a bit out of my 'comfort zone' this week. I usually am visiting nursing homes which are part of upscale Retirement Communities. The residents are retired physicians, lawyers, senators and generals and the average age is somewhere around 85. I feel like I am in a resort for senior citizens....which I am.


This week I am in downtown Milwaukee at a three story facility which cares for residents who average in age from 45 to 65 years old and who have complicated psychological and substances abuse histories. Many have spent at least some years on the streets, homeless. Some of the residents are the more typical nursing home resident....in their 80's, but not many. I am please to say, it is an excellent facility and does a great job with a complex population. Over the three days I have been here, I have become more comfortable with the situation. The regulations are the same, regardless of the clientele.


Not to say, I haven't had some startling situations. The first day I was here, the staff recommended an area with fast food for lunch. I headed that direction and found a KFC. I thought the grilled chicken a better choice than McDonald's, so I turned into the drive through lane. I wasn't there over a minute when a homeless lady accosted my car and started beating on the driver's window and yelling at me. At that point, my discomfort won and I left. I drove around until I found a McDonald's in a different neighborhood and bought a Happy Meal (11 points on Weight Watchers).


I may not loose weight, but at least I will survive.

This and That

A crazy week I have had!

I was in Los Angeles last week and left Saturday afternoon to head back to Missouri. The one thing I learned....people who travel on week-ends are MUCH louder than people who travel during the week. The connection in Las Vegas was incredibly noisy with both children and inebriated adults.

I arrived in Kansas City at 11pm on Saturday night. I had a great day on Sunday with Molly, Hillary and family, then headed to Baltimore on Sunday evening for a conference. As usual, my taxi driver had a turban......

Lipstick on my Wine Glass

I ate at the hotel restaurant last evening and ordered a glass of wine. I had a couple of sips then noticed lipstick on the glass. The issue?? I didn't have any lipstick on and hadn't at any point all day. So I got a new glass of wine.

I completed the assignment in Santa Barbara, CA at 4:30 this afternoon and headed back to Marian's in Sherman Oaks. Should have been about a hour and half ride, but it took me 1/2 just to clear Santa Barbara. Total time was 2 1/2 hours. Thankfully, I had a pretty good book to listen to. I have avoided talking on the cell phone. Ater all, I am in Arnold's state and if Maria can't talk and drive, I probably can't either!

Eating on the Ocean

Spent the day doing a Mock Survey in Santa Barbara, CA. The Director of Nursing recommended a restaurant on the ocean, so the dietary consultant and I tried it out. It was very picturesque. To reach the restaurant I had to drive out over the ocean on a wooden pier. It was a beautiful evening and we ate outside. The food was good, but the view was spectacular. As daylight faded and the lights on the shore came on, it was even prettier.

Santa Barbara

Headed to California yesterday and spent the night with Cousin Marian. After a fun lunch at noon today, I headed to Santa Barbara where I will work the rest of the week.

It was a beautiful day to drive up the coast of California. Lots of sunshine and blue skies. The ocean was visible for a good portion of the drive and was very pretty. My hotel is right across the street from a nice shopping center I may have to check out tomorrow evening.

Starting Again

I really need to start this blog again but I'm not making any promises. It's a nice way to keep track of where, when and how. For the most part I haven't had any catastrophes related to travel for quite some time. I just never fly United or American.

This winter; however, I have had numerous catastrophes related to weather. Seems like nearly everywhere I went they were having a blizzard. The worst was in Chicago..12 inches on snow in 18 hours. By the time I left the nursing home, 7 hours after the snow stopped, the streets were absolutely clean. Not a snow flake to be seen. They sure know how to manage snow!

Then I was in Canton, Ohio for 'lake effects' snow which nearly closed the airport. The operative word is 'nearly'. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour and they finally cleared us to take off. I only had an hour to connect in Detroit so figured I was out of luck with getting home until the next day. Luckily the Detroit flight was also delayed. As I raced from one concourse to the next, I was bemoaning the fact that I didn't have cash and therefore would not be able to buy a glass of wine on the flight. Wonder of wonders.......I was in first class. I have no idea how that happened, but the wine was free!!!!

The next week I was in Green Bay, Wisconsin on a Tuesday where the blizzard started around noon. I left around 4 and drove in horrible snow and wind for about an hour south of Green Bay, then it cleared up. I stayed in Mequon, a suburb of Milwaukee. When I woke up the blizzard had caught up with me.

I'm just glad it is spring and looking forward to a few months of getting into my rental car without the snow and ice scraper in my hand.