Wow!

Leaving Phoenix yesterday, I was interested to see what the TSA search procedures would be at the Sky Harbor Airport. Frankly, not much different from the past unless you are selected for additional screening. I made it a point to strip down almost to my skivvies to go through the metal detector... no shoes, jacket, belt, billfold, cell phone, laptop, watch, coins, keys. It's a bit disheartening that we have to go through all this to be able to fly. The terrorists may not have won, but they have certainly changed our lives.

I saw two people get the additional screening: a young lady in a tight shirt and pants... I can assure you there wasn't room to hide anything in that outfit. She was patted down by a female TSA officer. And then an older lady with an artificial knee who did the back scatter X-ray. No hold up, no hostility; people were just doing what they had to do to get through the lines.

A 2 1/2 hour flight and a 50 degree temperature drop. My brother-in-law met me at the Omaha airport and gave me a ride further north. At the nursing home, Mom looks like her old self again... a big slower, and attached to a walker, but she is working hard to get out of that place. And, ahead of schedule.

My sister left an inflatable bed for me at Mom's apartment. Nasty. Besides the fact that it wouldn't pump up above "saggy", it looked and smelled like something died on it. Oh, well, I covered it with a bunch of sheets and blankets... on the bright side, it's even more uncomfortable than it is ugly and smelly.

I made a late night trip to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities: fruit, soda, cheese, and something to fix for a late supper. Stepping out of the store into the night air was shocking... temp in the teens, with single digits predicted for the night. It's been over 5 years since I subjected myself to these temps... I almost forgot how much it hurts to breath in that frigid air.

Today will be interesting: we (the physical therapist and I) will be bringing my Mother to her apartment for her first "home visit" since she fell. The therapists wants to go all through her place to make sure Mom can get around in there. It's nice and open, so I think it will be fine. Then, in a few more days, I will be bring Mom back to her apartment to stay.

This is the only thing that could bring me back to the frozen northland this time of year.