Decisions

Getting old sucks. Really. My stepmother is now 80 and because of her alzheimer's doesn't know anyone except my dad. She doesn't know where she is. She can't dress herself or do much of anything to care for herself. This is very difficult for my dad who has been trying to care for her. The stress has caused him to lose weight and put his health in jeopardy. That is why he has decisions to make. He is looking at nursing homes, but having a very difficult time of it. He knows that she will have better professional care in a home and that he will have less stress. But in his heart, he doesn't want to put her somewhere where she will not know anyone. It's difficult for him and all I and my brothers can do is support him in whatever he decides.

It's cold

I know, I know. Winter is supposed to be cold. But to have 62 degrees one day and 15 the next with windchill around -15 is crazy. I can handle cold, but having the wind blowing like that really blows. (Pun intended) I was driving to court in Levelland today and the snow drifts were brown. Only in West Texas. Well, I guess we just batten down the hatches and ride it out. I can't wait for my next cruise!

Neglect

I have neglected my blog. I could say I've been busy...and I am busy. But am I really so busy that I can't spend a few minutes occasionally on writing down my thoughts, ideas, happenings? No, I have to admit that I've simply been lazy. There is no excuse. It's true that I've been working, traveling, spending time with my grandbaby girl, but I also have time when I have nothing to do. So, I will try better. This is not a resolution. I don't do resolutions. They just get broken. But this is a goal that I will work on this year. We'll see how well I do.

Time marches on

My dad asked me to come over so he could show me some papers. He showed me where the life insurance policies and wills are for him and my my stepmom. He also showed me the burial plans they have made and paid for. He said he didn't want to add any more worries to me and my brothers when they pass away. Dang, I know these things are important, but I don't want to think of my dad and stepmom as being fragile. Time marches on, but I sure wish it would slow down for the parent generation. I'm not ready for my daddy to not be here.

Whew

Sooo...I'm zipping back to Lubbock from Amarillo this afternoon in my rental and pass a DPS car. I'm only going 72 and nobody gets pulled over for 72 on I27, so I don't slow down. Lo and behold, on come the lights and over I go. I can't believe it. The officer approaches my car and says, "Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm pulling you over because you don't have a front license plate and they are required in Texas." Whew! I quickly told him that I was in a rental and showed him the contract. I told him where I work and why I was traveling today. He smiled and asked me to do him a favor. Of course I said, 'Sure." He asked me to tell the rental company that they need a front license plate and then told me to have a good day. What a nice officer!

What do you think?

I was talking with a friend about how slow the forums have been. Is it the fault of Facebook? Facebook does seem to take a lot of time, but I don't think it can take the place of forums and blogs. Of course, if I spent as much time blogging as I do facebooking, I might run out of things to say. The way I see it, forums and blogs allow one to analyze, debate and consider things in depth. Facebook is more of a snapshot of what you may have on your mind at any particular moment in addition to socializing and playing games. I like the fact that I can stay in touch with family, friends and even ex-inlaws on facebook that I haven't seen in awhile. I couldn't tell you the political or religious views of most of my friends on facebook. And that's okay. The forums cover that.

That's what I think. What do you think?

Adventures in Flying

I was booked on a flight from Lubbock to Dallas this morning at 9:30. When I checked in I was told the plane might be delayed because Lubbock ILS (Instrument Landing System) wasn't working and without ILS the pilot has to be able to see the runway. The cloud level was at 600 feet, which means the pilot can't see the runway. So we wait..and wait...and wait. Then we were told that planes with crews trained in the GPS system could land. Unfortunately, the crew on our plane wasn't trained. So we wait...you get the picture. Finally, another crew was put on the plane in Dallas and here came our plane. We boarded and were ready to take off a little after 12:30. We taxied out to the runway and then sat. The pilot then announced that we were going back to the gate. Apparently, the computer system said the number two engine had a problem. The pilot announced that maintenance would come check it out and we would be on our way. So we wait...and wait. There is no maintenance on site on Saturday. The mechanic had to be called at home. Then we were told to get our belongings and deboard the plane. We were going to fly on another plane from another gate. Unfortunately, the plane we were to board was not in Lubbock yet. So we wait. The plane landed. We boarded. We taxied out...and waited. Then, the pilot announced that we were going back to the gate to pick up some flight attendants who needed a flight to Dallas. Due to the weather, the flight attendants had to remain seated during the flight. So we didn't even get peanuts. We finally landed in Dallas about 4:30 this afternoon. All in a day's work.