The C word

Last week a friend revealed that the melanoma he had 18 months ago has metastasized to his liver.  While he is hopeful, the prognosis is not good.  Then a couple of days ago, a family member told us she just discovered she has breast cancer.  Last night at a dinner with some friends, one told us she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  It looks like I will have the opportunity to learn how to talk with and support these people in my life, as well as their spouses.  It is a lesson I wish I didn't have to face.  One asks that we "stay positive and pray."  I will try.

Out and about

Yesterday e and I walked down to the bank to deposit my church check, then stopped at Safeway to buy milk and bread.  We followed the lagoon path home and saw a mother Mallard with eight ducklings swimming beside her.  After her afternoon nap e jumped back in her stroller---OK, that's a slight exaggeration---and we walked to the library to pick up two books held on reserve, one for Randy and one for me. I really like this neighborhood, being able to walk to the bank, grocery, drug store, restaurants, water.  And, of course, the weather.  We can take our walk any time of day.

Yes, it is hot in Phoenix three or four months of the year, just as in Minneapolis it is very cold three or four months.  One adjusts to the climate.  I guess to me the heat seems a little more uncomfortable.

Grandpa great

Just a quick post to say we had a very pleasant weekend with my dad and his wife, visiting from Illinois to meet e.  She did well sitting in a high chair both times we went out to eat.  Last night Dena came by, then K's brother and girlfriend, so I ordered 3 pizzas for supper for the 9 adults.  The living room was full of people, but e took it all in stride, for about ten minutes.  Then she announced in no uncertain terms that it was her bedtime.

Dad said one of his sisters called their grandmother (or was it a great-grandmother?) "Grandma great," so that is what he wants e to call him.  We practiced.  I like the sound of that.

See-saw day

Today was one of those days when by 1:30 I was looking at my watch to see how long it would be until E finished working and took over e's care.  On the other hand, for the first time today e maneuvered herself from flat on her tummy to a sitting position, and the more often she did it the better she got.  A true milestone, one we've been watching for.  So, back and forth, down and up.

Open windows!

Little e arrived with her parents Sunday afternoon after a smooth drive up from SoCal.  They pronounced the new room arrangement better than last time.  I've taken e for a walk twice now, pointing out the ducks, squirrels and night herons.  The cool mornings feel lovely.

Last night our friend Dena invited us all over for dinner.  Her brother Alex from Germany is here with his family, and we enjoyed spending time with them again.  I had to borrow a sweater for the walk home!

So far e does not seem to miss her own house.  Of course, her parents are here, and we brought a few of her toys and books.  I pulled out a few toys left over from 30 years ago, and she is having fun with them also.

Would you believe...

On a clear, sunny Thursday E and K (and, of course, e) dropped me off at the airport about 6 PM on their way out of town, headed to Palos Verde where K's mother lives.  The security line moved quickly, and I was glad to see my flight 1270 showed as on time.  Hopeful, I sat at gate C2 to wait.  Before long came the news of delay due to mechanical issues; the 7:25 flight was now estimated to depart at 9:00, though the gate agent warned that could change.  I decided to wait it out, and waiting is what I did.  Before long, the estimated arrival changed to 10:30, at which point I stood in line to be placed on the stand-by list for a flight due out at 9:10.  I waited a bit, watching the monitor along with other passengers, and soon saw I could get a boarding pass for flight 2725 to Oakland.  However, we heard that plane was also delayed and not due till 11:30.  So back to the first gate I went, standing in line again for another boarding pass for my original flight; there were lots of seats available since many of us had changed to 2725.

About 10:30 boarding began and things looked good.  But then the pilots announced they just had been re-assigned to a Chicago flight, and new pilots would be on board soon for us.  Indeed we had a co-pilot in 15 or 20 minutes.  When a pilot walked on after a bit longer, cheers erupted!  Finally we would be on our way.  As we pushed back from the gate, from my window seat I saw a ground crew person cross his arms, as if to say "stop."  The plane stopped, and the pilot announced they saw a fuel leak from one of the engines and while a small drip is normal, they wanted to check this.  And who could complain about that?  Back to the gate.  After 10 or 15 minutes of revving the engine, the plane was declared out of service, and the flight attendant said they were trying to find us another aircraft.  So we deplaned and I headed once again to the counter to see this time about a morning flight.  After just a few minutes, while I was still in line, news came that a plane had been found at gate C17. So off we went, down that long corridor with two moving walks, if you know Sky Harbor.  (By the way, E and family were in PV by this time.)

A new gate agent announced he had been on his way home when called back to work our flight.  We didn't show him much sympathy, I must say.  He had  paperwork to do, he said, so we might as well sit down.  I think some passengers (who had been last to board) wanted to be at the front of the line, but the agent soon had a list of us from earlier and we were called in groups of three to board according to our original numbers.  Once again we were on a plane, waiting this time as the passenger count on paper and in seats disagreed.  But FINALLY we pushed back at 1:10 AM, on our way to Oakland.

I believe the gate agents and crew did their best to get us on our way.  They were calm, friendly, tried to keep us informed.  But mechanical problems must be dealt with.  Weather was also given as a reason for delay, but I didn't see how that fit, though my knowledge of routes is limited.  Maybe the powers-that-be did not want us to think their planes are in poor shape so they blamed weather, an uncontrollable factor.  I will continue to fly Southwest.

We landed about 2:50, and I was in bed by 3:20.

Week 24

I arrived here on Tuesday, March 3, so today begins week 24 of my adventure with a baby.  Not just any baby, of course, but my very special first granddaughter, made even more special (if such a thing is possible) when her parents gave her my name as her middle name.  

Today is very windy and cloudy; I wonder if a monsoon is on its way.  Better today than Thursday.  Why?  Because we are preparing for three weeks in Alameda.  So laundry must be done, planning for clothes and toys for e, getting food and meds for the cat and dog (who will stay with K's mom), emptying the refrigerator of things that might spoil, etc.  E has lists.  The current plan is to leave Thursday afternoon, taking me to the airport on the way out of town.  So we don't want a storm that day.

This past Saturday I bought a few things for e, to help both of us adjust to a different play area.  We want to rearrange the guest room a bit, having seen the need to after E and K's visit in May.  And I'm looking forward to grocery shopping, believe it or not.  I cook differently than Randy does when he is on his own and need to stock up for four adults and infant.  My dad and his wife plan to arrive next week to meet the baby, so lots of new things for her to experience.

Thunder!  

Not again!

Yesterday morning we had a little rain, but soon the skies cleared...mostly.  My flight left Nashville on time so I expected a smooth trip home.  Nope, didn't happen.  When I arrived at the airport in a gentle rain, the plane showed as on time.  But lightning interfered with airport operations and caused a ground stop.  My plane, which had apparently been circling the area for 20-30 minutes, diverted to Las Vegas.  After the cancellation last week and adventure in Burbank, I stood in line to ask the gate agent about changing flights, but there did not seem to be a better option.  I sat back down, drooping a little.  One thing led to another, and soon my 6:50 flight was listed as 9:50 (the exact same time as last Friday, an omen?), at which point I went back to the gate agent and asked about a morning flight.  Yes!  There was a non-stop at 7:55 with seats available.  I called E, and K came to pick me up; I spent the night in my bed, then flew home this morning.

How do YOU make choices when faced with a situation like this?  It turns out the plane left Phoenix by 9:50, then to Burbank and on to Oakland without any crew members timing out, arriving here about 12:40 AM.  K and I made extra trips to Sky Harbor, and I lost a bit of time here at home because I was a little concerned about timing.  If not for last week's mess, I would have just waited for the delayed plane.  I tried to evaluate the odds of a situation repeating itself and decided not to risk it.

Home or office?

E often telecommutes, one of the benefits of her position at the bank.  As is probably common at many work places, there is often a need for more space.  When a facilities staffer noticed E was not at her desk daily, her manager was approached about having E share a desk.  Now the dilemma arises.  Since e takes three bottles a day, E needs to pump three times also.  There is a mother's room at work where she can sit in comfort and privacy to do this, but there is no cell reception or Internet (which is reasonable since it's not designed to be a work space), so E can't work.  She does enjoy the large monitor her desk computer has because it makes some work easier.  I don't know if anyone else from her group is actually in the same building; they seem to be scattered across the country.  K works in the same facility so they can meet for coffee or a noon-time walk around the grounds.  On the other hand, E likes working from home because she often can accomplish more than when she is at the office.  She can pump as she works, though not during phone calls, and doesn't have to spend time walking to and from the mother's room.  Seeing e during the day is fun for all of us.  The pumping situation should end within a few months as e is weaned and presumably E would be in the office more often.  The bank has made accommodations for nursing mothers, maybe not perfect but helpful, so I hope E is able to continue her mixed schedule of home and office.

When her manager returns from vacation next week, I'm sure they will figure it out.

Busy day

This morning we straightened up the living room a bit.  E was able to reschedule the physical therapist's appointment for today; we'll be in Alameda the day of the original appointment.  She is very pleased with e's progress.  Everything looks just fine, she is on track if not ahead in every way we can tell so far.  The PT thought e looks about ready to crawl and said visits to new places provide additional stimulation; in her experience children often return from vacation with new skills.  Then after a nap e and I went to the post office to mail a package to San Diego.  When Sarah and Erik were here for Father's Day, Erik left the book he was reading, The Martian, about an astronaut stranded on Mars.  I read it, then E did, so we are just now returning it to Erik.  The book has been made into a movie starring Matt Damon, due for release this fall.  It will be interesting to see how the book, full of exposition, adapts to film.

Monsoon! Part two

By this time it was midnight, and my brain was not at its most alert after the evening's events.  I had no connections or family in Burbank to call on for assistance, and no smart phone to help me search for a hotel.  The airport was closing as soon as we were all taken care of; no cabs lingered out front.   I had chosen to re-book on the 7:15 AM flight to Oakland since I have so little time at home on weekends, so even if I could get to a hotel there wouldn't be much time to sleep before I had to return to the airport.  Putting all of these factors together I decided to join several other passengers who also had elected to spend the night at Burbank Bob Hope Airport.

TSA regulations require the gate area to be closed since there were no flights, so we trooped out to the ticket counter area.  Most people had luggage to pick up, some of which was wet inside due to the rains.  At least they had toothbrushes; not me, since I travel with just a book to read and odds and ends.  (I now have a toothbrush in my bag, just in case.)  I chose a chair and plopped down with my iPad open to a book.  After a while some Southwest people brought out cans of juices and water, cups, ice in a cooler, and bags of peanuts to snack on since restaurants in the terminal were closed.  The cleaning crew vacuumed, the lights stayed bright, the background music blared in the quiet, every few minutes we were reminded not to accept bags from strangers---not a quiet night but we were in a cool place with restrooms available, all in all not awful.  When E was in Paris years ago, she slept on the sidewalk when the train terminal closed and everyone had to leave the building.

I tried a time or two to put my head down and nap, but it didn't work.  At least one man lay on the floor, covered his eyes and slept; I heard him snoring.  But I didn't want to lie on the floor.  I walked around a bit, but mostly I read and talked to others who were stranded.

By 5:30 TSA opened the security checkpoint and we began to move back to the gate area.  Coffee shops opened by 6, providing caffeine and food.  My plane was already sitting there; I guess it also spent the night at Bob Hope.  We boarded via the stairs to the front and back of the 737 and left on time.  I arrived in Oakland about 8:15, Randy picked me up promptly.  After a quick shower I left for my committee meeting at church, having discovered that I am usually fine in the morning after a sleepless night but fatigue sets in by late afternoon.

The Southwest agents were calm, at least when I was fourth in line.  Perhaps by the last passengers, after repeating the same information and apologies many times, they were not quite as polite; I don't know.  One traveler said she would never fly Southwest again.  I won't go that far, but I will brush up on what my rights are as a passenger on a cancelled flight.  In all my trips to and from Phoenix this year, this is the worst experience.  I've had delayed flights, which are tiresome, but no cancellations.  I've never been stuck in a plane sitting on the tarmac for hours.

The return trip to Phoenix on Sunday left on time.

Monsoon! Part one

Last Friday I had the unexpected--and unwanted--opportunity to explore the Burbank airport due to a monsoon in Phoenix.  How did that happen, you ask?  Let me tell you about my adventure.

Friday afternoon I checked the status of my flight, glad to see it was on time.  I noticed the wind was picking up and the sky filling with clouds, but didn't worry about it.  K and I stopped at Jamba Juice on the way to the airport; while I waited in the car I saw quite a bit of lightning to the west.  As we merged onto the freeway the clouds burst and rain poured down, slowing traffic.  My first monsoon, or summer storm, had arrived.  "I hope your flight isn't delayed," said K.  We arrived at Sky Harbor safely, and I went through security quickly.  At my gate I was relieved to see the flight was still expected on time, though I heard announcements of diverted and delayed flights.  (Today I heard there was an hourlong ground stop during the storm, which included a dust storm.)  Soon, however, my bubble of relief popped as my flight joined others diverted to Las Vegas.  The gate area was full of passengers waiting, eating, reading, talking, uncertain of when they would be on their way.  Some of the sound system did not work, so I kept getting up to check the monitors for the latest information.  Even when I could tell someone was making an announcement I often could not tell what they said due to people talking.

Finally, my plane, which had left Nashville about 2:15 Pacific time, arrived and we boarded, taking off at 9:55, three hours behind schedule.  The 1 1/2 hour flight to Burbank was smooth, we landed, some passengers got off, others boarded and prepared for the trip north to Oakland.  After a few minutes the captain announced the flight was canceled; the co-pilot had " timed out" and could not fly any more.  Since they had not been able to find a substitute we were out of luck.  I hurried off the plane in order to be one of the first in line to get a new ticket and whatever else was offered.  Southwest gave us each a travel voucher for $200, and booked many on flights to Oakland Saturday, but they had no hotel vouchers, I suppose because there had been other flight problems.  What were we to do?