As I continue to search for a new working gig I have been the family member traveling to be with other family members. So for the month of February I was flying the friendly skies. Or should I say not so friendly skies as the airlines are really poor about how they treat their customers.
I flew out of Boston on February 4th, headed for Midland Texas. The plan was late getting into Boston from Colorado and my step-sister-in-law was on the flight. Nice surprise to run into her there. She was coming back from visiting her mom, who was in the hospital and is now home under home health care.
Flew out of Boston and into Houston only to be told that due to weather conditions I would be on the next flight out, in the morning. No voucher for a hotel, no saving for me, and did I say I am out of work? Yeah, fork over cash to stay at a two-bit motel, get up at 4 am, to catch a shuttle back to the airport, and catch a flight to Midland at 6:30 am. Not even an "I'm sorry that you can't get to your destination today" from anyone.
Off to Midland airport on a puddle jumper that everyone had to check any bag bigger than a backpack. Rent a car for the week and off to find the hospital.
My aunt had been in a hospital in Alpine TX and been airlifted to Odessa TX for surgery. I was going to end up sleeping in her room if I had gotten in the night before, but I got to sleep in Houston. I got to the hospital around 9 am or so and she was not discharged until 3 pm.
To get anywhere in Texas one has to drive. We had a five hour drive to Terlingua TX from Odessa. So we started out at 3:30 pm for Terlingua and arrived around 7:30 pm. The speed limit in Texas goes from 65 mph all the way up to 80 mph. Wide range and wide open spaces. It was a wonderful ride, great time with my aunt, and we got to see some amazing natural beauty on the way down.
So I was due to leave there on Monday, February 9th... Did you know that when I left Boston only had 50" of snow? Yeah, February 9th and 10th there was another storm... And the weather report...
"The last in the recent series of storms bringing snow to part of the Northeast will bring the heaviest snow, most widespread ice, and greatest disruptions to travel and daily activities into Monday night (2/9).
The caboose in the train of storms will end up being the strongest and will bring the heaviest amount of snow.
Snow of varying intensity will gradually diminish from west to east across eastern New York state to New England Monday night.
The area from Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, westward to Worcester, Massachusetts; Rutland, Vermont; and Albany, New York, is the zone that has received the greatest amount of snow from the early week storm and cumulative amount of snow forward from Saturday."
Just what I wanted to hear... Nope. But as it turned out, it was a good thing that I stayed in Texas then, as I was sick on Monday and Tuesday... I caught the flu, not a good thing to fly with. I spent Sunday evening changing my flights to Boston.
On Wednesday morning I left Terlingua at 6:30 am, got to Midland around 11 am, filled up the rental car and went to check in for the 1st leg of my journey home. Puddle jumper to Houston, hour layover, and off to Boston. Picked up my car and then had to fight with the snow removal trucks all the way home from the airport.
That was just one trip... I was off again on the following Friday to VA to visit my mom, step-dad, my brother who was visiting there, and Cali the wonder dog. Saturday morning it was a hour trip to Dulles Airport to get my brother to the airport for a 6:30 am flight. Which meant leaving the house at 4:45 am... No problem :D Off to the airport and back again.
My folks live with my sister in Arlington VA, my sister was off to visit her brother-in-law with her husband, in Hawaii. So three of us where in VA during the 10 days that they where away. My middle sister with her 3 kids, my older brother, and my husband and I. My sister was down the early part of the week and had cooked for the entire week so that my brother and I did not have to worry about cooking. Awesome middle sister!
My sister and her husband returned on Sunday and it was funny because she texted my mom that she was there and would be going straight to bed when she got to the house because she had caught a cold. She texted when she landed. My mother kept telling me "no, she's here now" and you can guess what I was saying... We flew back that night to Boston.
With all the flying I had been doing, and being sick on top of that, my ears blocked up. So, leaving Houston, landing in Boston, blocked. Unblocked by Friday. Leaving Boston, landing in DC, blocked. Unblocked by early Sunday. Leaving DC, landing in Boston... Nope, still have not unblocked.
So I have been visiting my doctor's office, meeting with the Nurse Practitioners, getting meds... Nope, still not unblocked. Called the NP to see if I could come in once again and see her as I fly out on the 19th! So I got to see the NP, who sent me for an audiology test, where I was then sent to see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor. The upshot is that I am on a heavy dose of steroids for 20 days. Did I say that my ear is still blocked and I can't hear out of that side?
A long way of explaining why I have been among the missing once again.
On the positive side, I have been working on some swap wall hangings, a birthday quilt, a baby quilt. and a block for a quilt for a women in Africa who is a member of a FB group I belong to.
So, a rather productive time. I have had to go to an unemployment meeting to continue receiving benefits. The upshot of that was that I completely redid my resume. Lets hope that this makes a difference.
Thank you for stopping by!
Ciao!
Blocks for Tuna' baby quilt...
