travelin'...

... to visit the peeps in Virginia. Drove up to Decatur to spend the night in the attic on Sunday, after working until nearly 2:00. After a weekend of house guests, I was not even remotely organized enough to be prepared to take to the highway as soon as I clocked out in the afternoon. Went home to get packed up, in a random half-hearted sense, not knowing what the weather would be later in the week or what I should be wearing. Threw some things in a suitcase, along with a couple of books I wanted to take and leave, and a bit of stitchery from my mother's hands hoping  my sister-in-law would accept a gift.

After hearing several reports on public radio that put the fear in my heart, I thought I should get to the airport in ample time to play the 'hurry up and wait' game with TSA. Not knowing how tedious the process would be for getting scanned, inspected, wand-ed, wiped down for contraband, carefully eyed for possible haz-mat. I was really anxious about having plenty of time to make my way to the gate. Which allowed me hours to sit and read, cool my heels awaiting boarding. Amazed that the time between walking in the sliding doors of the terminal until I was rolling my luggage along concourse C was less than thirty minutes. Thankful I brought an interesting book to while away the hours while awaiting arrival of my flight.

The attendant announced the tickets were sold out, and the flight was full so we could expect to arrive in Richmond with a whole set of New Best Friends from being in such close quarters for the duration. I sat next to a person who had been to Chattanooga, took a shuttle to ATL, returning to her home in Richmond. She was squeezed into the middle of a section of three seats, with a highly decorated/inked man in the window seat, and me on the aisle. An uneventful flight, with folks awaiting my arrival in the terminal when we arrived 12 minutes early.

I have learned to play up my disability, use the knee brace to my benefit. After being asked to expose myself, some time ago when inching through a TSA line, and being asked to allow a closer inspection of the supporting device I know to make it visible. Having been asked to peel off clothing for the agents to have a look-see, as the metal support always catches the attention of x-ray machine, causing me to look 'suspicious'... a hearty laugh would be appropriate here! I have learned to wear the support on the outside: putting it on after I get dressed rather than the first thing that goes on in the morning. Not only does it make the inspection process faster, there is the advantage of being shunted off into the line with the more obviously disabled persons on crutches, in rolling chairs, using canes or other assistive devices available to travelers. If the brace does not show, it is much less likely I will be able to drum up sympathy and thereby advancing in the queue. But wearing it where it is apparent I am having a problem (limping is a nice touch to be even more obvious with a sad, pitiful mobility struggle!) helps to be moved into the shorter wait-time line.

The city schools for Richmond were out for a teacher training/planning day, so the energetic, amusing granddaughter was spending the day with us. Her mom had to go to work at the school where she is employed, and number one grandma/sitter was called in to provide support for the first-grader. We spent the day doing crafts of various descriptions, making cookies the grandma had planned, trying to keep up with a very active six-year old. Thankfully parents arrived about 6 o'clock with boxes of take out pizza (as well as her younger brother retrieved from daycare), so we ate amidst mild bedlam of two small children, they loaded up and took the traveling circus home to put little ones to bed.