Return to Reality and Old Business

Late yesterday found us winging our way back to Tucson. It was a boring flight - took off on time and 3h45m later landed on time. The flight was packed and it was just so ... unpleasant. I would almost rather drive for 3 days than fly through the darkness for 4 hours. We both passed the time reading books we picked up at O'Hare - me with Craig Ferguson's new memoir, and Melinda with Ted Kennedy's. But we got a real greeting at home - 8 cats waiting to jump us as we walked through the door (Pixel and Lance showed more reserve). And a few hours later there were 5 in bed with us - good thing we have a kingsize! They were just so glad we were staying!


Sister Kathy reminded me in a conversation before leaving Illinois that I never posted pictures from our family get together on September 20th in DeWitt, IA. So here I am making amends by posting those highlights. Turns out it was brother Jim and Karen's 23rd wedding anniversary, so we held an impromptu party complete with cake and the usual pizza buffet that is so easy with any gathering of Ketelsens. Note that I was told not to show Karen's face, so you only get cake and hands...







My highlight were my two great nieces. Marsha's daughter Mya is normally so quiet and withdrawn that she hides behind mom or grandma if you you say anything or look at her. This time she was quite gregarious and after spinning herself dizzy, she showed me some of her modelling poses and had lots to say.

Mallory's daughter Alivia is mostly the opposite - friendly and talkative and was her usual smiling self with bright eyes.





Of course, the wedding album came out, and Melinda is always on the lookout for "olden days" pictures of me. Here I'm escorting my mom and dad down the aisle - I must have been an usher... Likely one of the last pictures of me and the folks - Mom died of liver cancer 18 months later.

And oh yes - another highlight was spending time with my "other mom" - my Aunt Velma Ketelsen. Growing up, their family (my Dad's brother Arlo, Velma and their 7 kids) and ours spent so much time together, they seem an extension of our own family. Anyway, she had driven herself to the anniversary party and had set her own curfew to leave well before dark. Well, even with Daylight Savings in late September, she would have had to leave at 6pm or so. I volunteered to drive her, since it wasn't far out of our way, taking Highway 64 back to the Chicago Suburbs. So we got to spend 45 minutes on her drive home, talking old times and believe it or not, Obama's health policy!