It's one hundread and three degrees on the prairie today but we may get some rain this week.

First I must convey my heartfelt appreciation for the many who, in ways small, immeasurable, or somewhere in between, helped in any way they could in our moments of need. You may never know how much you helped but you are are nevertheless appreciated. In fact, at least one local friend watered the garden and pumpkins, squash and tomatoes still seem to be growing.

This trip also solved the nearly five year-old question of whether I'd ever be able to face Ground Zero. Enroute to the burial we passed right by it on the West Side Highway. So much pain, so little time.

My return flights were "classic LaGuardia Airport" fare, and I should know (ask Mojo!). Flying to NY we circled for half an hour due to the weather in Queens but still managed to land on time. My outbound flight more than made up for that. Using a Vito-sized portion of planning I got to the airport at 4:30 to beat rush hour before my 7:30 flight. Little did I know that I could have returned to the castle for dinner. The plane needed for the 7:30 flight diverted to Lanaster, PA for more fuel because it circled so long waiting for the weather to clear. Eventually, my 7:30 flight took off at 11;30, which was within minutes of the actual time my conecting flight took off for Omaha. I napped overnight in the Minneapolis airport and caught the first flight out the next morning.

A woman in a "Guess" t-shirt was on both of my return flights. My guess? 36DD. In the immortal words from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "I'm not dead yet."