Simply Norma

Dear President Obama,

I am appalled over the allowance of TSA personnel to hand search the bodies of U.S. citizens.  Or even to use scanners that show us basically naked.

I have had 2 attempted sexual assaults in my life and when I think that a TSA agent could put their hands all the way up to my crotch or feel my breasts it sickens me.

Perhaps the TSA should be looking at what other countries, like Israel, are doing to keep their people safe.

Right now, it feels like what they are doing is a quick solution for them but at the expense of our rights not to be searched without cause as citizens of this country.

I would appreciate your looking into this matter more thoroughly.

Sincerely,

Friday I travel back to Seattle to meet the movers coming on the following Monday to put our things in storage until we find a house in Minnesota.

This will be a bittersweet trip as I am looking forward to seeing all the friends I left behind but am not looking forward to the TSA groping that has been reported by so many people.

Ever since TSA started their new guidelines, many people have been upset about the supposed rights TSA believes it has over traveler’s bodies.

I don’t know what I would do if a TSA agent grabs my crotch.  I believe instinct would kick in and I would kick the person between their legs.

So many videos on Youtube and blogs abound about the new “security” measures that don’t have anything to do with anything.

And people are calling the police before they leave the area to report assaults by TSA agents on themselves and/or their children.  So far, the police have been cooperating with the people and not TSA.  But every city is different.

We’ll see what happens but I feel a little anxious about this trip.

We attended the St Paul First Seventh-day Adventist Church today.

St Paul First Seventh-day Adventist Church

The church was quite full although we were told that a lot of people were away for Thanksgiving.

The congregation is very diverse.  We were invited to tonight’s talent show several times although we won’t be able to make it.

One woman has been at this church 53 years.  She is 56 years old.  Her grandmother attended this church when she was a little girl.

They had a female guest speaker who spoke on “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” from Matthew 6:21.

It was a good sermon although she had trouble getting through it.

Afterwards the church service we went for a drive through different neighborhoods.

It was a beautiful sunny day today in Minnesota.

We had decided, after all the driving we’ve been doing, to stay “home” for Thanksgiving by making reservations at a restaurant and having someone else do the cooking for us.  Instead of driving 4 hours or 7 hours to be with family.

What a pleasant surprise to have my sister-in-law and her family from Fargo call and offer to meet us halfway so that we could have Thanksgiving with them.

It brought such joy to my heart!  This is truly what family is about.

Here are pictures of the complex called The Classic at the Preserve where we have rented a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment.

This is the side entry.  Our car is parked there instead of the heated indoor parking lot as I come and go during the day and it’s easier just to walk out the front door.

Although there is lots of snow piled around, it has not snowed in over 7 days.  They pile the snow into big mounds so they don’t melt.
Our apartment faces Southwest.  When the sun shines we get lots of warmth.

 The water pressure in Minnesota is fantastic.  I don’t believe they have low-flow shower heads.  So one could take a very quick shower.

The apartment complex is fairly similar to the one I used to manage in Seattle.

There are so many apartments here though.  Across the street from us there is another huge building with more apartments.

Although we had 7.5 inches of snow last weekend, things kept moving. People drive nice and slow or they’ll just go around me. Maybe they feel sorry for me because they see the Washington license plates.

It’s been in the 30’s mainly. People wear jackets or sweaters.

I wonder if it’s true, as some Minnesotans tell me, that the body acclimates itself to the cold.

Or are they pulling my leg?

Only time will tell but so far, the only time I’ve felt really cold is when the wind blew strongly today.

Our first full week in Minnesota has come and gone.

We have not had much luck with finding a house yet. Although there are many, they are mostly cookie cutter type houses.

We have some more possibilities to look at on Sunday.

Our apartment complex is huge. I was a little disappointed when we moved in because the cleaning person was there with a young child who was trying to distract the Cort furniture person. So the apartment was not as clean as I would expect.

The office had given me a form to fill out letting them know in what condition I found the apartment and I did not give them rave reviews.

Having worked as a property manager, I had higher expectations.

It’s nice that the complex has underground parking as when we leave in the morning, we don’t have to worry about frost on the windshield. And it’s a heated garage.

Have had no internet so have not been able to blog very often but that should change by this afternoon. Then I don’t have to wander into the coffee houses for the Internet service.

House hunting went rather well today.

We found two homes that we are interested in.  Although the one I really wanted to look at we were not able to get into because the owner said there is some kind of water damage.  It’s being rescheduled.

The first house is in North Hudson, Wisconsin.  It’s a newer home and has private access to the St. Croix River.  It is not on the river though.  The house flows rather well.  There are 3 bedrooms on the top level and one bedroom on the lower level.  The main floor has no bedrooms.

It has cherry cabinets between the living room and the dining room that seem a little more upscale than us but that’s not a major deal.  It sits on 1.5 acres.

The second house is really beautiful and was done in a Frank Lloyd Wright style.  It sits on 4.5 acres although you can see your  neighbors on both sides.  The property is wonderful.  I would so enjoy this home.  The only thing we are struggling with is that the home is very custom.

Our furniture would not fit into this home.  The owner’s have made furniture to match the woodwork in the home so we would almost have to ask them to leave their furniture or find furniture that matched it.

There is no dining room.  Only a small nook that seats 4 people although a table could be extended across — a little cramped but I’m not sure how many people are coming to visit us for very long.

For me and my husband it is perfect.  It has 3 bedrooms.  The top floor is a loft and the master bedroom suite.  It is open to the living area.

This is really a unique home on a beautiful lot.

But — we would have to change all of our furniture to match this house.  Everything would have to be sold in Seattle and we would have to start over again.

Then when we go to sell it, the new buyers would have to want to do the same thing.  It is not a family home as each of the bedrooms are on different floors.  

Hmmmm … a tough call.  Very tough indeed.  But it is beautiful.

Yesterday we had almost 7.7 inches of snow.  Not normal for this time of year.

Today we wake up and all the roads are bare and wet.  They are expecting another inch of wet snow so it probably won’t stick.

Now we’re going to look for a house.  Having an agent drive us around while we just sit back and watch things go by will be nice.  The last time we followed her.