When life hands you lemons, learn to juggle.

I'm on my way to California to a sisters
reunion. The three of us haven't been
together since, gee, we all lived at home
in North Bay.

Now, crossing one of the largest
boarders between two friendly
countries shouldn't be that
difficult, right? People do it all the
time, even illegally, however
if you are me, the passage is
never easy.  In fact, it was so
stressful my sister Pati resorted
to talking to our dead mom who is
hopefully in heaven. She posted
on facebook;

Gertie , we need you to pull some strings !!
Your daughters are trying to have a sister
reunion and one of them has been detained at the border!!
Does Jude look like a terrorist these days?? 

Everytime she crosses she gets pulled in????
Return from Paris? Maam go stand in THAT LINE.
Joining us in LONDON??? passport expired !!!, 

JUDE IS THIS 3 strikes??
You better become American soon, 

maybe then they will let you in!! lol
Get on it on it Gertie. I need her!!!

When the US custom official flipped open
my passport at the the Toronto Pearson
airport and said, "you've been out
of the country a lot," my brain dropped into
my heart which then dropped into my stomach.

This isn't good.

The official dropped my passport into a plastic
bag attached to a big, yellow card. Oh no,
not the yellow card.

"Just walk through those double doors." Oh no,
not the double doors, I've been through the double
doors before, the land of despair is beyond these doors.


5:20 I walked through those doors.
6:30 my flight to LA left without me.
8:00, the last flight to LA left.

Breathe. Meditate. Breathe some more.

Finally, I heard Judith Prashaw?
I talked to the custom official for all of
five minutes. "It's quite obvious that you
are a permanent resident of the Unite States.
I wanted to tell him HELLO, I KNOW THIS
but I decided a good ole Canadian smile was in order.

I managed to find one of the few remaining
hotel rooms in the city, just after I re-booked
my flight.

The following morning, after waiting an hour
to see if I could get on an overbooked flight,
the attendant called my name, handed me
my boarding pass and said "have a nice flight,
I think you'll enjoy your seat."

First class to California was a nice surprise.

Definition of Sisters:
pick up your stressed middle sister
at the San Luis Obispo airport,
take her for a chai tea and then for a
Chinese foot massage.



When life hands you lemons, learn to juggle.