Hey, I actually missed a deadline!!!!

But since you asked, and since I'm thinking about this in a big way this week...

I remember how blue the skies were outside of Chicago, where we were at the time.  Monster Boy was not quite 3, and was still asleep when Husband called from work to tell me about the first plane hitting the tower.  Not too long after the second tower was hit, we got word that the Sears Tower in Chicago and several other skyscrapers in our area were being evacuated ahead of threats.

"Put a tape in, and just keep running it.  This is going to be something big."  I knew my side of the family carried the premonition gene - first time he'd ever given evidence of it from HIS side of the family!  We ran tape for the first 72 hours or so, and still have the newspapers from both Rockford and Chicago during that time.

I remember walking into Walmart - with a youngster, diapers/pull-ups are a necessity, no matter what - and the store was silent except for the overhead televisions.  People were gathered under them, watching the coverage.  The drive, both there and back, was silent - the air space had already been shut down, and we lived within 2 miles of the Midwestern Hub for UPS at that time.  It was eerie, and it's something that I'll never forget....

It was at least a week before I remember anyone talking about anything else - and even then, that quiet, hushed tone was still being used.  Flags came out - and were flown everywhere.  People actually learned who their neighbors were - and what they did, what they liked.

Different then?  Yes.  I think we've gone back, to a certain extent, to the insular, private people that we've always been.....

Kel