It’s cold out there. I have been watching the temperature all ay at the bottom of my computer screen and the temperature been struggling all day to rise above 30. The clouds from the last storm finally moved on last night and the temps plummeted. I have been watching people pass in front of my window all day. Folks and kids bundled up like steam coming out of the mouths and noses like engines. I am always surprised at how many folk do not wear any kind of protection against the cold. I guess I can remember years when I was driving my van everyday to work, day in and day out an I was rolling straight from my van to the to the building and back. I hated wearing lots of clothes because too many clothes would limit my ability to push my wheelchair when I was still pushing a wheelchair a lot more then I do now. I never had time to chill down. Now, just seeing the snow on the ground and people pushing white billowy clouds out of their mouths just gives me the chills.
I drove the van in today because I had to be home as soon after work as possible. Tonight we are celebrating Jasmine’s birthday at 6:30 and I need to be home at least by 6:00 so we can follow Mark over to Mark’s father-in-laws where the party is too be. Mark is supposed to meet me at my house a little after 6:00. If I took the train today I would be way late for Mark. Too use the van required me getting gas at some point today if we are too use the van tonight. So I hurried myself through breakfast and dressing and stopped in at the Phillips 66 not far from the house. It took me forever to find the controls to stow my lift after I got in the van this morning. The clouds which had caused a great deal of refracted light in the evening the past couple of night had moved way and inside the van was very dark. I dropped the pendant( controller for the wheelchair). A stiff cold wind was whipping round the rear of the van. I had a hook with me and I was trying to snag the pendant but to no avail. I frustration, however, I pressed my hook down on the pendant and hit the correct button to activate the lift and ‘button-up’ the van.
I often elect to do these kind of chores early in the morning as I can. I am strongest in the morning and lifting my self in and out of my wheelchair and into the drivers seat a couple of times is going to take as much strength as I can muster. I finally drug myself into my power chair, in the process, I pretty much pulled down my pants so I had to dress myself again! I was fortunate the station attendant saw me struggling and turned the pump on as soon as I got the nozzle into the tank an I pumped $70.00. I was totally shocked because the gas gauge indicated I had at least a quarter of a tank. I stopped at $70.00 I am sure the tank would have held another $10 or $20 bucks worth of gas. The tank registered ‘full’ as I drove away . The heater pumped warm air into the cab of the van as I listened to NPR—I am always stronger in the morning.
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