Where's my Library Card?

I had planned never to comment on the writer’s strike. I am surprised the strike has gone as long as the strike has—so I figured all the other bloggers, comedians and pundits would comment and they have so I would not have to. But the now I have to it’s Thursday night and there’s nothing on.! I mean nothing!! Some of the networks are premiering their “New seasons” this evening really screwing viewing options. At least up to now` I could at last count on ABC and Ugly Betty Grays Anatomy rerun offerings. Now even that is gone with no end in sight. I am lost in a desert of TV viewing—I am even watching PBS with more regularity then I would like to admit. The Sara Conner Chronicles is kind of interesting and that’s most likely due to the slim pickings being offered, and the SCC’s is only once a week. I gotta find a book!

A giant storm arrived on my Battery Day!! Typical but I am not going to let a little snow stop me—after I have waited so long for these stupid cores. I can deal with a little snow, just drive real slow, right? I have called the vendor, Magic Rest, and they are ready for me. I have cleared the time away with Claire my boss and with Tory my partner. I just wish and hope the snow lightens a bit before I leave. But I am leaving.

I just got back. What a trip: driving in driving snow. At times the experience was like a whiteout. Everyone was driving OK no yahoos to speak of. The experience at the durable medical vendor was not too bad. Since we lost Dianne’s insurance I am left with the 20% co pay which was $60.00; expensive but the cost of doing business. here are some images of my day

Batteries

I got the call yesterday morning as I was messing round the house just being Saturday: washing some dishes, reading my novel and doing the daily crossword puzzle. The phone rang and I let the phone go to message and the retrieved the message interested to see the call originated from my durable medical provider.

My doc has scripted and my insurance provider has approved the aquistion of two brand new group 24, sealed batteries. I have set up a time of 1:30 tomorrow afternoon for their installation. I now will no longer have to charge my batteries, at my office, all day in hopes that I will get home. I have to admit, to my old batteries credit, that I have never been stranded but felt close a couple of times. Still, the power meter on my controller not blinking radically, like ‘save me, save me, plug me in immediately’ totally excites me. I now will not be ‘chained’ to my desk for hours at a time charging, just charging. I can go to meetings, on the train or straight to the meeting itself, and get back or on home with out having to fear running out of power and having to call someone and hoping they will be there to take the call and come to my rescue.

So I am folding clothes, messing round the house, waiting for the storm and my new batteries.

Another Friday

I went for half the day. I spent the morning at home burning up some comp time I earned last week. I took the van and everything worked fine. The office was relaxed with staff gone and going as I arrived. I minded the phone, dealt with my chronics and welcomed the weekend. The hours of daylight are becoming noticeable longer now--I drove home in the light almost.

Hooky Bob

I got away at my normal time this morning; the traffic was light and much safer. I was bundled in my redcoats, glove and cap and my new highway construction safety vest. I was warm, pretty safe as I trundled, down Third West, South to the train station. It’s ghastly cold and over caste this morning I am lost in my thoughts, much of the street is still snow packed, traffic has beaten the snow down to a fine layer of black and white ice. As I pass the bakery a semi pulls into to the bakery’s loading bay. I have a great view of the rear of the truck as I pass a large back bumper, with a step carved into the middle f the bumper and two large hook on each side of the step and a large towing ball under the step—“perfect” I thought to myself, “just perfect”. ( if this were a TV show you would see the image go all wavy and hear a harp strum from low to high notes on the musical scale. I would be eight or nine years old again and I would be staring at the Back of the Meridian Dairy truck as it rumbled away from our small red milking barn.

Each day twice a day we, my brothers, dad and myself would milk our five cows. Actually the time I am mostly writing of it was usually just my older brother Ross and me. We called the cattle into the barn in the morning, washed their bags and utter and strapped milking machine on each beast in their time, stripped them and pushed out of the barn as quick as we could. We would pour the milk straight from the milking machine into a strainer on top of the milk cans. When we were through we would tap the caps on the cans and roll cans out into the yard for the dairy truck.

The road which served our farm was not paved. The road was just dirt filled with ruts and holes. The county ran a grader down it a couple times a summer and called it smooth but it was passable. This road turned onto a much longer undeveloped road which ran up to the main road leading to the city about a quarter of a mile from our farm. In the winter following a snow fall, a substantial snow fall the snow on the road would be pressed down to ice as the vehicles drove back and forth day in and day out. The vehicle would proceed slowly down the roads trying to drive as safely as possible.

Each day about 7:30 a.m. we would leave the house for the long walk up to the bus stop. Fortunately for us this was also the same time the huge. Slow moving Meridian Milk would swing by and pick up our milk. On those dark, cold winter mornings following a snow fall it was great fun to wait for the truck to pass us then run from the passenger’s side of the truck, so the driver would not see grab on to the back bumper and ‘hooky bob’ up to the bus stop. Even though the truck was huge and lumbering it could eventually gain enough speed to make the ride up to the bus stop challenging enough to be dangerous.

But dangerous or not hooky bobbing was fun and I miss not hooky bobbing today, I miss not being able to physically do it even if I could find a truck or car to hang on to. But I have the memories and that sometimes is enough.

Can You See Me Now?

The snow had finally stopped yesterday afternoon and about four I got out of the house and started shoveling snow. It was a light powdery snow, very white snow and I had actually powered my power chair all morning to be sure I had the energy to the job. I put my red coat, gloves and watch cap and started shoveling the ramp. I had been at the job a few minutes when the neighbor from across the street came over carrying her snow shovel and soon we had the major part of the project done. Christine left but I stayed out and stayed out and dug my van and Dianne’s Audi of the snow. Shortly after I had gotten back in the house mark A called with an offer to come over and help me clear snow. I had not seen Mark in a couple of weeks so I had him come over and have him help me clear a little more snow and throw snow pellets on the drive way and ramp. If I had just waited Mark A would have come over and done the whole thing. But I glad I did what I did and got to know my across the street neighbor a little better.

I slept poorly through the night. We have a touch sensitive light system over our bed or reading and for one reason or another he lamps were going off about every ten minutes all night long, sleeping was horrid I missed my usual rising time at 4:3o and did not really make I up until 5:30—so I was way late and did not get out of the house until 7:00 about an hour later then usual which meant all kinds traffic add to the traffic that record snow fell yesterday and bull dozed few of the sidewalks I use were accessible. Huge ice flows have been pushed up over sidewalks, forcing me way out into the street. At this time in the morning traffic was brisk and deadly, I engaged sidewalks where I could, I was able to at least cross I-215, the “Bridge of Death” in the walk way. The snow had been removed partially and what was left was crusted and frozen hard. The ride was jarring but survivable. The snow was plowed so high at the end of the bridge that I got stuck. Luckily, I was highly visible, spinning there on the side of the road and soon two people had stopped their vehicles an were helping me rock myself free and soon I was on my way again. Again when I finally got downtown very little plowing had been done and I was at great risk getting to the office but I did and just about 40 minutes later then I usual. I can tell however, it’s going to be a rough week with sever cold and more snow forecast for the end of the week and the beginning of next, Oh! Oh! I almost forgot! As I was making my way to the train station this morning a truck pulled over and got out of his truck and handed me an orange Utah highway employees vest, a hyper visible garment street and highway construction crews for protection. He thrust it at me and a said, “hear I have two, wear this it will help make you more vise able. I immediately slipped the vest over my head and went on to catch my train.

Winter!!

The snow fell again during the night and this morning. Thank goodness I am home today due to the holiday; not much happening though—if I go out at all it will be to shovel my ramp and dig out my van for tomorrow and the rest of the week. I really need to be sure I have space clear under the ramp when deployed. I also need to be sure I can get to the sidewalk and the street so I can motor my power chair up to the train. I did the shopping yesterday and there is nothing I need to leave the house for. I am just staying inside and staying warm.

The neighbor is out with his snow blower, sometimes he will do my sidewalk but it does not look like I will be so lucky today. Sometime the ancients net door will also shovel in front of the house but not today. The storms look like it is moving on, the sun is tying to break free the heat would be welcome and so would what ever melting strength the sun would provide.

Dark Days

I hate to categorize any day a bad day, a completely bad day. I like to believe I can find goodness somewhere in any day which is presented to me but yesterday was close. The day was cold as I started off. I knew this was going t be so , hence I was not too distraught. I had an early morning presentation at the Veterans Administration med center on foothill. I was supposed to have had a half of tank of gas but as I got to 45 south I realized I was getting low but I thought I might make it to the VA and I would get some gas on my way back to the office when I had more time. I as I neared 3300 South I knew I was in trouble and I would not

be able to wait till after my presentation. I swung into a Sinclair station and went through process of downloading, pumping the gas and reversing the while process. Now I was running late but I was still sure I could get to my designation by the proscribed time. In fact I did get there in time, The V.A. Medical Center is Huge facility, buildings are numbered and quite scattered about. I found the right building and I was doing great until I went to transfer from the drivers seat to the power chair. As I was leaning into my power chair preparing to make the jump, my hand slipped on the back of the power chair and my hand caught the cord to my control unit and pulled the cord, which is the power connector, out of the controller. I was dead in the van. I just sat there staring at my non-functional chair just minutes before my presentation was to begin to the Social work Department. There was no one to be seen anywhere on this part of the medical campus. I had a phone number and a cell phone but found when I tried to use it the number was for a pager. It was just then someone exited Building 8. I flagged him over to the van and lo and behold it was Craig the guy who was hosting the event I was to present at. I had to talk Craig through the re-connection of the power to my controller but the time he had the time was late and the Social workers had to get back to work—I gave Craig a packet of brochures and gave Craig a mini-presentation. Hopefully I will be invited back next month or month after for the ‘real’ staff meeting.

Back at the office, I plugged my chair and went back to work—I had another meeting at 3:30 and I wanted to make sure I had enough power to make the rest of my meetings. The office became quiet, I noticed and realized I was alone—everyone had left the office for a speech up at the university. As I was getting ready to leave for my meeting and unplugged by chair and doing so caused my chair to slip into “non-movement”. This happens sometimes when I disconnect and I have to have someone unplug and plug in my chair and “reboots” my electrical system. No one was n the office and once again I am stranded with no one round and I am not sure w\hen anyone would be round. Lucky for me just as I was getting my cell out and Warren the building maintenance guy let himself in and I was able to talk him through the process and I was free again.

These are just two events which darkly colored my day there were others, believe me but this by far was the toughest day I have spent in a long while. So far today is better.

Soft Ware

We have had two guys in our office from Main Massachusetts. One flim flam man and his techno boy. Some where along there association with each other and their work with a major private non-profit in their state they have developed a piece of software for measuring result for their parent organization and now they are on the road selling and installing. They have some how sold their product to over forty of the state councils in the United States. All the folk in the office I share are totally excited at the prospect of one key pressing reports. Obviously they have never dealt with these kind of installations and trying to get support long distance, the night before your meeting is scheduled and suddenly you can not down load the information you need for the report you are to give in a matter of hours.

My largest fear with this operation and software installation is that somehow this event is going to double my work load without really accomplishing. The best option is these guys will figure out a way to blend our present software(which is not all that good) with their software and we will able to dump quality reports we can use for board meetings. I doubt this will happen but we shall see.

We are finally out of a snow trend which has been hammering the area for the past couple weeks. Now the clouds have moved out the temperatures are plummeting and there will be severe cold for the next couple of days are till the next storm blows in. This great because after this freeze down there will only be two cold snaps left in this winter maybe only one—its hard to tell.

Just Another Weekend

The weekend literally zoomed by. Grocery Shopping on Saturday: that dismal part of the weekend where you go again to one of the “other lives” you live through out your lives. The market, the same parking place, the same list, getting the same item: gallon of milk, eggs, four cans of evaporated milk, four cans of pickled peppers, bananas, onions and this week frozen tamales. There’s always a little deviation some times chips some times pop and this week I purchased a double sided DVD Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes. I am going to purchase a new film every paycheck in an effort to build up my film collection.

Jin is a special friend of Dianne’s, Jin is Chinese and quite a character. Jin is married to an anglo by the name of Dan and he is quite a character as well. Jin just got back from Beijin, where she keeps a house (now—long story) so they came over for tea and photos and gifting. We spent Sunday morning doing a crash house clean-very topical. Floors swept, majority of dishes washed, doors closed to all rooms not to be used and the main bathroom scrubbed. Dining room table cleaned clear and chairs dusted. This was enough for the guests. Dianne even put together a fruit salad . We had a good and long visit and resolved to get together before too long for dinner out. The date sounds fun an fine but I doubt will ever happen. Like cleaning the house we tend to do things we are forced into. If there is no force we just hide away behind our doors and wait, wait and wait.

There is something happening here...

“There is something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear” For What It’s Worth-Buffalo Springfield

I hate being paranoid and I have been pretty successful in avoiding this feeling but in the past couple of weeks I am sensing that boogie creeping back into my life. The boss is pressing pretty hard and trying to bring about change to some almost institutional office concepts. Again the change feels awkward and a bit threatening but when I step back from my initial feelings I see how this can be or make a better information product for the consumers we are trying to serve.

What I see is a whole bunch of work, which is good, a whole bunch a change, which can be good and all this on top of what we already trying to do. When really all I really want to do is answer the phones and be a home body.

Porches and Jerks

I truly believe durable medical vendors(DMVs) are modern day versions of horse traders, DMVs are comparable to used car salesmen. I have had to deal with these folk all of my disabled life. Some times you like these folks but most of the time the are just jerks that seem to be making lots of money of you and your friends.
Last year when I was in my Physical Therapy regimen at University hospital I was having to deal PT’s, Insurances and DMVs all at one tine. I was pleased that the DMV was also the same vendor my insurance currently supported. At one of PT sessions I mentioned to my PT that the company rep drive a Porche 911, my PT refused to believe me. He felt a DMV could not afford such a vehicle. I could not believe his naiveté—everyone knows DMVs gouge its like sort of expected. My therapist eventually cornered the DMV asked him straight out did he drive a Porche.

I was told that the porche I saw the DMV driving the day I was at his store was not the DMVs but his boss the owner of the operation. I took the explanation with a grain of salt but did less razzing of this one particular DMV. So today I finally have started the process to get my new batteries and I placed the call to the vendor asked for the one salesman , I know, who handles the university P.T. clients. Who is not there and the person on the phones asked me what I needed. I identify my self and tell him what I needed. It seemed to me the changed significantly after he found out who was. He was not menacing about the information but he informed me that he was Joe—the company owner and indeed he had let the salesman in question drive his car---the Porche the day in question. What could I say? I had to play the game in order to get the upgrade on my power chair. But, I could tell this goose was trying to put me in my place.

So Joe is a jerk, so am I for that matter, and I am going to have to deal with Joe even if it is through Joe’s underlings. I still believe durable medical vendors deal in a weird form of extortion a the DMV holds us wheelchair users over a barrel and that is just the way that it is. I fully expect to get my batteries and maybe some more tires if I am rally lucky. I may have to grovel for a bit but I the end I will prevail. I usually do.

Dead in the Street+

I started out the, as usual, with a full charge to my batteries.
As some of you might recall, I have been nursing these batteries for the past couple of months in order to keep going until I can get my insurance to purchase a new set. When I first started to see my batteries were failing much sooner then used they used to I was told I would have to “sit tight” if I wanted my insurance to purchase them and they would not purchase the new cores until after the first of the year.

By the time I got to work my full charge ha dwindled down to the familiar blinking red light. The one winking light used to terrify me but I have been riding with the light so long now I have become comfortable-to a point- width the warning light. Never the less, I plugged my chair into the charger as much as I could all day. Yesterday was a busy day. I was in and out meeting all day long;. I never was able to get a good couple hour charge on the cores which usually guarantee I will get to where I am going. My last meeting of the day was from 3:30 to work’s close. I ended up leaving later then usual just getting my desk closed out and getting ready for today. The transit authority had one of the University trains sitting dead on the tracks at Arena station so all the trains were forced to use one loading platform: the trains were monstrously slow and even though my lights were all lit when I started out they had run down to one blinking by the time I got to the station—again no big deal I had gotten home before without issue.

The day had grown dark by the time I exited the train and began my final trek home. I was not sure if I was imagining but I felt I was traveling slower then usual as I crossed the street and headed for the Bridge of Death, I was positive I was traveling slower by the time I got on the other side. /Still, I thrust my joy stick forward and continued my journey. By the half way point. I was traveling half the speed I usually did, but I was moving forward and was not terribly worried. By the time I reached the end of the long street of travel I was creeping an I was beginning to worry. I was worrying whether I had enough energy to cross the street when the light changed and if I did, would I have enough power to the train tracks. ( I have been stuck on tracks before and is spooky.) I did make over the track, barely and headed for my street. I was crawling as I turned on to my street.

I almost made it. I went another quarter of a mile until I was infront of my house. I knew now I was not going to make it. Even if I were to make the small inclination up the driveway I would not have the power to get to the top of the ramp going to our house. The chair stopped and would go no further. Tragically I noted that Audi was gone. I was alone, sitting in the road, in the dark not knowing quite what to do. I was about to dive into my backpack and get my cell phone when the neighbor from across the street pulled into her driveway. I culd see that Dan, her husband was home so I called her and had her fetch Dan who came over and got me in the house. I was home safe and warm—but now I must get the process going as soon as I can to get new cores to make sure this does not happen again. Today Dianne is on the project. But right now I am sitting and typing plugged into the charger.

Monday Musings

If I could I would hibernate all Winter, at least the months of January, February and March—the cold months. True March is not necessarily cold but March is often wet and yucky and I if I had to do without a month March is one I would choose along with the first two months of the year. I did not do anything all weekend but sit in the house and read and if I could get away with it I would do that every day of the cold months. Read and move about silently in a warm house.

January 7-13 is to be another week of storms—snow storms but today is the buffer day. The sky, at this time, is clear, and the temp is brisk. Clouds should move in this afternoon with more storming tomorrow. Which is fine by me. Council is tomorrow, a statewide meeting of consumers held at our office, which is catered.
Hot lunch at the Council’s expense, a change of pace, different faces in the office, and the possibility change or atleast creating change. Best part the is the office is in chaos for a few precious hours and I snag an hour of over time working through lunch.

The another person starts work this week, an this person is going to be billeted in my office. This is sort of strange since I have been without a work companion since before Christmas. She is a she and a graduate student from BYU—this should be extraordinary interesting. She seems a bit starry eyed but I am sure this will cook out in the first few weeks exposure to the heat of the legislature.

Cell

The storms finally came in but not with the severity promised but that is just fine by me at this point in the Winter. I have had enough cold weather, snow, ice and general inconvenience. I still was expecting more weather then we got. Perhaps with the media giving all the attention to the “monster” storms seemingly going on all round the country; I was expecting more. I have spent the weekend inside reading my Stephen King. The book is Desperation and I have thoroughly enjoyed the read. I really should have got more done but I am being lazy this first week of the new year.

Mid after noon we received a call on our home land line. I, of course, was not able to get to the phone before it went to recording. I checked to see where the call came and the phone identified the call as coming from Boise, where the bulk of my family reside. It could also be from a friend from my past but I sincerely doubt anyone from my past looking me up, Dianne hit “redial” and handed me the phone. I hate this but take the phone and say “hello” and to my surprise it is Mom! She sounded great as she had done the past couple of weeks but I was still a bit surprised. Since Mom entered the LTC (Long Term Care) facility she has had to cease all the calling she had been used to, do to the cost. One has to realize my mom lived(s) on the phone, relentless call family and friends. This past year must have been dreadful for her. However, today she sounded bright and chipper. In the course of the conversation I learn Mom has a new cell phone and is learning to use it. It seems my little sister, Linda, gave mom this piece of technology for Christmas. This is too cool, but I am a bit chagrined. I have been harping on mother for the past year to get her self a cell and to use. Each solicitous suggestion I have made she has refused saying she could never understand how to use such a piece of technology. Perhaps the isolation of being in her living facility, the lack of determination this whole end of life struggle has been for her or the desperation to hear the voices of family and friends has driven her to the little communication device. I have this vision of this little 96 year old lady huddled over her little plastic Cricket getting used to the keyboard and the screen on the phone. Linda did program all the numbers into the phone so I assume my mom is just having to figure out how to get to “Her directory”. I imagine she will be confused, just as I still am, when my cell alarm goes off or worse yet, when the buzzer/vibrates announcing a call coming in. I still, usually, lose the call and have to search ‘recent calls’ to back track the call to see who wants me. Mom continues to surprise me—she took to her powerchair finally, and I suppose she will take to her new cell with just as much or more gusto.

I guess it just takes a little sister…Thanks L.

Face of Stone

A couple of months ago I was contacted by a grandpa pa who wanted me to find money to send his granddaughter to a camp for Cranial issues. His granddaughter suffers from Moibus syndrome, A cranial disfiguring process which is developmental in nature and does not allow the person with mobius syndrome to be able to reflect emotion as most folks do.

Once again folks, I am an operator only an operator. I am not a fund raiser nor am I a super hero but many, to my dismay, think that I am. You pull off one miracle and word travels an soon you can’t pick your phone without someone one wish for a miracle being on the other end. The grandpa called me about 6 months ago, which I appreciate, giving me quite a bit of lead time. Grandpa seems sincere regarding trying to send his granddaughter to a camp for kids having the same syndrome as his granddaughter. Maybe this is what sucked me into to the process, I don’t know, but now grandpa calls me every month or so to ask how I am coming along on the project. The call always takes me off guard and I am almost angry because he is expecting so much from me and fund raising is not my job. And as I write this I now realize that what makes me angry is that I feel I have failed because I have not been able to raise the money for this kid to go to camp. I have made a few calls in their behalf but have not “kicked up” anything up as yet. Probably the most productive thing I have done is council with Grandpa and give him some direction of where he might find some resources to help with the project. And sure enough he has visited with some folk in his church who sound like they might be able to help out as the time for camp gets closer. As much as I would like to think this church contact lets me “off the hook”. I am going to make a few more calls to different agencies and programs for people with disabilities and see what I come up with and put the touch on a few others if I get the chance but that is about all I am going to be able to do.

I did a fast run at lunch and stopped at Carl Jr’s for something. I have been toying with getting their “Green Burrito” for some time. The green burrito just sounds good. So today I decided I would take the chance and get it. I waited patiently in line and finally got to the counter and asked for the green burrito and then was asked “steak or chicken” I replied, “neither, I would like my Green Burrito with ground beef”.

“Sorry can’t do that.”

“Common you have burrito stuff and you have tons of hamburger just fry some up and put in the burrito.”

“Sorry, cannot do that, steak and chicken and that’s it.”

And so it went till I realized begging or arguing was futile and I ordered a fish sandwich and got out of there. Why is it so hard to get a little customer service?

Before The Storm

I was amused on my way home ,after I had written the material I had in yesterday’s blog, that indeed it looked as if someone had come along and dozed away some of the major ice dumps on my homebound path. What was weird about the work what had been done was that way home had only been part way cleared. However, I WAS able o navigate the “Bridge of Death” I was able to access the structure but the snow had not been removed and most of the snow has turned to hard crusty ice which rattled my teeth over the bridge but still better then being exposed to traffic. I think what happened was my friend with the City Streets and roads did put some pressure of some of the business owners—this is where I noticed most snow removal to have taken place the residential walks are still an abomination. More snow is slated for tomorrow evening and weekend—we’ll se what Monday brings.

I am sitting here charging my chair as I type, even though I just got to work and I am down only one energy bud. Yesterday the chair seemed to hold it’s charge strong and long into the afternoon. I thought something had changed ,that maybe something with the incident with the pulling the power connection from the controller and it subsequent reconnection maybe have, had a positive effect on the way or much the batter discharged it self or maybe the batteries rate of discharge. I usually charge the batteries in the afternoon but yesterday I didn’t and only after their almost instantaneous discharge about four o clock did I hustle and plug them in and charged for at least a few moments before I started my homeward trek.

I was not worried. I still feel I have one pretty good battery and one failed core which will hold a charge for a short while but then drains quickly and the red warning lights will flash. I have basically learned to ignore such protestations from my chairs electrical system. I always get home. So I was not too worried when I noticed my charge meter plummeting as I neared the downtown train station. I took a longer route to my evening train stopping at the post office to deposit Mom’s letter. I was blinking ‘one red’ by the time I got to the platform.

The sun had set and the darkness and the night’s chill filled the air as I came down the ramp on my home stop. One light blinking I headed home. I noticed as I passed the autoshop—which I judge as halfway, the charge was moving slower then usual even accounting for the red blinking lights. By the time I got to the tracks I must cross to get to my home neighborhood chair was moving much slower then usual, I was truly suffering battery failure. The night air was frigid and I was contemplating having to dig out my cell and call Dianne or maybe my next door neighbor to come and push me the rest of the way home. One hundred yard from my house I was at a crawl. I knew I was going to have a problem even trying to get up my neighbors driveway let alone my ramp.

I barely made it up the driveway but the chair responded ok just slow. I whistled as I got to my yard and Dianne heard. I warned that she needed to stand by because I doubted that I had the energy left in my cores to get up the ramp. But I did, at a snails crawl but I made it all the way home. But now today at 8:45 I am sitting here charging my chair and I plan to charge again this afternoon…just to be sure.

Friend or Foe Remove the Snow

First day back to work after more then a week: hectic but survivable. I had forgot the boss was going to be off most this week which is not bad thing but sill I got to work early raring to go. The phone lines have been busier then I would have suspected for a Monday Wednesday. All in all the day is good. I returned phone calls, visited with staff as to their holidays, remembered things I should not have forgotten and all in all got myself back into “Work mode”

After the last snow storm, the last great snow storm the plows an the people either did not clear sidewalks as they should or the plows piled huge masses of snow at the end of driveways blocking curb cuts and making it impossible for people using wheelchair to get off sidewalks at safe points. Again, I usually do not have problems rolling in the road, usually I prefer it I have lately been trying to live safer. I have been using sidewalks where ever possible. I have also become keenly aware at the risk I place myself in trying to use the roads with the traffic after a snowfall. The worst point for me is crossing the bridge over the Interstate. The snow is plowed to the sides of the bridge taking almost half of a lane; pushing me out into traffic further them usual. I called the City and asked what or who is responsible for clearing these areas, an who could enforce local sidewalk clearing ordinances. I was delighted to find an old friend of mine had taken the position, who eventually returned my call. I was excited that she now had this position. She had always been an champion of disability access so I knew she at least new philosophy and the jargon of access. When we did speak understood my frustrations and fears and assured me that she would look into enforcing snow removal .

I really have faith in this woman and I am trying to keep hold of my faith but coming into work I was in the highway a good part of the time and lucky for me that I crossed the “Bridge of Doom” before morning rush traffic had began. It looked to me that no one had done any sidewalk clearing at all. In fact the snowpiles were much larger then usual and now the snow piles have crusted and actually turned to ice with more snow for caste for this weekend and next week. Today I have been too busy to get on the phone speak to my friend but tomorrow I will call her for sure. I know I am going to sound like an aging whiney crip, demanding too much from the municipal services but I deserve safety going and coming from work and I should not have to feel guilty demanding this service. So we’ll see if my faith in my friend is deserved( which I currently believe is)or has fallen to the Darkside and makes promises with no intention of keeping.

Happy New Year

New Year’s 2008. It has taken me a life time to gain an understanding of New Years. I think there is probably a reason for this understanding coming on n life as it does. Like prayer, I only have recently really gained an appreciation for the exercise although I have always, always literally believed in the practice, like money in the bank. It’s always there when you need it.

New Year means to me that I 'literally' have a “new” year or at least another year, even better. I am still alive and have been granted to live another year. I have not been promised
a good year (although that would be nice) or a bad year ( which would be, not so nice, but I suppose we would muddle through) but most likely "a year". Maybe we have been give an average year and maybe with a little effort, risk and faith we might be able to turn an average year into a wondrous year.

I am truly thankful to be alive this New Year’s Day. I am thankful for the heat in the house, food in the fridge and hot and cold water running in our plumbing. There are some major issues with our house, leaks in the roof, gutters being pulled away from the house dripping sinks, sinking showers and taxes coming in April. I hope and trust we well get to these issues eventually one way or the other. Dianne and I cannot do it by ourselves and me end up relying on Mark A and Gabe more then we should and I am sure both lad are close to their burnout levels but they’re all we have and we have not been let down yet…sometimes our dependency has been an exercise in patience but we have all grown.

I am glad to be alive.

I was trained and drilled every night to pray, offer thanks for the day and the events there in. I think for the first fifty years of my life the exercise was a cross between superstitious behavior and sending in a payment on an insurance policy. It’s there if you need it. However, in the past couple of years I have tumbled into bed exhausted and worn out ready for sleep truly glad to have been given another day on this old Earth to live and with luck survive to do it again the next day.

We passed a quiet and safe New Years Eve, watching a broadcast of MIB II and enjoying it. We spoke with Brooks . I did some shopping earlier in the day getting pop, crackers, chips and other items I perceive are needed for a great New Year’s Eve celebration. I have this undying belief that people are coming over to visit and celebrate but so far nothing has ever happened. Maybe next year…HAPPY NEW YEAR!