Fragile

Sunday we bought an edger from Sears. A Craftsman edger, the entry model, orange and lots of plastic, the cheapest priced unit they had for edging your yard. The grass has been creeping all over the driveway and the sidewalks almost out of control so it was time to invest in another piece of equipment. Of course the tool comes in pieces and assembly is required. But Dianne had the edger put together and ready to go when I go home. The unit is fairly light weight to the point where maybe I could use it but I would not hold my breath. In fact the unit is so light weight I was not sure the edger would be able to cut through the thick growth on our sidewalks but was pleasantly surprised when we plugged the unit in and Dianne was soon making a fine edge next to sidewalk. The weather is hot in Salt Lake now in the nineties and the ground had dried hard and produced a great cloud of dust as Dianne pushed the edger along the walks.

My job was follow along Dianne and every few feet reach over with my rake and pull the cut grass away from the edger which I was able to do fairly well. I must admit for the little Craftsman entry level edger the little bugger did a great job. Following the edging ofcourse was the clean up which means sweeping all the ct grass into piles to put into the trash and we do have push-broom and that was my job a well. I made piles and piles of cut grass and dust.

I cannot believe it by the time I had finished the job I was feeling a sever pain in my right shoulder. Somehow, had actually pulled something doing physical labor. I medicated up when I went to bed and I was able to get up this morning, get dressed and out the door, independently but just barely and I have gotten by all day at work. The pain is still there but not as bad as this morning or last night. I plan to take it easy to night and send the pain away-I still can not believe that little amount of work almost debilitated me. I need to get stickers on me “Fragile handle with care”

Wuss

Dianne mentioned yesterday that she wants to see fire works this July fourth . I must admit I have become quite a stick in the mud as far as going to firework displays especially firework displays which fall on the even of work days. Really, I am such a wuss. I think this urge to see a fire work display was brought on when we learned that BB&A were headed up to their cabin for the holidays and there cabin is very close to Evanston Nevada where blowing up people and parts seems to be perfectly—the kids even brought back hundreds of ladyfinger and bottle rockets but we have never used them—we tried to once right after we got them but we got intimidated but our neighbors who kept giving us the evil eye and kept talking about calling the police on another set of neighbors with “illegals “. These neighbors were launching real fireworks. So I have been sitting on this treasure of explosives now for going on five years. I really need to blow something up.

Its not like I hate the fire work displays it’s just having to leave my nice little house and co-mingle with humanity and have to co-mingle after dark!! I mean even if we were invited to this trip to Evanston it would necessitate atleast two` hours travel in an vehicle most likely my van; this means being on the roads and highways during a national holiday just begging to be a statistic in the argument of why not go out on national holidays.

Sometimes I wonder if I am letting my chair or my disability rule my life. Do I use to be part of humanity because doing so is just too hard, maybe. But something deep down tells me I would be just as boring even without my disability—I think I am just a home body sad but true==but Dianne does needs to see the event so I am going to try to be involved this holiday season and remember in Utah firework season is a season because the State always celebrates even harder on the 24th. I am not going to beg us onto the Evanston trip but come Monday night we will be somewhere, sitting on a lawn, hanging out way past my bed time waiting for the skies to erupt in fire and smoke and wonder…maybe I’ll even take vacation on the Monday after.

Roofers

Summer finally got to Murray and it’s now hot and dry…just the way I like it—true, I lost a week or two due to medical issues but I am quite right again and looking forward to a busy productive summer. One of the things we have talked for couple of years or when ever the heavy rains come is our need to put a new roof on the house and new roofs to be I like the “big time” of home ownership like plumbing, electrical or doing a new driveway. The roof is something that typically you have to enlist friends, relatives or people from the church who always say” just give us a call if We can be of help. That is how I learned you go to your network for this kind of help. Actually there were enough kids that my dad just conscripted us into working. New roof? no problem. Dad just purchased the materials and up on the roof we went-the project took a weekend or two but we got the. job done

But that was then and this is now. I obviously cannot climb onto the roof and Dianne is uncomfortable with amateurs up on the house so we are bidding the job out. So out they come with their red pickup trucks, Lexus vehicle or pickup with ladders on top. We visit for a minute then they walk round the house and then climb up measure and then disappear into their vehicle for an hour and return with the quote. It’s that painfully simple. It looks like the project is going to run7 to 9 grand and I don’t know how we will do it be we have to…something to do with insurance guys coming out to check on the place. So we have become highly motivated. We are even going to retain the deck and who know what else. Summer timer and the living is easy.

Watchful

I am back at work., riding the train in my old chair and everything is going fine. I am still very concerned about my butt healing and staying healed. I am working this week half days and I cannot believe how swift the mornings go and then I book home and usually go to bed for the remainder of the day. I HATE DOING GOING TO BED but I realize that I have to if I am going to have any kind of Summer at all. I am working half days the remainder of this week and next week I am going to back to whole days—that’s a little spooky but I am going to watch the skin very close for breakdown.

Up for a New Count

This has been a challenging week for me! I am serious, I have actually been down in bed since last Thursday, when I came home ands went to bed because of wounds I got on my butt by using a powerchair with a cushion which did not give me the protection I needed—the sores were not pressure sore per se as much as the lesions came from ‘shearing’` by dragging myself on and off of my chair like I do, Taking the weight completely off is the weight is the best way to heal the wound. Have always fought laying down except for sleep but I did it this last week.

Yesterday just to be sure we made an appointment for the Wound Clinic up at the University and that was a good experience. We found we had done everything exactly right and Kevin my wound guy was all positive reinforcement and he spent almost an hour of time with my butt debreeding and cleaning the wounds. I even had Kevin write a note to Claire and letting me go to work half days next week. So I am set.

Then today Dianne and I picked my chair and that was great!! New motors and a new controller—the chair feels like new. So I’ll be excited to get back on the train and back to my desk.

Down For the Count

Its Thursday , my Friday because State is on a four day week so I am beginning to here “what cha going to do this weekend”, “Have a good weekend” etc. People are making plans to have a good time on that short gentle reprieve at the end of the week. I should be happy along with them but I cannot because I don’t have my power chair and because I have not had my power chair all week I am afraid my skin on my butt is beginning to break down. Which means I have to take immediate action which is to get off my but as soon as possible. I am trying to be pro-active here meaning if I can let the skin heal and not completely break down then I won’t have to be in be over a major portion of my Summer or what ever. So, I am going to probably be down all weekend long which will drive me crazy but I am going to try it. It also means that I may even stay home from work until I can get my chair back repaired so I can use the “tilt back” feature which has been fantastically helpful in skin protection. In fat I probably would not have come into the office today if I did not have a broadcast I had to do but Dianne will be by to pick me up after the broadcast to whisk me home and put me to rest.

In the past I have fought having to go down tooth and nail but in the past couple of years I have visited too many times with other folk with disabilities who have developed major lesions and have been down for months if not years even some who have died from their wounds when the wounds went septic. So I am going to be a good patient and sulk in my bed and listen to the world go on with out for the next couple of days and see if I can bring my butt from the brink

Maybe Today

I drove into work again this morning. I hate driving and this, month so far I have driven too much. I actually probably would have drove in since I had my IOTI meeting today over lunch and even if I could have gotten to the meeting by public transit it just have take too much time. I am also damaging my butt with this loaner and I don’t think that much rocking motion, which happens when I cruise in the chair, would be bearable and then add on top of these worries that I really don’t trust the batteries in this chair and I am frightened of being stranded out there on the tarmac. So, I drove\

I think I hate driving most because of all the hassle I have transferring into and out of the driver seat of the van—also the gas gauge seems to be broken, suck on “full” so I never know how much gas I have. Again like today, my meeting was over at the blind center. I have not been out that way since the County has started construction on the light rail spur out to the airport and the light way is going right down North Temple which is the rode I take to get to the blind center so I had to go the “back way” which means I got at least once and I was late for my meeting but I was not the latest. So there I am driving all over North Salt Lake trying to find the Center and not knowing how much gas I am burning. But I made it but I just don’t need this kind of stress.. I did call the wheelchair shop this afternoon when I got back from my meeting and the person who answered he phone state the technicians were scheduled to start work on my chair at three thirty—Josh indicated that it would take about an hour to install the motors so I m going to wait just a little bit longer I would love to get back in my chair and use the train the rest of the week.

Chalk

I have always loved children's art. I studied it a bit when i was at University. So, I always have sidewalk chalk hanging round the house specifically for grand kids when they visit. Mark A and Jasmine were over to work on the yard over the weekend an I was able to spend time with Jasmine. Dianne gav her a new box of chalk and we headed for the driveway infront of the garage. We never did get to the concrete because we got sidwtracked by the black garbage cans which made a natural blackboard...the rest is history...

Under the Plum

I really need to b more active. I always think I am going to me active, every summer especially but what do I do? I just sit round and for the4 most read. Its Sunday afternoon an the most energetic thing I have done was go over to my daughters house for her birthday breakfast and cake and granted Friday I did some shopping but other then that I have chosen to sit on my ramp under the plum trees reading and watching the neighborhood go bye. It not that I am trapped or anything nefarious I just get great enjoyment reading on my ramp. Like yesterday, Bridget called and invited Dianne to the movies. This could have been a moment of escape, as if I needed such an excuse. I had money in my pocket a full tank of gas and the whole city to explore but I chose to read my book.

The weather has finally started to act like Summer with clear skies and warm temperatures. Mark A. and Jasmine was over on Friday and mowed the lawn as usual. Thursday was Mark’s birthday and I made sloppy joes and we celebrated at house when Mark finished the lawn. Dianne made a beautiful cake which we devoured following the sloppy joes. I am still suffering in my loaner power chair but not as bad as before and hopefully the motors are and I can get my own chair back tomorrow or day after. I am thinking once I am back in my trusty powerchair with the”lean back” feature I will start being more active—but some how I don’t think it will happen. Maybe that’s where I am in life reading , hen I can, under the plum trees on my ramp.

Nothing To Stand On

My power chair finally went down earlier this week I knew I was getting close by the way a warning screen would pop on my hand display. Finally, the system went down entirely on Memorial Day, which is OK, I id not have anything planned it is just annoying not have adequate transportation and being forced to drive my van a lot more then I want to. Luckily for me I had been on top of the issue and had my chair in the shop a couple weeks ago and the mechanic/tech had started the process of getting the motors approved a getting them ordered in—supposedly the motors are due to arrive in City tomorrow but they will not be able to get the motors installed until Monday.

I have a manual wheelchair and it is essentially junk. I can get round the house OK with the chair but that is about all—the cushion sucks, my feet will not stay on the footrest and the back is all but ripped out. I hate taking the quickie out n public which I did on Tuesday when dropped my powerchair off at the shop. I had sort of hoped the Magic Rest were going offer me a back up chair but the was true wishful thinking. What the Magic Rest goons did do was offer me a chair which I could rent for $500.00 a month which is totally stupid. So what I did next was cruise down to the IL.where I knew they had a bunch of power chairs. Sure enough, the chair I used to own was there waiting for me. True the chair has a sucky cushion, forcing me to spend my day doing pressure releases, but it is mobility and free compared to half a grand..

I. of course, was in my manual chair when I picked up the power chair. When I transferred from my manual to the power I took off my foot hangers( peddles) and set them in the powerchair next to the one I was getting to, and forgot all about them until the following morning when I was getting dressed—I have to have the foot peddles in place to “stand up” on to pull my pants up over my hips. So I have been waking Dianne up to help with my pants. So today I call my buddy Kim at the UILC, who got the hangers sent over to me and now I am whole again. I will be with out my power chair for the weekend—and I am praying the motors come in tomorrow. I just want my powercchair back.

Missing work, my powerchair went down over weekend. So taking time to get a solution going.