Best Plans…

I just love having a day with nothing planned. Actually the day started out with something planned which never appeared. Friday morning. The last day of my weekly Triple Crown where my health person comes in and showers and toilets me. And usually Friday is not a big deal. It used to be that entrust myself to go the weekend without having to poop but now I'm past worrying I trust myself. This lets you look forward to the weekend about any kind of outside intervention. Dana, my own health care specialist advice me the beginning of the week that she would not be here today because she was taking vacation and traveling out of state. I cannot blame her but are not being here certainly puts me in the defensive mode no question.

Once again trying to be Mr. proactive I call my home health agency to advise them that I need to have coverage for today. The first two days I cannot get anybody on the line and left messages with no response. I told Dana the problem I was having and she assured me that she contacted the agency to let them know way in advance that she was off with the holiday weekend. This morning I was getting I was up and ready for whoever should show up. I was kind of worried that it might Saydee. I believe I've actually written about Saydee before and how difficult she is to work with. However, I have decided that I'm going to welcome Saydee with open arms and welcome her into my life and train her out of her poor work habits. Now I do not believe I have superpowers are asking you to do such a thing but I think this road and will not frustrate so much when she does those things that strikes me crazy. Well silly me, 7 o'clock came and there is no one, 7:30 AM no one 8 AM again no one. I start calling the agency and there's nobody answering not even the 24-hour phone lines which is typical. 8:30 AM I called again and get Angie, I always get Angie who by the way is Saydee's cousin. Angie could've acted upset I wouldn't know her affect his flatlined. She tries to act surprised and says you can make a couple calls get right back to me. A few minutes later she does call back to let me know that would it be okay for my person if she comes later in the day. By now it's almost 9 AM I really want to start my day. Angie asks could I wait till tomorrow? And by this time I said yes. I'm feeling okay and not bloated or anything and I just want to get my day. Typically I would not like to interrupt my weekends with Saturday intervention that this won't be too bad – – if indeed the person does, tomorrow at 7 AM as promised – – and then will be just one day before Monday when Dana returns. I'm almost relieved – – not that way – – and now I'm just hoping that tomorrow goes off without a hitch. I think it will, I hope it will.

Dana, my personal, is not really formally told me she's leaving the agency is given me a couple of hints that she might be getting out of the business. I'm considering this and I don't know if I'll try to find another person through this agency or look for another agency or try to find a private person, an independent. I don't know what this would do any better than what's happening now but I'm going to have to do something.

Pencil Bouquets

One of my favorite scenes from You Got Mail is when Tom Hanks is writing this email and talking about what he likes about the fall/autumn are “pencil bouquets”. Somehow that struck me is the perfect descriptor of the season and going back to school. I almost got drowned today the tidal wave of nostalgia while on campus of Salt Lake Community College. I was not there (oddly enough) to try to get into an art class. I think that kind of given up on that idea for a while. Who knows? However, I was on campus because they have a bank teller machine for my credit union which is really convenient. The Fed and the state both got the checks last night… I'm in the money! For a couple of days anyway I'm in the money. I know it's delusion but the fun illusion. Another fun illusion is beyond campus with all the young spirits. I guess classes started the first of this week. All the walls are plastered with bulletins, announcements and brochures of happening events. It actually look like the student union provided events for the whole week, jugglers, comedians, dances, bands, spiritualists, palm readers and and much more.

With my money securely tucked into my wallet in my wallet in my backpack I wandered into the bookstore. I love university/college bookstores. I enter into covenant. I really have my eye on this oversized Apple tablet. I swore I would never have an Apple product that is changed. Now that I'm in this art mode I think this large tablet would be wonderful. The entry-level version is like $800. I think it has 64 GB the next version has 128 GB that goes for a thousand dollars. I think I get by on 64 GB. If they had a layaway program I would snatch it in a minute but alas they do not. I just keep hoping I will experience a windfall and be able to get this device. It's not like them holding my breath just the dream. What I like best about the bookstore is that it's nothing but potential. I wander over to the art section and once again look at all the pens, colored pencils, sketching pencils sketching packs, art pads clipboards and on and on. Sometimes I just sit back and watch all the little art majors come and pick stuff up and go over to the administration section to deduct supplies off their scholarships. I'm always impressed when I see this. I just wonder around and look at this and touch that and pretend I'm an art person too and that I really belong there – – but I'm a fraud but I don't let anybody know.

I really wanted to break one of the 20s I got the teller machine but it's just not bring myself to purchase anything. Instead I figured I would break the 20 over at the Fresh Market where I would stop on the way home. Instead, I just hung around the student center a little longer and vamped the energy.

Addled

Monday had been a bit of a long and taxing day and I was tired at days end. I was hoping I would get a bit of the early chance to hit the sack. Is kind of excited I had new sheets on the bed because my cleaning person came earlier in the day. There's nothing like clean sheets in a clean bedroom. I even tried to a texting session short so I can hop in bed and perhaps read bit as well. I got undressed and hustled around the apartment, turning off lights taking my meds and making sure the air conditioner was off. But as I said I was a bit groggy and perhaps a bit addled, hell I could have even been having a senior moment.

As I'm sure my readers know I basically live out my power chair. And it is my responsibility every night to make sure my chair is plugged in and being charged for whatever travels I need to do the follow I have my charger nest to my bed. But I am sure I have the house secured and it's time to really go to bed I bring my power chair next to cancel out as well as as well as electric bed. I have this great electric bed. I can move the whole bad up-and-down, I'm also able to raise the foot of the bed as was the head of the bed. I have a control on the end of a coiled cord which is attached to the bed that allows me to operate the bed. I have to make sure the cord is out of the way so that when I'm out of the bed I have enough slack on the bed controls to operate the bed freely. When I'm parallel to the bed I lower the bed to its lowest position and roll onto the mattress. Before I do this I must plug in my chair. I take the cord to the charger and plug-in my chair for the night.

On Monday I don't know what I was thinking but instead of taking the charger cord and hanging it also my arm bike ride in regions I ended up stretching the control to the bed. I must've been very sleepy. I couldn't figure out why the court not reach and finally dropped the controls. When the best controls fell to the floor they draped themselves over the rear wheel. I was not thinking and drove my chair away from the bed in order to get a better view but as I did that the coiled cord got entangled in my wheels. This is when I realized what I done. I panicked a bit and try to move my chair in order to free the cord from the wheels only making the matters worse. I was caught in a major problem.

There was 11:30 PM, naked as a jaybird in my power chair that I was terrified to move for fear of either running over the controls and breaking the control box are just as bad pulling the court completely out of the bed. I'm totally dependent on the electric bed. I struggled trying to free the controls to no avail. There is no one I could call that would still be up. I could call my brother you have to drive all the way over from the east side the same with my son lives way south. I really don't have anybody's phone number here at the apartment complex and besides the old ladies and I am naked which doesn't bother me but just might bother them a whole lot. There of course was the buyer department but I just wasn't up to having them come out in the pageant that would be.

Luckily, I had access to my hooks and my patience. I sent my chair speed to as low as it would go and continue to try to drive around so the cord would untangle. The major problem I was having was the tangled cord was in the back of my chair and I cannot see it. I couldn't see if I was making matters worse moving my chair around. I finally tilted my chair back to the point where I could pull myself to one side of the chair and almost see what the problem was. For some reason when I did this (tilting the chair down I also cost some slack in the court and I could hear the box rallied around and was able to get an idea of the problem. The square control box was caught in the bars of my chair. I could wiggle the box I cannot get it free. I finally used one of the hooks to stretch the control box and then left the whole wiring system at the same time and eventually worked the box free. I was so pleased I did not have to have anyone else intervene. I was also totally thankful that the control box worked perfectly. I had been spared.

I lined up the chair again next to the bed made doubly sure the control box was hanging on the side of the bed away from the chair and dove into bed. It was almost 1 o'clock in the morning. I decided not to read, smiled to myself turned over and went to sleep.

Medium Rare,Kate....

Cindy my cleaning lady came yesterday– –but I gave you a rundown yesterday – – she usually comes on Tuesdays in fact she was coming today but I cancellation yesterday and squeeze me in. This was good for me because I really needed some attention to this place but I didn't have any place to go. You see usually Cindy comes on Tuesday in the morning and I'm usually on Tuesday mornings gone to my Assist meeting in Salt Lake. This works fine we usually meet in passing which is good Cindy is left to her to clean the apartment. But I'm here I can take her off task by talking my head off. I must sound pathetic going on on about who knows what. I usually pay for two hours of cleaning session. However my apartment was in such dire straits it needed more attention than usual. I'm sure she charged me for only half an hour after the first two hours even though I'm the one of is talking.

Early on I can see I was distracting Cindy so I made the excuse to go down and check my mail. I wasn't sure if I would go anywhere else just to give Cindy a break and let her focus on cleaning the apartment. Of course the mailboxes are in the common area. I have to go through the front lobby to get to the mailboxes. As I was cruising past the front door I almost ran into Katie who was dolled up and looked like she was gone out. You all, remember Kate's? We actually went to a couple of movies the first of this year. For someone who is supposedly diagnosed with our partners she is still extremely bright and together. It's not that I've been avoiding Kate but I kind of have. I like her but she is so local culture that she tends to wander into religiosity which makes me feel awkward. We talked and I found that she was waiting for someone to pick her up her to “adopted granddaughters”. They're taking her out to lunch and Kate was terribly excited. Kate brought up the movies we'd gone to and how much fun they had been for her. I acknowledged I have had a good time as well. We both made a loose compact that we are going to go to the movies again soon, as soon as one came that was acceptable to both our tastes. No more Star Wars or other action movies. Halfway to the conversation she stopped and again reminded me she was going to Cracker Barrel restaurant. Again, I could tell she was most excited. I'm not a great fan of the Cracker Barrel but I went along with Kate on how great a place it was to eat. That was when she reached out and touched my arm and said “what would you like to eat I will get you something to bring it back for you?” I was tempted and start and I graciously try to back out for a number of reasons. The first and foremost I really don't know what kind of funding base Kate operates out of and is I hate the thought of her dragging a meal all the way back. Kate continued to apply pressure and finally just to shut her up is a steak would be great medium rare. I figured she was just talking anyway, I also figured that if she does have Alzheimer's than for sure she will forget and I let it go.

I returned the apartment and try to stay out of Cindy's way. You see the image she is a pretty good job. I spent the rest of the day either outside reading and sunshine or enjoying the cleanliness of the apartment and trying to figure out how to keep it clean until Cindy's next visit. I was getting ready to start my daily work out on my own bike's but I hear a knocking on my door – – faint but persistent. I shouted “come in” but nothing happenedso I rolled over and opened the door's and there was Kate holding oversized take-out bag from the Cracker Barrel and sure enough there was my medium rare steak, green beans mashed potatoes and dark gravy and even a piece of apple pie! I was blown away. The only thing I could do was accept. I already had dinner for the evening so I put the takeout in the refrigerator for later.

Now I guess I better figure something nice I can do with Kate. It's been keeping an eye on the movies that would be appropriate it's a shame I have already got to Christopher Robin, Christopher Robin would've been a good movie for the both of us that there are couple others that might work possibly, Mama Mia. I don't think that's too racy only problem Kate may want to go to that movie but I'm sure another will come up shortly, especially with the holidays coming up.

A Millennium Away

It's not like there is a time that I don't like my apartment but I must admit I was getting a little depressed at the state of my living unit. For one reason or another my cleaning person has not been able to get to my apartment and clean. This of course to me is a two edged sword. I enjoyed the fact that no money is leaving my bank account but the cost (excuse the pun) is my living environment sinking further and further in squalor. Well maybe not squalor but there is definitely something going on in my head about all particular matter that seems to have been gathering in all the nooks and crannies of my apartment. I have tried, I think, heroically so to keep the apartment up but sadly I have not done a very good job and I can't figure out why that is. Maybe because I think it to the vacuum but it's very difficult so I don't vacuum like I should. Or maybe I can blame it on the low hanging cabinets which makes me sort of put everything on the front of the cabinets which just leads to mass. Same with the table is much as I try to keep it clean it seems everything winds up on the table one way or the other. I noticed Cindy, who is my cleaning person, actually physically moved everything off the table to wash it down. That is something I would have a very difficult time doing, actually I would not move everything off the table to wash the table top. Then there are the books that are just freestanding on top of each other because there is not enough bookshelf area. There is a mess in my section of the apartment that I kind of the devote to drawing. As I have increased the time I spent sketching, doodling in trying to make art that section is taken quite a bit. Little things these are all kind of little things that in their totality seems to show itself is chaos in my mind and I just cannot get on top of it.

Cindy has some health issues and she had some family issues with actually quite the last time she cleaned my unit about six weeks ago. I tried to keep her cleaning visits to two hours every 3 to 4 weeks. Normally, with my minimal input of keeping the chaos at bay I keep my apartment acceptable at least to me. Normally when Cindy does come she can do a good job in two hours but because the department was out of control we went to one half hours and got just a topical cleaning accomplished. Utility floors (bathroom and kitchen) floor washed, the rest of the apartment vacuumed, range top washed counters cleaned and dishwasher filled and started. That was all she could do on this visit and there's still more that needs to be done. So I will continue to keep things at bay until she can return for another two hours the third week of September. Is it just me or does that seem like a millennium away.

Watermelon Tears

I am so disappointed. I just got done “processing” the watermelon picked up yesterday at the farmers market. I thought I was being so smart and I thought I was getting such a good watermelon. However when I got inside the watermelon. I am actually having a great time cutting up my watermelons this year. I spent some time on the Internet checking out all of the people do their watermelons I really found the videos enlightening. I chose the goal is that style where you cut the watermelon in half and then place one end on the cut and then cut the rindoff one section of the time.

The pulp of the watermelon was not mealy and held together pretty well but it was certainly far from nonpareil. This sort of got me thinking and then I remembered what I'd gotten the watermelon a couple years ago when I still lived with Dianne when we cut that watermelon that was less than ideal. I thought it was because we let the melon set out for a couple days before cutting. I got this melon yesterday and cut it today I figured the insides would be firm, sweet and juicy. Wrong! The melon is good enough but I've gotten much better product from Cosco even fresh market at a lot less cost and energy expenditure. This is the last melon I get from farmers market to be sure. Not just going to have to force myself to eat the melon this week before I grab another at Cosco.

I've gotten so I never carry my phone anymore. The only calls I seem to get our machine generated Robo calls. So today I really didn't think much of leaving the phone on my bed and going outside to read. I can get so engrossed with my one computer game or videos that I can literally waste the whole day just on visual technology. I have to force myself to get outside and it seems like if I don't get out in this great weather while I can I will be severely disappointed in myself when the weather is either too cold or too wet or both to be out in the elements if I don't have to. I'm currently engrossed in one of the books my little sister sent me a few months ago. I am actually going out to where I have my van parked in reading in the afternoon early evening Shade event provides. I was kind of shocked when I looked up and saw two people bearing down on me. It's like no one comes to visit me unless I asked them to but here were two people walking toward me. I did not recognize them until they were much closer since I read about eyeglasses and sure enough it was Mark Anthony and Kristy!!

I've only spoken briefly with Mark on the phone regarding finding the new family. Kristy was very interested and wanted to know the story. So we had a great conversation the three of us as we visited and speculated about what this new vein of information regarding my bloodlines and things mean. What a gift this new family is? Not only do I find new family but I get to bond closer with that family I already have.

Farmers Market 2018

I have to admit I was kind of excited to get going today. I did my research yesterday and found out for sure the farmers market very was in full swing: Friday and Saturdays from 9 to 3. It's called the farmers market and took me a couple of years to realize their definition of “farmers” is much more global than mine. However, you chronic readers of this document will about farmers market, green river watermelons and the Dragon Lady.

I'm going into my third year of living on my own. This is the second farmers market season for me. This summer I have really made a science of eating water melon. I've taken to “skinning” the fruit. Actually cutting off the rind and storing the fruit either plastic containers or 1 gallon bags. I kee them in the long strips and eat the watermelon as finger food. I like that. However I must admit getting the fruit home in my power wheelchair is somewhat challenging. I have used plastic bags in the past, I hang the plastic bags off the arm of my chair and usually that's okay but I have found with the watermelon I must use at least two bags, two plastic bags and even then the watermelon takes a beating by the time I get home. I have developed a system where I use the Brown plastic basket I got a couple months ago that was an oversight bungee cord to connect the ends of the bungee cord into each side of the basket. Today planned to put the concept to the test. I'm going to procure the green River melon and take it home in my little plastic lap basket.

What amazes me most about the Murray farmers market is how consistent the event is right down to the placement of the booths. Each year it's the same booths in the same places and many times with the very same people however I must admit time is really beginning to take its toll on all of us. I wish I had taken advantage of the Dragon Lady this year. She was wearing a baseball cap must've been for sizes too big for her she looked like a refugee. She didn't seem as energetic as she has in the past. In the past she always had a knife in her hand and was coming up watermelons for people to sample. She talked quick and was sharp. She continues to be sharp but she seems just a bit slower. I was also surprised to see the growth and many of the kids who travel with the family business. But the work for the aging process of the human beings at the farmers market, I would say that just moved the whole kit and caboodle into some closet somewhere and drug it out in tact .

My goal was to get the most righteous watermelon I could find the take-home in my little plastic basket. I got pulled in to the salt and pepper corn booth. There salt-and-pepper corn is so good they give you samples to eat raw and you just can't get enough. I bought three ears. Then I saw the green peppers they were beautiful huge and so artistic. I couldn't pass up the cucumbers I got three cucumbers, a dollars worth. I bought these to slice and soak in vinegar to have with tomatoes and cottage cheese later this week. I could've gotten so much more I really did use restraint. I didn't use the last basket as I intended. I had too much other produce. I carry now a cloth bag, almost like a book bag (the kind that's the big reach these days that information fairs and conferences). I keep one now in the bottom of the brown plastic box. I ended up sticking the melon in the cloth bag that hung over my at best and not get somebody at the apartments to remove the bag.

I did it I did the farmers market! I'll probably try to do it again before the end which is sometime in October. I probably paid too much for the watermelon but the melon is a green River melon and I guess that's worth two dollars more. I don't think you get deals or good deals at the farmers markets, like everything else in life the farmers market is just theater and we are all just but actors in the Shakespearean play called Farmers Market.

Food Box Day

Friday, finally a day I don't have anything scheduled that I have to be out and about doing anything. Just one to hang around the apartments today and enjoy my life. It is however, Food Bank day. Food Bank Day, that glorious day when boxes are delivered from the food bank to qualified individuals. I don't get a box that's okay I don't mind. I've never really looked into the whole process but I'm sure I don't qualify. I'm just thankful to get to use the food pantry across the driveway once a week. I don't need that either getting food from the pantry, free food, is just fun. I like the convenience of the pantry on Saturdays and if I'm lucky I don't have to cross the street and go to the market.

I briefly written about this before about how many people who get the food boxes don't really want what is in the food boxes. The contents of these boxes really don't change from month to month. Dry noodles, canned vegetables everything from beans to spinach. There is also milk sealed in boxes – – which I really like. Milk one does not have to refrigerate. Many times develop shows up on the sharing shelf that I scarf up as many of milk as I can get. There are also bricks that weird cheese or cheese product of processed cheese also called ability Velveeta Cheese. I cannot see, rate this but not large quantities. We probably turned back 20 bricks of the cheese every month. I was keeping to bricks around just in case. Seriously this cheese is not bad if you just don't think about what you're eating works really good for toasted cheese products average. There is also perishables delivered like different kinds of bread, eggs and sometimes bottles of juice (which I gladly also scarf when available. I'm surprised at how many of the seniors here don't drink this stuff… Really its almost juice).

Anyway, I started hanging around the common room, where food bank is set up, to assist anybody who might need help carrying the box back to their apartment. I enjoy doing this primarily to hang around staff of the apartment we take part in this project. Surprisingly, very few of these little old ladies wanted any help. This morning I went down to see if I can help but the new guy was there. This is the first time I've seen him at one of these events. I don't like him he just seems like a slug, I will bureaucrat want to be. The kind of guy who likes to sit around and impress the women. I'm surprised how many buy his line. He weathered a mini scandal last month or two months ago but he is accused of entering somebody's apartment and stealing some funds. I don't believe he did he is not that stupid. His accuser was a resident who was not well-liked which is another story in itself – – in fact she just removed herself from the facility. I kind of feel bad about that. I also noticed this maintenance guy gathering up the return food from the sharing shelf and take it somewhere. That probably irks me the most food disappearing from MY sharing shelf.

Dark 930!

It's not even 9 o'clock in the evening and the night has moved in, it is dark outside, two weeks ago , it was still light enough for kids to be playing out in the park, people were still doing some are things but now the changes happy darkness moves over the land I went home earlier each evening making me want to stay home, kick up my shoes maybe make some coffee or hot chocolate or something I shouldn't eat just to celebrate the end of the day. Tonight I actually had a couple of beings I made earlier in the week and surprisingly the beans were tasty they needed was a hunk of cornbread fresh out of the oven covered in butter begging to be eaten.

There was a time I could eat anything even after my disability I could eat something and not necessarily gain weight at least I was not so focused on gaining weight that I regulated my caloric intake not so anymore. Now the calories are dictating my life. I know, I am letting this caloric dictatorship happen. I cannot do anything food wise without worrying about what the end result will be. I don't even think it's vanity,o I'm sure a little bit is driven by self-esteem and how good I look with or without clothes but there's still the issue of weight on my butt, safe transfers and getting even heavier.

I am finding I'm even using terminology like “guilty pleasures” every time I eat something that is unjustified like potato chips, anything deep-fried and of course anything sugar-based like candy. I wish a strong enough to live by these dictatorial leanings but in the end I am a weak vessel. Right now, I am hovering. My weight seems to be stuck at 100 kg of or 256 pounds. I weigh each time I'm showered with just three times a week. My home health aide says I put too much emphasis on the scales on my transfer machine. She says the scales are probably off and what's important is not necessarily what that number is as much as having that number become less and less. It seems since my stenosis operations I have only been 96 kg at the very lightest. Now, I would kill to be at 96 kg – – well not kill, but you know what I mean.

We're still quite a ways from officially being an autumn. The farmers markets have started and I'm seriously thinking of checking them out this next Saturday. Or maybe even tomorrow, Friday but tomorrow's also food bank day and I usually try to help with delivery boxes. Food bank runs about two hours in the morning. So, I could go on Saturday and then I would place my regular food bank day. If I had patience I would just wait until next Friday to go to the farmers market and get tomatoes and who knows what else. It's now 9:30 PM and is really dark so dark I just wanted to turn the lights out top in bed with a new book I just started the day and read until I conk out.

Hotfoot

It's DRAC Wednesday, the last Wednesday of the month when DRAC holds its “board meeting” over at the house of the Salt Lake County's community room in the basement. DRAC is a private nonprofit influx, the way I see it, is trying to act like a real-life private nonprofit entity with Board of Directors, rules and reiulations a real upfront operation. This is a painful operation to sit through and witness.

One of the many items we discussed today was the fact that one of our illustrious members who just passed away and who was handling the money more specifically submitting or billing one of our major but sources have been doing it incorrectly and over billing by thousands of dollars. This is never come to light because there had never been an audit. Were okay, I mean no one's going to jail that I know of but the organizational coffers are running off, so low in fact that drastic steps are being taken. One of those steps is the discontinuation of the “free” lunch. Typically, a very basic lunch was provided those who attended the “board” meeting. Usually a couple of three-foot submarines from when the local market delis with a couple of bags of chips, bottled water and usually cookies. This wasn't much but when you become dependent and they pull away the reward it's hard on the organisms to adjust. I very rarely a sandwich sometimes just the stuff inside however I did a tend to load up on potato chips, cookies and water. I thought I was famished by the end of the meeting and wanted to get away from the “board” meeting as soon as I could. I noticed some sadness the Turkish restaurant that was trying to get going had failed. There was however La Puente Mexican restaurant that had been there for years that I've never gone to. Used to have a humongous ramp to enter, and maybe that was part of the reason I had never gone but I tried it today.

La Puenta actually has a elevator. You cannot operate it independently however it must have a staff person come with the key. I was getting dizzy so I want to get some protein quick. One of the staff people saw me came and opened up the door of the elevator and I went up to a grand room. The restaurant was huge upstairs. I have to admit I no longer can enjoy going out to eat because I know whatever I ingest will be reflected in my weight. I ordered a tamale , smothered. This was less than five dollars in a surprisingly good. I had ordered a couple corn tortillas to assist me sop up gravy/sauce. Then I went to pay and I didn't have my wallet! There is that on second floor of a great Mexican restaurant with no way to pay for my meal. Things began to get busy and my poor server was all over the huge room. I decided I would “hotfoot it” out of there. I have never done this before. This is a great plan that will work but I forgot about the elevator that had to have achieved operating. Embarrassed beyond report I confess to the operator of the elevator that I could not pay for my meal, I had lost my wallet. Surprisingly he shrugged his shoulders and said that's okay. I get the profuse reassurance that I bring the money straight back and he said “yeah, whenever”. I guess I was not the first even though I felt like it was the first. I probably looked pathetic but tomorrow even though it's busy Thursday I'm going down there and put in the bill. What a nice operation.

Fake It Like You Know It

My mom and dad both have harmonicas in both played the harmonicas every once in a while which is kind of too bad.(Just a note clarification whenever I reference mom and dad I will be speaking of my adoptive parents – – who I consider my mom and dad. I'm not sure how the revelatory parents who be identified but I figure that out if and when the time comes). It's not like it whipped out their mouth organs every night after dinner but a couple of times a year they would play. My dad played better than my mom cooked mom is not too bad. I don't think she always played probably picked the mouth harp up after they got married. She had a pretty nice instrument can do whatever happened to after she died. I don't know if anybody is the family that plays the harmonica except me. Same with dad, I kind of would like to know what happened to his harmonicas as well. At one time I have two or a C harp and the G harp and I also had a chromonica, which I thought was really cool but I never really played the instrument that well. The truth of the matter is that I never really played any of my harmonicas as well as I would've liked. I like to play parts of summer's specially folk type songs from the 60s.Leaving On A Jet Plane, Oblidi Oblada, and other Beatles tunes. I played generally from my own consumption, however one time in McCall or Sun Valley,IdahoI was at a bar in the middle of summer at some festival And there was this customer contest which I entered to play harmonica. All I remember was exhaling that first note and everything went black – – passout. That was the end of any public display of any musical talent I may have ever had.

I don't know why but recently I've been getting the bug to sit down and once and for all learn a couple songs correctly for the harmonica. I have one very old instruments I've had for I don't how long I've been carrying a piece around and every once I will take the piece out and blow a few notes. Over the weekend I did this again and talk to myself 'why don't I just get another harmonica, brand-new and try again?'I did a search and sure enough there is an actual music store in the same little mall that my movie theater is located.

I just of us this afternoon spent a good hour and a half inside the music store (which is a huge music store). The place has everything keyboards, she's little piano type things, drums and lots of guitars. They even have cute little rooms where people can take instruction that I saw any such people doing that but you could. I wonder if they have harmonica instructors. Boy, that would be a commitment. I found a cute little harmonica for 10 bucks! The harmonic is called “the Silver Creek” “Black Gold”. What a deal! So I purchased the instruments and finally made it home and got the harmonica out its plastic container. I used a pair of scissors and 15 minutes to get inside. I played a couple tunes and congratulated myself, I kind of said goodbye to the other harmonica and downloaded a couple of Pieces of music that have been “tabbed” for harmonica. I'm kind of excited. Maybe somewhere my folks Well hear me play and know they are not forgotten.

Safe and Sound

I was having coffee with my friend Lori today. She's pretending that she's looking for more affordable and friendly housing for people with disabilities who are aging. Lori was telling me that she had recently looked at some property that looked wonderful will but was priced way too high or her to consider. We were having coffee at the coffee shop directly across the street from my apartment complex. She mentioned how beautiful the property looks and immediately I wanted to take issue with her and start talking about the faults of the property and there are some. However, I must confess a lucky I am to indeed, live in such a beautiful property.

I'm starting my third year at this place and every day I thank the greater forces for having this property, my apartment, ready and open at the exact time I needed a place to go and a place to be. As I was dashing across the street from the apartment complex. One of my neighbors was coming in from outside and was holding the power doors so I can leave. The doors are electric and must be coded to get in. My neighbor also noticed that I just let the door from my apartment close behind me as I left. He asked if I was coming back and I said no I'm on my way out he says aren't you going to lock your doors? I laughed and said “no That's okay. I always leave my door unlocked. I trust this place” And I do. I suppose if I had something of value perhaps be more reticent vintages then to just dash out the door. Very few people are in this building that shouldn't be. I've heard speak out a couple of relatives of residence would've been a little shady but the people here are good people. Our building is gated we have iron like, spite fences all the way around the property. There are cameras everywhere – – granted going time the images would really be looked at As if some shenanigans did happen but by then the cows had already gotten out.

I shared with Lori further how great it was to have a bus stop immediately outside my back door and a couple more bus stops a block either way From my property. It seems easy to me to go from bus to train to get to wherever I want to go in the city. I totally lucked out to be where I'm at work everything from grocery shopping, entertainment/restaurants, transit and even education.

What I did not share was the seemingly nonstop sound of sirens that seems to be everywhere sometimes in this neighborhood. The main thoroughfare, Redwood Road, is like the landing strip for a fire station about two blocks south of our apartment complex and I hear the shrieks of the Sirens all day long Even in the sirens sound but I tune the sirens out and I sleep just fine in my gated sanctuary. Without getting too philosophical, I do feel I ended up here for a reason if nothing else to begin my next station of life whatever the hell that might be. I do not see myself relocating for any reason anytime soon who knows what lies right behind the next corner?

A.P. and Me

Click to listen

I don't remember where I was when I first heard Don Maclean's American Pie. The song was released in April 1971 and at that time I was just beginning at internship at the Idaho State School and Hospital in Nampa, Idaho. I probably heard on the radio because I was still driving back and forth from Boise to the state hospital daily during the first part of my internship. I love the song the first time I heard it. The song had so many twists and turns and subtleties that totally intrigued me. The song was long compared to other pieces of music on the radio at the time. The piece is full of acoustic art that painted all kinds of images on my brain as I navigated the interstate to the state hospital.

My residency – if I dare call my time at the state school and hospital residency – – put me in the clinical hospital in the department of behavioral modification. I spent my days working with residents on the “crib-one”. Supposedly the worst of the worst developmental disabilities in Idaho. These were residents who were so involved with her disability they would never have a normal life not even close. Kids with hydrocephalus, I mean major hydrocephalus heads that were twice as large as they were. There was a little guy called Tony that was covered in hair, a very fine black hair. He was obviously Hispanic but he was nonverbal about the size of a four-year-old any kind of acted like a four-year-old. He was like 27, supposedly and he would never get any larger are any more functional. Tony was a forever kid, everyone loved him. One of my main jobs was to work with a couple of the folks were severely disabled on teaching them to respond to their names and spoken. I spent our after hours shoveling applesauce into their mouths after verbalizing their name and they would turn her head in the direction of my voice. Much of the staff of the hospital at the time were conscientious objectors to the war in Vietnam which was kind of cool. Needless to say there is rock music piped into the Crib Ward at least 20 hours a day. That summer it seemed Americans Pie was everywhere.

During my residency I got a small stipend I think it was $100 a month which didn't go very far driving on 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air back-and-forth from Boise to Nampa and back. I got another medical director of the state hospital and he liked me and offered me a place at his small farm just off the state hospital grounds. The name of McIntyre affectionately known to all as just Mac. We spent hours after work listening to American Pie trying to discern all the imagery MacLean was putting forth. We passed a wonderful summer just hanging out in the trailer behind his house called the Plantation for obvious reasons it look like a set from Gone With The Wind. Mac was a Savior for me and I think I was for him that summer and fall 1971. Every time I hear the song instantly transported back to that unfinished trailer in Nampa Idaho thinking I can accomplish anything. “Bye-bye Miss American Pie.

Bye Bye A.P.

I've kind of messed up today which kind of bums me out. Actually I started this blog this morning soon after I got up in trying to keep with my new commitment to blog writing in the a.m. rather then the PM. Obvious that didn't work it's 9 o'clock in the evening and I'm just sitting down the blog. I was going to do a whole blog on Don Maclean's American Pie. I even chased down a couple of videos of the tunes I was going to connect to the blog. But obviously that did not happen. Life sort of got in the way. I washed clothes which is becoming a Saturday morning thing. For that was finished it was time to go over across the way to food bank – – I love Food Bank even though I do not get many items I usually get enough to keep me going. If the food bank with all that I had access to I would more than be able to make it from week to week. Shute, I could get a bag of beans once a week and have beans all week add to the beings onions, green peppers ,squash even and that's just the produce. I get a good choice, a dessert (Oreo cookies) and fruit – – peaches and bananas this week.

By the time I got back from the food bank and put away the groceries I put the beans I hydrated earlier in the week back on the slow cooker adding more beings and onions garlic oregano. I've had my beans cooking all day I love the smell. I ran over to the Mexican market across the street and got some dried peppers to add to that mess. I got a quart of chicken broth which I cover the beans with and added the process vegetables and cooked ingredients all day. I got to frozen packages up chicken sausage when I threw it in the freezer the other I thought which I've just tried out section and added to the mix. I finally reduced the heat to zero, I'm now waiting for the beans to cool so I can put beans into bags to freeze and store in a refrigerator for meals next week.

I took an hour to myself and read the novel I've been reading the last week or so, out in the sun and then visited for 45 minutes with my older sister who is interested about the surfacing of the family. I need to visit with a number of other family members also. So now, I'm getting around to blogging for the day which is not at all what I wanted to blog about. The good part is that I still have Don McLean to blog about and American Pie, a piece of music actually adored since it first was published in 71, a great time in my life when the places I would surely visit had I have access to a time machine… Oh well maybe this coming week I can do America Pie

Blessings

I never cease to be amazed at how many blessingsI seem to be the recipient of,And why I get so many blessings and others do not .This morning I was contacted by another brother, my little brother Ed, who lives in Colorado. Ed is retired from law enforcement, Ed did a lot of forensic work he seems most interesting individual. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised this morning to see a text message from him indicating that was excited to have me part of the family and was looking forward to meeting me. I'm sure I'll be texting him more as days go by. I was also mildly surprised at how many texts popped up in my feeds from more family members expressing surprise, curiosity and overall a welcoming of me to the family. It sounds like Ed is also been in contact with Michelle he seems to know her. I will have to visit with Shelley to find out more. This will be good for Shelley to get and establish an identity with the family. This family may have more relevance to Michelle then my other family.

I've also been placed at the response I've gotten from most of the folks in my adopted family (it is so weird I am categorizing families). I've only heard from a few those that typically know how to be on the Internet/ social media but they are basically pleased for me. After all, nothing has changed.

I'm certainly glad I have Antonio and Carla in my corner, I'm glad you have just a stone throws South of me here in Taylorsville. If those two lived any closer I could see myself abusing their good intentions and goodness. They are a genuine couple , a couple who are easily trusted. Carla is the recordkeeper of the family, if the family were organized enough to have a recordkeeper. It is by Carla's records that we as a family shall be known and that is true but not all the way true because Mother Doobie the character who birthed us was also a recordkeeper of sorts. She did keep a record of the births. Carla has used a lot of this data in researching this knot a family, patiently and skillfully on doing and pulling apart each strand in the not to find soul after soul who did not even know they were lost. Carla has a folder that she is scanning and hopefully will send me by email when she can. She has black and whites of my mother and father which are just astounding to me. I don't know why all this is that now in my life and am trying not to be so egocentric that think this is about me. After all Michelle really push this agenda and I think willed a lot of this could happen by sheer daughter magic.

I'm still quite taken aback at the amount of responses that showed up all night Facebook feed just for the posting of the images from the restaurant yesterday. So many names I've never heard of but instantly feel familiar and a bizarre sort of way. I seem to fit at least from the vantage point where I sit. Seem to be natural in the way things rollout. I still am going to take baby steps with this project and see where the steps lead.

New Beinings

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I'm going to try something I don't how successful will be but many give it a shot just same. I've been thinking when I first started this blog I was working with the state of Utah. One of the reasons I blog was because I ran a call room, granted is a very small call we ran into phones and that was it and because we were a state agency we did not turn phones on until 8 o'clock of course. However, I got to work at seven and worked till 530 p.m., 10 hours. So, one of the ways productively use my time on state time was to write and that's what I wrote I began writing my blog.

I strongly believe that a lot of my best writing takes place in the morning, early morning. I don't know if you've noticed that many times my blog postings feel forced like posting in the blog was something I had to do– –and in fact it was something I was forcing myself to do and I still do not want to get awayfrom that compulsion. So why not? Write while I'm fresh… Like I said it's worth a shot.

So Thursday morning I've done my bit at the coffee social that's out of the way down just killing time before my meeting with “my other family”. Yes, I'm going through the meeting. Carla who is the wife of my older “brother” is arranged the meeting. I contacted her on Monday or maybe Sunday to suggest that I was ready for a meeting and she had a lunch set up for today at 1130 at the Village Inn, just down the street. I don't know what to expect I guess I'm a little defensive but I guess that should be expected right?, Seems like a great person and she looks to be a great person. I really do appreciate her put together this effort. I just doubt, I would be doing this without her or Michelle that matter. Shelley being the big push to get this started. I still need to get a hold of ancestry.com and submit the rest of my fluids to be ch

ecked out. I don't know how anything can be more significant than this meeting and connection. For what it's worth this feels right even if it made cause some bumps along the way.

Speaking of bumps. I really Have not run this past my family – – whom I still consider my real family– –yet, but I have to but I'll be a bit interested in their reactions if there are any reactions at all. I'll probably have more reaction from my friends and associates who I hava labored this point of my origin over the years. I thought about bouncing this on my aunt Elaine, my mother sister, who I think knew more about my origin then she sat on over the years. Now, however maybe I'll have more the story.

I plan to play this low-key. Like trying on shoes. You put them on, wiggle your toes and walk around for a while in those shoes and see what the comfort level is. If it's too painful to take them off or if you really need the shoes walk around until you break that she was in and then enjoy the comfort. But for now I'm just going to the shoe store to see what's available. I like shopping shopping is always fun.

What a wonderful launch. A great meeting...more to come.We had a wonderfully long lunch that village in.

My elder brother Antonio and his life Carla at the village Inn this afternoon. Wow!!!

Clean? What Clean?

I was really hoping to be setting in a clean apartment tonight – – actually yesterday but still the day after the cleaning lady does her thing the apartment still sparkles and I love that sparkle. In some ways, like pizza the day after waking up after “the cleaning” the event just gets better. Opened my eyes and everything is in place even the close out on up on Sunday look better because Cindy goes through shakes all the hangers just right and spaces the hung clothes just right. I have Cindy change my sheets. But I went up the day after her visit the bed is still fresh even after I slept all night. The sheets are still crisp and tight. I literally fallen by chair turnaround and make my bed just because I want to keep the bloom on the melon.

I have really tried hard since the last time Cindy cleaned to keep the place a little spruced up. Even with the fact that Cindy sort of got stranded back east doing family support for three weeks. Still there are things Cindy does that just makes the difference. She's got strength of arm that there's a great job one thing in the top of the range and reaching to the back counter tops these are just little things I cannot do or do not do readily that she does in a whisk.

I'm still kind of new to this whole person coming to clean my apartment thing. I ordered two hours of time which is about 40 bucks which I've heard is a deal and I should not complain. I believe it is money well spent if nothing else for my mental health. I apologize, I almost sure I have written about this in a previous post. Let me have my senior moment(That last sentence sounds like a great line for all part of the uniform somewhere don't you think?). And the two hours she is here she manages to mop the kitchen area and the bathroom area which of course, includes sweeping. Cindy restores order to my table and my countertops. She always does a load of dishes even though I have gone through a little effort to watch them – – she says the dishwasher sterilizes the dishes. I don't argue mother knows best. Cindy attempts of fast organization of my writing area but is quickly defeated indicating that would take at least another hour and maybe someday I will. Cindy is like Samantha on bewitched the bathroom though I've never seen her do it I feel she twitches her nose and everything goes to its own place and the shower glistens, the toilet glows and the room reeks with the faint odor of Clorox.

Yes, these are all treats I experience on the day of and day after Cindy cleaner visits my apartment. But sadly that is not happened as yet. I got a call yesterday asking if it would be possible for her to postpone the visit tell next week. Oddly enough I had just pulled her name up on my cell phone to call to advise her that I was not feeling well, I felt I almost had a sore throat and I didn't want to infect her if I was coming down something. I did not tell her child also trying to get closer to payday just to make I knew what I was/will be working with the last week of the month. So yesterday morning was a win-win. Cindy got to be sick, I got to be almost sick and hang on to 40 bucks another week. I dosed up with vitamin C, ate two grapefruit and today feel much better.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with my new/old family. I'm pretty excited, I doubt I will losing sleep but still this is going to be interesting.okay

Gnarly Little Apples

I'm pretty sure, and I did not check, that in the bus stories I've told in this blog which there are many, I don't know how much I talked about the bus right on the bus each morning and off in the afternoon. Once we were deposited at the bus stop we still had possibly a half-mile walk until we got home. Not a huge distance as in the narratives my parents visited on me but a significant distance,

Our bustop was that the junction of Boise Avenue and Holcomb Rd. on the south side was housing and farm land. On the north side of Boise Avenue, by our busstop, there was a strip of undeveloped ground above the Ridenbaugh canal. Beneath that was pastures which is to be river bottom of the Boise River been flowed just north of that. I don't know when I found this little Appletree. Because of been the fourth grade around that time of my life. Think it may have been even another year passed that that I realized the little tree actually produced apples. Truth of the matter is that I rarely went on the side of the street. In fact it only time I have used the mounds of dirt was to hide me from the bus when I was trying to ditch school or the bus or both.

It must've been the fall that I found the tree or noticed it, really for the first time. I'll bet it was the fall of 1959 or 60. The little tree over the canal. It was a volunteer tree I'm sure somehow it had planted itself by sheer dumb luck. The tree cannot been very old. It was wild and gnarly sure how to fight for each drop of water the tree pulled out of the canal. The tree was feral if trees can be feral. The canal by which the tree lived was totally concrete. Concrete canals frighten me, the water flows so fast and there's no way out if you should fall in the canel.I really believe that only way that someone who survived such a misfortune would be if they were able to find something to hang onto. Maybe that's why I like this tree so much is because the trees hung so low to the canal I believe I can actually reach out and grab a branch if I needed to. And more importantly what I found was the tree had fruit! Sweet little apples. I would pick an apple in the morning before catching the bus and always pick one for the walk home in the afternoon. Tree was a survivor it had to be to grow where it was. The whole area now is been gentrified and I was quite surprised to find homes and even built on that stretch of ground immediately above the canal. I'm sure the tree never survived redevelopment which is a shame. While wild things can survive many challenges I doubt they can survive the challenge of man.

One Punch In The Nose

I work out almost every day of the week, but you all know that, usually I work out from about 1230 to 1 PM if I get away with it. I like this time slot because Fresh Air is broadcast by the local NPR affiliate. Terry Gross hosts the show and I didn't like her when I first started listening but she's grown on me now and I usually like Terry Gross guests even if I don't particularly appreciate Terry style. Her guest today I cannot remember but make an interesting about being punched in the face. I know I've written about the “sucker punch” just in the last month or so. But this is kind of altogether different. I really liked the idea struck chord with me. Essentially, the writer was saying that people who are raised with wealth sometimes never understand what life is about and tell or if they're lucky enough to get punched in the face. Perhaps being slapped will bring about the same result, I don't know it's hard to tell. It is certainly an event that instantly zaps you from your comfort zone – – I know it does sound a lot like a sucker punch, but in good punch to the face really levels the field. A partial quote from Mark Twain goes something like “a man who carries a cat by its tail learns something you learn no other way). The same holds true for being punched in the face.

Today was a great day for traveling, even though the day got warm there was blessed cloud cover and the heat did not seem so impressive. I was antsy as well. I really didn't go anywhere this weekend and I needed to get out. I needed counter checks which means a trip to Mountain American Credit Union. I'm seeing the credit commensurate to Create. I talked the driver about credit unions and he said he would keep an eye out to. I ended up going all the way to 13 S. and Redwood Road. I got my checks and a little cash hopefully to get through the month. I'm getting well spooked about dwindling funds.

I stashed the checks in my motorcycle bag and took off across the street to catch the outbound 217 to get back to the apartments. I have a feeling it would be a while for the bus came. There was a building just off the bus stop had noticed a number of times. The building is a battery shop specializing in all kinds of batteries. Earlier today my home health person referenced the idea that I need to consider finding a new battery for my body lift. I figured what the heck I can go in at least ask. I know the matter I need is especially battery which I'm sure regular vendors would not be able to help me with but you never know. I had a few minutes before I left the apartment and googled the battery that I needed the best I could find was about $187 for one battery! Almost $200!!

I I could not have been more wrong.This blatant example of inaccessibility was my punch in the nose !I looked at the front door. Steps! But that's cool maybe I go around the back. Others go into the back way, or the sideway or any way that is accessible but guess what? There is no access to the building. The day was hot and I didn't want to risk missing my bus. I took a couple images of the property I'm not sure why hopefully maybe intimidating anyone who might be looking out the front window. I would've been surprised if it had the battery or even access to the batteries. Maybe I'll float this past the DRAC folk just to see what happens. I'll just keep looking on the Internet and hopefully I'll get the battery, the correct battery ordered in before the one I'm using now fades out, entirely

"Number Please"

I think it's so strange the way texting has taken over social contacts. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing it's just kind of strange to me. It's like no one I know really uses the phone anymore unless absolutely necessary. I don't remember the last time I was called by someone just to chat on the phone. Now people, if they contact me at all, text me. It's sort of like talking but not. I've had very significant and intimate conversations with the text variety conversations I doubt I would ever had just over the phone or face-to-face. What is also I think interesting is that one can use the text/messenger app as a voice to voice conversation device and even more so when can use the video chat mechanism as face-to-face. These are all outstanding uses of messenger/texting but still I miss the phone analog.

I wonder if all the moms out there pining away for some form of social contact with their offspring realized the power and fulfillment of texting. I'm surprised at the amount of people at this senior living project I am at have cell phone to know how to use them. I don't know how many of put together the idea of texting and their kids but I know couple have. Many of the residents here stare at their cell phone as I imagine they do their landline (if indeed they still have a landline)wishing, hoping praying when the offspring will remember them and give them a call. Can you imagine the communication and all if we could communicate with our deceased loved ones? Ethereal texting! Surviving children would never get any rest. And perhaps moms and dads who have passed on would never get a bit of rest either. Kids who never called them in their temporal now will not leave them alone the spiritual zone. Kind of interesting.

I'm still out on what I think about texting truly texting. I certainly have been using the platforms liberally. Again, isn't weird to have it “text date” instead of a real date? If, because of your disability and or age cannot physically get to a physical date but you're able to link up visit, communicate and enjoy the company of another person (S) do you call this a date? It kind of feels the same but in the whole universe of “tele-whatever” or you're just getting saccharin-based, low-sodium sugarfree copy of the real thing...?

Ho Hum Saturday

I really didn't do anything meaningful today, not really. I didn't go anywhere and that always worries me come around the blog time. If I stay in, like today, pretty much means but I'm part-time writing because I don't have any subject matter. I did my chores: doing my little close and then running over across the driveway to the food bank and getting my humble box of food.

I found that it might get up early relatively speaking. If I get down to the washroom by 8 o'clock rarely is the competition for the big washing machine which I always use. The machine is a front loader is just easier for me. 45 minutes to watch roughly and three quarters, I like to be there when the machine finishes watching which of course is the spin. Throw the clothes into the front loader dryer head back to the apartment. This is ideal timing because I usually go back and check on the dryer at 45 minutes. By this time I have to get snagged by residents who are out in the common area now. This used to irk me a little because I wanted just dump the clothes in the apartment and head over to the food bank. But I've learned something at the last couple weeks but I wash my clothes later and did not get to the food bank till about 11 AM. (The food bank is open only from 10 to 12 on Saturdays) What I found is that if I go to the food bank around 11 there is hardly anybody in line. When I go earlier there can be five or ten people in line. I have found I would just assume not have to wait in line any longer than I have to. Sometimes it gets a little spooky, waiting in line. I have to admit though I've got some pretty pretty good fodder from incidents I have experienced at the food bank.

The people at the food bank like me and I like them. I've talked before about me being a bit of a food snob. I have the staff trained now the only offer me the food that I want and they have. Often, I have to refuse the food they offer. I don't need any more macaroni, it is not worth my time to take milk that is past its due date because I just have to dump it. The bread is usually smashed beyond use and I already have six bottles of peanut butter. Sometimes I take something offered even though I do not want to just because I don't want to hurt the person's feelings. I make them run down your selection of frozen meat products until I find something I really want and usually I their pastries, cakes and cookies or whatever else sugar-based treats they might offer. This always perplexes them. I don't think the food bank people would put up with this behavior from other folks who show up.

It is the season of the county fair. The county fair use to be held in Murray when I lived in Murray. They moved to fair way south on Redwood Road! Still, I figured there would be some form of public transit. Boy, was I wrong. The closest public transit would get me would be a about a mile away from the fair site. That's stupid. So, I pretty much hung out in my apartment the rest of the day. I got a great pound and a half is shredded steak from the food bank which I decided to use in making fahitasand I did with the green peppers, red peppers and onions. Turned out pretty good.

I still have to fold clothes and hang but I'll save that for tomorrow.

El Gato

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Rachel leaving (Rachel of course is not really this person's name, I just thought of be cool to hide this person's name like they do on the big-time) and Rachel is leaving no doubt about it. Whether Rachel was asked to leave or she was being forced out I've yet to find out. This is the first incident like this I've witnessed since I've been at this apartment complex.

As a committed reader knows I am on the Board of Directors of this facility – – not that means a whole hell of a lot but I sort of used this information as a way to set me apart from the regular folk. I'm a bit ashamed of this. I told this to Rachel at one point and almost immediately she called me and wanted me to know about things at work right here at the facility. This is one event I had not counted on and immediately began distancing myself from this person. Oh, I was nice enough but I didn't want her to get a closer and I stopped immediately all discourse about my involvement with the Board of Directors and this facility. This was all over a year ago. I'm now going into my third year at this facility which is unbelievable. It about a month ago I saw a Rachel in the hallway Wednesday document listing apartment complexes (I should've known better than to ask but I did ask). But I did ask she informed me that she was searching place to live she was moving out of this place. She used the term “kicked out”.

I do not think Rachel was an intentional troublemaker but I could see that she certainly had a propensity to move against the grain. Rachel is a bit of a complainer, nothing really ever met her standards and most of the times I elected to stay away from this person and when I did get involved in a conversation I tried to insulate myself as much as possible with Smalltalk and silliness and just enough politeness to get through the encounter. She let me know the reason she was being “evicted” was because she had accused the maintenance guy of stealing some money from her apartment. I just find it hard to believe that the maintenance guy would be that stupid. I can see him being that lazy. I've never known anyone as quick to use all manners of labor law as well as company policy to remove himself from any kind of labor. He spends hours, in my opinion, trying to sweet talk the building manager. But I don't see him robbing residents – – is not that stupid. It's got sweet spot here and I cannot see him risking. I think management as well as the policy guys at the front office recognize that to and happily tossed Rachel in front of the bus.

Last week or maybe the week before it was made known that Rachel had found a place to live and had began aggressively packing up her little apartment to get ready for the move. Nobody talked to Rachel, she is a marketing person, mean how do you openly discuss someone's eviction from the apartment complex without being awkward? Rachel kind of artsy. I was kind of surprised to find out she was quite active with the senior center across the driveway from our facility. She had a whole box of ceramic figurines she had painted. Rachael looked hapless as she tried to move the box from one leg to the other trying to balance her load my legs. Suddenly she looked at me reached in her box and pulled out a cat or mountain lion or something feline and thrust it at me. In a moment like this one never has time to do anything but accept what is being offered and that I did. I said thank you and slinked off to my apartment.

The ceramic sat on my table 3 or four days. I was kind of hoping that I would cherish the figurine with the back of my chair and smash it to smithereens but that did not have. Finally I started cleaning up the table and I had to do something with the image. The table have a curl on the and wish fit quite nicely on my rack. I don't know what else to do with a piece of pottery. I hate cats and I really have no use for a hand-painted piece of guilt. Still, I find it difficult to just throw away – – though I should. Maybe once, Rachel finally leaves the facility I will skulk down to the sharing table one evening and leaving the ceramic. Hopefully I'll be gone the next morning.

Not that it really matters and I doubt that it has anything to all with the plight of Rachel but the project manager, retired last week and left the agency. This manager was quite a ball buster where you have balls are not. Like I said I'm sure there's no relation from Rachel and the managers retirement but still kind of curious.

Buying An Image

Right now I'm really committed to getting the back up chair that's usable not only for the short term but if needs be for the long term as well. This last bout of sitting in a chair way too big for me and foot pedals that I can keep my feet on the footplates because they are so narrow so slick. I of course destroyed half of the seatbelt system so I must also replace the seatbelt. I'm not really sure how to go about this project and of course I do it in the least expensive way possible but I'm going to do it just the same. So this morning after Thursday morning coffee social I went out and cut the inbound 217 And headed up the road to 5^th South and CREATE, Reutilization project ran by Utah State University in the back of the Buffmire building. I will speak with Tom Bowman who runs that program and just see what my options are.

I don't really care how quick the chair I am considering is going to be but I do want the chair to be comfortable and usable for an extended period of time if needs be. I cannot have an appointment today was a lunch of some sort for staff and Tom was manning the barbecue. He clearly did not have time to really visit with me but did me some ideas and most importantly that we might can figure something out. I was okay without Tom totally focusing on me. So I cross the street and got the next bus southbound to the post office to get a better selection steps I had gotten yesterday. I got about $30 for stamps quite pleased with what I purchased an think I have enough postage for the rest of the year.

The days are still hot. They are the dog days of summer. I was wearing a hat I was not overheated but it was warm in the direct sunlight as I sat waiting for the bus. In the distance I saw coming towards me a blonde. As she neared I could see her she was fair complected and she looked hot, white from the heat like that she might have sunstroke. Face flushed and seeming ill at ease. The blonde Looking over her shoulder like a bus but be upon us at any moment but I could see past her and there was no bus on the horizon. I was impressed she walked right up to me and said “I need fare, can you help me out?”. I don't know why I did I said yes. Actually, I started looking through my backpack because I know somewhere I have tokens, bus tokens and that's what I was hoping to find but it did not look like we had the time. So, I dug out $2.50 and handed it to her with the caveat I need to take an image of you. She looked at me strangely like I was a weirdo. I just watched Pulp Fiction this weekend and I really liked the part where Samuel Jackson tells the young the that is not giving him the money is buying the young thief's life. I've thought about this project sometime that I'm going to start just giving beggars when they asked him for money a dollar but not give it to them as much as I'm buying their image and see what happens. The blonde thought about it for a moment and said yeah no problem. I do a different couple images we will settle down and waited for the bus. That transaction was all the interaction we had. The bus came she went on to the back of the bus and of course I was strapped in the front and went on home.

It's obvious now almost midway through the month and temperatures are hot I don't see a change in the near future perhaps that's best. Maybe I need to spend more time on Redwood Road and see what other images I can purchase.

Night Ride

I just got in from dinner and a movie. I forgot how delightful the Night Ride is. I did not take time to research the thousands of posts I've done but I know I probably spoken disparagingly of the Night Ride the transistor for bus service after 6 PM. I'm just so happy that I'm in my regular chair and that I did not stress the wiring too much on my ride.

It's kind of sad when you're banking on going to a restaurant/meal before an event like the movie only to find out the restaurant in mind actually closes at 3 PM! So the three of us, all people with significant disabilities, all using public transit at all connected with cell phone communication trying to figure out where to go with the new information about the closed restaurant. In that area that used to be a great little Chinese restaurant made from an old Shakey's pizza building, called the Ho Ho. Truth be told I was kind of interested and excited about going there as a default restaurant but alas the HoHo was gone replaced by some other restaurant. Two other places rechecked are also defunct. We finally caved and went to a fast food joint across street from the movie complex. Which is really not quite so bad a choice except for ingested way too many calories – – fortunately I can extend the morning starving myself for this possibility.

Anyway, I do not want to get caught up in minutiae, Suffice to say the movie was almost great but the company was better than three of us went up following the movie for our own public transit. Actually my friend Lori and I caught the bus for the same train station. It was still pretty early in the evening and the real night we just had not come out yet. Just those who had to work late at that thousand mile stare in their eyes. Skaters going somewhere with the long boards and bikers trying to find a place for their two wheelers. I finally got my station I still have two buses to catch the 54^th and the 217. I had to wait about six minutes 54 seemed like forever, I was almost caught in a conversation by some gregarious biker one would know all about my disability. The Redwood Road stop came up quick leave me up on Redwood Road. Usually, the wait for the 217 is relatively quick not tonight. When I checked the online schedule is set I still have 45 minutes to wait so I put my chair and gear and headed home.

It was now dusk, I always marvel at the amount of planes coming in for landing at this point in time. There is a lot of rap coming from the cars it's kind of nice at least I like it. It's kind of a heartbeat for this part of town really makes you feel alive. I worried a little bit as I drove the three or four blocks to my apartments. Was is the exact kind of thing that generates the heat that melts the wires to my chair? I setting myself up to fail big time? I made it though the chair seems just fine. I really enjoyed coming home on the bus… Summer nights in the city.