With a Little Help from My Friend…

I was really surprised when I woke this morning I found it was the 31st day of May! I don't know why, possibly because that little ditty I sort of got memorized as a kid “30 days has September April May and November all the rest have 31…”. I totally believe that to the point where I cannot unbeliever just because it's not true. I thought for sure today was 1 June. Guess what? NOT! Because I was sure that yesterday was the last day of May 2020 I use this as an excuse to wander across the street and spends money. I didn't need anything really. What I did need was dollar bills, singles and a roll of quarters. Granted, I had washed clothes on Friday (day before yesterday) so I really didn't need quarters until end of the week now but it was a good excuse to get to the market. Oh by the way, I checked my mail before I went over to the market and guess what? My Renters Rebate(RR) check had arrived! I barely even remember applying for this little financial morsel. I don't really know why but because of bills and obligations that we turn in months or year we get what is called the RR. I don't argue with it I just accept it and cash the check. This year 160 simoleons , but that's a blog for another day. The point was/is I'm in the market, and of course I've forgotten my reacher stick/hook and very item I need is totally out of my reach. Actually if I really stretch my fingertips touched the item but of course I just pushed the item further back on the shelf. I have learned that I can get my chair back, and where this does not give me any added height by the chair leaning back I get a few more centimeters of reach and many times I can get something) but not this time. I must look pathetic with by chair tilted back and my poor little quad hand reaching for an item obviously out of reach. That was when I hear a gravelly older voice asking if I needed some help. My back of course it to the person is I'm leaned back in my chair reaching up and I see this senior hand reach up and place the item in my hand. I take my item and begin the cycle in my chair back to its upright position, this always takes a few seconds but as soon as I do, I spin around wanting to thank the person who gave me the assist. As I spun around there was nobody there. I was in the middle of the aisle even if the person had been young able-bodied I was still seems somebody but there was nobody there! I then rolled to the end of the aisle to see if I can spot somebody but again no one is around. When I heard the voice asking if I need a hand, I thought I knew that voice. But was not sure who it was. I try not to think about who I thought it sounded like but it too bizarre I would have to say that voice belong to next-door neighbor Al, who's been dead for almost 6 years! It's still a mystery am not trying to overthink the situation sometimes you just have to go with the easiest explanation even if it's the hardest to accept. I need help that minute, at that place and who better to help me that my next-door neighbor Albert regardless of how far he had to come to help me out…

Like Sitting On A Timebomb

What a bizarre day. Actually, pretty mellow day up until about 4 o'clock when I turned on the news. I was shocked to see an honest to God riot in downtown Salt Lake. And seriously I have to admit I got caught into watching the television coverage of this event to just now when I broke away to write my blog. I've been in my share of strikes, peaceful demonstrations, and political actions but never have I seen anything like it's going on Salt Lake right now. Two cars actually been turned over and set on fire. Rubber bullets are being fired at the protesters and the protesters keep swarming. The social unrest is pretty bizarre. Literally thousands of people on the streets of Salt Lake city there's a lot of masks is also a lot of folks that are not unmasked. I will be interested to see the increase, if any, of Covid 19. The Mayor Salt Lake City and the governor of the state of Utah are issued a curfew for Salt Lake from 8 PM tonight to 6 AM Sunday morning how bizarre is that? On top of everything else it's 90+ degrees outside everything's just right for the virus to explode. I needed dollar bills (I have to write my grandkid letters tomorrow and I have to send a couple bucks to each kid) and I needed to get a roll of quarters both items was enough incentive plus my state money came in this morning, to go shopping over at the market. It was a quick trip all things considered. I did pick up some essentials green grapes, hot dogs, and more pickled jalapeno peppers. It seemed most people I encountered were right back so one sort or another. I did notice at the Mexican restaurant across the street from my apartment complex there is a tent set up in this person is trying to sell facemasks. It didn't look too good for her. Sure she's been soiled her brains out all week trying to build these masks and now she's trying to sell on in this little tent off of Redwood Road in 90° heat. I was glad to get home with my basketof Saturday night food and quarters and dollar bills. I really intended to read for an hour, watch the 4:30 PM news then return to my scanning project. In fact this days post was supposed to be about having something around so you need it in the moment you need it that item disappears. For me it was an image taken of the folks who attended my I think the 10th year birthday party. I noticed one of my friends was a bit younger than I am was in that photo which I could hardly believe. I didn't realize I was close enough with this friend to have invited him to my party. His name is Kyle and Kyle was a year or two younger than me. He lived in the piece of suburbia a mile or so from my home. Just recently I found out that Kyle actually lives in Salt Lake County. We have not yet gotten together yet to visit about old times.. On top of all these events which happen today about three hours ago out of the blue my stomach begin to rumble. I feel at risk of a major bowel blowout. I'm quite surprised nothing's happened yet. Hopefully if I can make it to bedtime without an incident thinks a settle down by tomorrow and I then make it through to Monday morning. Because as you know dear reader I only poop three days a week and this nature calls before it's time to have the call Select Home Health which will hopefully send out another person, who I don't know and who I don't know may be infected. So far nothing's happened but it feels I am sitting on the timebomb.…

Finally, Heat I Can Write About

Outside, the weather is finally hot, not outlandishly hot as promised by the weather guy a hot enough to cause the inside of the apartment to feel comfortably warm. It's the kind of warmth that the other seniors in this complex will crank up the air conditioner and if you are not experiencing social distancing what all be complaining out in the front the building about how hot the season is and how soon the heat has come this year. Wisely, I guess, I chose not to read out enough sun, even though there hasn't been much sun due to cloud cover. I'm kind surprised because the weather guy said moisture or clouds would not get this high any significant amount but it's significant to me. It's like in the old days when my older brother and I were taxed with bringing in the hay during the day while my father worked his regular job. I love these kind of sporadic cloudy days because even though the temperatures Mysore in the 90s you could still pitch hay onto the wagon because the heat didn't feel the same as the heat produced by direct sun's rays. Still I chose to read on my porch because I can. I read guiltily thinking that I should be doing something and I guess I am, doing something, I'm socially isolating, socially distancing. I'm feeling comfortable by state money came this morning I noticed when I checked my bank accounts. I'm going to make it another month. Actually, I'm still enjoying the bloom from the stimulus money from last month. Not that I need to but I'm almost wondering if it's true that another stimulus check might be coming.

At the risk of sounding really old I can't help but mention once again time I spent with a group called The Second West Acting Company. If you just search “acting company” you will get a number of references I have made over the years. It's not that I was a heavy duty after I was not, one of my friends who basically started the company was. I just took advantage of her enthusiasm and the fact that company I worked for would just about fund anything to do with disability especially in the arts. Since my involvement with the acting company didn't cost my agency any money (with the exception of night claiming over time and usually taking a couple hours off on Fridays that was about it). My friends agency Very Special Arts funded most of the project. As always impressed on how my friend always made us feel professional doing art stuff to her program. In the image I have posted is a great shot of the group with our real-life professional acting coach all remember now his name was/is Mike something. My friend actually wrote a grant that paid his time for instructing us in the acting tradition. We met once a week after work. From 6 to 8 are 7 to 9 or something like that I can't remember. I hated the hours because it was late especially in the winter it was cold, dark and it seemed like forever before I get home. In this image were going over a play (possibly one that I may have written I did a couple). The plays were never long and we would perform them once or twice then have a function afterwards with wine and treats and the chance to feel artistically professional. It was all smoke and mirrors but kind of fun. I don't know if I do it again but maybe just exercise the ability to meet if this quarantine is ever lifted…

Just Like Real People

I've written about camp Easter seal before and I think I've even included the short video taken of the camp in the late 50s or early 60s but before my time. Today as the temperatures rise to the mid-80s I'm pretty well convinced that summer this year will come early and I can't help but think of camp when I think of summer. Up until my accident the closest thing to camp was the annual trip up to Father and the Sons outing which was a one-day event up at a campground north of Boise Idaho. The drive up Friday afternoon after work (my dad's work) and come back late Saturday afternoon. It is only about an hour's drive. Other than that I never participated in any kind of camp program. Add a broken neck it's endows it all kinds of perks one of those being airlifted out of Boise to the border of North Idaho and Washington on Ccoeur d'alene lake. The place is beautiful.If you research for “Easter Seals” you'll find a number of my previous posts regarding Easter Seals.

Last week I was fortunate enough to have a friend of my return a call. The names Henry he has cerebral palsy and I've known for at least 50 years. I first met Henry at Camp Easter Seals. Anyway, I try to keep in touch of Henry we shared a great deal over the years. We separated by a couple hundred miles Pisan Blackfoot Idaho. As it were talking we, of course, had to talk about our days at Camp Easter Seals. He made the comment that I was the ringleader, nothing fun happened in less I instigated it. I'd really like to believe this, I don't know if it's true or not, but we sure did have a lot of fun and at the expense of many of the able-bodied folks at that facility. This was a camp for kids as most camps are. What is really interesting this is a camp for kids with disabilities. The time and place for for once in your life during the year your disability didn't matter whole hell of a lot just because there are a lot of other disabilities runaround and a lot of them a lot worse than yours, not that it was a contest. It is also interesting was that I was one of the only folks with a disability at Camp would actually been able-bodied. For the longest time I've ever really thought much about this but I began to realize when working with independent living that there is a significant difference between congenital disabilities versus disabilities which come on later in a person's life. Even at 15 I thought different than folks born with disabilities and the guess us came out as instigating inappropriate behavior in many cases. But that's not what this post is about this post is about the big dance!

At the end of the two-week long campout there's a dance and it's held in the main cabin where the dining area is turned into a ballroom. The counselors pretty much put on the dance, remember the counselors are physical therapy and premed students from Washington State University and University of Idaho. Really fun kids. Records are played everyone gets gussied up in their best outfits and we dance for a good 2 to 3 hours just like real kids. Wheelchairs, people on crutches, people with canes

and blind folks all get the dance its the last night at camp the image I've posted the day is an image of myself and three of my buddies Ernie and Scott all wheelchair users all rocking out on the last night of camp…

We Are Not Yet Done…

I'm just back from feeding the ducks. There's a nice little stream which wanders through the park adjacent to our building complex. There is actually a bridge over the stream and a road that goes along side the stream. Sometimes it takes a little effort to throw the bread out into the water clear the banks but it's fun when the docs finally realize what you're doing. I'm impressed there's a number of wild ducks (I'm sure all the ducks on this water are wild one form or another) but they don't seem to be as tied into recognition of being said bread as the white ducks. I don't know if the ducks actually see the bread flying into the water are just the gross body movement of my arm trying to heave the bread. But the white ducks steam right over and are fairly aggressive. What I find really interesting is that many of the wild ducks have little duck families 8 to 10 ducklings all different sizes when two or three families mingled together. An interesting is the little guys seems to know exactly what the white breads for when they come right out and gobble up as much as they can capture for themselves. Sometimes the parents get into the bread foray but usually they hang back. I had a whole loaf of Wonder Bread that I got the food bank a couple of weeks ago. Recently I got another loaf of white bread which I'm going to most likely use for French toast if and when I get motivated again. So, the initial loaf I could justify feeding the ducks.

But sexy hot outside the day in the sun temperatures are approaching 80 if not hotter! These are my type of days. I had my staff cracked window in my room so now I have access to fresh air all night long which is kind of exciting. I've been meaning to have her open the window for some time. On Monday's visit I had Annette remove the comforter from my bed so I just had the sheet in the top comforter now. I'm doing pretty good more than enough heat to get me through the night. Speaking of heat or lack of it. I don't plan to use my air conditioner much this summer if I use the air-conditioning system of all. Last year I actually did use it a couple times but I don't like “canned air”. Like the oppression of the massive heat. We should be in the 90s tomorrow and the day after. I'm kind of excited. There's been no word on the remodel of my apartment which is okay. I'm the only one is not worried about if and when the project get started and done. I'm a firm belief that the project will happen in this good time. I still don't know what they will do with me while the renovation takes place.

Slowly the country in the world is trying to get past the Covid virus. Every night the news is filled with municipalities and cities kind of giving up on the whole idea of social distancing and trying to start the “machine” again. There is more and more in-house dining as restaurants and fast food joints start to be no toes back into the public pond. The experience is going to be slow, hopefully, however there are a number of stories on the national news addressing the problems of literally thousands of people crowding on beaches off the East Coast and West Coast paying no attention at all to social distancing. It's too soon I think and we are going to get ourselves nipped on the butt if we aren't careful. Truly, I would rather be back on the road on my beloved buses traveling back and forth to my meetings, lunches and exploratory journeys but it's too soon. I just feel it. The viruses out there napping in the pre-summer heat and then the summer heat building up, getting stronger sharpening its teeth and claws for the autumn and winter seasons. We're not yet done…

What If?

Even retired, even quarantined even during the epidemic it's hard to adjust to the day of the week following national holiday. I guess some things never change. Of course there is no going into my Assist, Inc. meeting however there were some hopes that perhaps David would do a remote meeting but that was not to happen either I think the holiday was to blame. I know I often had quarterly meetings which invariably followed a three day weekend. I guess the social distancing it just makes the matters worse. So I spent a good part of the day actually being productive scanning images onto the hard drive. I finally gotten all software working properly. Just for a break I also sprinted across the street for some essential shopping.

This image has been laying around my sink in the bathroom for a couple days and I finally picked it up yesterday and examined it closer. I scanned the image in a couple weeks ago and I just briefly looked at the image and checked out the back inscription. There in my mother's handwriting was a short commentary that I had lived in the image of the house I first year of life. I really didn't pay much attention to the image at the time that I scanned but when I looked at it again when I shave the other day I noticed there is more to the inscription that my brother, Ross had lived there from the time he was born 1946 and that we moved in with my dad I guess in 1951 to the house on Latah Street. Now, I've gone back and re-looked at this image and am beginning to get some kind of a weird feeling of nostalgia for this little cottage. Even though I lived there for just one year after I was born I must've had some kind of feelings about the place. The address for this little houses 1917 South Atlantic St. I'm not sure and I'll have to do some research on this but my grandparents lived close to this area. I don't know if that was the reason my mom was living there because I think she was married at the time she delivered my brother Ross. And she had to be living there when my grandmother brought my birth mother home to Boise to ride out the last days of her pregnancy. I assume Doobie lived with my grandparents during this period. It's too bad I wished I could of gotten the image of when my mom lived there in the middle of the last century. That would've been cool. I'm just amazed that just an image of something long gone to bring these feelings about this kind of weird. I would love to go knock on the door and see if whoever lived there now would allow me to wander through the property and see what the insides of the house look like. That of course will never happen adjust what if?

Repeat, repeat, repeat… Infinity

Every time I try to write something I start thinking about what I'm writing and suddenly realize it has no relevance because of the virus and the quarantines. Even though it seems more and more parts of the state/country are getting back to what is considered “open”. I think it's too soon I think it's going to go into another lockdown before Christmas. So,, what I'm thinking about doing doesn't make sense because I won't be going out doing anything that's not essential i.e. fun. The kind of feels like Groundhogs Day where Bill Murray wakes every morning to the same day that is that the day before. I am beginning to feel the same way. I wake up and is to be anything new. I get up get dressed drink coffee take my meds and then check the emails, Messenger, and then I usually write my arm bike for at least 45 minutes now. Wander down to the mailroom then I read for an hour or work on the image scan project. Grab my lunch, watch an episode of whatever series I'm binging then listen to Marketplace . If I have not already written I then focus on trying to get my blog post ready and posted after which I might go out, hang out and read in the sun if it's available. Back in time for the news block where I have to make dinner and then have focused on well work on some more scans. I may try to squeeze in another episode of Gray's anatomy before I hit the bed benefit for the day and that's it for the day after and the day after that. It really is kind of Groundhog Day.

I really wish I could get behind this whole Memorial Day thing but, once again things are foiled by the virus but to be honest I can use as an excuse. It's not like I go out and decorate graves like many other folks do every year. I don't have a way to get to cemeteries and again I don't ever remember doing such things. I folks may have done it but I was unaware of things going alike on. Maybe later on after grandparents started to die. So I don't have a feeling for soldiers dead our family members dead and going out to decorate their graves. If I had transportation possibly we'd go out and pay some attention to mom and dad's grave and local JSS in Santa Quinn. I'm not sure where grandmother and grandfather Harker are hanging out. So even though the day was a little bit of a change from the usual I'm still in self-imposed lockdown except for “essential” shopping. I can't say that I'm bored and I can't say that I'm stir crazy there is enough going on in my life thanks to technology cell phone, power chair and my home health fresh and concerns me three times a week and then for two hours on Saturday clean my apartment. I even have a good relationship with my ex – DD which allows me to feel like I am having good communication and I'm a,socially functional Dunsil¹.

1See TOS, The Ultimate Computer

Privacy… I Don't Need Stinking Privacy!

I know I'm going to run this topic into the ground and is always no one is putting a gun to your head to read this stuff but this particular topic is freaking me out right now and has nothing to do with Covid 19, social distancing or lockdown.

You remember you yesterday's posting about side of my arm falling from my chair and then me being immobile and no way to contact anyone for the next hour and a half. Until Steve my upstairs neighbor heard me calling frantically. So, I'm resolved to carry some form of emergency responder device in case that happens again. This so hard to watch your back all the time. In fact it can it wears you out. Yesterday actually drive my cell phone around with me every minute. I'm getting used to keeping the cell phone tucked in my belt on my power chair at all times. Well sort of. Last night, as I was laid back watching weekend about 5 o'clock all the sudden message flashes on my controller window saying something about #2. I later looked up which means it's something to do with overcharging. However, while that sign was flashed on my controller my chair was immovable nothing worked I try to turn it off and nothing happened, I tried to use the mechanism to Laura and raise the back foot rests nothing happened I tried to put the chairing gear go forward or backwards again nothing. There was like the controller was dead yet there was a sign that said check #2. Needless to say I started screaming. I've learned that I need to yell loud and hard to have someone here me. This time I feel just a little self-conscious knowing that if I'm going to have any kind of resolution I've got to be heard. Actually, about five minutes later I heard seven shy knocking on my door and at the same time the check number two sign disappears and replaced by my normal driving image. The door knockers are this kindly Hispanic couple who speak no English heard by cries and respond to help luckily I assured them that I was okay. Now I'm getting a feeling of the little boy who cried Wolf. So I was gun shy now. Controller seem to be operating like a champ but I didn't dare feel like I should push the issue at all. This is when I decided that I would start carrying so sorry notification device in case something happens.

“Check #2” is now haunting me. Whatever fired off this morning is still nestled deep inside this controller. I assume it is the controller when I think about it, I don't know. It's a holiday weekend of course and nobody I can call is aroundif this happens again except neighbors within hearing distance and possibly the fire department are an older brother, or my ex, DD volley who always saves my bacon.Actually, when I list my options I feel pretty well covered. I still fairly paranoid as I sat watching Netflix the rest of the evening inadvertently looking at my controller gauge, making sure when I went to get ready for bed that I had my cell phone with me. I'm even thinking about checking out the various personal assistance out there with Amazon or Google. I hate to go that route but maybe I have to realize this is where I met anymore and if I'm going to be living independently I have got to be able to reach out immediately to my supports. Remember in yesterday's post? My upstairs neighbor almost unloaded on my housekeeper because she was late and I needed her. I got to thinking was he basically saying “don't bother me” by my yelling at odd hours the night or day for that fact. The trade-off I know personal assistant thing is that you're actually inviting your technology to listen to you all the time. Many think this is an infringement of personal privacy but again it's a trade-off for me and who the hell knows ? Those guys are listening to you all the time anyway and tracking the hell out of you this way just having a cigarette with them at the end of the exercise…

Saturdays Miracle

Me and my buddy Stephen my upstairs Savior!

I woke up somewhere around 5 AM this morning. I had really hoped to sleep in later even though I knew that my cleaning person was coming today. I pretty much laid there and tell till 6 AM when I figured I would get up and start the day. I slept really well all things considered perhaps it was the rain falling outside has not rain for some time here in the area and finally were getting a little moisture. Low-pressure system came in with lots of wind and lots of rain being blown against my window sounded reassuring. I can to slept better during the night but I was okay. It's not that I was excited but Annette did put a new sheet protector on my mattress yesterday morning and I figured getting out of bed be a pleasure. I have found these plastic sheet protectors slide really well off the mattress allowing me to plop down into the chair. I still took extra careful measures to make sure the bed was lined up all right sticks were I can get out if I need them and that turned the bed back to make it easy to make and went for it. Cake! I was in the chair a little off-center but that's okay I righted myself rolled in and started the coffee I decided to start addressing sequence. For the new readers, I dressed myself in the power chair which allows me to tell myself back and spasm in an arc which allows me to drag the clothes over my butt and around my waist. With very little effort I got my shorts on the partially pulled up then rearranged my chair so I could lean back and finish the process the time was about 7:30 AM I leaned my chair back…

When I had my chair repaired a week or so ago I made sure that they fixed the locking mechanism on the right-hand side which locks the arm onto the frame of the chair. When I got the chair back the latch worked perfectly. That is not the issue. When I shave I often lift the right-hand side of my chair which is often the called the “drive” side or the “controller” side. This side of the chair is significantly heavier than the other side. I did that this morning I disengaged arm of the chair and set it down rolled under the sink and shaved. When I was finished I backed out and reset, or I saw I had reset the arm of the chair. Often the small piece that slides into a receiver on the base of the chair sometimes gets bent and it feels like the piece inside its “home” but is not. That's what happened this morning. As I tilted back in my chair the arm slid off in the controller, which operates the chair, became totally out of my reach. Had not paid much attention to her I was at when I did this process and suddenly realized I had no access to my sticks or my cell phone. I was not upside down by any means but as tilted back in a pretty radical angle. I was not too concerned because worst-case scenario I did nothing I was hoping my staff would be there by 8:30 AM. Still however I tried to fix the situation. It seemed like everything I tried to do every MacGyver move I tried was foiled. Fortunately, I had plugged in my tablet on the side of the close hamper next to my chair and with major effort I was able to secure the tablet. When I did secure the tablet I pulled the charger out of the wall of course and there is only 12% charge. I texted my older home health person who is now a nurse at the hospital which is a no go. I did leave a message with DD but I was not sure she was up. I was hoping DeeDee could call my neighbor across the hall to have her come over and assist. Then of course the only thing left was I started screaming/shouting which I thought was useless. Long story short my neighbor Steve, who lives upstairs, who has never heard my screen before (and I've screamed a lot over the three years I've lived here) heard me and actually came down. It was now past 9:00 AM. My home health person was over a half hour late and I had been able to contact her via the text so she knew I needed assistance still processing that issue. Stephen save me there was a high price because he is sure and I'm almost sure there is a miracle involved. Now I'm committed to resolving the situation so the probability of this happened again is low. I'm seeking some form of artificial technology like Siri are Google or Amazon offers. The first alert items does not seem to be an option. Either way I'm back in the race I'm thankful for neighbors who are willing to hear me one way or the other!

Banana Bread And Gail Force Wins

I almost made banana bread tonight, I still might but probably not. I even went to the Internet and downloaded the “EZ banana bread” recipe. It's essentially the recipe I use a couple weeks ago and the love turned out just fine. In fact I still have some “curing” in my cookie container. I like to petrify my baked goods before ingestion. I do this for everything. My dad used to do that with cake that generalized. Cake, doughnuts, soft gooey cookies especially and banana bread.

I've had for bananas which I've been holding out for some time waiting them to “mature” to the right space that I can blend into a nice batter. The recipe I use is pretty simple. It calls for a cup of sugar but I only use ½ cup to three quarters of a cup. I also have maybe a half a cup of pecan nuts that I got from the food bank couple weeks ago. The pecans don't taste quite as good as walnuts but now do the job for cooking during the pandemic. But I have everything else I need except for will, tonight. Always surprises me that to make this recipe takes little time at all. However, I've decided to put the project on hold until tomorrow. I might mix the whole thing up tonight and then put in the oven tomorrow and have my cleaning person pull it out when she is here.

As one can tell since I'm pretty much self quarantined trying to practice radical social distancing I don't have a whole lot to blog about. I think this quarantine is the right thing to do. I don't have enough political gumption to really get into anything political regarding should we or should we not be out in public with this pandemic. And the funny way that life has a way of mimicking movies I see in the movies where the society thinks everything is done and get some of the life only to have the meaning evil virus come down and back with a major sucker punch. I believe enough in these movies that the same thing is going to happen as the majority of impatient and spoiled Americans/world dances and prances back into socialization and wham the hammers going to fall. I just hope the virus will miss me. But with my luck I just know I'll get it sooner or later. It sounds a little ghoulish but I'm kind of interested to see how this whole thing plays out. It really is like a movie script. I'm just sitting back and watching everything go by. It's really kind of mind blowing.

A significant cold front is moving in and there's lots of wind and commotion is kind of interesting. The temperature dropped significantly in the class went dark and menacing. The plan to enjoy these effects for the next day or two because the next week major heat is due to come back to the Wasatch front and then all I'll have leftwill be the pandemic and that's… Enough.

Yesterday – 1966 – summer

I know I'm asking a great deal of all of you who read this blog with any kind of regularity but I get such ideas, thoughts and feelings triggered by some of the images but I'm coming across to as I put things on to the hard drive. Today's rendering for example is an image I am titling “Incorrigible”. I'm not sure when this image was taken but had to be shortly before my accident which changed my life forever. I had to be at least late 14 early 15 years of age in this image. It's really one of the only images which show me with a fairly decent stature. Of course it's the summer you can tell because my hair is relatively long compared to how long my hair is during the winter months of the year when I'm wrestling. I was cut my hair short – – one of my tactics for winning. I look fairly tanned in this image. This means it's probably early July just weeks before my accident. The shirt that I'm wearing I barely remember hacking off the sleeves and thinking that I look sort of cool in this garment. Thank goodness I've not found “wife beater” T-shirts at this point. Then I would looked like something that wandered in from Garden City. I cannot imagine who took this image, makes me think that we had company or something and the camera was out to take images of the visitors and somehow someone snapped one of me. I like the image however and wish I had more images from this point in time.

Since this picture was taken in the summer we probably have gone through the first cutting of hay. This means I would've been out with the pitchfork in the hay wagon throwing loose hay on the wagon and then throwing that hay from the wagon onto the stack. What a great workout. The days are hot and sweaty and often I would be caked green with hay dust. We often would take a couple hours during the hottest time of the day usually over lunch and either walk across Johnson's fields to the twin Bridges or pump the 10 speeds. The trick was to dive in water swim and then around 2 PM or 3 PM bike back to the house and drive the hay wagon back to the field and load hay so that when dad got home he would see is working in the fields. As an adult now I can see how stupid my actions were. He knew we were working over that period of time or the whole job would've been done. I think he just shrugged was glad to see that something had gotten done. I really was not a very good farm child. I'm sure I deserve whatever I've gotten in my life wreck included.

The picture documents my preaccident life. I was tough, sort of, I looked okay all things considered I wish I could just Stephen King myself back some days and release some of those moments…

Wednesday Wondering

It's a little early but I'm looking down the barrel at another holiday weekend. It's Wednesday I know what I'm feeling kind of excitement already. Excitement I don't know why because were to spend the holiday in the apartment more or less. The weather's not going to be spectacular couple cold fronts moving through with the promise of rain and possibly a little bit of thunder and lightning action but I'd be surprised. Plus checking whether on NBC this morning before Annette came and of course the talk is all about what to do in quarantine. A lot of talk about what books to read and music to listen to.

I'm in the middle of a Robin Cook that I swear I read before by like the premise so much that I'm rereading the entire thing. I don't know if it's healthier not that's one of things I'm finding myself doing a lot these days is rereading things as opposed to opening the covers of new books taking the risk. In fact, I'm eyeing one of my Stephen King's which I don't know what I want to read entirely I just some of the high points. While about a Stephen King novel is the mood that puts me in. King writes in such a way that I really turn onto his suggestion. King seems so much like me I find reading is material a sheer joy. Actually still quite cool weatherwise to do a King novel, I like his stuff when temperatures really hot are really cold. Conceivably I might be of finish the cook novel by Friday but who knows it's going to be a holiday weekend. Memorial Day.

I of course am suffering buyers remorse over the 34 bucks I paid for the AC/DC software I purchased earlier that I wrote about yesterday. Remorse is not too significant because are still a lot I can do with the software I just have to spend some time with the software and the project that I'm working on. Try to say where I met with the scanning. I think I'm way past halfway. I'm looking forward to using the new software to manage and allocate the images in the specific sections and categories. So the buyer's remorse is not too bad. Since I've spent very little of the stimulus money and think it might be interesting to invest in something like Audiobook. I've played with the idea for quite a while of joining audiobook but I have not wanted to do the cash outlay, the risk and everything you know. Somehow the investment does not seem risky if I'm using the president's money. I'll be interested to see if I significantly use the audiobook. Mark Anthony is really liked it if you are the people I know like audiobook concept of digesting written material. I can try for a while for the like it I can disconnect we'll see.

Life is good be different this summer with the Covid issue. I don't know how much different but it's going to be different in different even more as we go into the fall and winter and see how the virus manifests itself in these weird times. It's so strange it feels like we've been under the cloud of the Covid virus forever when this hasn't even been three months. But for now I have a project, new software and probably enough holiday food to give me by till Tuesday.…

Cool Jazz

You want to hear something weird? I started listening to these bossa nova jazz channels on YouTube. They just stay video of a hot cup of coffee usually with jazz at the bossa nova beat and it's really soothing. I find myself listening to the channel specifically on Saturday and Sunday mornings now and sometimes during the week while I'm working on the computer with my scanning project. What I think is really interesting is that it really helps having something to substitute when one is doing a news fast or a Covid fast. I'm not doing a complete fast but I'm sure attending to a lot less “Covid/financial/political news” then I have been before. Still quite addicted to my favorite afternoon show Marketplace which sometimes goes over to the show just following that A T C I don't watch myself closely I found myself rotating back into the new shows. And I must confess I still listen to the blocking news from 5 to 6 PM. I do notice though even with the Marketplace I start getting a little anxious. I can't believe I'm so easily influenced.

The coffee channel not only plays the music but if you become a member of any specific coffee group then there is an accompanying chat column where people can leave comments. This seemed to be a laid-back group I have not detected a lot of meanness are inappropriate comments. Management suggests that the site is monitored closely but I kind of don't think so and if it is its volunteer you know how that goes? However, it's a nice place to hang out. It would be one of those channels that be nice to listen to After Dark especially if you're with somebody you want to be around and be cool at the same time. Check it out, if you looking for some anxiety free listening time… You'll be glad you did.

Lockdown continues for me anyway. Assist, Inc. and my buddy Dave who runs the group on Tuesday mornings kind of indicated we would be doing an online “group” today but when I contacted them a little after 8 AM he indicated that he had not been able to get around to get all the information he needed for the group meeting. He indicated also that there weren't that many folks to consider anyway. May have something to do with Covid and all its ramifications. So what little work I did do today was scanning images into/onto the hard drive. Last week, I actually purchased A See D C which is a really good photo image manager at least I believe that it is. The software is when the first pieces of software I downloaded and I got onto the Internet for the first time. The software was excellent. I paid $34 for it the other day (stimulus money). I don't know if it's me or what but I just can't seem to work at the way that I used to. It's real fancy dancy. Let me do the basic things I need to do. So, I'm using it along with the other pieces of software that parts no longer work so between all of the different software's I have for image management and getting my project fairly covered. Still I have lots of work to do which is good because I don't think this lockdown is going anywhere soon…

I Am The Writer

My mom was a writer. She actually was published their own way I don't know what she could of done if she had been able to been nourished and supported. She was always writing. Poetry, some pros she even did a lot of submissions to the local newspaper. Would not go so far as to say that she had a column but she wrote regularly for an established column in our local paper there invoicing. Something titled like “In My Back Yard” “From My Kitchen”. She was just on the fringe. I think that she been able to have a little education are more education particularly in creative writing she can really done something. However, being a woman in the 50s USA making it big for yourself was quite a rarity.

I'm fairly certain that whatever fire her inspiration I have for writing came from my mother. I wrote early on. I really liked poetry published writing poetry, I didn't read much except Poe when it came to poetry. There's something about the written word that intrigued me and still does. Before my accident the only exposure to a typewriter I had was an old Smith Corona of I suppose my mother's since she's the only one who ever typed. I suppose if one knew what they're doing especially if they knew how to spell the typewriter was okay but totally vexed me because I was always having to go back and correct. This was way before self-correcting IBMs became a fixture and way before CPUs and personal computers. When I had my accident a lot of things changed. I got things just by asking. The things I got were not necessarily top-of-the-line are quality but they were functional.

Occupational therapy was one of the slots of my day while I was in rehab. The really wasn't a whole lot the occupational therapist could do with me because my limited hand function. I was forced to do this leather project Tandy craft project. You know, sir like a Project where you spend all day tapping the leather with these instruments are tools and you leave an impression. I of course did my initials inside some sort of Gothic design. I could find it today I would put it on something just for the hell of it. My OT's name was Elsie and her day totally brightened when I came upon electric typewriter. Since I had no finger capability we quickly McIvered tags pegs on my hands and I was off to the races. I typed in typed. Later after I returned home. The family actually invested in this ancient typewriter with a huge carriage. As an old IBM I'm sure either donated or procured from some newspaper type organization. The carriage was large enough I can put in large sheets of paper and type away. In fact later on when I went to high school I typed up a number of off-the-wall news sheets are radical rags. One I remember was called The Seminary Scope-A Very Left Look At a Very Right Church. I thought I was so clever. I typed up about four copies every Sunday night to distribute at the Monday morning seminary table. Basically made fun of all the righteous kids in the class. It went over well. But the big event was me hunched over my typewriter typing away wishing I had better skills but thankful for what I had…

Color Me Perplexed

I'm not sure what the reason was, perhaps it was not reading my usual 10 pages before going to sleep, or trying to read the 10 pages. It was around 11 my phone got to bed, I had been on an epic text with my Dutch friend who I think I'm going to start calling “Duchess”. I kind of felt bad because she ended up not even going to bed during her night. The Netherlands are eight hours ahead of us so it's quite a distance trying to communicate sometimes. Anyway, after we finally completed our texting I was all for going to bed. It was after I rolled it the best that I realized I did not have access to the novel I'm currently reading. I pretty much figured out is tired enough that it wouldn't make much difference and I would sleep well anyway. Well, I was wrong.

I slept till about 2:45 AM. For no apparent reason I was awake and I was worried about my but as well as my legs thinking that I'd spent too much time up or sleeping on my side causes my legs to have too much pressure on each other. I've been nursing a callous on my right knee for some time. It's gotten smaller that has really gone away. Looks little frightening but no one's ever said anything about it at doctor's visit so I guess I'm okay. Valiantly, I fluffed up my hugging pillow and tried to force myself back into some form of slumber. And oddly enough, I woke again that 4:25 AM roughly. I still felt drugged out and before I knew it I found myself at some kind of get together at a place like a bar or something all I know is that there is a bunch of people. We are all telling stories and finally they wanted to break up but I hounded them about a story that I wasn't sure of. They finally acquiesced to my protestations and listened and I went to the whole story and at the end I forgot the ending. This is a story (according to my dream feeling that I had prepared for such an event and then I blew it). I was mortified. I'm not sure I think the story that I was trying to convey was the Vietnam vet story that I drink with this vet in the bar holiday eve and throw us out early but he's so appreciative of me taking time to listen to them all afternoon that he indicated that whatever he could do for me he would even if it meant killing a person! That was not the story I was trying to tell.

I will not dream nearly 6:00 AM. I didn't feel half bad quite surprised because I thought sure I was going to feel totally wasted all day. My butt is tender as little worried about that too. I'm just not sure something the back of my mind however also hit onnd worsens the idea that maybe, just maybe I have hit Covid 19 overload. I didn't think I was worried about the virus that much but I think the amount of media coverage is becoming toxic to my little psyche. I don't know for sure it's just a hunch the sometimes I find myself pondering deeply what are all these people, these billions of people going to do who've been thrown out of work or what if the Covid comes back with a vengeance? Well my number come up at the pandemic boomerangs and worsens. I just need to keep my head down and keep myself stuck in the apartment until a vaccine or something arises…

Low – Profile

Salt Lake City/County has gone too status “yellow”. This means people can start congregating again in public even without masks! I don't know how healthy this is and I must say I can't throw too many stones because I've gotten the marketplace today. But, I have worn my mask and our market does a very good job and sanitizing everything, all the time. They directed plastic screens on all the check stands. I think it's relatively safe. On my first venture out I took the long route to the market which takes me past the park here in Taylorsville. The park was packed and the park is still packed. The volleyball that's her up and people are being active. Sweats flying as well as a lot of heavy breathing. Hopefully, with blow germs the right way out of harms way for all the silly humans playing in the park. For the first time I'm hearing the heavy base of boomboxes floating over from the park. This constant background rhythm will be the status quo every weekend/holiday this summer or until Covid 19 comes back with a vengeance which folks say that it might if we lower our guard to quickly.

I totally enjoyed having my repaired chair. I zoomed up the back to the market twice. All systems are go now I just have to pull the reins and keep myself in the apartment as much I can for the next couple weeks as we may be going into the next phase of the virus. Really, hopefully, I want this to be the time we go to status “green”. I want the movies back open, want to feel safe on the train and on the buses, I want to go downtown if nothing more just to hang out. It's funny how much you take something for granted until that something is taken away. Now I just want to go downtown and hang out like a hobo now the weather is going to be warm and dry. It's early still in the heat, the dry heat is coming on way early this year. In fact the national news, tonight, carried a story about “mega – drought” the West United States may be in the driest season since the 1200s, according to the study of tree rings. Fire warnings up all over the state and high winds are forecast for tomorrow and Monday in the fire suppression folks are way understaffed due to the virus. It's going to be a rambunctious summer anyway one looks at it. I'm going to be a good “do be” however and stay in the apartment as much as possible leaving only when I have to. I have various projects I'm still interested in which is keeping me busy and keeping me from wanting to do anything out of the apartment. I workout daily, physically, and I write which hopefully as to my mental stimulation. All the media says were to get through this I want to believe them but, I just don't …

24 Hours

24 hours ago I was blogging about the service people who just stop by and picked up my power chair and the challenge I had of transferring from that share into my backup chair. The challenge continues of course now I have to reverse the process and I'm just trying to figure out how that process is going to work.

Aside from a few challenging incidents the experience has been a fairly positive event. The challenges started when they came to pick up my chair around 9 PM. Luckily, I was the last pick up on the guys last so time is not a factor. I had moved the backup chair out and had a charged way to go. The only issue was the left arm of the chair latch would not work and it took us quite a bit and a lot of pulling the finally get the arm up so I could transfer. We tried a couple options like the personal left but I decided that was not an option because it would take too much training for the driver to absorb. I finally decided I would just do the old transfer onto the bed routine after he managed to free arm. We are able to make that switch after that. With a minimal amount of bodily intervention. He is wearing a mask but no gloves that he didn't think he was going to have to do anything physical. He was under the impression I was living in the assisted care/long-term care facility and there would be muscular young individuals to lift me around well that's a no go not here anyway which is okay by me.

The next challenge came at 11 or so p.m. As I was getting ready for bed in the back of chair I realized I could not free the left side of my chair arm which is mandatory if I'm going to transfer onto the bed and sleep. Actually it was not that important the next morning because I could stay in bed until Annette arrives for my morning care. It took a while and a lot of thinking. I can call my brother Carl but that our I would not do that to them anymore which means that I might consider calling 911 and getting the fire boys over. I really didn't want that either (I labor under the suspicion that they are keeping track of how many times you call the fire department and at some point that number tips the system into play to 72 long-term care). On the back of my chair where the arm attaches to the chair there is a quick release button which releases the arm completely away from the chair. I hated this at first but have grown to really love the option. Long story short, 45 minutes short, I figured out a way to reach around push the quick release pin and disengage the arm. The post that would not allow the arm to swing free or lift up is still attached but acts as a swivel and the whole piece kind of falls out of the way I can get around and most important just roll under the bed as I usually did. I could sleep!

The days that okay, actually. I made the transfer from bed to chair without issue this morning before the attendant care person arrived. Since have nowhere to go I didn't worry about rolling into traffic, rolling off the mini-high block are in front of a train. I was on home social distancing. That brings me to tonight. I cannot get the arm off the side of my chair so I'm going to just undo the arm again transfer out of the bed sleep, then use the chair until my cleaning person gets here which should be around 8:30 AM and then we can make the switcheroo with the left and then life will be back in sync.

Indeed my controller was shot, this does cause me to scratch my head a bit since theoretically put on a new controller almost exactly one year ago, they put a loner on and well have a new controller shipped in as well as order a number of items I will need to make my chair functional. I have to wait six months to 11 months now before I can even consider ordering the new chair since of insurance issue. That's okay with the new controller and upgrades I should be all right. All's well that ends well…

Guilty Pleasure

I took a guilty pleasure today. I built a scenario in my mind, something I could tell others in case I get grilled on why I was out, in the public, doing stuff during the Covid lockdown. It was one of those days where I was a bit concerned actually worried is more the term. My power chair continues to have problems.. Up until this week I've usually been able to look past the issues I'm just getting more and more concerned about being stranded if not being harmed by its lack of response. More and more messages flash on my controller telling me of things going wrong with the chair. The chair actually now becomes inoperable for 10 to 15 minutes of the shot. Luckily none of those times have been when it had to be in a hurry. I have to admit I was a little concerned yesterday when I was on the bus heading to my podiatrist appointment. I was afraid that the chair would not engage when it was time to get off. Luckily, I persuaded the beast and was able to get through the day. Today however, I was committed to trying to get at least an appointment set up for the repair.

After I got through my morning routine I called the folks at IHC wheelchair shop. Sure enough my physician had yet to send over the prescription for repairs I guess my insurance mandates before the local wheelchair shop to pick up a wrench. Rather than print the poor reader, you, through the trauma I'll just say and of having to make at least four calls to my physician and IHC wheelchair shop but finally my doc faxed over the prescription I needed, worded in the way that I needed. A few minutes later I got a call from the wheelchair shop letting me know that got the documentation they needed and that we could set up an appointment. I was delighted when Cameron, the wheelchair shop operator, advised me that if I'd wanted there is a time tomorrow they could work on my chair. This means that they'll have to pick my chair up tonight and keep the chair overnight. When I expressed dread that if I had a Friday appointment I would not have my chair with a weekend but Cameron insisted that I would get my chair back sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening.I was a little worried about having to spend time in my backup chair that better now than some time and I had things to do outside of the apartment complex if the lockdown was ever lifted.

So, I feel justified in scooting across the street to the market to pick us of things I've been fretting about for some time. Bottles of juice, grapes, and a few other things to get me by the temperature gets back… Hopefully tomorrow evening. I don't know if it's the concept of going out when I shouldn't be out in public because of the virus or just being out among other people either way I told enjoy going over to the market which really cares my cabin fever and my need to spend money… Justifiably.

I just finished printing a document of things I needed done to my power chair when I heard the knock on the door and it was Bob the wheelchair guy. The guy picks up the chair. He of course does not know me I don't know him and I'm just worried about how I'm going to get from my regular chair into my backup chair. I spent time and had the thing powered up charged up and ready to go. We couldn't figure an easy way to do this there is no easy way to do this. I finally decided on the hardest way which would be transferring on the bed and then into the chair. This is very difficult for me to do late in the day and I'm tired. This chair, the backup chair, is really difficult and scares me quite frankly. Luckily tomorrow is a day when I'll have support so even if I somehow can't make the transfer I won't have to lay around too long before Annette shows up for my shower and poop. In fact I had a bit of a struggle transferring on the bed even. Hopefully, tonight when I'm naked the transfer go much smoother if not I can always call the fire departmen :-)

Born To Be Wild

The other day as I continued my project scanning all the images I have onto the hard drive I came upon a packet of images from my early rehabilitation days should be late summer or early fall 1966. When this picture was taken I had been at the Elks Rehabilitation Center for maybe two months. I think by the time this image is taken I had pretty much gotten over the physical shock of the accident and was slowly acclimating to my new life in a wheelchair. They say that becoming a person with a disability doesn't really change that individual's personality all that much. There is certainly some adjusting going on during the transition phase but essentially return to their basic self in my case I think I reverted back early to my bizarre self fairly soon. I have no idea where this (I don't know if it's an old World War I or World War II) helmet came from. My mother was married to another guy before my dad and I think the other guy was a veteran of World War II and brought back some souvenirs one which was a regular Nazi helmet which I thought was really cool. However, the helmet in this image is very heavy and has the tags on each side which makes me think it might be World War I as opposed to World War II. There is no helmet liner so the helmet sat pretty heavy on my head and low. I don't know if the iron Cross was on the helmet when it first showed up it did not seem that it was – – perhaps my younger brother Paul painted the helmet and put the iron Cross on the helmet. I don't know her I got that red vest either it was made of some sort of wool or acrylic material. I remember I love drilling up and down the halls of the Center just for effect of folks visiting. I thought this outfit may be a real bad ass, which I was not, I was probably a pretty major wuss. Interesting to note my hands did not really have the monkey paw appearance at that point in my life. I know this because I was self-conscious because the other quads on the ward with me hands already had that quadriplegic paralyze can look. I think there is even times when I was with them I tried to make my hands look more affected than they were. Perhaps it was a form of survivor's guilt.

I spent 8 to 10 weeks at the Elks Rehabilitation Center before transitioned home. Fortunately for my family are home did not need much modification. It had been built on a slab everything was flat and the doors were wide enough to accept my chair. It's almost like something or someone knew what was coming. The whole family pretty much accepted me in my new lifestyle which I guess is pretty much a new lifestyle for the family as well. I'm surprised I did not get more blame for family disruption that I probably caused. We did pretty good except in the little Nazi into the fold

Status Quo

A

It's Tuesday morning and I'm rolling into the week. Even though we're smack dab in the middle of the corona virus lock-down and I know there's not going to be an Assist, Inc. advisory board meeting I call the office anyway just to see. When we are not in the middle of a pandemic I make this call every Tuesday morning little after 8 AM and speak with David my buddy at Assist, Inc. to see if we're going to have a meeting to adjudicate funding for citizens across the state indeed of home repair. I was able to get David first time out this morning. I was right there will be no meeting today however, next Tuesday I will call in and we'll do some grants over the phone are using one of the technology options for distance meeting. Sad to say this “distant meeting” will most likely be the new normal. I've always known life is an adjustment. I learned this concept early on then relearned the concept again after my accident 54 years ago.

I am continuing my scan project. Interesting again last night as I was scanning images I came across some photos which I mother had scrawled on the back short notes. On one particular photo of me at I'm not sure of what age she has the date of the year that I was born which conflicts with what I've been told and what is written on documents. I believe I've written regarding this phenomenon before but is still quite frustrating not knowing for sure what year I was born in. I had really like to believe and hopeful that the clerical error is in my favor that I was born in 1952 versus 1951. I don't know how this piece of information would affect anything in my life at this point. If this is true that means I'm a year older than everybody associated with. Again not much of an issue now but gradeschool graduation all that kind of stuff I assume would make a difference. I guess as mother made the last of the family photo albums mother was getting was getting on with your life. I believe she just got befuddled. Still however the 1952 date with sort of correlate with information I gathered from my other family – – my birth family.

I continue to quite enjoy this task I've bestowed upon myself entering data specifically images onto my hard drive. I'm not necessarily learning a lot about my family as much as I'm learning about the software I'm using on my computer system. This is good I don't feel nearly as dorky down as I did when I first began the task. It will not change anything – – does anything change anything in the long run? I would just have acquired another skill which will not make any difference in the world of the worlds to come, in the long run. But I think I'm enjoying most about this project is reconnecting a lot of my feelings of more than 50 years ago 60 years ago almost 70 years ago. The feelings are still there fresh as yesterday I can still smell fresh alfalfa mixed with spearmint with sun rising over the mountains of what is going to be a hot summer day of bringing in the hay…

Open Door Policy

The temperature is going to be 80° today maybe a shade higher. For me, it's getting close to perfect weather. Not too hot not to cold and sunshine. I love the sunshine even though, at my age, I need to be careful to sunshine may not like me. However, I have the door open to my patio which means this summer is just a breath away and that's my favorite time of the year. Once the door opens to wherever I'm living (for the summer) the door stays open until late fall when it's just too cold to enjoy an open door anymore. It is still early enough in the season I do not have to worry about sliding the screen door shut. Last year, for some reason, I found the screen door and started using. I cannot believe how well it contained the housefly problem I have experienced the first two years or three here at the facility. I suppose in a week or so the mean old flies will attached and will soon become invasive but until then the doors open and I'm hearing the cacophony of the noises in my neighborhood. The “beep beep beep” of the backup horn on the Big Blue garbage truck. I can hear the ruckus of traffic up on Redwood Road just to the west of my apartment. Not a lot of honking after all it's Monday afternoon. If I really focus I could hear the roar of jets flying overhead. We are just outside of South East approach to the airport. Granted, due to the virus are not nearly as many jets lining up in the flight path as it used to be but they're still there enough so that their sound kind of weaves into the tapestry of the environment of my neighborhood. Today, the yard cruiser out and you get here tools scraping the asphalt as they break up cuttings from various bushes as well as cutting errant weeds which of grown through cracks along the sidewalks and driveway. If I really focus I can hear snippets of Spanish-language as a young guys chatter back and forth. Gone however are the seemingly endless voices of adolescents skateboarding at the skateboard park next to my apartment seriously right across the driveway from my apartment. I have to admit I kind of miss the constant din of wheels on concrete endlessly going up one side and coming down the other side of the skateboard pits. Not so bad during the day but quite tedious and provoking during the night. Typically, the skateboard park is supposed to be closed after 10 PM but rarely is not enforced. Sometimes, I've woken to skateboard clatter at 2 AM, 3 AM even 5 AM. I will quiet myself there for fair sounding like a cranky old man… Which I am much of the time I reckon. I should've had my home health person crack the window next to my bed but I'm not that brave yet. I'm worried that I'll not have enough covers because we decided to take one off the bed for the season.

The fresh air is nice and the sounds are still so new that I'm enjoying the open door and the new perspective and open door gives to the apartment…

My Black Secretary

I'm really quite saddened at losing the house on Utahna even though I no longer in a resident in that nice little brick bungalow is just a nice place and I have lots of stuff there still. Recently DD indicated that the black secretary (had been stored on the side of the house but magically had really afforded a lot of destructive elements from the outside) and if I wanted I just need to pick it up. The desk would need a lot of attention to be usable but still I've always liked this piece of furniture and excited to have it the big challenge was moving the peace from Utahna to my place.

Always seems the biggest challenge in living is moving stuff. Fortunately we live in a land/culture that thrives on trucks (probably wagons before then Buck boards or whatever). Not only having a vehicle/wagon/truck to move materials but also “backs” to do the actual loading moving and downloading and placing. To complicate everything this move is taking place during the Covid challenge. My brother, Carl, did the initial move. We had concerns about contact him at first because he's (I hate these the term elderly but I'm elderly and he's older than I am!) Elderly. However he spry, muscular and willing to assist. However my sister-in-law Jean is deathly ill and may feel somewhat cautious into bringing anything which might be hazardous to her living situation. However, I really couldn't find anyone else immediately. We finally relented and yesterday my brother/Carl brought the furniture over and I have to minute I was excited.

Like I said, fortunately, the secretary had been kept out of the elements more or less but still had a fine coating of dirt and dust. I was willing to go over the piece with damp cloth and soap or whatever but Carl got on the job and with vacuum hose doubt all the loose dirt that attacked the remaining coats of dust with elbow grease paper towels and water. It took 15 minutes or so but he's a fast worker and soon had the piece somewhat presentable. I guess if I was very energetic and a bit more creative I would move the peace out somewhere and have it shot with black paint again. However, as it is somewhat excited to start utilizing the piece. The scary part – – the really scary part – – is finding a place in my small abode that will house a secretary with the fold-down desk. Right now I have a place that's actually not bad but will take some moving around of other pieces. This not be a job for Annette or maybe Mark Anthony if I can secure his services for an afternoon. As you can see, when the secretary's open there's all kinds of cubbyholes, which I adore, I can stuff things in these little cubbies to my hearts content. Everything from art equipment to envelopes to writing utensils, rubber bands, and stock for bookmarks. I have to admit I'm very excited.

Olé Enchiladas!

My cleaning person did not make it today. Seems like she had the opportunity to hook up with an older guy to do some camping. This is not a shock because she was talking about the campout yesterday and I told her I would not Siegert Monday but she seemed adamant to show up today but then I got the call this morning you want to leave at 8 AM rather than 10 AM. The kitchen is a little traumatized from salad making procedure yesterday but I did wash the dishes and I just need to sweep the floor. Then just hold my breath until Monday and I should be good to go.

I really don't get mad very often especially over things like cleaning people not showing up for work. After all, that's 40 bucks I save on they don't show up for their two-hour shift. The only thing I'm out is a little socialization and I can get that by heading across the street from my weekend “essential” market run. It's hard to be social behind a mask. I wish I could convey more with my eyes but sometimes I think I do. But get used to it, get used to the mask this is becoming the new normal. Maybe they'll develop a transparent mask that will allow us a modicum, social activity. Kind of funny I still smile big at a person that I pass in the market especially one who stops to help me get something down from an upper shelf. I say “thank you” and try to do so happily but without the accompanying smile seems a little flat and dull.

Good try something new today or tomorrow depending on my energy levels. I've thawed out a pound of ground turkey which I am going to try out and see if I can turn it into turkey enchiladas. I know your typical Hispanic family doesn't do a whole lot with ground turkey but since I've got it and I've tested the turkey with ground beef in the Gulf and it came out stunningly I think enchiladas should be my next step. Over the years of accumulated a couple cans of enchilada sauce from the half corn tortillas in the refrigerator that I really need to use, cheese and onions I think everything I need now just the intimidation factor is all I have to get over. I think like many of the dishes I make a make an incredible mess and many of the dishes don't look like magazine level portrayals but all in all I've got it tasted pretty good and reports I've gotten back is that the flavors all right.so I should be okay the only real issue is the amount of calories I will intake from my enchilada production. I pretty much resolved and got a live, I've got to eat and I'm going to enjoy doing both and not worry about calories as much as I have been over the past couple of months. However, I will tell you that I did purchase to heads of lettuce and a nice head of cabbage and a new vinyl tomatoes so I'm set for salads I'm kind of excited for this next week of dining…

Typhoid Mary, Who Me?

I'm really trying to be a nice guy. Make it sound like it's a real challenge for me and maybe it is but I figure I need to stowaways many blessings as I can for another great day of reckoning coming at some point down the line. I've not had a haircut for I'll bet you six weeks , since before the virus took hold here in Utah. I think I've written about my barber before, little older lady who shop is right across the street from where I live. She speaks little English and my Spanish is limited but we communicate well enough.

This afternoon I was sitting out in the sun reading when my next-door neighbor, Carol emerged looking all dressed up. I was impressed and of course asked her where she was going. She informed me she was going to the hairdresser, it's a new person not far from our apartment complex. My neighbor had a stroke one time and has a very significant walking impairment. She can walk but is challenging with a lot of foot dragging. She indicated that the hair place is not far. I was a little concerned for her crossing a fairly busy street to get to the salon. So I figured why not be a nice guy and offered a at least roll with her across the intersection knowing that as slow as her gait was it might be helpful to have two people crossing together so that people in their autos would not get too impatient. I was usually quite a bit ahead of her and the only time I was close was at the light when we waited for the signal to change. Again I didn't think about it that she had gotten one of the people in the apartment complex with the car to give her a lift. She voluntarily informed me then that her son had been tested positive for the Covid virus and seems to gotten a very light case, he and his wife. And Carol told me then that the one person who usually gave her a ride now suddenly started avoiding her. Initially I didn't think too much of the revelation. I got Carol to the other side of the street and went my way and noticed that my barber who has been closed was open. It was about then I realized I did not have my mask on and that I MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED! Well, the revelation didn't come like lightning just came in little niggles and noogles as I pondered what a person responsibility should be on something like this. The lady went on to inform me that her son had been tested again a day or so later than tested negative. So everything was all right. I think I'm okay… I think but now what do I do? Do I self isolate, more than I already am, for 14 days? Do I need to take an examination of some sort where they stick the cotton swab to my brain tips? Do I tell people not to visit me and tell I know that I'm negative? What do I do? I really think I'm okay but still in the back of my mind I feel like I'm a typhoid Mary

Disability Wars

This morning as I lay in my post sleep thought process my moment of clarity Was focused on one of the podcast that I listen to as I worked out on my arm bike. It's an interesting compilations of examinations of businesses which tended to compete with each other over time like the airlines, Ford versus Chevrolet, Kodak versus Browning. There's a number of interesting competitions that these guys examine. Many times the segments run more than a half an hour and and maybe 6 to 7 segments in a particular series. They are acted out usually by one person taking all the parts it's a little corny that way but still sheds some fascinating light on these business competitions of history. The main company is Wondery. Wondery does a great job. At the end of each show is common boilerplate like how to subscribe to the service without commercial breaks, disclaimers for this and disclaimers for that and always a plea for ideas for them to explore perhaps exploit. This morning as I lay comfortably in my bed pondering whether to try to see if I can force myself back to sleep for maybe an hour or so or catheterize myself and then try to go back to sleep or explore Explore this morning spot Bonanza.

If I were to actually submit some ideas for these guys to explore. And I must admit I don't know how relevant they might feel the ideas are but they seem to have some strong abilities and doing some research for some of the ideas I was thinking of would be “Everest Jennings versus Sunrise Medical Products. This would actually be an exploration of traditional, industrial slack clinical wheelchairs versus the advent of high-performance/athletic type wheelchairs that began surfacing in the late 1960s. In that same notion one can examine the competition between Rehabilitation Services Administration (R S A) and the Independent Living Model or Independent Living Model versus Medical Model which is a bit more generic than the previous RSA idea but I think either one would be fascinating listening if it were developed right. If I had more time and skill sets I would do the podcasts but I just don't have creativity. I'm almost concerned that they might be interested but would focus their development on myself and making me do the research which I doubt that I could do readily. I certainly have a lot of opinions on this particular issue but not enough to explore the development of a podcast series It could be called something like Disability Wars.

Yesterday I made banana bread. I really believe this the first banana bread I have made without the use of a premix. I had two bananas that I've been cultivating for a week or so when you for them to deteriorate to the point that they would be quite mushy. I also have a bag of pecans I need to use instead of walnuts. Since I had gotten the bread pan from Dianne last week or so I was set to go. I think I should've used more bananas and I think I used enough butter the texture was less gooey as I think some folks would like but the cake was good enough for me and will be tasty with bread spread on. I'll try it again in a couple of days as my bananas ripen and get ready for their big show…