Philadelphia (Philly)

Last week Ken and I took a vacation of sorts and went to Philadelphia to volunteer at the 34th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. All in all, it was a good trip, and I learned a few things along the way.

1. It's Philly, not Philadelphia.
2. Whoever decided that the trip would take 7 hours, plus stops, was crazy. It took us nearly 10 hours, and I know we didn't stop 3 hours. Plenty of construction zones and a fairly steady rain helped to slow us down.
3. Walkers aren't made to go on escalators. Ken figured he could carry my walker up the escalator at the train station, rather than walking to the elevator. He fell, my walker kept on going, and then he was on his back, sliding down all the steps that were still going up. Fortunately, the fall didn't hurt much more than his pride.
4. When volunteering, don't expect to do the job you signed up for. I really didn't get to do much, mainly because they already had enough people to cover the events. On Ken's first day, he was to pass out water and towels to the athletes who requested them. Trouble was, there were so many others doing the same thing, that if three athletes approached, ten volunteers jumped up.

So after three days of doing little or nothing, we decided to call it quits and head back to Ohio, even though we hadn't seen any of the tourist things like the Art Museum (a la "Rocky") or the Liberty Bell. I did have a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at the Philly Diner next door to our hotel. I've had better ones in Ohio.

We had been promising my former in-laws a visit for the past two years, but never made it. This time we did. We got off the PA turnpike at the PA/WV state line and drove down OH-7 to Belpre. It was so good to see Ron and Donna. She's had Parkinson's for 28 years and, in my opinion, is not doing well. That's why I was so anxious to see her. Ron is doing an amazing job of taking care of Donna, and he has some help for a couple of hours every day. They are still so in love with each other; next July, they will celebrate 60 years of marriage.

The main purpose of the trip, volunteering for the Games, was disappointing. Leaving Philly without seeing any of its famous landmarks was disappointing. Going to Belpre and seeing Donna in her current condition was heart-wrenching. Spending hours in the car with each other without wanting to kill the other person was a blessing. And the final thing I learned from this trip:

5. No matter how hard the VA begs and pleads with us, we're NOT going to the 35th Games next year in Dallas!

To catch up on my old blog, till next time...

And so on … 6/13/10

I wondered how long it would take till I forgot about this blog. Only two months this time. That’s an improvement.
So what’s been happening in my life since mid-April? The biggest thing would have to be The House. I signed the closing documents on April 30; the house is mine! Now, of course, all the headaches start. I think I traded one set of nightmares for another.
The worst is our homeowner’s insurance being canceled, purportedly due to some structural issues on the house. Personally, I think it’s because the insurance company is scared of the boarded-up houses on either side of us and across the street. Nothing I can do about that.
The gutters have been fixed, we bought mortar to fix the foundation, and Ken smashed our crumbling side steps. Nightmare #2: trying to get the contractor to return phone calls with a price to finish the steps. Time to call another contractor.
The garden has been planted, and some of the plants are really taking off! I’m looking forward to that first ripe tomato off our plants.
My dad is in the hospital in NJ following emergency surgery to repair a hole in his stomach. He’s got peritonitis, is anemic, and has a ventilator tube. I wish I could be there, but as Nancy pointed out, it’s hard to travel that far to sit for only 20 minutes at a time in ICU, especially if he’s not awake or able to talk. So I sit at home and pray a lot.
And that, in a nutshell, summarizes the past two months. And so on and so on … Till next time…

Give it a Couple of Weeks

...and things could change. Ken's emotional crisis seems to have passed, or at least lessened to some degree. He managed to get a square foot of garden space weeded so he could plant the tomato and pepper plants he bought a month ago. If it wasn't too late in the season I'd ask him to weed another square foot so I could plant some green beans. But I'm afraid that we'll have frost before they mature.

We went to see the fireworks on July 4. Most years we don't go because of Ken's PTSD issues (loud noises, crowds, smell of powder, etc.), but he agreed to go with me this year. After the challenges of getting there and back, however, I doubt we'll be going next year. We drove around and around in circles looking for a place to park. Finally ended up in the Nautica parking lot - cost: $10. Found what appeared to be the last space in the lot, but in time for the show, which was great! Trying to get out of the lot was a nightmare. We sat in traffic that didn't move more than a foot or two; what should have taken us 15 minutes to get home, took 1 1/2 hours instead. As I said, we won't be going next year.

Last Monday (July 7), I had surgery on my left thumb to treat my "trigger finger." I've had the dressing on all week, and am very glad I am going to see the surgeon today to get it off! I know Ken will be glad if I get rid of it too - I won't be able to use it as an excuse not to do the dishes anymore!

Halfway through the summer is not the time to remember the list of summer concerts I wanted to see. I've already missed Chicago, Kenny Rogers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Judy Collins, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Buffet, and Journey w/ the Steve Miller Band. Of course, I can't afford to go to all these shows, but knowing I missed them because I wasn't paying attention stinks. Then again, I did find one today that I would love to see, and I think Ken would like it too. Crosby, Stills and Nash. I could get tickets for Ken's birthday, but I really can't afford $200. Which leaves James Taylor (already saw him), Arlo Guthrie (possibility), and Boston (doubt if I can afford them either).

 Now I'm caught up with my life. Till next time...

Nice Day! 4/11/10

What a pretty day! It’s a bit chilly, but an improvement over the cold days and freezing rain that we had a couple of days ago. Ken & I finally (!) got the compost tumbler finished. Now he just needs to learn how to use it. The daffodils have faded, but the tulips are blooming, and so is the forsythia. Even the lilacs are trying to bloom. The dogwoods and redbuds are putting on a show. I love spring!
I went to my doctor on Friday to see what could be done about the pain caused by my arthritis and sciatica. The appt was 4:30, and the nurse called me back at 4:45. Then I sat for an hour in an exam room, nothing to read, no window to look out. She finally came in at 5:45, spent 10 minutes with me, left, and came back with an attending doctor. The office closed at 5:00, and by the time I was through at 6:15, most of the staff was gone and Ken was getting concerned. An apology would have been nice!
On a brighter note, I finished my section for the Parkinson’s Quilt Project! For a first effort, I thought it turned out well. Glad to have it done and mailed off.
Till next time…

 

OMG What a Week, Month, Year

Have you ever had one of those days (weeks, months) that just make you want to go screaming into the night? The kind of day (week, month) that makes you wonder, "Whyyyyy me?" The kind of day that just seems to snowball into a week, a month, a year?

It's been one of those months/years for me. Without going into all the personal details, Ken has been going through an emotional crisis this week, enough so that I thought an email he wrote was a suicide note. He has attempted to reassure me that suicide, though ever present in his mind, is not something he will follow through with. (Yikes! The dreaded "end the sentence with a preposition".) I cried so hard the other night, certain that I would find him dead the next day.

We talked to a rep from the Veterans Service Commission about applying for VA disability and SSDI. She said that it was too late to apply for SSDI, that he just needs Retirement from Social Security. To his credit, Ken did apply for disability from the VA, or so he said. I have been working on his SS application, but have reached a stalemate over Medicare. There are lots of questions about Medicare on the application, specifically Part B. Ken is very opposed to signing up for it because the premiums are so high. The question remains, though, whether he will continue to receive health care insurance from the VA. So it looks like we need to go talk to someone about this.

While Ken is going through this battle for his sanity, I feel like I'm losing my grip on life, too. I really wanted to go to Cedar Point last month, but it just didn't work out. The Section 8 inspection is tomorrow, and I seem to be the only one concerned about it. I said goodbye to my neurologist this past week; he's moving on to new adventures. The son of my best friend, Helen, got married last weekend; I wasn't invited - small wedding. But I sent Helen and her husband a cute card about welcoming a new daughter, and a card to Gary, and I haven't received any acknowledgement which surprises me and hurts a bit. Kristen and Lee are currently in South Africa. While I don't begrudge them the trip, I hate knowing she's not just a  phone call away.

Assuming all goes well, Ken & I will be going to Philadelphia in August to volunteer at the VA Wheelchair Games. I've never been to Philly, so this should be a good trip.

Happy Easter! 4/3/10

Happy Easter! The weather has been glorious, the robins have been singing every morning, the daffodils are blooming – the Lord is risen! Alleluia!

Really, Really Far Behind

This is so embarrassing, to be this far behind. I read back to my first post on this blog and saw that the creativity bug hits me now and then. Seems it's been a while since it bit. Trying to catch up on everything would be nearly pointless. So I'll try to touch on the highlights and let the rest go by the wayside.

October: Ken's oldest daughter had a baby girl, Aria Sophia. She's now 7 months old. Lee & Kristen celebrated their 5th anniversary.

November: Lee's family invited us to celebrate his 30th birthday with them at Le Chatelain in Worthington. This year it will be Kristen's.

Decmber: I spent Christmas with Lee and Kristen in their new home in Hilliard, OH. Beautiful.

January: All the cabinets in the kitchen came down in preparation for remodeling. They are still stacked on the floor.

April: After a very long snowy winter, it seems like spring is finally here.

May: Ken has asked if I will be his advocate in his attempts to get Social Security disability and VA disability benefits. 'Bout time. :-)

Four years ago, I was struggling with the arrival of spring.

Happy Spring! 3/21/10

The birds are singing, the flowers are poking through the ground, Ken’s got his new tiller ready to dig up the garden – must be spring! Though you wouldn’t know it by the temperature! The last day of winter was over 60 degrees; the first two days of spring have been lucky to reach 40.
Friday I went to see my DBS programmer. There ought to be something she could do to help the freezing and the shakes. We decided to lengthen the range of electrical impulses, from a “black bean” to more of a “butternut squash.” Now I like squash quite a bit, but I’m not sure I like the DBS results. Seems to me I spent most of yesterday in an “off” state, and while today has been better, it’s still not where I’d like to be.
I’d like to be working on my quilt block for the Parkinson’s Quilt Project, but my fingers don’t want to be coordinated. I’d like to be outside helping Ken put the new composter together, but it’s too chilly. I’d like to play computer games, but nearly all of them require finger coordination. So I’ll just sit here and be grumpy.
Hoping next time is better, till then …