Skip to main content

Road Trip!

On the road again… We left our home at 2 o'clock in the morning on August 30. We are Ohio and Virginia bound to see my father and stepmother as well as my 88-year old uncle.  We plan on making many stops along the way...Glacier Natl Park, Mt. Rushmore, among others.  

What's unique about this trip is that it is being made on a shoestring budget, in a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan VMI (wheelchair conversion) van hauling a woman with ALS, namely...me.  We are loaded up with all the requisite paraphernalia including power wheelchair, manual wheelchair, bedside commode, multiple pillows, my Deanna Protocol meds, prescription meds, clothes, and other crapola.

A couple of rest area naps and a bank stop in Spokane.  Reluctantly we bypass "Pig Out in the Park" to stay on course for Missoula where Tom Beaudette is "keeping the light on for us".  A handicap-accessible room awaits and we actually have a confirmed reservation.  Not our norm.  A shower will be great...as the humidity is dripping as we crest 4th of July pass.  Whew!

We bypass gorgeous Lake Coeur d'Alene pocked with small watercraft tied to log booms awaiting their Hydroplane Holiday weekend as well as the picturesque Cataldo Mission.  Pitstop in Kellogg to mail some bills...wishing I could ride the Silver Mountain Gondola.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fall

Orange, gold, rust, burnt sienna, ochre, raw umber; the riot of fall colors, in the trees and at our booted feet; a drive in the countryside; the taste of hot apple cider on my lips; the satisfaction of a truckload of firewood we gathered and cut ourselves; elk herds on the move; hearty stews, savory soup, crusty whole-grain bread, pumpkin and gingerbread spice lattes; these are the memories I tap into the most this time of year. Cabela's fliers in the mailbox; Carhart's camo-clad hunters swarm outlying areas; mushroom garthering; huckleberry picking; logger burgers; forest service roads; cheese sandwiches on the woodstove; warm quilts, cool sheets, and flannel nightgowns; cold butt, warm heart.  Immensely grateful to have the well of memories to draw upon.

Lashing Out

Fed up. Sick of hearing, "I'm sorry."  Apologies don't erase the pain you inflict on me. You pull my pubic hair. Your nitrile gloves pull the hair from my head. Not once in a while but day in and day out. You turn me in a manner that suits you rather than in a manner that doesn't stress my body. Why won't you use the pad and sheet to turn me as one unit? Instead, you allow my body to twist as you hold me one-handed. How good you are at your job. What part of "my muscles are dying" don't you understand?

Shards Cling To

I just met my new psychologist and I already like her. I would say that it is effortless to talk to her, but talking to anyone through an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device takes a great deal of effort. One must think about what to say and drill it down concisely and succinctly, Then attempt to type it out with your eyes on a wonderous, but infuriating machine, and hope you nail the 'Speak' button, and not the 'Cancel' button. You're praying that the device doesn't spontaneously, disengage the eye gaze, leaving you mute and helpless. You're also praying that the calibration holds and your eyes don't tire or dry out. Aside from all of that, she did not overwhelm me with rapid fire questions, nor invade my personal space, by insisting on reading while I'm writing, instead of allowing me to "speak". Those things are huge. Counseling somebody with my disabilities, present unique challenges. I have major physical deficit...