Chippertue

Back in the saddle again…

2012-01-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

Monday was AWESOME. I was up and out of here cruising around with my puppy by 11 o’clock. It wasn’t as cold as it has been for as I thought it would be. The sun was in and out as we cruised through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf back and to the boardwalk and back. The last time I cruise through the wharf I met a guy named Jimbo. He sits on the bench by one of the restaurants with a guitar and some sort of simple things or maracas on the end of his shoes. He stopped me one day and we had a nice conversation. I’m still a little scared to follow the path down the river because I’m afraid of being too far away from home if the motor goes out in my wheelchair. There was not a lot of people around, I love that about the weekdays. I leaned back on the boardwalk for a while and just look for objects in the clouds. I wish I was able to take a picture because it was so beautiful. I headed back home because it was sprinkling but as soon as I got home the sun was out and shining. Heather came by to cook and I decided to take Robby for another short cruise through the lagoon. On the way back I found some really cool branches with different colored moss. Whenever I see sticks with moss on them I just have to stop and have Robby pick them up and put them in my lap, he hates the way that the moss feels in his mouth but he is a trooper. I bring them home for my air plant terrariums, I know I have way more sticks then I need but it’s hard to pass them up. I came home and went to bed and listen to more of my audio book, watched intervention and then slept really good.

‎"Dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give us unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." quote by~ Gilda Radner

Tuesday was a lot warmer outside than it has been. Today was my day for a manicure/pedicure. I took Robby for cruise through the lagoon and down to the end of the wharf and back before my appointment, the place where I get my nails done is up the Hill from the wharf. I think the funniest part is picking out the nail polish, we do a lot of experiments on me. Today I noticed on their fingernail color wheel that Samantha did one with a lime green color with a black spider on it, I was going to have that done on Halloween… I don’t remember why I didn’t. We already found a really cool one, actually 2, for next month. After my appointment Robby and I cruised down through the boardwalk and back home. Karen was still cleaning, I’m so glad she agreed to do it because she does such a great job. Teresa came and brought me an awesome salad, I want to eat more salads with my meals… I love salads.

Being stupid is not a reason to cry. One cries because one is sad. For example, I cry because others are stupid, and it makes me sad. -Sheldon Cooper

Wednesday I ended up staying in bed but I kind of thought that what happened so I wasn’t too disappointed although it was gorgeous outside. Of coarse personal-care took a long time but as usual I got a nice long hot bath, not as hot as I would have liked to have been… I don’t know what’s wrong with my water heater. Kathy, the wound care visiting nurse, came to see how I was doing. The pressure sores on my butt are totally healed but now I have one on the back of my left ankle and a huge blister on the back of my right ankle, it’s always something. She looked at my night braces and my day braces and did some alterations to my night races, that’s what she thinks the problem is. She is the one everybody raves about when it comes to wound care. This is the 1st time that she has seen my new mattress and she loves it as much as I do, again I’m sorry Michael that I doubted you. I told her it would be great if I could get these all healed up before my trip in February, she said it is possible. I got an e-mail from James, he is the guy at CCI who trained Robby… his 1st graduate. He gave me some really great tips on how to deal with Robby’s new barking problem and dog obsession. James is awesome!

Thursday was such a beautiful day. I got up and out of here and the weather was perfect. I got to the wharf and I just couldn’t stop looking at the view, Robby kept looking at me like he was saying “let’s go, let’s go”. I got to the end of the wharf and you could see the lighthouse across the water but you could just barely see cowell Beach. The surfers were riding the waves all away from the lighthouse almost to the beach, I only saw about 4 or 5 surfers and I was really surprised. The waves weren’t really high at all, just really long. It is so gorgeous out there. We cruise through the boardwalk, they’re taking advantage of the nice weather and redoing a lot. I stopped again to see the view. My chair is starting to get really loud and I’m afraid I’m going to get stuck somewhere so I didn’t want to go too far, I figured we could just do it again after Robby got some water. Days like this are why I moved over here.

"The reason dogs have so many friends is because they wag their tails instead of their tongues." ~ Unknown

Friday went by really fast. When Susan, the massage therapist, got here I was still sleeping which is awesome. I had a nice long massage and we always have a great talk, some massage therapists don’t like for you to talk because you’re supposed to be concentrating on your breathing and your body but she doesn’t mind. My personal courage and seemed to take very long either, I actually fell asleep and slept really hard. After that my favorite part, a nice long hot bath and then back to bed and dinner. Teresa brought me a really awesome salad and I put some chicken adobo that Heather made in it, man that was good. Cassie came over to visit for a while, it’s always so nice to see her. After that we played cribbage with the regular Friday group. We had cheese, crackers and salami… I love that stuff.

“Everyone needs a dog to adore him, and a cat to bring him back to reality.”

Saturday was a really good day. It started out really frustrating because the visiting nurse was supposed to be here at 10:30 AM and she didn’t get here until almost 11:30 AM, I was supposed to leave at noon so I can get to the support group at 1 PM and we still had to get me in my chair. Everything turned out okay and I was actually there a little bit early. It was really nice to see Roger and Joe, Karen and Terryn didn’t make it, again. We had a really nice chat and we discussed ways that we think we might be able to get a support group going again and keep people interested. We talked about instead of just spinal cord injury making it anybody in a wheelchair, I think that will be awesome. I came home and went to bed happy knowing we were going to give the support of another go and happy Robby got a really nice long cruise. I took a couple of PMs and a Xanax so I know I’ll sleep good.

“Keep in mind...to a dog you're family, to a cat you're staff

Sunday was a pretty kick back day. We got everything done as far as personal care and a nice long hot bath. I watched some TiVo and I watched Mr. Popper’s Penguins, was pretty cute.

Really really tired of staying in bed…

2012-01-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

Monday was a good day, any day I get up out of bed is a good day. The technician from Hill-Rom said that he would come out and disarm the annoying noise my bed makes when you take off the brake, it was a high pitch squealing noise… we said it’s mostly for the hospitals. He said he was going to come out in the afternoon so I was kind of waiting for him. Heather told me I should give him a call and I’m glad I did, he said he would be out about 3:30 PM so I had time to take Robby to the wharf and back before my caregiver came in at 2 PM, unfortunately I waited until about 12:30 PM to call him. I’m glad I got it done. Went to bed and now I’m just relaxing and watching Dr. Phil.

Tuesday was another day spent in bed. Of course the personal care took a lot longer than we wanted but I did get a nice long hot bath. It’s kind of a bummer when one caregiver leaves and the other one comes in and in our, it doesn’t give me much time to myself. Sometimes I think that the reason I don’t sleep at night is because I know that I will have all night and all morning to myself. For some reason I sleep really good about an hour or 2 before my morning caregiver comes in. I got my portable mattress today and the guys showed me how to set it up, it’s going to be perfect. It came in a box but I found a duffel bag online but it will fit into perfectly for only $20. It will be a good bag to carry and store it in. I saw on the news that James Durbin did a secret concert somewhere here in Santa Cruz, I think they only gave tickets away on a radio station. Robby sister belongs to James Durbin’s cousin’s best friend, small world? She asked me if I wanted an autograph CD, that would be awesome.

Wednesday Daniel from ATG rehab came by to give my chair the once over so I can make sure it will be okay for my road trip. I went down to the Metro bus station and they gave me these really long, REALLY yellow tie down straps to put on my chair but they are way too long. Daniel said they have a tiedown kits that will work better and won’t be an eyesore so he ordered those for me along with a new cushion cover for my seat cushion, it’s getting really ripped up little. I thought the bearings were going out in my back wheels again and it seemed to be pulling towards the right… the bad news is I need a new motor for my chair, I know that’s not going to be cheap but hopefully we will be able to get it ordered and install it before my trip, I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer to call. Everything is coming together and it’s just going to be a matter of starting to pack February 1st and I will be ready to go by the time we leave February 18th. I’m sure we will forget a few things but that’s the way it always goes. I even found, well Karen found them, a couple of apps that go on my phone to find a good place to eat and a good motel were ever were going to stop… that should come in handy.

Thursday was a little bit warmer than it has been so Robby and I took advantage of It and went for a long cruise. We went through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf and back and through the boardwalk and back. I wanted to cruise along the river but I was afraid to with the motor going out in my chair, definitely not the best place to be stranded. I came back and Gabe came over to show me and the girls how to use the lift on the Van manually in case it breaks again or all the power goes out. Karen was smart enough to think of videotaping it, I’m so glad she did, and we put it on YouTube in case we need to access it while were on a road trip. I found the name of the guy in Watsonville that works on the kind of lift that I have and I talked to him a little bit but didn’t really understand a lot so Gabe is going to talk to him tomorrow, I’m so thankful for Gabe. Teresa put me to bed and I was so glad because it is FREEZING out there. I watched a couple of episodes of Dr. Phil and fell asleep.

Friday of coarse was my massage, personal care and a nice long hot bath. The gang came over to play cribbage and I lost 5 bucks, I’ll get them next time. Robby was acting really funny all day and when my uncle came to get the cribbage table set up Robby through up all over the floor and just acted like he kept wanting to go outside but didn’t really do anything. Before everybody left he looked like he was feeling better so if he’s not better in the morning I guess I will take him to the vet, thank God they are open on Saturday. After everybody left I started feeling really bloated, having spasms and sweating… thank God I was not getting that headache. I waited for a while to see if it would go away but it just got worse. By this time I was almost in panic mode and it was about 2 AM so I had to call my mom. We checked the bladder tube and it seemed to be okay so the next step is to check the bowels, as I figured there was a bunch of gas and then I immediately felt better. By the time 4:30 AM came around we were finished and now I get to translate until Teresa gets here at 7… man I hope she’s late. I did take a Xanax so at least I felt really relaxed now.

Saturday of course it was almost impossible to wake up. Teresa came in at 7 AM and I had some coffee but even that didn’t help. She changed my SP tube and checked my bowels but everything seemed to be okay, after a while the chills, the sweats and the spasms stopped. Needless to say I didn’t get out but I slept pretty good all day and hopefully I will be able to sleep through the night. I figured after yesterday both Robby and I could use a day of rest. I’m having a real problem with my Bose surround sound system, every once in a while it just shuts off and I have to wait for somebody to come down and turn it off and on several times to get the sound back. I woke up at 1:00 AM because my phone was ringing, I could see that it was my friend Jerry but I wasn’t really awake enough to answer the phone. I was a little worried but I listen to the message and she sounded like everything was okay.

Sunday was another long personal-care day. I think my body is becoming lactose intolerant. Heather made some mahi tuna and it was so good that I ate it all, that was Friday and probably why I was so bloated… Karen told me this morning that there was cheese on it and I didn’t take my pill. Hopefully I will never forget to do that again. Not only do I need to get up and out of this bed but Robby needs a nice good run, we will do a marathon tomorrow rain or shine. Luckily the days have been going by fast and I’ve been sleeping pretty good during the night’s. I got an e-mail from Roger yesterday wanting to have a meeting next Saturday to try to figure out how we can attract more people to the support group, I am so excited… I hope we can do it.

Getting back to the old routine…

2012-01-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Monday…yay…I was up by 10 AM and out of here cruising around with Robby, it sure felt good. We went through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf and back, through the boardwalk, Down alongside the river and back in through the Boardwalk again… all of which were totally deserted and it was awesome. I came back and my uncle was outside talking to Otis, the guy who takes care of my yard. I did my exercises and went to bed, it was a really great day.

Tuesday almost turned into another day in bed but I’m glad it didn’t. It was colder than it was yesterday but still nice, I can’t believe it’s winter. Robby and I went for a long cruise, I love cruising around when everything is basically deserted. I came back and Teresa put me to bed and then went and got some food at wing stop, we are still trying to use up our groupons… I think we only have 3 family meals left. My aunt came over with her 2 granddaughters Luana and Melia. They were both dressed like little princesses and they look so adorable. Melia wants to be a doctor so she can fix aunt Tammie, how cute is that?
That is not sure what she wants to be yet, they are 2 and 4 years old and just as cute as can be.

Wednesday was a great day, any day out of bed is a great day. I got a kind of early to take Robby on extra long cruise. As we got down to Cowell beach there was a guy by the water stretching with his paddle, it looked like he was going to go paddle boarding. I have on a thermal shirt, another longsleeve shirt and a poncho, this guy had on long shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes… I understand the water was about 54°. I followed him along the wharf and I saw him go around and she disappeared out to see, what fun and freedom that must be a thought. Cruising along the river is getting a little scary because there’s a lot of homeless people that don’t have their dogs on leash, I never know what’s going to happen… usually they see me or hear Robby’s tags and grabbed their dog before we get to them. I cruised back home and Teresa and Karen were putting away the last of the, almost the last of the, Christmas decorations and straightening out the garage. While we were at the Boardwalk we practiced a couple of commands and Robby did awesome, he’s such a good boy. We practice a couple when we got home but he got really scared when his vest got caught on the knob of the drawer so we decided to take a break.

Thursday I got up and took Robby for an extra long cruise. I met Theresa and Karen at the post office and they took me to Costco, I love going to Costco. I think we got enough supplies to last about a month. We got back and they got me out of the van and they couldn’t get the lift back up to stow, they couldn’t even get it to manually go up so we called my uncle who had just left to go to Costco. He didn’t know what to do so we called Gabe, he used to work on the Metro buses and they have the same left as I do. He came over in the morning and fixed it, it was a fuse that blew out because we try too many times to stow it from the down position… it always worked before but now we have to learn how to do it differently. He’s going to come over when all of the caregivers are here to show them how to do it. I don’t know what I would do without Gabe.

Friday is always a good day. I get to sleep in until 8:30 AM, hour and a half massage… personal care is not so fun and I end up with a nice long hot bath, about always makes you feel great. Then we play cribbage and win or lose we always have fun, tonight I lost.

“It’s all nonsense to say that you can’t love a dog as much as you love a human.” quote by Richard Dawkins

Saturday was a perfect day. The weather was really nice and Robby and I got to go on a really long cruise. Everything was really crowded, not like during the week. I ran into one of my therapist when I used to go to transitions in Gilroy. I went to her wedding reception at the coconut Grove, it must’ve been about 5 or 6 years ago because now they have an adorable little daughter. It was really nice to see them and since they live here hopefully I will see them again.

Sunday I looked at the weather and it was going to be really cold so I just decided to stay in bed and enjoy the day. I got to watch a couple of movies that I have been meaning to watch, crazy, stupid love and limitless… both really good movies. Heather came over to visit a couple of times, I really don’t see her that much anymore but hopefully that will change.

Trying to catch up after the holidays…

2012-01-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven’t written in my blog for a couple of weeks. The holidays always bring lots of family and friends. My Modesto family came down for Christmas and it was so nice. My niece stayed here with us for a week, I’d love to go to lunch and hang out with her. Phil started doing the work on my porch, he’s putting in the sink, a counter and some shelves… it looks AWESOME and really blends in nicely with the railing and my Burrel table.

"It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are."--Unknown

Tuesday was Robbys bath day and my day to see Claudia, actually it was Samantha, to get a manicure and pedicure. After I came back home and picked up Robby we went for a long cruise and then came back and Teresa put me to bed.

Wednesday the Los Gatos Lions invited us to their lunch/meeting so they could see Robby’s progress. We visit them once a year but I wish it could be more because they are awesome people, I wish I could join the Lions Club. Since we were over the hill there was a lot that we wanted to do but mostly it turned out to be errands. We found a Home Depot, which really wasn’t that much bigger than the one we have here. On the way home we stopped in Scotts Valley at Dawgs and got some hot dogs, I had two Groupons that were going to expire at the end of this month. I decided to get the Italian one with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, why didn’t I just get a plain hotdog?? We also got fried pickles and their homemade potato chips which really aren’t that great, the potato chips that is.

Thursday my aunt and I went to the movies to see War horse, it was a really good movie. I cruised home with my aunt and then went back downtown to meet Teresa at the post office to send my brother and asked her bed control so he can rig my bed so I can control it from the computer and I sent back a couple of electric throws that I ordered that were the wrong ones, actually the ones I like they don’t make anymore… figures. I met her back here and she took down most of the Christmas decorations, it always looks so bare in my living room without all the decorations. Heather came over and cooked a bunch of amazing smelling food, I can’t wait to dig into it.

Friday is always a great day. It starts off with a massage, personal care, a nice long hot bath, back to bed to relax for a while and then a game of cribbage with family and friends. Tonight we had 84 bean soup, whatever it’s called… it was really good. I usually lay out $5, I lost all but one and then won it all back… it was a great evening.

Saturday was such a nice and relaxing day. I laid on my side, I think I stayed up too long on Wednesday and Thursday. I slept most of the day, it was so relaxing and nice. I watch the hangover part 2 and it was okay but it really didn’t make me laugh out loud or anything. I downloaded about 4 movies last night so if I can’t sleep tonight I will just watch movies. Jess took Robby and I don’t know what they did but he’s sleeping peacefully, except for the occasional squeals and twitches… I always wonder if he’s having a bad dream or a good dream, I hope it’s a good one.

Sunday I really didn’t plan on staying in bed but it couldn’t be helped, sometimes my morning care just takes too long. It was so beautiful outside. Tomorrow I am out of here!

Forgot to post for a while...

2011-12-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Monday was hopefully the last day I have to stay in bed. The visiting nurse didn’t come until 1 o’clock and Daniel was coming to fix my chair at 3:30 PM, he is always early. The nurse said everything looked really good and I think they’re getting ready to release me… yay finally! I was hoping that I would be able to get up by Thanksgiving and it’s going to come true. Kelly and I picked a date for our road trip from here to Florida, where her and Tom live, and back. She is going to get here on Wednesday, February 15 and we’re going to leave on Saturday the 18th, I am so excited and I think were going to have a lot of fun. Karen agreed to come with us so we don’t have to find a caregiver in every state that we stop. Heather came over and made a bunch of food for me yesterday, it smelled so good I wanted to eat it all right then. She brought over this savory mushroom bread pudding from work that was AWESOME!

"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies, it comes from the love in my dog's eyes." ~ unknown

Tuesday I kept trying to decide if I want to do all of my personal care and take a bath today or tomorrow. Luckily I picked today because tomorrow they are FINALLY going to come and replace my mattress with the new one, I ordered the 7th of last month and they told me it would take 3 to 5 days… isn’t that the way it usually goes? Anyways it will be nice to get up tomorrow and take Robbie for a really long needed cruise. It’s going to be cold but we will just have to find a way to do it.

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and Dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” ~ Robert Heinlein

Wednesday I finally got to get up and it felt great. I thought it was going to be cold but it was actually pretty warm. Robby and I cruised through the lagoon and to the end of the wharf and back twice. We came back and Teresa waxed my face and then put me to bed.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and all I could think about all day was stuffing and mashed potatoes. I got up just in time to cruise over to my uncles house for dinner, unfortunately I didn’t get to run Robby and I couldn’t take him with me because my cousin had his dog over there and they have never met before. The food was amazing. The turkey was so moist, the stuffing was awesome, mashed potatoes and gravy were killer, she made spinach with bacon and cheddar cheese and cauliflower with cheddar cheese. They wanted to eat early so they could go to a friends house and watch a football game so Karen and I came back and she put me to bed. She was going to go home but it was getting late, dark and cold so she decided to stay here.

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda Radner

Friday was another day of personal care but I got a nice long hot bath and I feel rested and comfortable. My brother Stanley, his wife and daughter are coming down to spend the weekend so I’m glad I got everything done today. I really need to take Robby out for a nice long cruise.

Saturday Teresa called me at 7 AM say that she wasn’t coming in, she was really dizzy and shouldn’t be doing anything. I ended up just staying in bed and visiting with my family. They went and got me a tree and decorated my house, I can’t wait to get up tomorrow and check it out… I am just love Christmas. It sounds like my Modesto family is going to be here for Christmas, I am so excited. Corinne is going to stay the week after Christmas, it will be awesome to spend some time with her. We ended up playing cribbage for the 2nd night in a row, Janet was my partner both nights and we kick their butts.

Sunday was a great day. I got to get up in the weather outside was gorgeous. I decided to run Robby and meet my sister-in-law at Costco, I need to find a tree topper but we didn’t have any luck there and we needed to get back because they had to leave. I think I’ll try cost plus and while I’m there I might as well look around Ross and see what they have. While I was eating my chicken bake from Costco yesterday another one of my teeth broke. I’m going to try to get a dentist appointment today but it’s not hurting so tomorrow is more likely. I came home and Heather was cooking a bunch of stuff, I haven’t seen her much lately and I really miss her. While I was eating my chicken bake from Cosco I felt something funny in my mouth and sure enough I broke another tooth, they just seem to be breaking like chalk these days. Luckily it was time to go to bed and it wasn’t that noticeable from the outside, I just couldn’t help but play with it all night long.

Monday 1st thing I made an appointment for Tuesday at the dentist, luckily they know me and my brittle teeth so they got me in right away. I decided to get all my personal care and bath done on Monday so I would be ready to go on Tuesday. It was a nice relaxing day in bed.

Tuesday Karen got me up really quick. I actually had time to make a couple of phone calls before I had to leave for the dentist. The weather turned out to be just beautiful so Robby and I cruised down to the dentist office. We had to pass by the occupy Santa Cruz campsites and it was a little embarrassing. I got to the dentist and she cleaned my teeth and took x-rays. The doctor looked at my tooth and told me I would have to come back the next day to get the tooth fixed so Robby and I cruised back. I got home and the housekeeper still did not clean my room or my bathroom but I had to get to bed so Karen can go home. Teresa called in sick to Karen was waiting for me so she could put me to bed and go home. The housekeepers tried to knock on my door to say they were ready to clean my room and I guess I just snapped and said we’re going to have to miss my room again and this was their last day cleaning my house. The schedule is just not right and I keep having to get my room skipped plus I have everything meticulously placed in my room so it is where I need it when I need it and my caregivers know where that is so I’m just going to have them cleaned my house. I went to bed and my uncle brought over some split pea soup, he’s upstairs right now doctoring it up with my mom but I’m waiting patiently.

Wednesday I got up and went through my Christmas decorations and lights and got some stuff together for my cousin and his family. I was glad to get rid of a lot of stuff that I got rid of, I would have gotten rid of it before but it was easier to get rid of knowing it was going to my cousin… I hate getting rid of my stuff. I went back to the dentist to get my tooth that broke replaced and when I got back I had a house full of people decorating, I just love Christmas.

Thursday I ended up staying in bed all day, mostly on my side. I just got my new mattress about a week before but my pressure sore turned into a deep tissue wound, that’s what the visiting nurse called it. She came over here ready to release me and when she felt my new mattress she said it was no better than the old one so she was on the phone all night and got it set up so that they were going to bring me a mattress that will work for me. This is getting to be ridiculous.

Friday Karen got me up by 10 o’clock when the hill-rom technician got here. He said that the new mattress, the one he had installed a week ago, is bottoming out where my bottom is an recommended I get a different kind of mattress. Unfortunately the one that I need they don’t sell anymore, it’s only for the rentals. It looks like I’m buying all whole new bed that will come with the right mattress, the sales guy promised me several times I would not bottom out on this new mattress in this new frame. It also has a scale so I can weigh myself, I have always wanted that option. Hopefully I can pick a weight that I like for me and by being weighed every day I can keep it at that. I met Theresa and her classmates at the red room for appetizers, what a neat group of people. I met one of them before because he works there at the red room and I met another one that came to help Teresa clean my house one time. I came home and Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played a couple games of cribbage… I lost a dollar.

Saturday was a great day of shopping and eating. I had some groupuns that were about to expire. Teresa came in the morning and got me up and I took Robby for a run on our usual route and then met Teresa at cost plus. We found some more ornaments for my tree and some hats, scarves and slipper boots. I cruised Robby back through town and we met at this Indian restaurant, I’m so glad we went there because the food was awesome. We went to American apparel, urban outfitters and a couple of other places and it was getting really close to Robby’s dinnertime so we decided to use our last groupon and go home. The last place was also downtown and it was kind of an appetizer/drink place. We were really hungry but we ordered a bacon hamburger and fries and it was excellent. While we were sitting there our neighbors, Alex and Aki came by and saw us in the window and decided to join us. I don’t think they cooked the hamburgers there because the guy that brought them came from behind me and I had my back to the exit, I didn’t realize that until after when Teresa brought it up. I’m going to have to go back and figure out where they could have come from. Both places that we ate at will definitely be going back to.

Sunday was another personal care day although we didn’t get very good results I ended up staying in bed. My pressure sore turned into a deep tissue wound but was looking much better with this new mattress. I did get a nice long hot bath and went back to bed, that always feels great.

Monday we decided to try the personal care again since we didn’t have any results on Sunday, it turned out to be a good day. Heather came over and cooked a bunch of wonderful stuff, it smelled so awesome and here.

The boss isn’t always right but she’s always the boss! 

Tuesday I took Robbie for a really long cruise through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf and back and we started down towards the boardwalk but it was just too cold so we came back home. We practiced a few commands and then when Teresa got here we went to the Indian restaurant again, that place is awesome. Teresa had garlic pasta with artichokes and shrimp and I had pomegranate egg plant with rice that was cooked perfectly and greens. After that we went over to the shoe and sock place and got my mom some ankle socks for Christmas… I hope you’re not reading this mom.

Gossip is when you hear something you like about someone you don’t !?!

Wednesday Teresa and I went shopping at the world market to look for a tree topper, we didn’t find one but we found a lot of other cool stuff and isn’t that what shopping is all about?

Thursday I ended up waiting for the visiting nurse so I didn’t get up.

Friday was miserable. I was miserable all Thursday night and woke up Friday with a really bad headache every time I had a spasm. I pretty much lived on PMs most of the day.

Saturday I went to see the frog and toad on the UCSC campus with my aunt, my cousins girl Alexia and her friend. It was really warm and I was having an anxiety attack but the play was awesome.

Sunday Robby and I cruised around for a while but it was really cold so we had to come back and warm-up every once in a while. Teresa and I had some awesome Chinese food and watched a movie called the help, 2nd time I had seen it.

Monday was also really cold but we cruised around anyway. When it was too cold to cruise around anymore we came back and waited for Karen to finish cleaning the house so I could go to bed. We ordered pizza, Buffalo wings and garlicky bread and watched the movie the help, excellent movie. We then attempted to watch bag of bones but I fell asleep.

Tuesday I went to go get my hair dyed and get a manicure and pedicure, it turned out really nice. As I was cruising down by the boardwalk a couple of young girls walked by and one of them said “is that Robby”? I said yes it was and it seems like everybody knows Robby. She was one of the visiting nurses daughters and has seen pictures of Robby on Facebook.

Wednesday after we did the personal care the nurse called and said that she would be here at 2:30 PM, not much point in getting out and I would not have had anybody to put me down that early so another day in bed, at least I got a nice hot bath.

Back in bed for a couple of days…

2011-11-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

Monday turned out to be a really slow day for personal care so I doubted I would be able to get up but I did. I thought we got everything done yesterday so I could get up early today but it didn’t work out that way… at least I got up. I went to take Robby for really long cruise and I ran into Otis in the yard so I talked to him for a while. He had 3 of his dogs with him so he showed me their Halloween costumes, they all look so cute. I told him about wanting to put planter boxes in the front yard to grow my own vegetables next summer and he thought that was a great idea. He is such a sweet man. Robby and I went on through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf and back, through the boardwalk where we stopped for a while because it was so beautiful and so deserted, down the river and to Ross. I was going to go in Ross and look around but I got such a late start I decided I better just get home and I will check out Ross tomorrow, that way if I find anything I cannot do without I can have Teresa meet me there. I cruised back home through town and got back just in time to go to bed.

Tuesday I got up and took off to my appointment at Claudius for manicure and pedicure, it has been almost a month. I stopped and talked to my uncle for a bit and as I was cruising towards my appointment, which was at 11 AM, my mom texted me and said Claudia called to see if I can, at 12 PM instead. I decided to go down to the end of the wharf and lay back and watch the ocean, it is so gorgeous there. I heard a voice behind me, sounded very intoxicated, saying “oh what a beautiful dog you are, are you friendly” I said “I’m sorry he’s working” I heard the footsteps getting closer and I could see him petting Robby so I said, as I was sitting up in my chair because I knew he wasn’t hearing me “he’s supposed to ignore people when he’s working” I sat up and rolled away. I decided to cruise down by the Boardwalk and try laying back again. After a couple of minutes I heard another intoxicated voice saying “what a beautiful dog, are you going to bite me” again I said, knowing it probably wouldn’t do any good “I’m sorry he’s working” I heard the intoxicated voice say as I was sitting up again “you look too friendly to bite” again I said “he supposed to ignore people when he’s working” as I sat up and rolled away I heard him say “you take care of your mom.” It is so frustrating that I can’t get people to listen to me. I went to my appointment at Claudius and then took Robby for a cruise and then went back home.

Wednesday I got up and took Robby for our regular long cruise and decided I’m not going to stop anywhere I think I will be approached, I have to lay back 15 min. out of every hour so it’s really hard. I try to put Robby in the corner or up against a wall so nobody sees him. There’s so many intoxicated/on drugs people and people who don’t put their dogs on a leash that it’s really hard to keep Robby’s attention from straying, we are trying really hard. I came back home and Teresa brought some buffalo wings from wing stop, plain ones, Parmesan and lemon pepper ones, french fries and for some reason they give you carrots and celery… I can’t imagine anybody eating the carrots and celery, we never do. Teresa put me to bed and my mom and I played cribbage with my uncle and aunt and Lee and Claudia, I lost $4.

Thursday was kind of a bummer day. On Wednesday morning for some reason it took us a really long time to get my back brace in place that we had to redo it a bunch of times. In order to put in my back brace I have to lean forward and we put it down my back. Apparently by doing it so many times we rubbed in bruise on my back. It’s not a good thing but it really won’t hurt anything, it just takes a couple days to heal and go away. Personal care took a really long time but at the end of it I got a nice long hot bath and went back to bed, I’m usually exhausted with the personal care takes that long so I was ready to relax and watch TV.

Friday was of course my weekly massage, it always feels so good. I decided to just stay in bed because the visiting nurse was supposed to be here at 11 AM, of course it was almost noon when she got here. She didn’t have very good news, I’m back to staying off my butt as much as possible. I guess when you get older your skin gets thinner and hopefully this isn’t a preview of what is to come.

Saturday was supposed to be my support group meeting. Of course the visiting nurse and Teresa said that I should not go so I missed another one, I hope more people showed up this time. I have a couple of groupon's that expired today said Theresa went out and got lunch for everyone. The rest of the day was just flipping from one side to the other and me flipping out, it is so frustrating but you got a do what you got to do. Hopefully I’ll be okay by Thanksgiving.

Sunday was another long personal-care day spent in bed. I do love to get a nice long hot bath before I go back to bed but it would be even nicer to get up and out of here, I’m sure Robby agrees. Thankfully it was cold and rainy all day. Heather came over and cooked a bunch of stuff, the smell of everything she cooks is also a treat when I have to stay in bed but I want to eat EVERYTHING right now.

An awesome visit from my brother David and his son JohnPatrick…

2011-11-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

Monday I got up and JohnPatrick and I took Robby for a cruise over to the wharf and back, JohnPatrick is so smart he just amazes me. We got back and decided after hanging out for a while and order pizza, pizza is always good.

Tuesday was a day for just hanging out and having fun. Stanley was supposed to come down and stay for a couple days but he wasn’t able to make it. We decided to order Mexican food, David and I decided to split one, my mom got cheese enchiladas and JohnPatrick got chicken nachos.

Wednesday I got up and Teresa took me to get my mammogram, It went really smooth and fast, 1st time ever I think because of all the maneuvering we usually have to do. I came back and just wasn’t feeling very good. We were supposed to go out to dinner with my aunt and uncle so I stuck it out but it just felt awful, after I got home Teresa told me that I should have taken Xanax because even if I didn’t notice it the mammogram is a lot of trauma to your body. We went to the wooden nickel in Watsonville and have an awesome meal, even though I brought three quarters of mine home. I think EVERYTHING at the wooden nickel is killer. David decided to leave on Wednesday evening instead of Thursday morning because there was more flights and he really needed to get home by Friday.

Thursday I got up and took Robbie for a nice long cruise through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf and back and through the boardwalk. We stopped on the boardwalk for a while to just watch the ocean and enjoy the beautiful day, it was perfect. We came back and Teresa brought me some noodles from Hong Kong Charlie’s, my favorite is pad Thai with garlic tofu. After that we went to the post office to mail something to my brother David, of course the package that we ordered got here the day after he left. Part of it was to be left here and part of it to be shipped to him.

Friday my morning routine took so long and I was so exhausted I just went back to sleep, I didn’t even take a bath. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage and I did pretty good again. Karen Mason gingersnap cookies and we usually have a lot of snacks, although I try to stay away from them.

Saturday I got up and took Robbie for a next or long cruise, we haven’t been able to go very long cruises lately so we took advantage of today. I was going to stop at pet Smart to get a soft rubber brush for Robby but by the time I got down there I forgot. We came back and practiced some of our commands and Robby did really good. I was down for 3 weeks and we seem to have had company a lot so we neglected our commands and I thought I was going to be sorry but Robbie is always such a trooper.

"We try to replace them but never quite succeed. A new Dog never replaces an old Dog, it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many Dogs, your heart is very big”

Sunday was a really long and miserable day, we barely got time to do the morning routine and take a bath, I think Karen went home at 6 PM. She did make these really cool pinwheel things that we saw on the Pillsbury site. You just roll out the croissants and put bacon, cheese, green onions and it says to put ranch dressing on it but that didn’t sound good so we just left out the dressing. They were really awesome, while we were looking we found a recipe to make stuffed crust pizza. Pillsbury has a dough for pizza crust so you print that out and let it hang over the pan a little bit and then string cheese and put it around the edge and then cover it. Then you put on the marinara sauce and then you put on any toppings that you want, it looks awesome and we are going to try it.

Halloween and brothers…

2011-11-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

Monday started off really boring. Teresa came over in the morning to get me some breakfast and coffee. Karen didn’t come in until 1 PM because we were going to get dressed and go downtown for the evening, Halloween downtown in Santa Cruz is always an experience. Cassy came over to hang out for a while, it was really good to see her. Karen came in about 1 PM and started getting me dressed for Halloween. My plan was to be a convict in a electric chair but things started not working out so I was just a convict. I bought some black and white striped boots to go with my outfit and they wouldn’t fit, I got some leg warmers with straps on them but they were too tight around my leg bag, we didn’t have time to put the lights around my head but everything else looked great. We put the convicts Costume on Robbie with a hat that said “bad dog” everybody just loved it and thought he was so cute. We went down to the Palomar and had dinner, checked out the costumes for a while, listen to the music and then came home. It was a really nice evening.

"I explained it to St. Peter, I'd rather stay here Outside the pearly gate. I won't be a nuisance, I won't even bark, I'll be very patient and wait, I'll be here, chewing on a celestial bone, No matter how long you may be. I'd miss you so much, if I went in alone, It wouldn't be heaven for me." ~Unknown Poet

Tuesday was a mess. I have a Mac so I needed to install this thing called the lion but in order to install the lion you needed to 1st install the snow leopard. Luckily Karen was here and did all this for me. Now that I have upgraded that my DragonDictate needed to be updated so I had to call and do that. Then the buttons on my trackball got all messed up and when I tried to go in and change that they wanted me to install a driver, which I tried to 3 times and they’re still not working. It’s one of the buttons that I use A lot, especially to play words with friends. Thank goodness my brother will be here in a couple of days.

Wednesday I got out and Robbie and I went for an extra long cruise, through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf and back, through the boardwalk, down the river, I even braved it and went across the red steel bridge and back, down to Ross and back through town. I couldn’t believe how crowded it was at the wharf in the middle of the week but then I remembered everybody is watching for the whales. I had a couple of people ask me if they have been cited already got morning, I saw a picture on Facebook of one of them before I left. I didn’t stay on the wharf for very long because it was just way too crowded and hard to see anything. I came back home and my neighbors left me about for big beautiful stock’s of brussels sprouts, they looks so fresh. She makes tamales and I buy some from her every Saturday but the last couple of Saturdays I haven’t seen her very much. Apparently she got a job which is awesome, I am so happy for her. I’ll still get my tamales when I can.

Thursday I got up and took Robbie to the vet for a follow-up appointment, his itching is almost gone and there is no more yeast. After that we cruise down to the wharf and sat there for a long time, it is such a beautiful view. We cruise down through the vacant Boardwalk, down the river and back through town. I came back home and watch Teresa start to take down my Halloween decorations, goodbye until next year. Next weekend will be putting up Thanksgiving decorations, I need to call Melissa and see if she will come and take my Windows. I got some really bad news tonight, it’s just for breaking. A friend of the family, Steve, is on hospice daily and is basically than just living on pain meds. Steve’s wife, Elaine, was my boss for over 10 years until my injury. Steve has come down here a couple of times and stayed for a while and that’s when I really got to know him, he is an awesome man. I remember we had a surprise party for him a year ago and they didn’t expect to live very long than, he is very strong. We got to be really good friends and him going to be very sad when I hear that he’s gone.

True friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest... It's about who came, and never left your side..." - Unknown

Friday was a little colder but not raining so Robbie and I took advantage of it and went out for a long cruise. 1 min. it would be nice and warm and then the next minute the sun went behind the clouds and it would be cold. We managed to make it through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf where we sat and looked out for a long time, through the deserted boardwalk, down the river to Ross and back through town. As we were cruising along the river a guy came by on a bicycle and he was practically laying down flat and peddling with his arms. He asked me if I how spinal cord injury and when I said yes he asked me what level I was and I told him I was C6, he said he was C67 but gained a lot back. I talked to him for a while and told him that we had a support group that met at Dominican rehab the 3rd Saturday of every month and it would be nice to see him there. He said that him and Roger started a support group several years back but people just quit coming to the decided to call it quits, I told him I hoped we didn’t have to do that again but it’s kind of looking like that. I will keep offering people food and hopefully they will keep showing up. We are talking about having some guest speakers so hopefully that will bring people in. Robbie and I cruised back home and watched Karen and Teresa put away almost all of the rest of the Halloween decorations. Heather came over and made us these absolutely killer crab and shrimp filo cups. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played about 4 games of cribbage and I want every single game, I love winning!

Saturday by personal care took a really long time but I expected it to so I got it out of the way and got to have a nice long hot bath so I can get up tomorrow and spend it with my brother and my nephew. My brother and my nephew are coming tonight instead so I am excited. They’re going to stay until Wednesday or Thursday. Stanley is going to come down on Tuesday and stay for a couple of days also, it will be nice to be all together again.

Sunday was Robby’s 4th birthday. I hung out with my brother and my nephew and the day went by way too fast. John Patrick and I took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon, we even went on the boardwalk over the water. Uncle Dick made some killer stew and brought over that and some really soft French bread, I ate way too much but it was awesome.

I'm out of here...

2011-10-31T05:50:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be a pretty good day. I flipped from side to side until the nurse got here at 3 PM. She said I looked great and I could start getting up on Wednesday for a couple of hours, I was so excited until I got a call reminding me that Dr. Owens is coming over on Wednesday for a home visit. I think I’m going to try to get out for a couple of hours today at lease to run Robby, that is what I miss the most. My brother David e-mailed me and said that him and his son were going to come and visit November 6th, I’m really going to try to be a more while they’re here. My new mattress is on his way, it should be just a couple of days. What a great day!

Tuesday was a day that I have been waiting for for three weeks, my first day up and out of this bed. It was only for two hours but it was great to be out. I cruised over to the boardwalk, which was almost totally empty, and just sat there and stared at the ocean, it was so beautiful. It got to be a little cold so I taxed Teresa, who was here, and asked her if she wanted to go somewhere and get something to eat. Unfortunately she was cooking bacon so I headed home. When I got to the war the right leg of my chair popped off, luckily Teresa duct taped it so it didn’t fall completely off. I came back home slowly watching my leg so it didn’t come completely off. Well, almost a perfect day. I turned on the headlight on my chair because it was getting dark and as I came up the driveway the lights on the van started blinking, at first I thought Teresa was in it because I text her to tell her I was limping home but then I saw her in the kitchen. What a cool feature on the van. Hopefully ATG will have my parts in and I can go back out on Saturday. At least I got some bacon when I came back home.

Wednesday was just a really anxiety filled day for me, I don’t know why. It seemed like my body was twitching all day and I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. Of course I ran out of my anxiety pills and I was afraid to call them in for a refill because I have been using them a lot and I didn’t want my doctor to think I was getting addicted or anything. I remember when I was in Seton I took one every day and that was for three months, this has only been three weeks, and I never got addicted. My doctor is coming to see me today so hopefully she can see that I’m not addicted to anything.

Thursday turned out to be a pretty good day. I didn’t plan on getting up but Friday night Teresa said she would be here at 1:30 PM so I could get up at 11 a.m. and she will put me back to bed before the visiting nurse got here. It was such a beautiful day outside so Robby and I cruised through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf, through the vacant boardwalk, back to the end of the wharf and then back home. I stopped a bunch of times just to look, I have forgotten how beautiful everything in Santa Cruz is. It felt really great to be out again and I can’t wait until I don’t have to come back home until it’s time to go to bed. The visiting nurse came in and said that everything looked great and I can get up every day now for a couple of hours.

Friday was a really long and boring day. The newest girl came in the morning so I didn’t even get to turn all day until Teresa got here at 5 PM, by then I was so bored and going crazy. Teresa turned me for a while but then had to put me back on my back because it was cribbage night. Lee and Claudia, my aunt and uncle and my mom and I played and I lost three dollars. I couldn’t keep my eyes open so we quit after three games. Teresa brought Halloween cookies and they were pretty good. The good news is everything is looking great and I get to get up for a couple of hours tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be beautiful but Santa Cruz is probably going to be crowded. I can’t wait to get up and out of here.

Saturday I had planned on getting out but after doing the morning care I was so exhausted I just wanted to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed. My neighbors were having a Halloween party, they always have the best parties, and I was really looking forward to going but I ended up doing nothing.

Sunday I really did too much and wore myself out. After I got dressed I ran Robby downtown and met Teresa for shopping, I needed some new slippers because everybody is getting tired of looking at the same ones I wear every day... I was told this. Then Robby and I ran down and met Teresa at the Halloween store to see what they had, they didn’t have much. Robby and I then met her at Ross and we found some more slippers. We were supposed to go to Trader Joe’s and CVS but I was exhausted and still needed to drive my chair back home, I don’t know how I did it but I did it. I ended up staying up two hours longer than I had intended and although I had a great time I really need to stick more to the schedule. It was an awesome day.

Getting closer and closer...

2011-10-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Monday I stayed in bed again. I got a nice long hot bath and that felt great, I’m not as anxious about staying in bed anymore... getting used to and I guess but I can’t wait to get up and out again. The visiting nurse today was Brigitte and it was really great to see her, she was my visiting nurse two years ago when I got out of Seton and was nursing my pressure sore. I didn’t sleep much but I was very comfortable. I decided to switch sleeping on my sides during the day and lay on my back that night, but I have to lay flat. My body is getting really tired of being on my side and after a couple of hours I’m starting to sweat and get really uncomfortable.

A Dog’s Plea
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for although I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps falls upon my waiting ear.
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.
Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.
And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.
Author Unknown

Tuesday nothing has really changed, still in bed but getting closer to getting up. Teresa brought some pork tacos and they were awesome. Brigitte, a visiting nurse that came to see me two years ago came to see me again... it was really great to see her.

Wednesday I kind of expected see a visiting nurse but no one called, I want them to tell me that I can get up in my chair for a least a couple of hours... I would be out of your and enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having. We use the electrodes on my back, my butt and my legs. I’m trying to do ever I can to get back into shape for driving my chair. Also doing neck and arm exercises. I will be ready when the time comes.

Thursday was just another day in paradise. Teresa noticed the night before that Robby has a bunch of sores on his belly so we decided we’d better take him to the vet first thing in the morning. Usually they let us drop him off and they will call us when it’s time to get him but they made Karen wait there while they ran a bunch of tests. Is that right levels are low and he was a little bit dehydrated, this puppy drinks a TON of water. They had already tested it before I wanted to test it again and then thinking about putting him on allergy shots... $400 later Karen came back just in time to go home. Teresa got here just as Karen was leaving. Kathy, the wound care nurse called and said she was on her way and the rotor router guy came to fix the sink. Kathy didn’t really give me any indication when I can start getting up for a couple of hours so I guess I just wait and see. I’m waiting for a good clock so I can order some night owl cookies, they come nice and warm and they are so good.

"I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY"   Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.  I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.  As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.  She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.  Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.  I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.  I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.  I rescued a human today." ~by Janine Allen

Friday was massage Day and boy did I need it after being stuck in bed for over two weeks. Unfortunately my massage therapists is going on vacation for two weeks so I don’t know if I should ask somebody else or just skip it, I’m really hoping that I’m out of here by Friday.

Saturday was pretty much the same thing except I got to take a nice long hot bath. I can’t wait to get out and cruise around even if it’s only for a couple of hours.

Sunday Karen brought Juno and Lucy, her two cats, so that Teresa could cut their toenails. Teresa made a ravioli lasagna and some garlic bread, it was the best thing I have had for a long time.

Getting closer to freedom...

2011-10-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Monday was just another day of staying in bed. I just about think that I’m going to go crazy and then I remember the days when I was in Seton Hospital eating nothing but oatmeal, cottage cheese and tuna fish sandwiches. It was always so cold and there and I had to watch the same stupid television programs over and over. I guess it’s not so bad here in.

Tuesday was yet another day of staying in bed. I’m trying to eat a lot of protein and drink a lot of tea. The visiting nurses are supposed to come by today and check it out, I hope it’s good news. Teresa and Karen have been on top of everything and taking really good care of me, I don’t know what I would do without them. Jess, Teresa’s boyfriend, has been taking Robby to play with their animals and for long walks.

Wednesday was pretty much the same old thing, laying on my right side until I can’t stand it anymore, two hours on my back and and then back on my left side. It is getting better but it takes a long.

Thursday was the same thing all over again. Thank God for Jess and Teresa for taking Robby to the beach every day to play and thank God for Karen for putting up with my crankiness and. Nothing really exciting happened.

Friday was the same old thing BUT my family came down from Modesto. It was really great to see them and they took turns keeping me company, I hope it wasn’t too cranky. Corinne brought one of her friends, Jordan, to hang out at the Boardwalk with. I have some coupons for some free movie rentals so that kept them pretty busy.

Saturday was my support group Halloween party, I was really sad that I had to miss that. Teresa went to drop off some stuff for me and ended up staying in talking to everybody. Then Robby visited with some patients, she took him to the beach and then came back. My brother barbecued ribs and steak and made some brussels sprouts with bacon and some asparagus, it was awesome. Oh he also made egg and bacon omelette’s and toast for breakfast.

Sunday was the same old thing again, flipping from side to side. For some reason my body REALLY hate being on my left side and after a couple of hours I start sweating and I just can’t stand it any longer. We ordered pizza from Woodstock and my family left for home. I am thankful that I am at home instead of at Seton. They’re coming out on Tuesday to reevaluate my bed and get the low loss air flow mattress I should’ve gotten a couple of years ago. The pressure sores started I’m sure from having too much air in my cushion and then I thought it would be better staying in bed but when the nurse felt the mattress she said it was just making it worse.

Will I ever get out of this bed...

2011-10-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Monday was such a great day. It started out kind of sad because Kelly took Bailey to the vet and found out that he had a heart murmur and bladder stones, she was so sad I wanted to cry with her. We decided to go ahead and go to the Monterey Bay aquarium, we wanted to go there all summer. Before we went into the aquarium we found a restaurant on the Bay simply called C and decided to give it a try, there are restaurants inside the aquarium but the restaurant was so beautiful and had such a great view that we decided to go in and try. It’s a good thing we did because the food was AWESOME, Kelly as a chef and she was very impressed and that says a lot to me. We sat down and looked out the window and watched a couple of otters playing in the water. They brought us some herb bread with goat cheese butter and olive oil drizzled on top, so good. We started with a crab cake with balsamic onions beets white truffle vinaigrette. I had rock shrimp, artichoke, spinach, goat cheese and crispy potatoes and Kelly had local smoked sardines, sundried tomatoes and toasted bread crumbs. That right there made the trip worthwhile, although it only took about 50 minutes to get there so we will definitely go back next year... at least once. We went to the aquarium and did the full loop and took lots of pictures. We went shopping at a little place called “after the quake” and got some really cute stuff. I got a couple of Christmas ornaments, one a really cool angel made out of shells and the other was a starfish with sunglasses, a little bikini... the top of the bikini was made out of shells, some big sunglasses and a surfboard. I also got some seahorse earrings and a matching necklace for my mom and got blown wine bottle collapsed and fold it in half with a Tuscany picture on the front, it looks perfect in my kitchen. It started to rain on the way back so we stopped and got a soy mocha and waited for the rain to die down. On the way back a friend of mine text me and said that there was a bus accident in Marina and would probably slow us way down, there’s really only one way to get from there to here but it was definitely all worth it.

Tuesday was really sad because Kelly was leaving. My mom woke up with a flooded bathroom so we called out the plumber, that was expensive but everything is working now. We visited for most of the day and then Kelly left, very sad. The time usually does go by very fast and her and Tom will be back before we know it, probably around June.

Wednesday my personal care took a long time so I just took a hot bath and went back to bed. I wouldn’t have been able to get up anyway because my wheelchair was in getting a tune up. I wanted to make sure that everything was tightened up and the legs were going to fall off while I was out and about by myself. Teresa brought some boneless wings from wing stop and some french fries, they were really good. Teresa and Karen started decorating for Halloween, I can’t wait to get up tomorrow to see what they did.

Thursday I was so excited to get up and be able to get outside. Unfortunately it rained practically all day. I saw the sun come out so Robby and I made a break for it and went for a cruise, after a while it started raining so we came home. A couple hours later the sun peeked out again so we once again made a break for it. While cruising we found a really cool stick with a bunch of Moss on it, I’m into collecting cool sticks for my air plant terrariums. It was really wet and Robby didn’t like the feel of it in his mouth, I have to have him pick them up and put them on my lap, so he tried to scrape off the moss. He finally got it in my lap and it was soggy and gross but we made it home with a perfect stick. We went out for another cruise and then came home and watched Teresa and Karen decorates the more for Halloween, my house looks so awesome.

"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, Filling an emptiness we don't even know we have." ~ Thom Jones

Friday I got my massage and decided to stay in bed for another day, my pressure sores are getting better but it just takes time and it’s very boring staying in bed all the time. Of course the weather is beautiful outside today.

Saturday was another day stuck in bed. To me the pressure sore doesn’t look that bad and I usually heal very quickly but I have to remember that I’m getting older and skinnier so I just have to treat it like it’s really bad.

Sunday I stayed in bed again and Karen called in sick so Teresa came in to take care of me. Dr. Owens came over to look at it today, and brought the puppies to play, and said that Theresa was doing the right thing and that she would have home health care come out and look at it tomorrow. Thank God I have Teresa and Dr. Owens. It looks like I’m going to be stuck in bed, on my side for a while. Lots of protein and good thoughts.

Will I ever get out of this bed...

2011-10-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

Monday started out to be a really bad day and ended up being a really good day. Kelly and I were going to go have sushi and then go to the movies to see “crazy stupid love”, it looked like a really good movie. When Karen was cleaning Robby’s ears he yelped and then was shaking his head so I decided I better get him to the vet quick. I called and they said they had an appointment in 15 minutes so I jammed down there, Kelly and Bailey went with us for moral support... Bailey was so thrilled that nobody was poking him. After that we went to the bank to get a cashiers check so the guy could start working on the additions to my back porch, I am so excited and wanted to do this for a long time. He’s going to put a sink, a pass-through to the kitchen window, some shelves, some drawers, lights and the big heat lamp... I will be able to sit outside even when it’s cold. Kelly rode her bike and we decided to go down to Charlie Hong Kong’s and get some noodles, as usual they were awesome. On the way back we stopped at the battery and got cupcakes and coffee mocha drinks, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

Tuesday the weather was beautiful. Years ago I had a support chat room on AOL and I met a lot of great people. One guy I met named Jesse lived in Washington and we always got along really well. He has a sister that lives in Merced and one year he came to visit her so I drove up from San Jose to meet him and his family, a great bunch of people. He was a paraplegic injured when his seatbelt threw him out of the back window of a Hyundai, he had to wait several years for a settlement but finally got one. He was visiting his sister again in Merced and drove up here to Santa Cruz to see me. He got here and then we went to lunch and then he left, a short visit but very nice. I came back and took a nice long hot bath and went to bed, a really great day.

Wednesday was another long day but I got to take another bath, it felt so good. Kelly and her friend brought back some Indian food, it was really good.

Thursday I was supposed to go to San Francisco with Kelly, our last chance to go before she leaves, but I do have an open pressure sore on my butt so I thought it would be better to stay in bed before it got worse. My mom and Kelly went into San Jose saw was nice to have the house all to myself, I just rested all day and played words with friends.

Friday Kelly and I were going to go to Big Sur when Phil called to say he wanted to come and take some measurements, Phil is going to install a sink, counter, passed through to the kitchen, shelves and drawers outside on my patio... I am so excited, I have been wanting to do this for a long time. We went to the roadhouse restaurant and had a great meal, I had a calamari salad and Kelly had an heirloom tomato salad.

Saturday I was supposed to go to Los Gatos to meet a friend’s new baby twin girls but I was just miserable in my chair so I decided to go back to bed. I always miss the fun stuff. Teresa and Karen cleaning the garage and it looked awesome.

Sunday was another really long day with only a bath and then back to bed, getting really tired of this. Kelly made a killer blueberry scones, I saw her take some across the street so I snuck up and had Karen grab us a couple to have with our tea.

Tom leaving :0(

2011-09-27T22:49:00.000-07:00

Monday by the time we finished my personal care it was 12:30 PM and 91° outside so I decided to stay in bed, everybody said it was a great decision because it was miserable outside. It was nice to rest all day.

Tuesday I was up by 9:30 AM and ready to go. I had an appointment to get a manicure/pedicure at 11:30 AM so I wanted to take Robby for a cruise in case it was too hot after, it was supposed to be hotter than the day before. We cruised through the lagoon, past the lighthouse, to the end of the wharf and then over to sunshine Villa where I get my nails done. It was surprisingly cool and there was a nice breeze when we left so we were going to go for another cruise when Heather text me and asked if I wanted to go somewhere for lunch, of course I did. I was going to meet her at a Greek place when she texts me and said it was closed so we went to her favorite taco place, I was craving tacos anyway. Robby is barking in his sleep, is it a good dream or a bad dream? How are we supposed to know?

Wednesday I got up just in time to take Robby for a cruise while the housekeeper’s clean the house, they usually clean on Tuesdays but they had a mixup in their schedule so they wanted to skip us this week but I asked them to come a different day if they could because we are having a barbecue here the Saturday. I cruise around for a while and then came back and went to the Farmer’s market with Tom and Kelly, I just had to get some more of those roasted potatoes with Rosemary and lavender sea salt... the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had. After we came back Teresa brought us some hotdogs from some famous place in Watsonville. Her and I split one with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and one with guacamole, sour cream and salsa... both of them were awesome. We also tried fried pickles and homemade potato chips. My mom got one with sauerkraut and bacon and Tom and Kelly both got some kind of spicy sausage. I really need to start eating better again.

Thursday Tom, Kelly and I took the boys to San Francisco. I always love to go there and the weather was perfect. We got some Ramen noodle soup and Tom and Bailey sat outside for a while while Kelly and I got a “praised the lard” longsleeved shirt from a work company, I can’t remember the name. We also got some more of that killer orange and fennel salami and the couple different kinds of cheeses. We came back and Theresa put me to bed.

Friday I got my weekly massage, took a nice long hot bath and it just went back to bed to rest for the day.

Saturday we had a barbecue and Kelly cooked a ton of food, we will have leftovers for days but that is good. They invited several friends and it was a beautiful day, a little cold at times but they really have some awesome friends. Luckily I was able to be there... earlier I was going too fast out the door and the foot pedal off my chair jammed into the door. I practically ripped the door off the hinges and ripped a foot rest off my chair, luckily I had my braces and my boots on or I would have definitely broken my leg or ankle. I really need to slow down a little bit sometimes. I like him because he smiles at me and means it.

~Anonymous

Sunday we planned on having another puppy play date but that didn’t happen. I ended up staying in bed again because of another long drawn out personal care session. We did play cribbage with Lee and Claudia, my aunt and uncle and my mom and I broke even.

2011-09-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be another awesome day. I got up and it was already getting kind of warm so I took Robby through the lagoon, through the Lagoon Park, down past the lighthouse and back. On my way back I got a call from Tom saying “let’s go have soup”... that’s all I needed to hear. I have been hearing about this killer Artichoke and green chile soup that they have at Duarte’s Tavern in Pescadero for a long time, they put them both in one container. We went to pick up the soup and decided to go find a place on the beach to eat. We went to Pescadero State Beach and the weather was perfect, the sun was out but the wind kept it cool. We enjoyed the view and took a couple of pictures and decided to go to Pigeon Point lighthouse. They are in the process of restoring it and it looks so beautiful. We explored there a little bit and took some pictures and then headed home, what a great day!

Tuesday was another awesome day. Tom had plans with a friend so Kelly and I decided to go to San Francisco and spend the day. The weather was gorgeous, I was afraid it was going to be cold and windy. As we pulled up to the ferry building somebody was pulling away from a handicap parking place, how perfect is that? The first place we went is to a place called The slanted door, I have been there once before and Kelly has been there several times. We ordered the imperial roll and lemon grass pork and of course it was delicious. We wandered around for a while and I got a sweatshirt that says “praise the lard” from a pork company. We decided to get a couple of tarts, chocolate and sea salt and lemon, and some Vietnamese coffee... also very delicious. We got a fresh baguette, three different kinds of cheeses, salami and prosciutto and insulated bag from the cowgirl cheese Co. to go on a picnic the next day. We actually drove home and missed most of the traffic.

Wednesday morning it was cold and I just didn’t feel right. Kelly volunteered to redo my scarf valances, I have been really happy with them for a long time. I wanted to take Robby out for a cruise but I just didn’t feel good, I finally had Kelly take off my leg braces and then I felt better. I went to sit in the sun for a while, when I don’t feel good and my back is sweating for some reason when I sit in the sun it makes me feel better. After I fell better I took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon and down to the wharf. I came back and Teresa took me to Costco, I needed a bunch of stuff and I haven’t been there for a while. She put me to bed and I slept really good, Therese always makes me feel better.

Thursday was another really bad long day. I was supposed to go to Big Sur with Tom and Kelly, I have been looking forward to it for a while. I didn’t even get to take a bath because my personal care took so long. I just stayed in bed and rested. Teresa came over to give me a bath but I was too comfortable and she had homework so we decided to just feed me and call it a night. I get a massage on Friday and I need to take a bath after anyway. Yesterday Tom and Kelly got me some organic rotisserie chicken and organic fingerling potatoes with rosemary, lavender salt, they were so good. The same truck goes to San Francisco on Thursdays but there they have a roast that they make sandwiches out of.

Friday was yet another bad day, I hate it when you have more bad days than good ones. I guess as long as the good days outweigh the bad days and are really good then it’s worth it. We did get to play cribbage and that’s always a good thing.

Saturday was our monthly spinal cord injury peer support group meeting. It was only four people there but we really got to discuss a lot. There is a lot of plans that are very exciting. Roger is opening up a wheelchair clinic and they’re looking at a wound care clinic, both of which will be awesome. We talked about having a support group potluck next month, I don’t know why more people don’t come because there’s always lots of food but we always have a good time no matter how many people show up. This year I bought a convict outfit and I’m going to be a woman in the electric chair.

Sunday was another awesome day. Robby has not had Bella and Ozzy over for a play date in a very long time and he had such a good time. I set up the pool and of course Bella was the only one that got in and splashed around but I’m always hoping that Robby will jump in and see how much fun it can be. After they left Tom and Kelly rearranged my patio furniture so that there is more room on the patio and I have a table and chairs down by the van, that’s how I originally wanted it to be. We talk some more about the counter, sink, passed through to the kitchen, cupboards, drawers and shelves for the outside patio. Tom and Kelly are so creative and I’m excited to get started and see what it looks like.

Roaring Camp Railroad...

2011-09-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Monday was a holiday and another long morning for me so again I ended up staying in bed, my neck is really getting sore from staying in bed. My brother and his family left around noon so I just relaxed the rest of the day.

Tuesday was a busy day for everyone. Robby had a bath, the housekeeper’s were coming to clean and I had a dentist appointment. After my dentist appointment I met Tom and Kelly at the bagelry and had an everything bagel with light cream cheese, tomato and capers and some chai tea, my new favorites. I came back and waited for Robby and then we took a nice long cruise down past the lighthouse, it was so beautiful. It has been really warm here the last couple of days so it’s nice to go down by the lighthouse where there is a nice breeze. I came back and Tom, Kelly and I talked about what we wanted on the back porch. The last time we had a barbecue we talked about how nice it would be to have a sink and a pass-through from the kitchen to the porch. There’s not a lot of room but I do have a big Burrell table out there so we decided to incorporate that, it is going to look so awesome. We’re also going to put up some lights.

Wednesday again I ended up staying in bed. My personal care took a really long time and I was really wiped out. I did get to take a nice long hot bath and then just relax the rest of the day.

Thursday I got up and took Robby for a really long cruise through the lagoon, over to the lighthouse and down to the wharf. It was really warm out so it’s nice to get the breeze down by the lighthouse. I came back home and Teresa waxed Karen and I and then we went to Hong Kong Charlie’s to get some noodles, man that place is good. Tom joked about wanting a Slim Jim, a Moon pie and RC Cola instead of noodles so we ran around Santa Cruz to get him what he wanted, the Moon pie was the hardest to find.

Friday I got my much-needed massage, I love Fridays because I get a massage and I get to sleep in. I got up and ran Robby through the lagoon, down to the lighthouse, to the end of the wharf and back. Kelly and I went to see our idiot brother and then we were going to go have sushi but then decided to come back home and order pizza from Woodstock pizza, it was awesome. I wasn’t feeling very good and I think it’s because I haven’t been drinking very much water during the day or tea during the night and my urine was really dark, I think I’m getting a bladder infection. I went to bed and drink as much tea as I could hoping to flush it out.

Saturday was another long, exhausting morning and I just took a bath, went back to bed and rested.

Sunday was such an awesome day. Tom, Kelly and I decided to take the Roaring Camp Railroad ride. We have been trying to find a good day to do it for a long time, we got the tickets months ago. It looked overcast outside but it was really warm so we headed down to the boardwalk and waited by the carousel ride. At first we were thinking maybe they canceled the train again, we try to take it a couple of weeks ago and they canceled it, but pretty soon we saw it coming down the tracks... I was so excited to finally get to ride it. I was surprised how secure I felt in their wheelchair lift. The ride was as awesome as I had imagined, it was just so beautiful. The conductor explained a lot and was very funny. We were running late so we only had about half an hour to eat and we didn’t get to explore as much as we had liked. We boarded the train and headed for home. Such a great day.

Lots of down time...

2011-09-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Monday I had an appointment to FINALLY get my new tooth. The weather has been kind of cool but I really wanted to give Robby some much-needed exercise so we cruised down there. It took less than half an hour so Kelly met me at dig to get some more air plants and another hanging terrarium, that place is so awesome. Kelly suggested that I put some air plants in a fishing net that I have hanging outside my back porch, what a great idea. Robby and I cruised through the park, down the river, through the boardwalk, to the end of the wharf and back, through the lagoon and back home. When my caregiver got here we worked on Robby’s excitement when people come up to him, he did pretty good. We also worked on picking up things, sitting down and then putting them in my lap without getting excited.

Tuesday I was supposed to get my hair dyed and get a manicure and pedicure but the morning routine was just taking too long so I changed my appointment to Wednesday. Instead Robby and I went for a long cruise and then came back and I took a nice long hot bath and went to bed. I hope it’s just allergies but I have been coughing and sneezing a lot, I don’t want to get sick again.

Wednesday was my appointment to get my hair dyed and to get my manicure and pedicure. When I got to the shop there was hardly anybody in there so I’m by pretty fast and I love the way everything turned out. I came home in time to eat and go to bed before Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom came over to play cribbage. Kelly made some KILLER banana bread, it was so awesome.

Dogs Live Here If you don't want to be greeted, With paws and wiggly rears, Don't come inside, because DOGS LIVE HERE.

Thursday was a great day. Robby and I went on a really long cruise, as I was cruising through the boardwalk I noticed that the waves were really coming close. I talked to one of the security officers and she says that hasn't happened for a long time. I came home and Teresa took me to dig nursery. We got some more stuff for the back porch and she finished decorating it, it looks so awesome... I have gotten so many compliments.

Friday I ended up staying in bed. Susan came over and gave me a massage and boy did that feel great, it has been three weeks since I have seen her and I can really tell because I get really sore. It ended up being a long morning and I guess I just felt like it. I missed the last concert on the beach but I won’t lose too much sleep about it. Tom and Kelly were gone and I really enjoy going to the concert with them.

Saturday I really felt rotten so I stayed in bed, I didn’t even take a bath. My brother, his wife and their daughter came up for the long weekend, it always seems to go my Way too fast. Janet made a taco salad, she makes the best taco salad. My heart is starting to beat really loud and really slow sometimes and it makes me nervous. I went to the doctor when I was younger and he told me if I didn’t like it to just quit drinking coffee but I don’t drink near as much coffee as I used to, I only drink one cup a day.

Sunday I got up and took Robby for cruise to the bridge above the wharf and back. Karen said there was a lot of traffic on her way over here so I wanted to see just how bad it once, a long weekend always brings a lot of tourists. We were going to try to go to Monterey to the fair but it was too cold and I was afraid they would be way too much traffic. I took Lexi and Corinne over to the video rental store and they each picked out two movies to watch. We got to watch two of them do we have two to watch tomorrow. We watched my sisters keeper and the Time traveler’s wife, wrote really good movies. Tomorrow we’re going to watch tangled and beauty beast, the new one.

I had a great week anyway...

2011-08-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Monday was a perfect day. We actually saw the sun before noon, doesn’t happen a lot in Santa Cruz. The new gardener, Otis, came over today and brought three of his dogs but none of them really wanted to play with Robby. He has an Australian Shepherd that is totally focused on the tennis ball, a Chihuahua mix that is really cute and a cattle dog that just wanted to give everyone in a circle, she is adorable. It was really warm so Robby and I took our old Route down past the lighthouse, the wind made it such a great cruise... unfortunately I forgot my sunglasses so I got sand in my eyes. I forgot how beautiful it was cruising along the ocean. My uncle has been dying to have someone come over and teach them how to make chili so Tom and Kelly went over to help him make some, I hope they make garlic bread also. My uncle loves to make a lot of food and feed everyone, that’s how he shows his love. He can’t eat much anymore because he had gastric bypass surgery but he loves food.

Tuesday we decided to FINALLY go on the roaring Camp railroads train ride from Santa Cruz to Felton and back, we have been trying to find a good day to go for a while and today seemed like it. We got down to where the train parks to pick people up, in front of the carousel horses will on the boardwalk, and a lady came up and asked me if everything was okay because I was leaning back in my chair and I told her I was waiting for the train and she told me that she didn’t think it was running today. She said a large group of kids were there yesterday to take the train ride and it never showed up. She said she did PR for the boardwalk and called the office and apparently it only runs on weekends now that the kids are back in school. So we decided to go to wing stop, I had a couple of groupons and I have been wanting to try it. We got into the restaurant to sit down and noticed that on the menu it said Parish Publick House so we decided to try this place, a very happy accident because the food was great. Kelly and I split a sandwich called the hangovers helper with an egg, avocado, bacon and cheese and it was really good. Tom had shepherds pie and he said he was was really good also, we will definitely be going back. We came home and I took Robby for another short cruise and Theresa put me to bed.

Wednesday Robby and I cruised over and met Heather for sushi at Mobos, I LOVE that place. I had a Norcal which is basically an order of California roll with popcorn shrimp covering the top and some green tea. After lunch we went over to see the help, it was a really great movie. After that I cruised over and met Teresa at dig, it’s a really cool nursery. Kelly and I went there to check it out after my last dentist appointment and I got a bunch of air plants, some bark, some twigs with Moss on them in a glass hanging container and I loved it so much I went back to get more. The first one I got was pre-made so I went back to get everything to make my own in a bigger teardrop glass terrarium, they have everything but the twigs... you have to go find those outside somewhere. I met Teresa back here and in the standing frame for half an hour, took a nice long hot bath and went to bed.

Thursday Kelly and I picked out some pictures for the collage Tom and Kelly are going to hang on my wall, I’m so excited. I decided to take Robby for a cruise and it was pretty warm so we went down past the lighthouse, the breeze felt so good. We were going to go to natural Bridges Beach but there was a bunch of guys working on the trail so I decided to turn around and go back. I was laying back by the lighthouse and Heather texts me and said she was going to cruise down West Cliff so I told her I was at the lighthouse so she met me and we talked for a while. It actually started to get a little cold and I could feel the old air on my broken tooth I was going to cruise back home. I got down to the bottom of the hill and it felt better so we cruised down to the wharf and then cruised home. On the way home I saw some twigs on the ground with most of them so I had Robby pick them up and put them in my lap, a couple of them he bit down a little too hard and crack to the bark but we got a couple. When I got home there was only one on my lap so I got Robby some water and we went back to look for it. I found it and decided to go back and get some more so I found a bunch, Robby pick them up for me. I found a really long one and tried to get Robby to pick it up but it was too awkward for him so I saw a lady across the street and asked her to help me, her son came over and picked it up for me and put it across my chair and I headed home. He was sticking out about 2 feet on each side and every time I went by a tree or a poll I thought I was going to lose it so I finally turned it so it was on my shoulder and we made it home just as Heather was coming over so she helped me. Pretty good I think for someone in a chair and her dog... what a great team we make.

"The Bed Puppy Now I lay me down to sleep, The king-size bed is soft and deep. I sleep right in the centre groove, My human can hardly move! I've trapped her legs, she's tucked in tight, And here is where I pass the night. No one disturbs me or dares intrude Till morning comes and "I want food!"  I sneak up slowly to begin, My nibbles on my human's chin. She wakes up quickly, I have sharp teeth - I'm a puppy, don't you see?  For the mornings here and it's time to play Always seem to get my way. So thank you Lord for giving me, This human person that I see. The one who hugs me and holds me tight, And sacrifices her bed at night!" A Puppy Poem By: Author Unknown

Friday was the end of a great week. We decided to have a barbecue and then go to the boardwalk to see Eddie Money. Kelly made a ton of awesome food, BBQ pork ribs with homemade barbecue sauce, sausages, chicken marinated with lemon and garlic, skirt steak with a killer sauce that she made for that, corn on the cob with horseradish, mustard and butter sauce and my aunt made shrimp pasta salad and potato salad. At first we didn’t think that anybody was going to show up so we started eating. Pretty soon two couples showed up and then a lady with her two kids, her husband couldn’t make it because he was in Germany. Kelly’s friend Ursula made a peach cobbler, it is so awesome to be surrounded by chefs. We almost decided that we were having so much fun visiting that we were going to skip the concert but Tom talked me into going and I’m so glad that he did, Eddie Money puts on one of the best shows ever in the concert on the beach history. Unfortunately there is only one more concert and then we have to wait till next year. It started out being really warm today but it seems like as soon as the sun goes down it gets really cold really fast, by the time I got home from the concert I was freezing. The fog started coming in and it almost felt like it was sprinkling, welcome to Santa Cruz. Then at 12:20 AM I couldn’t sleep so I was laying here watching TV and I could feel my bed shake I looked up at my fan was swinging... EARTHQUAKE!

Saturday I just could not keep my eyes open, the whole time Karen was here. I felt bloated and sleepy all day so I just stayed in bed and slept, I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Sunday was another long morning and another day of having to stay in bed, the weather is so beautiful outside I really hate this. At least I got a long hot bath before I went back to bed, really a great feeling. Kelly made some blueberry scones, they were nice and warm when my mom brought them down... the days just getting better.

Pretty much sick all week...

2011-08-21T23:16:00.000-07:00

Monday was a really long hard day. After my personal care I just took a bath and went back to bed and slept, poor Karen didn’t even get out of here until about 4 PM... she got here at 6 AM.

Tuesday was a really good day. I got up and out of here early. I was on my way out the door to cruise with Robby and Tom and Kelly asked me if I wanted to go get a bagel and some chai tea, I have been wanting to try that tea for a long time and I loved it... I came home and ordered some for myself. After that Robby and I cruised through town, over to pet Smart, down the river, through the boardwalk, through the wharf, through the lagoon and back home... this is backwards from our regular route. I decided not to cruise underneath the bridge is on the trail down the river anymore, instead I go up to the street and crossover. I have heard a couple people say that it makes them really nervous that I do that and I have to admit I have been a little scared a couple times. For some reason doing our little cruise backwards made it go a lot faster, maybe because I wasn’t nervous about going under the bridges. The other day I ran into a couple of guys who said they had mental disabilities and had to smoke marijuana. They had a puppy with them that of course came after Robby wanting to play and I didn’t know how to tell them Robby couldn’t play because he had his vest on so I tried to be polite as possible and move on. The puppy got tangled in Robby’s leash so the guy came over and took a leash off my arm and the dogs started to run away until I called Robby back. It’s a little frustrating since I’m trying really hard to keep robbing from getting so excited when people and dogs come around, we are working on it and he’s getting better.

"The average dog has one request to all humankind. Love me." --Helen Exley

Wednesday I took Robby for a cruise and then I went to see Claudia for a manicure/pedicure. One of my evening caregivers sister started working at the place where Claudia is so I got to meet her this afternoon also, their family seems to be so nice. We went for another short cruise and then I came home so Karen could put me to bed, she was here watching the soccer game. Lee and Claudia, my aunt and uncle and my mom and I played cribbage... we haven’t played for a couple of weeks.

Thursday was another bad day with personal care so I decided to just stay in bed, I was exhausted.

Friday was another bad day, I’m not only having problems with my personal care I think I’m also catching a cold so another day in bed. I can’t believe I missed the concert on the beach but it looked like it was going to be cold anyway.

Saturday was another miserable day stuck in bed, I have to start feeling better soon or me and my dog are going to go crazy. Luckily Tom and Kelly are here and take him for walks so he can burn a little bit of energy.

Sunday I was feeling so much better and ready to get up and out of here. Tom, Kelly and I took the dogs to Alice’s restaurant for breakfast. They took my mom and I there last year when they were here and we loved it. It was pretty packed in there so we waited for awhile then decided to cruise around and look at the motorcycles and go somewhere else to eat when a guy came out and offered us his table and they would sit in the table next to it, people can be so nice. Kelly and I shared an Alice’s omelette, and only with tomatoes, avocados, bacon and cheese. We also had hashbrowns, toast and coffee. Tom had a cheeseburger and french fries. We cruised around and looked at some pretty cool places and came home. We were going to stop at another little place that Tom and Kelly found that serves this killer soup and bread but there was a festival going on in the little town and it was PACKED so we decided to come back another day. I suggested to Tom that we go back tomorrow, they have green chili soup and artichoke soup.

Spinal Cord Injury Support Group BBQ/Potluck...

2011-08-15T18:02:00.001-07:00

Monday at the last minute I decided just stay in bed. It looked like it was going to be really cold and overcast outside and I was just exhausted. I found a mobile carwash company that will come out once a month and wash my van, it’s looking pretty bad. It was a really nice relaxing day.

Tuesday started out to be a really good day. I had an appointment with Dr. jet hoping to finally find out why I am having stomach problems. She got a copy of the x-rays that took but they didn’t really help. She gave me a couple of really good suggestions to try. I really like her and she’s very knowledgeable. After that I went over to Quest to get some blood drawn for a bunch of tests that I’m supposed to do once a year. They took about six vials so I hope they have enough. On the way back we decided to call my uncle and see if everybody wanted to go over to the wooden nickel for lunch, of course everybody did. Every time we go out I always eat way too much and Kelly and I decided that we would split something. We split a BLT sandwhich and had a huge mound of fries. They also give you a little cup of coleslaw and some chocolate cake with whatever you order. Tom had calamari and rice and we were jealous. My uncle had a shrimp salad that had the biggest bay shrimp I have ever seen. Sylvia and her friend had fish and chips, also very killer. Before we went to the restaurant Karen texted me and said that Teresa wasn’t coming in so she was going to come back and put me to bed. They were going to have a family meeting to decide whether they should take Patrick off of life support, I can’t believe it. Patrick takes care of my yard and is in a band. We just went to see him play about a month ago and two weeks later he ended up in the hospital with liver cancer and he is gone downhill since. He is such an awesome guy and I am going to miss him so bad.

Wednesday my morning care took a long time so I decided to take a nice long hot bath and just go back to bed. I have been thinking about Patrick a lot and I’m just very sad. His girlfriend just lost her brother and her nephew and now the love of her life.

Thursday I was so excited to finally get my broken tooth fixed, so excited that I made the appointment for 10 AM. I try not to do that because sometimes it’s really hard to get up that early but I did it. It turned out I didn’t need a root canal I just needed to replace the porcelain crown, that was really good news. After the dentist we stopped by to get Tom, Kelly took me to the dentist. We went to Costco and about halfway through our shopping experience by tooth fell out and it hurt like crazy. We call the dentist office and they said to come on back over so we finished our shopping and then went back. It didn’t take her very long to glue it back in so we decided to go to the roadhouse restaurant for dinner. Right before our food came I could feel the corner of the tooth lift up with my tongue so Kelly called the dentist again and they were busy to the doctor said he would come by my house on his way home. We packed up my dinner for later and I had a cup of puréé corn soup, it was really good. When we got home I was in the driveway with Robby when the doctor came. It was so sweet and he fixed my tooth and then went on home, I really hope it stays intact at least through the weekend. While my caregiver was putting me to bed my family decided to go out to eat so they brought me back a plate of tacos, beans and rice so I ate the tacos, I shouldn’t have and I know I’m going to be sorry but they were really good.

Friday turned out to be a really good day. I started off with a massage and then got up and took Robby for a cruise to the wharf and back, it was a beautiful day. We, Tom and Kelly and Lexi and Seth and I, decided to skip the concert on the beach and go to the movies, we decided to see the movie Buck. It was a really good movie, if Tom had not suggested it I would have never gone to see it. After the movie we decided to go to Mobos for sushi and of course that was also awesome.

Saturday was our spinal cord injury potluck/barbecue. We decided to have it at Joe and Maria’s place. They lived in an apartment complex that is wheelchair friendly and easy to find. It was a really beautiful place and hopefully we will be able to have more events there, I’m hoping that if we have more fun stuff more people will come to the support groups. There was only about nine people there but we had a really good time. I brought some croissant sandwiches and Joe and Maria made some killer kebabs and we really had a good time just visiting. Marv brought his new service dog Yara and after we ate we watched them play and that was really entertaining, they were so funny. Debi, the lady that made the carrot cake for my surprise birthday party, made another cake for me to bring and everyone loved it. Tom, Kelly and Karen went with me to help set up and to take pictures. I was just going to ask Tom and Kelly to drop us off because I figured there wasn’t going to be very many people there and I thought it would be boring but ended up staying and I’m glad they did, it was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time.

Sunday I got up and took Robby on a really long cruise through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf and back, through the boardwalk, down the river to Ross and back through town. There was a bunch of pelicans at the end of the wharf, one of them blonde. On my way back by one of them swooped down really close to me, they are HUGE. I looked behind me and they were going after a fish that a lady pulled up from the water, she battled with them for a little while and one. I looked around and two pelicans were standing really close to me, it was awesome. After we got back home my uncle came over to say hello and told me that he cut his grandsons bike in half, that is the funniest thing I ever heard and what a great lesson. He said he told him he better put it away and not leave it in the middle of the walkway or he would cut it in half and apparently his grandson just looked at him and went in and grabbed a gallon of ice cream and started eating it. My uncle told him he had 10 minutes to move it and came back out a half-hour later and it was still there so he cut it in half. His grandson cried and his grandma felt bad for him but I bet he doesn’t do that again??

Doobie Brothers...

2011-08-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Monday I had my Friday massage because my massage therapist was not going to be here on Friday. It still felt really great and it felt good to sleep in a little even though I stayed in bed for a couple of days. The dentist called me and of course my dentist was on vacation for a week so they had me come in and take x-rays and sent me to another dentist around the corner. I needed to have a root canal done according to the x-rays and although this dentist could do a root canal he could not do the crown so my choice was to have a root canal and and a really big hole in my mouth for a week or have a really small hole in my mouth I guess as long as it’s not hurting I will wait until my doctor comes back from vacation.

On Tuesday Robby and I both went to the beauty parlor. Robby gets a bath on the first Tuesday of every month but I think I might start having my caregivers give him a bath, he’s already itchy. I went to see Claudia to get a manicure/pedicure. I came back in the house keepers were still here so I hung out on the back porch for a while, I love that place. I took Robby for cruise.

Wednesday I ended up staying in bed again, I’m having pressure sore issues and it looks like I’ll have to be careful for a while. Every time I lose weight I feel really great but I get a lot of skin breakdowns, I don’t know which is worse, to be overweight were to have skin issues. Both feels really bad.

Thursday I got up really late. I have been looking forward to this day since July, when I got the tickets to see the Doobie Brothers. My brother and I went to see than at the Saratoga Mountain winery a couple of years ago and swore we would go back. Unfortunately my brother couldn’t make it but I knew Tom and Kelly would be here and they would enjoy it. There was a burger place up on mission street that I have been wanting to try so we went there first to get something to eat. Kelly and I split a veggie burger and sweet potato fries. The burger was made with black beans and was very moist and delicious, I had never had a veggie burger before. A grilled cheese sandwich hamburger, instead of buns the hamburger patty was put between two grilled cheese sandwiches... it looked really good. After we found gas for the van we headed out to the Mountain winery, I forgot how narrow and winding the road was to get to the winery but the concert was definitely worth it. The view was amazing and the Doobie Brothers put on one of the best shows I have seen for a very long time. We all enjoyed the concert very much. I can’t wait to go again, they have such a great lineup. I haven’t been there for about four years and it looks like we did pretty much the whole thing, except for the stage area. It was so beautiful, all done in rock. We had our own little balcony and every seat in the place was a great seat. Next time we go we will have to try dinner there before, I peeked at some of the dishes on our way through and they looked amazing. I’ve gone to a couple of concerts there where we had dinner before and everybody was always satisfied. What a great evening, I’m so glad I got to share it with Tom and Kelly. I got to bed at 1 AM but was so excited I didn’t get sleepy until about 4 AM and then realized that Robby’s automatic food dish was going to empty his food in two hours so I made myself stay awake. Sure enough at 6 AM and emptied food into his dish but he would not listen to me and ate without me giving him the command, not good. I guess I don’t use it for the mornings anymore. After that I was so angry that he didn’t listen to me that I could not go to sleep at all, needless to say I was very tired next-day. He was just hungry I know.

Friday I got up late again so I could go eat dinner with Tom and Teresa after I took Robby for a cruise. Teresa couldn’t make it so Tom and I went to the ideal restaurant by the wharf and had a really great meal, we both had pasta with artichokes and tomatoes, I had prawns with my and it was AWESOME. We went down to the beach to watch the gin blossoms perform and even though we got there at 6 PM we had a really good view, I couldn’t believe the place was not packed. I heard later that highway 17 was backed up all the way into San Jose, luckily there is a second show at 8:30 PM... I bet that show was packed.

Saturday I just decided to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed, I was exhausted. I was supposed to go with a group of people to Los Banos, the wool growers restaurant, but it was just couldn’t be too long of a day so I decided I better just relax and stay home. We were expecting family from out of town so it was nice to have somebody here. It was a really nice relaxing day. My mom’s cousin and her friend came to visit from Montana. It’s been a couple of years since I have seen her. I think they’re going to stay for about a week so we will get to know each other again.

Sunday was a great day. The weather was just perfect and Robby and I got to go for a really long cruise, we have gone cruising but not one this long in a while. After we came home and rested we practiced some of our commands, I wanted to do it when there was other people around because he really gets distracted and wants everybody to pay attention to him. I got his recertification card today and it’s only for a year do we really need to work on ignoring people. I also borrowed a skateboard from my cousin’s son across the street to keep around Robby’s bed and his food to get him used to it, he tries to jump out of the way of skateboards. I went to bed and watched Rando with my mom, her cousin and her cousin’s friend. It was my second time seeing it, I thought it was so cute.

Gilroy garlic Festival...

2011-08-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Monday I got up and took Robby for really long cruise and practice of the bunch of his commands, a nose all his commands he just gets a little more excited with people around. I try to take him through the boardwalk and the wharf so he can get used walking by people and ignoring them.

Tuesday I took Robby for a very long cruise and then I had an appointment at Dr. Owens office. I just wanted to get all of my yearly appointments finished before Teresa went back to school at the end of August, so I get to look forward to that next month.

Wednesday we were going to go on the roaring Camp Railroad ride through Santa Cruz and Felton but it looked like it was going to be way too cold. We went to the Farmer’s market instead and have these really killer roasted potatoes. There is a track that sells rotisserie chicken and roasted potatoes.

Thursday we went to San Francisco to have noodles. It looked like it was going to be really cold but turned out to be a beautiful day. It’s really hard to find a place for Robby to go to the bathroom around there but I eventually found a place and went back there in time. We decided we were going to try to go back there every Thursday, on the other side there is an arts and crafts area that we didn’t even get to look at.

Friday was recertification for Robby Day. I met a couple of the ladies at the Capitol Mall and they ran him through a couple of cases and he did pretty good. They weren’t sure if they were going to recertify him for a year or three years because he still has issues with people, it’s hard to keep people and other dogs away from him around here. We decided not to go to the concert.

Saturday I had planned on staying in bed because it was such a long week and next week is long also. My uncle asked me if I wanted a lifesaver’s candy and it broke my tooth, I couldn’t believe it, Saturday afternoon and the pain was unbelievable. My mom had a couple of Vicodin upstairs so I took those and it made me feel even worse, I had never taken Vicodin before. I had an anxiety attack but had to wait for a while to take a Xanax so needless to say I had a miserable night and. Kelly went down to CVS and got me some wax to cover the whole site didn’t have the nerve pain.

Sunday we were supposed to go to the Gilroy garlic Festival. After the night I had the night before and the fear of my tooth breaking again I didn’t dare go. I had been looking forward to it for a long time but that’s the way it goes sometimes. At least Tom and Kelly got to go, I think they would enjoy it very much. I just stayed home in bed again and slept most of the day, I should feel pretty good by tomorrow.

30th eighth grade graduation reunion...

2011-08-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Monday I decided to stay in bed because I had a bad morning I was exhausted. I took a nice long hot bath and rested all day but I couldn’t sleep, as tired as I was.

Tuesday and was supposed to go on the roaring Camp Railroad with Tom and Kelly, we have been wanting to do this for a long time. I had another really long morning and didn’t feel good so we ended up not going, luckily the tickets are good for another day. I got up and cruised around with Robby for a little bit but it was really hot and I was really tired.

Wednesday I felt much better and I went to see Claudia to get a manicure and pedicure, that always makes me feel better. Robby and I cruised down the reservoir and met Teresa at cost plus. I saw some dragonfly wire wrapped lights so I want to get them before they were gone, I even looked online and they were out of them everywhere. I got the lights and a really cool bottle mobile, the guy ringing us up bad mouthed my mobile the whole time he was wrapping it up. I also got some sand to put it outside, I had a bunch of shells and starfish shaped dishes to put them in. We decided to go by Ross and looked around but didn’t really see anything.

Thursday I got up and was going to run Robby around but it was really cold and overcast so I was waiting for the sun to come out, it never did. Kelly suggested we go to the roadhouse restaurant in Davenport so we all drove out there. Kelly and I split an order of fish tacos and truffle, Parmesan fries... they were AWESOME. We also got garbanzo beans, still in the little husk cooked in red chili oil and lemon, they were also AWESOME. We will definitely be going back there. I came home and went to bed and here it is 11:46 PM and I can’t sleep. I guess I can to catch up on my TiVoed programs.

Friday was a great day. I got my massage, got up and took Robby for a really long cruise through Santa Cruz and back, went to dinner with Tom and Kelly at the ideal bar and grill and then went to the average White band concert on the beach. The band was okay but dinner with my cousins was awesome. Kelly and I split a crab and shrimp melt and some french fries. It started getting really cold towards the end of the concert so we were glad to get home where was warm.

Saturday I was supposed to go to my eighth grade 30 year reunion. My brother was going to fly down from Georgia and my friend Sheri from fifth grade was going to spend the night and go with us also. At the last minute everybody had something come up and they couldn’t make it. Tom and Kelly said that they would take me but I figured I would just get it and go next year.

Sunday we decided to go to Alice’s restaurant for breakfast, Tom and Kelly took us before and it was not only a really nice drive but a cute little place. We got about down to the roadhouse and my mom called and said our Modesto family is here so we turned around and came back. We ended up going to the roadhouse and had a really nice meal and then came back and hung out for awhile.

A great week...

2011-07-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Monday I got up and took Robby for are really long cruise through the wharf and the boardwalk, down to Ross and back through town. After we got back we practiced three of our commands, it feels good to be back in the old routine again. We tried to do the standing frame but the sling just wasn’t right and even though we tried several times it just wasn’t going to happen, I don’t know what I’m going to do except just keep trying and hope we can get it.

Tuesday was a really busy day. I had an appointment with Andrei and Carl to figure out how to put a lateral on my chair on my right side, it fell off a while back so I was going to try to do without it. We decided to wait until I had my appointment with Bob at hangar prosthetics to redo my brace, I lost 20 pounds on this gas elimination diet and I have to be fitted for a new brace. Then I had my final x-ray at Dominican Hospital, I’m so glad to get that over with. Now I just have to wait for the results. After that we went to Cosco, NEVER go to Costco when you’re hungry. It doesn’t have to even be food you just crave everything. We came back and Heather was barbecuing hamburgers, she made avocado and arugula hamburgers and they were awesome. I think I’m still going to stick to the diet for the most part because I would like to lose a little bit more weight and it just felt good to eat a bunch of small meals instead of a couple big ones.

Wednesday I got up and cruise down to Claudius beauty shop to give Debbie a thank you card that I made her or the beautiful cake she made for my birthday, it was so gorgeous and had real flowers on... everybody loved it. I came back and Tom, Kelly, Seth and I went down to the Farmer’s market and met Teresa. She keeps telling me about the sauerkraut stuffed pretzel that they have down there so Tom and I tried one, Tom tried one I saved mine for lunch tomorrow. I got some huge figs and they tasted so good I ate a couple when I got home. Teresa took me to my appointment to see Bob at Hanger prosthetics. He fixed my leg braces and measured me for a new front panel for my back brace, I am so glad that I don’t have to replace the back brace since I lost almost 20 pounds. We went to the wharf and had some onion rings and iced tea and did a little shopping. I found a life preserver for my net and hanging shells on the back porch. I also found an old time model of a Volkswagen bus with surfboards on top, it really looks like it’s from Santa Cruz.

Thursday Robby and I went for our regular cruise around Santa Cruz. There was a lot of dogs out there today, most of them don’t know how to behave in public. I don’t blame the dogs but I do blame the owners are being irresponsible, it’s very frustrating. I went to cost plus and found a bunch of cute stuff that I would like to get, I’m decorating my porch with a beach theme and it is going to look awesome.

Friday I got my massage and my nice long hot bath before I got up. It was a long morning so I didn’t get to take Robby on a very long cruise before we left for dinner and concert. Tom, Kelly, Teresa, Seth and I decided to go to the Woody’s Café for dinner before the concert. I had fish tacos and they were very good, I never had them before and I was always a little bit afraid to try and... the two just don’t sound like they would go together although I love both of them. Teresa and I went there a couple nights before and the guy remembered us but wanted to know where Robby was, the last time I went there he spoiled Robby. He made sure Robby was in the corner so nobody would bother him, but the towel down and gave him three big glasses of water. I told him that I usually don’t take Robby when I go to the concerts on the beach because of the crowds and the loud music. Loverboy was AWESOME, I would have loved to stay in the second show but nobody else suggested it and it was getting late so we came back. My brother and Corinne got here shortly after we came back so I didn’t get to visit with them very much that night.

Saturday was our support group at Dominican rehab. We didn’t think very many people would show up because it was a the same day as the shared adventures 19th annual day on the beach. I wanted to go check out the day on the beach after the support group but it was just too hot and I wanted to go and spend a little bit of time with my brother and my niece. We had some killer spinach, cheese and white sauce lasagna that Kelly made, some olive bread that we got at the farmers market with brie cheese on it and some artichoke and cheese and sausage. Alexia and I watched it the new version of beauty and the beast called beastie.

Sunday was the long awaited and needed puppy play date. We fill the pool up with water and Dr. Owens brought Bella and Ozzy over and they had such a good time. Bella is still the only one that will go in the pool but the rest of them use it to drink water out of, I’m hoping as it gets warmer they will all go in. after the puppy play date Tom hung up my copper maple tree and my owl on the front porch, it looks awesome. Teresa hung up a few more accents that we got for the back porch, a little pair of flip-flops, a life preserver and a couple more things we found along the way. It is really starting to look nice around here.

I finally got to see Patrick's band, The Road Hog's...

2011-07-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Monday was the big fourth of July debate... what are we going to eat and what are we going to do. We went back and forth a lot and finally decided to barbecue some sausages, have sauerkraut, Chile and a salad. While we were barbecuing sausages my aunt came over and said that they had a bunch of ribs and some potato salad so we decided to combine everything. My caregiver showed up so I wasn’t able to go but they brought me back a killer care package.

Tuesday was a really busy day. Robby had his bath, I went to get a manicure and pedicure and DirecTV came to fix my television. After my manicure and pedicure and came back and got Robby and cruised around for a bit. Heather came by and cooked an awesome dinner for everyone.

Wednesday Robby and I got back on our 6 mile, around Santa Cruz cruise and it felt great. We haven’t been getting out as much as we should and Robby has gained two more pounds. It’s nice to be back on our schedule. Kelly went to the Farmer’s market and Tom and I cruised down there to meet her, I love that place. They ate dinner there and I came back because Teresa was going to be here at 3 PM. I ate dinner and then we put up the net and shells on the back porch, and looked awesome. We all ended up on the back porch talking and laughing, it was an awesome evening.

"The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." ~ Benjamin Mays

Thursday I got up and took Robby for a cruise. It was finally the day to go get the first of my series of x-ray’s, I’m so glad to get this over with. It was actually pretty easy, a lot easier than I thought it would be. We brought my sling and while they were getting a lift Teresa put the sling on and they just laid me on the table, took a couple of x-rays, put me back in my chair and we were on our way. Teresa and I both had a groupon for the kick back Café so we decided to give it a try. The guy said that his barbecue tri-tip was really good and gave us a sample and it really was so we decided to give it a try. I had that and a mango smoothie and it was really good. We were so full after that and we didn’t even go to Costco, we just came home and put me to bed.

Friday I got my wonderful massage and a bath and took Robby for a run. We decided to skip the concert on the beach and go to a place called bocci cellar to watch Patrick and his band play. They were awesome. Teresa got sick and wasn’t able to go but Tom, Kelly and I decided to go anyway and we are glad that we did. They usually play rock ‘n roll but they were asked if they could do a swing band for an older group that does swing dance. They sounded really good, you would never know it didn’t come natural to them. It was so cute to watch all of the older couples swing dance.

Saturday Robby and I cruised through the wharf and started to cruise through the boardwalk but it was way too crowded so we cut around the boardwalk and cruise down the Levy. A lady was riding by on a bicycle and asked where Robby was raised. It turned out she was the daughter of the lady who breeds Robby’s mom... small world? She apparently lives in Berkeley and her mom told her if she goes to Santa Cruz to be on the lookout for Robby. I came back and we once again tried the standing frame, this time it was a success. It felt so good to get up in the standing frame again and I know I will sleep better.

Sunday I was exhausted and they look like it was going to be cold outside so I decided to just take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed. I slept on and off most of the day so I didn’t think I would sleep at all at night but I slept all night also, it felt great.

Finally catching up...

2011-07-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Monday Kelly took me over to the DMV to get my new disabled plates for my van. I decided to make an appointment and even though we had to wait about an hour it only took about five minutes to get the plates, luckily I had all the paperwork filled out. I came home and went to bed and my uncle was fixing hamburgers for everyone. He wanted to go to the wooden nickel but he makes some pretty darn good hamburgers so it worked out great.

Tuesday was supposed to rain so I decided to stay in bed and rest. The housekeepers were coming and the guys to move one of my cameras from the back of the house to the driveway. Yesterday Heather made bison tacos for her sister and she’s bringing some over for me, they are so good. Heather came over and made some bison tacos, the best thing I have tasted for a long time and I ate four of them.

Wednesday I ended up staying in bed. All of the family was gone and it was just a good day to reminisce on a very special month.

Thursday Gabriel Came over to pick up my van to do some modifications on it, Gabriel is awesome. Robby and I took a cruise over to the wharf and then to the boardwalk, the weather was perfect and everybody was enjoying everything. I came back and talk to my uncle for while and then Kelly came back home with Tom and Bailey, it was so good to see them again. They are the family that you never get tired of. They’re always willing to do stuff and go places and I love that. Teresa came over and waxed my face... life is wonderful!

Friday I got my massage and my hot bath and decided to go back to bed and miss the concert.

Saturday I got up and cruised Robby around for a little bit and then met Tom and Kelly at the Nickelodeon Theatre to see a movie, midnight in Paris. It was a really good movie.

Sunday I got up and cruised around for a little bit with Robby, the crowd was already starting to come in for 4 July and it was hot so we didn’t do too much.

Haven't been keeping up very well with my blog...

2011-07-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

Monday almost everyone was gone, it was kind of sad. Time sure does fly fast when there is a lot of family around.

Friday I didn’t get my massage because one of Susan’s kids was sick but it was really nice to sleep in. Karen came in at 10 AM to get me up and Kelly and I went to go have sushi at Mobos, of course it was awesome. We came home for a while and then headed out to the concert on the beach, Eric burden and the animals. They put on a really great show but there was a lot of commotion around us, late people trying to scoot everybody out of the way so they can get in to see. I’m kind of torn about how I feel about that. I believe that since people in chairs can’t see over everyone else they should be able to sit up in the front but there was some people who have been standing there for a couple of hours waiting to see the show so it’s not fair to make them move. How about everybody show up early or on time and not expect anything?

Saturday Kelly, Teresa, Karen and I went to the Woody’s on the wharf. I went last year but it wasn’t much fun going by myself and I didn’t stay very long, this time I got to really look at everything and it was awesome. I was supposed to go to a 20 year reunion from where I used to work but I was just exhausted, I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. We decided to go have a chimichanga and come back home. Coming back from the wharf Kelly ran into a couple of friends and she decided to spend more time with them. Teresa and Karen wanted to go shopping downtown a little bit but every time I would stop I would fall asleep so I decided to come home.

Sunday I decided to stay in bed and get some rest although that never really happens. I think I just didn’t want to think about all that time to get up and then go back to bed when I could just be comfortable all day. It was a nice relaxing day.

Lots of family and the surprise 50th birthday party...

2011-06-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Monday was a beautiful day. I got up and took Robby on our very long ritual cruise. I stopped along the way at almost every souvenir shop to see if I could find something to put up on my back porch, I decided I wanted to go with the nautical theme. I found a fishing net and I already have a bunch of shells, starfish and sat dollars to hang on it. I found some outdoor metal wall decor that looks really cool. I found a mermaid, some fish and shells... I found a bunch of stuff I just have to figure out what I want to do. I came back and worked with Robby for a while although he was really being a butt head and didn’t want to listen to me. When I ask them to do something and he’s in a silly mood he will lie on his back and roll around, stretch for scratch himself.

Tuesday was really frustrating and I ended up staying in bed again. Personal care took a long time and then it got to be too late to get up. The ladies were coming to clean the house at 11 a.m. and my dentist appointment was at noon... needless to say I missed my dentist appointment. Heather came by and cooked a really nice dinner for Teresa and I and Teresa and Jess got me a big copper tree for my front porch, it is awesome. The last time we went to Costco I was saying how much I liked it and wanted to get it and of course we conveniently forgot it so they went back and got it for me for my birthday.

Wednesday my personal care once again took a long time and maybe feel miserable so I missed an eye appointment that I had made at Cosco. My new caregivers fiancé works for an alarm company so he came out to look at my monitor and see about moving one of my surveillance cameras, the cameras in the back and there’s really no reason for one there so I would like it moved to show down the driveway. Dave and Desiree got here Wednesday afternoon to stay for a couple of days, it always goes by way too fast.

Thursday kelly came to stay for a while. We all went out to the ideal restaurant because of the third Thursday of every month everybody with a birthday that month get a free prime rib dinner. Nine of us went, three with a birthday that month. I cruised down there and met everyone so that little early because it was getting cold. Stanley, Janet and Corinne were here when we got back. I also found out that my uncle Ronnie, aunt Patty, their son Shawn and his girlfriend were coming to visit also. We were planning on having a family reunion around this time of year so I didn’t think too much about it although I did cancel it.

Friday I wasn’t going to have Susan coming at me a massage because my family was here but I was just so sore. I wanted to get up a little late because I was going to be up late at night, the first free concert on the beach was starship. After I got my massage I had a really nice surprise, my cousin Kevin came from San Diego to stay for the weekend. I haven’t seen him for years. Most of us ended up calling to the concert and they put on a great show. It is so awesome when all my family can be here.

Wow Saturday... I knew that there was a lot of family from all over the place gathering at our house is and it was awesome but I never even thought that they were there for a surprise 50th birthday party for me, I don’t know how I didn’t even think about it. Everybody decided to have a barbecue at Oak Meadow Park because that’s where we always got together when family was around. Teresa and Karen gave me a ride in my new van and while they were parking it I followed Corinne and Lexi through the park. I looked up and saw my mom so I knew we were getting closer and then I heard a voice say “are you even going to look up?” I looked up and saw Angie and then I started looking around and seeing all these other people and I can’t remember if they all yelled surprise or not but I definitely was. There was people from fifth grade, eighth grade, people I had worked with... I was just so overwhelmed. It was a really great birthday party. Apparently my brothers had been putting this together for a long time, I don’t know how they kept it from me but what a great job they did. I spent the whole afternoon chatting with people I had not chatted with for a long time and people that I have. I usually don’t like to be the center of attention but I was really grateful for all these people that came to celebrate my 50th birthday with me, I won’t forget that for a very long time.

Sunday everybody got up and had breakfast and just visited for a while, it was really nice. Pretty much everybody had to go back home on Sunday but it was sure nice seeing everybody. My uncle Ronnie was going to stay for a week and Kelly is going to stay for a couple of months, her husband Tom is going to come and stay for a while also... and of course Bailey.

A boring trip to the doctor...

2011-06-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be a really good day even though it was supposed to thunderstorm, it did not. Robby and I finally got to go on a long cruise through the lagoon, to the end of the wharf, through the crowded boardwalk, down the reservoir to pet Smart and then back through town. Robby practiced pushing the button to make the traffic light change, he gets a little over excited sometimes but he does a great job. We came back and Heather was cooking some barbecue boneless pork ribs, they were awesome. I forgot about the standing frame and ate a bunch of them. I got an e-mail from CCI saying that they’re going to be in Santa Cruz in the end of July for recertification, I’m so glad I don’t have to drive to Santa Rosa.

Tuesday was such a beautiful day. Gabe and my uncle came over to see if they could move where the tie downs are placed in my new vehicle. Both of the tiedowns are way over to the right, they should be on the outside of each wheel to make a wheelchair more secure. Gabe is going to be able to fix it. Teresa and I took the van in to see about getting a backup camera, a GPS and an XM radio. The guy really knew his stuff and said that he could start it that day so we left it there and walked over to pick up Robby who was having a spa day. We came home to get Robby’s vest and his collar and then went downtown to get something to eat at the Tiki room, it was closed until 4:30 PM... it was noon. We wanted to be out of the way while the girls cleaned the house, we rehired a company that we used a while back. We went down to tonic where Karen was getting a haircut, manicure and pedicure for graduation. We hung out with her for a while and then when she was done we stopped at a couple of shoe places on our way to El Palomar for lunch. I had chicken tacos, Teresa had a chimichanga and Karen had a burrito... everything looked and tasted so good. I like going there and they have a push pad so Robby could practice opening the door for us, always such the gentleman. We came back here and I talked to my uncle for a while while Teresa took Karen home and then I went to bed, I was exhausted.

Wednesday was another beautiful day. When I got the sun was barely coming out so we started to our cruise through the lagoon, through the wharf where it was REALLY windy, through the boardwalk which was really crowded, down the reservoir, to Ross and back through town. Sometimes Robby does really good hitting the button to change the light and sometimes he just doesn’t hit it, sometimes he turned his whole body sideways when he jumps and he hits the part on the top with the arrow but not the button... we’re working on that. I just found out today that CCI representatives are coming to Santa Cruz to the Capitol Mall July 29, Robby’s appointment is at 11 AM. I came home and my van still wasn’t ready, they said they will have it tomorrow afternoon. I went to bed and then Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage. My aunt was my partner and we lost all three games, we’ll get them next time!

Thursday the weather was perfect. Teresa got me up and went with me to my doctors appointment at Dr. Owens. She gave me my Depo-Provera shot, froze a couple of weird looking barnacles off of my face, gave me a new anxiety medicine and I think she’s going to fix me up with a psychologist for a while. I just seem to have so much anxiety built up and I am frustrated and annoyed all the time. She suggested I get a bicycle that you work your arms and possibly even one for my legs, she thinks exercise might help. After that we went to Home Depot to get some concrete anchors to hang some stuff on the back porch and some stuff in the house. We got everything and went out to the car and after she frantically looked for the key founded in the ignition with the doors locked. When we left the key was not on the back of my door where it’s supposed to be so we just figured we would take a spare key out of my wallet and use that one. My aunt had to drive all the way over to Home Depot to bring us the key. We went to Costco and actually just got what I really needed this time, so proud of myself. We came back and she put me to bed and Karen called and asked if she could come over and wash the sheets, her family is coming to visit. She brought over her new little kitten, Juno, to play with Robby. We have so much fun watching them play in the kitty was not at all afraid of Robby, even though Robby is about 10 times bigger than Juno, Juno didn’t even put her claws out when she patted Robby. It was so adorable.

Friday looked like it was pretty nice outside but I didn’t get up, I just don’t feel very good and I’m exhausted. I just wanted a day to stay in bed and relax. Teresa and cleaned up the yard and scrubbed down the patio and rearrange the furniture so it will look nice when my family comes next week. Janea is cleaning out the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen and is going to put pledge on the furniture outside. Earlier this week she put it on the metal furniture in my bathroom and it looks really good, it will protect it a lot too we hope.

"Properly trained, a man can be a dog's best friend." -- Corey Ford

Saturday I got up and went to see Claudia to get my hair dyed, manicure and pedicure. It was still kind of cold when I got out of there so we cruised around the boardwalk and around the wharf and then came home. When we got home it smelled SO good in here so I went to the kitchen to see what smelled so awesome, Heather had made some barbecued pork rips. I went outside with Robby to practice a few of the commands, we try to practice three every day, and the neighbor came over to talk for awhile. It was really hot out and Robby was just done for the day so we didn’t get to practice our commands, luckily they are three that we use almost every day. I hope I’m not going to have a problem with the neighbor coming over every time I go into my driveway and try to work with my dog.

Kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness... nor forgiveness as acceptance.. it is the knowledge that hate and resentment are not the pathway to inner peace.

Sunday was a beautiful day and I have been really looking forward to it. The personal care lasted a long time and just wore me out. I tried to get up in my chair hoping that feeling would go away but it just didn’t so I ended up back in bed. Dr. Owens was going to bring Bella and Ozzy over for a puppy play date, we were going to Patrick’s birthday party in the mountains and we were going to go watch Karen graduate. I missed all of it. It was nice to stay in bed because I was so exhausted but I’m looking outside and the weather is perfect, that sucks.

The new girl, we found a winner...

2011-06-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Monday I got up early so I can go and check out my new van. We had a problem with the safety Sensor mat, we just have to wait for a couple weeks and then get rid of it. We cannot put the ramp up or down while I am on the mat but if I’m in the van I’m on the mat. After I got up into the van we couldn’t get the ramp to do anything, we finally figured out that one of the wires got pinched and broke in half. Luckily we called Gabe over and he figured everything out quickly, Gabe retired from taking care of the wheelchair ramps on the Metro bus line... he is a really handy guy to have around. He’s coming over tomorrow to put some eye bolts on my chair so it will be easier to tie me down. We all loaded in the van, there was seven of us, and went downtown for lunch. Robby and I cruised around for a while and then came back home, I am exhausted.

Tuesday morning Gabe came over and put some eye bolts on my chair so it’s a lot easier to tie me down in the van. He also took out that noisy Matt and we had a really nice long chat, he is such a neat guy. Teresa got here around noon and it was cold and windy outside so I decided to just take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed, it felt great. My uncle came over for a while and we talked about how awesome my new van is, I can’t wait to take it for another spin.

Wednesday was another long frustrating personal-care day, REALLY getting tired of this. I am following the diet and it’s not doing any good, I only have a couple weeks left and then I will be able to eat whatever I want again... problem will probably not be solved so I will go to my spinal cord injury doctor like I probably should have in the first place. Today was Cassy’s last day, she’s going to go to school and work for her parents. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage tonight... my uncle was my partner and we won four dollars each.

Thursday was very cold and windy. Teresa came over and got me up and we had an interview for my new afternoon caregiver. Her brother is a quadriplegic and she helps him out, she was not nervous at all... I think it’s going to work out great. She comes back tomorrow for training. The company that used to clean our house came back out to give us an estimate and they start on Tuesday. It seems like everything is coming together. Gabe and my uncle came over to visit for a while and Gabe said that he would help me out with my van, I’m not really happy with where the tie downs were placed. Teresa is off for a couple of months so hopefully we will get a lot done around here, I really missed having her around. Not just because she gets things done but because she’s really fun to hang around with. We went to a sushi place downtown and had a really nice lunch, I found out about them through groupon. Then we went to the nursery and got a few things, went to cost plus and looked around and then went to Ross. We were going to go to Costco but for some reason I haven’t felt really great all day so I just wanted to come home and go to bed, I hope I feel better tomorrow. This is going to be a very busy month so I hope I’m not going to be sick. Hopefully I just need to get a good nights sleep.

Friday turned out to be a really good day. The massage therapist was sick but I still got to sleep in and until 9:30 AM, it felt great. I got to take a nice long hot bath before getting dressed and getting up. Karen mentioned that there was any student art show at UCSC so Teresa and I decided to go up there and check it out, we were not at all impressed and didn’t stay very long. We came home and talked to uncle Dick for a little bit, stole some groundcover from the back of one of his triplex’s and came home to train the new girl Janea. She did really well and I think she’s going to work out great, I am so excited. Instead of standing back and watching she just jumped right in and helped. Her brother is a quadriplegic since she knows a little bit more about the personal feeling stuff, it’s very nice to have somebody like that around. We did the standing frame and some exercises and neck stretches, I am a little bit sore right now but I’m sure I will be really sore tomorrow and for a couple of days. The weather does not look promising in the next couple of days.

Saturday was not looking like a really good day. I got up and took Robby for a cruise but it sprinkled the whole time and by the time we got back we were both soaked. Teresa and I were going to go to Costco but when we got there it was really packed, we forgot it was Saturday. We decided to go to the nursery and instead, I’m still on a quest to find some art for my back porch, it looks so bear out there. I did find a hanging plant, string of hearts, to go in a hanging bird cage that I got a while back. I also found some little garden mushrooms that I don’t know what I’m going to do with yet. We came home and trained Janea one more time before she is on her own, she is going to work out great. I did the standing frame again for an hour and exercised, my arms are really really sore. I took a couple of Tylenol PM’s so I hope I sleep good tonight.

Sunday was another rough day but it’s all better when I get a nice long hot bath. I didn’t get up so the new girl dusted and straightened up both bathrooms and cleaned my room really good, I hate clutter. The day went by really fast. It was supposed to storm but it didn’t, I hope it’s like this again tomorrow.

My new van...

2011-06-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Monday I got to sleep in until 10 AM, I love it when I can sleep in. Daniel was coming to change my tires, check the shocks and replace the headrest on my chair at 1 PM so really wasn’t worth getting up. I did get to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed. By the time Karen left the day was almost over so I watched some TiVoed programs and just relaxed. It’s nice to have new tires and know that my shocks are okay. It looks nice outside but really windy, it’s supposed to be like us again tomorrow and then rain on Wednesday, I hope the weather person is wrong about Wednesday. Today went by really fast and I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long night, it’s already 10 PM and I’m not even tired.

Tuesday is hopefully the beginning of beautiful weather, except it’s supposed to rain tomorrow... but after that. I got to sleep in a little bit and then I got up around noon. I took Robby for a cruise down to the wharf and to the boardwalk and then met Teresa downtown for some shopping, LOVE shopping. We got something for Karen for her graduation and looked at a lot of shoes, Teresa got a really nice pair of shoes for a wedding that she is going to. We went to the Tiki room and had some killer calamari and we split a burger with bacon, avocado, pickles and pineapple, the best burger in the world. We also had sweet potato fries. They have a horseradish and ginger sauce that is AWESOME. Our new favorite place to go on Tuesdays... Tiki Tuesday.

Wednesday was another long personal-care day, I’m getting really tired of them. I hope the doctors can figure out what’s wrong. I should have went to my spinal cord injury doctor here but I didn’t, I guess I’ll go see her now and she will probably be able to tell me what is wrong right away. I got a nice long hot bath and went back to bed just in time for the afternoon girl, Cassy, to show up. She fed Robby and then did some grocery shopping for me. I finally got those potstickers I have been craving.

Thursday was a really great day. I got up and got dressed and cruised over to the wharf and the boardwalk while Teresa was interviewing cleaning companies, Teresa and Karen clean my house right now but they are both getting way too busy so we decided to try to find a company to do it. The company that she interviewed was VERY expensive and they don’t do Windows or clean the birds cages. I called another company and they were going to come out today but she got really busy so she’s going to come out on Saturday, when I explained everything to her over the phone she sounded like she would be a lot more inexpensive. Jerry, a friend of mine that was my neighbor when I lived in San Jose, came by today and I’m glad I was home. I had just gotten back from taking Robby on a cruise. We talked for a long time and caught up, it was really great to see him. I took Robby for another cruise, our usual cruise and then came back and rested for a while. Karen came and put me to bed, Robby is sleeping like a puppy.

Friday I got a nice long massage, she straightened out some vertebrae’s in my neck because it was hurting really bad. After she finished it felt so good. Personal care took a really long time again and made me feel miserable so I just took the nice long hot bath and went back to bed, by the time I got back to bed the day was already three quarters of the way over. My mom went to spend the night in Modesto to see my niece graduate, I wish I could have gone. My uncle and my aunt came over to play cribbage, I didn’t start out very well but I only lost a dollar so that’s pretty good.

Saturday the weather was supposed to be a lot nicer than it was. I had another housekeeping company come over to make a bid on my house, they are so expensive. She said that she would work something out with me but I left so that the lady that cleans my house can talk to her and tell her what I need, I didn’t want to keep butting in because sometimes I just can’t keep my mouth shut. I cruised through the lagoon and up to Bay/California Street to look at your sales, they have a lot of them on the weekend. Cassy text me and said that she was out of school early so I was going to meet her at the crape place for lunch. We cruised down to the wharf and through the boardwalk, it was so busy now that it’s open daily, down the reservoir and to Ross. I went through town and then met Cassy and had a crab and avocado crape, it was so good. On the way back it started sprinkling a little bit but in the sun was out by the time I got home. Cassy met me here and put me to bed. Cassy and her family are almost all moved in across the street, it’s good to have them back.

Sunday we were going to get a puppy is together again for a play date but the weather was so nice and Dr. Owens and her family decided to go hiking, I saw the pictures on face book and it looked gorgeous. It’s a good thing because my evening caregiver wasn’t feeling well and said she wasn’t going to be able to make. I slept a lot of the day which felt really great. My van finally arrived about 8 PM and everybody was saying how huge it was, kind of nervous but I will find out in the morning. The lady that drove the van here stayed the night and is going to show everybody everything about it this morning. Gabe is going to be here to check everything out since he is the one that is going to be taking care of it for me, Gabe is awesome. I thought I was going to have a hard time sleeping since I slept all day but I slept really good.

Puppy play day, it's been a while...

2011-05-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Monday was really cold and windy. I took Robby out for a cruise a couple of times but we only made it to the wharf, through the boardwalk and back. I can stand the cold and rain a little bit but I just can’t take the wind. I came home and Heather was cooking a bunch of food in the kitchen smelled wonderful. Teresa came and put me to bed and we kind of try to figure out a bunch of stuff that needs to be done, kind of spring cleaning and organizing. She is off from school in June so hopeful we will get a lot done.

Tuesday was supposed to be cold and rainy so I ended up staying in bed all day again, it really was rainy, windy and cold so I’m glad I did but I just get so frustrated at everything when I have to stay in bed. Teresa came by and gave me a nice long hot bath and put me back to bed and now I just wish I could sleep until the morning.

If you are going down a road and don't like what's in front of you and look behind you and don't like what you see, get off the road. Create a new path! Maya Angelou

Wednesday was such a great day. I got dressed and got up early and took Robby for our usual long cruise, the weather was perfect. I came back and Heather was cooking, it always smells so amazing in here when Heather’s around. Cassy came and put me in the standing frame and told me that she gets to go to San Diego for some classes and she’s going to be helping her parents with their business, that is so great for her. She also has 21 units at college, I don’t know how she does it. I’m again looking for a part-time evening caregiver. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage. My uncle was my partner and we won almost every game, I think we won at least four dollars... woo hoo!!

"Practice enjoying the present moment, rather than using it up consumed with guilt over the past or worry about the future. Refuse to allow any thoughts based on your past to define you." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

Thursday after I got up I kept waiting for the weather to get nice, it was supposed to be 70°, but it was cold and windy all day long. I waited as long as possible and then I decided I better take Robby out for cruise. We cruised down the wharf and the boardwalk but then noticed a couple of off leash dogs along the reservoir so we turned around and came back, it’s getting pretty frustrating and everybody is surprised when “all of a sudden their dog is aggressive”. We cruised through town just to practice pushing the button to change the light, he gets a little over anxious sometimes but he’s pretty accurate. I’m hoping that when my cousin gets here I can get a video of all the stuff that he does because he does it with such enthusiasm, it is adorable. Maybe I just think it is because he’s my guy?

Via Vatican: Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.

Friday was a good day but a not so good day. I got to sleep in until 8:30 AM and then I got a nice long massage. My personal care took way too long but I got a nice long hot bath and then went back to bed, of course it looked like it was really nice outside so I’m kind of bummed that I didn’t get to go out and run around but tomorrow I will be up and out of here early.

Saturday was a gorgeous day. Time and again for our monthly support group. Only two people besides me showed up but we had a good time and decided it was about time for a barbecue. I sent an e-mail to everyone asking if they would attend and what day would be good for them... we’ll see how it goes. On the way back I ran into a lady who was looking for the support group, she was running late and missed it. I talked to her for a while and took down her e-mail so I can send her reminders for the next one, I hope she can make it. I cruised home and Heather was cooking up some more stuff in the kitchen, she is going to be gone for a little over a week and wanted to make sure I had enough food to get me through until she got back... she is always so sweet.

Sunday was such an awesome day. I sent a message to Dr. Owens asking her if the dogs could come back and play again, Robby missed them so much. I never heard from her so we took our usual long cruise around Santa Cruz and Dr. Owens called me on the way back so I had her come over with Bella and Ozzy, she brought over her daughters Brooke and Nina also. We dug out the pool that I got for them for the summer and they have such a great time. You could tell they really missed each other a lot. Robby is now sleeping like a baby. My uncle came over with a huge bowl of popcorn, he makes a perfect with a lap of butter and salt. Unfortunately I cannot have any butter because I’m on the elimination diet. It’s not doing me any good and I really really miss cheese and butter. I know I can make it until June 10.

James Durbin homecoming...

2011-05-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be a good day, hopefully it’s going to start to get warmer. Robby and I went on our regular cruise but stopped at Ross to do a little shopping. We didn’t buy anything but I love that place. We came on home through town and after we crossed the street we were cruising down Pacific Ave. and I heard a little kid say “mommy, there’s that dog that press the button to change the light” they were so impressed. I have a very talented and helpful dog. We tried to get him to do the elevator but the buttons were on the wrong side and there was a rail so I couldn’t get Robby any closer... he helps me out when he can. I came home and Heather was cooking some wonderful stuff and it smelled so good. Teresa came and put me to bed and later on my uncle and aunt came over to play cribbage, my uncle was my partner and they put us to shame... we will get them on Wednesday.

Happiness is not found at the end of the road, it is experienced along the way. So take not for granted each moment of your life and you will find a reason to be happy each day.

Tuesday was really nice. I got to sleep in on and off until noon. After I got up Robby and I cruised through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf and back, through the boardwalk and then back home. There wasn’t a lot of people around, it’s hard to believe that this Saturday is going to be so crowded everywhere with everybody wanting to congratulate James Durbin and welcome him home. Heather was making a spinach salad with cucumber, tomatoes, asparagus and crab... needless to say it was awesome. Teresa and I went downtown to Palace Art supply, Teresa needed a couple of frames. The weather was perfect except for on our way home it got a little cold and windy.

"The Canine Bill of Rights I have the right to give and receive unconditional love I have the right to a life that is beyond mere survival I have the right to be trained so I do not become the prisoner of my own misbehavior I have the right to adequate food and medical care I have the right to socialize with people and dogs outside of my family I have the right to have my needs and wants respected I have the right to special time with my people I have the right to only be bred responsibly-if not at all I have the right to some time and space all my own I have the right to be foolish and silly, and to make my person laugh I have the right to earn my person's trust and to be trusted in return I have the right to be forgiven I have the right to die with dignity" ~~ Carolyn Krause

Wednesday was really cold and really windy. I took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon and down to the end of the war before my manicure/pedicure. After we went down through the boardwalk and started down the reservoir but they were doing some roadwork so part of it was closed, we just turned around and came back home. It got really nice for a while and then the wind kicked up and I wasn’t really feeling very good so we were done. At night we played cribbage and watched American Idol, I can’t believe James Durbin will be here on Saturday... I hope I get to see him but it will probably be so crowded I won’t be able to.

Thursday was pretty close to a perfect day. I got up early so Robby and I took our usual cruise around Santa Cruz and came back to rest and get water, the laid-back switch on my chair broke so I’m afraid to be gone very long. We took off again but only had time to go through the lagoon, down to the wharf, through the boardwalk and partly down the reservoir. Some stupid dog owner had their dog off leash and chased us back towards the boardwalk so we decided to come back, very frustrating... I wish these people would keep their dogs on a leash. When Teresa came she waxed and shaved me and then I got a nice long hot bath and went to bed, I slept great.

Fridays I am really starting to like. I get to sleep in until 8:30 AM when the massage therapist comes and gives me an hour and a half massage. Karen comes in at 10 AM and gets me dressed and I’m usually up by 1 PM. I made it down to the wharf and the boardwalk and then had to come home because Cassy was going to be here at 3 PM to put me in the standing frame and then to bed. My uncle and aunt came over to play cards and they put us to shame. The weather was perfect.

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself." - Josh Billings

Saturday I got to be being done real early so I could cruise around town and watch everything get ready for James Durbin homecoming. There sure were a lot of people around. I cruised by the beach stage about noon and people were already crowding around to get a good view of James singing. I cruised over to the wharf, through the boardwalk and down son Lorenzo reservoir and I noticed something going on at San Lorenzo Park so I cruised over. There was a couple of bands and a bunch of booths with people selling stuff. I cruised around for a while, they have a ramp going down to the lower part where it’s mostly grass and the concrete sidewalk was blocked with a portable toilet and some garbage cans so I had to turn around and go back. I came back home to rest for a while and started to get really cold and windy and the weather center was supposed to rain at 4 PM. I thought about it for a long time and decided it would be best not to go down to the boardwalk to watch James preform, I don’t think I would’ve been able to see anything because they say there was 20,000 people and I kept going outside and it was just too cold and windy, I didn’t want to get stuck out in the rain. I knew I would be sorry if I didn’t go but out also be sorry if I did. I just watched the results on face book and of course everybody had a great time.

Sunday was supposed to store them all day so I just took a nice long hot bath and went back to bed, of course the sun was out all day but it was very windy and cold. I did get a call from the guy that is installing my lift in my new van and he is almost done. After he sends it back to the place that did the conversion they will drive it here and install the tie downs where I want them and then it’s mine... finally. It will be nice to have a van that I know will start every time I needed to, the van I have has been a very good van but it’s time for a new one.

Mother's Day...

2011-05-08T18:34:00.001-07:00

Monday I took a really nice long hot bath, got dressed and got up. The weather outside was perfect, even though it was supposed to get up to 75°. Robby and I took out on our regular cruise around Santa Cruz. As we were cruising down the reservoir I could see this young guy stumbling towards us. At first it looked like he was just too hot because he had a big thick jacket on but as we passed by him I noticed he had a really strong smell of alcohol, he looked like he was probably 14 or 15 and I felt so bad I didn’t know what to do. I came back and as soon as I came in the door I could smell wonderful things in the kitchen, Heather was here. She made or pork roast with carrots, potatoes and onions, a meatloaf, chard, quinoa, bok choy with ginger and some trout with lemon and capers. Is that a dream come true or what? When Teresa came she brought some mustard chicken, kale and potato soup... it was awesome also. I just love hanging around people that can cook and do it so well. Theresa put me to bed and we decided since I have so much awesome food at my house we will go to the Tiki room tomorrow night for dinner, I know it doesn’t make much sense. Last night as I was about to go to sleep I heard little toenails walking down the hallway towards the living room. I turned the volume off on my TV and I said “are you kidding me?” Then I heard even faster toenails coming back into my room. I think it gets really warm in here for Robby so he tries to sneak out to the living room, I just need to keep it cooler in here... I forget he has that big heavy coat on.

Tuesday I didn’t get up until noon but it was a great day. Teresa came in about 11:30 AM and got me up so that Robby and I could cruise around for a while. Robby got a much-needed bath this morning so he was ready to run around and dry off. We went through the lagoon and down to the lighthouse but we couldn’t go any further because they were working on the rails and they had everything balked so we turned around and went down to the wharf, it was so beautiful and not very crowded. We cruised through the boardwalk and started to go down the reservoir but it started getting really hot so we turned around and came back. Teresa and I went downtown for a little shopping, mostly just a lot of looking, and then we went to the Tiki room. Karen has been telling us about the Tiki room for a long time and we have been wanting to try it, we were not disappointed. Usually we end up eating way too much so we split a burger and some sweet potato fries. The burger that we got was a cheese, bacon, pineapple and grilled onions... of course my half didn’t have cheese on it. The burger was awesome and we will definitely be back. I never really liked sweet potatoes but the fries were really good. We came back and Teresa put me to bed.

Wednesday my personal care and extra long time but I got to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed. Tonight is American Idol and cribbage, I’m really looking forward to that. I heard that there’s a good possibility if they don’t send James Durbin home tomorrow night on American Idol he will be back here around the 14th for a concert. I will definitely be there for that if possible. His family is supposed to be up a Mother’s Day brunch at the Coconut Grove on Sunday, I hope I get to meet them, or at least see them.

Thursday was the first Thursday I have gotten up for a long time and it felt great. I had the bright idea of putting my leg braces on and my large brace, all made of plastic. I got to be about 74° and I will never do that again. My evening caregiver wasn’t going to be here until 6:15 PM but they canceled one of her classes so she was here at 4:30 PM, I was so relieved she came early. I ran out of water by 2 PM. It really was great to get out and wander around. We went on our usual cruise around Santa Cruz and then came back to rest for a bit and cool down and we started to go again but I wasn’t sure how hot the ground was on Robby’s feet so we just came back and watch the rest of the movie I had “two weeks notice” always a funny movie.

Friday I got to sleep in and then I got a nice long massage followed by a nice long hot bath, it was awesome. I got up and Robby and I cruised through the lagoon, down to the lighthouse, to the end of the wharf, through the boardwalk and back home. I did a standing frame and then went to bed, the weather and the day were both perfect.

Saturday I was supposed to participate in the human race, a stroll down West Cliff for your favorite charity... of course mine was canine companions for Independence. The scheduling got all screwed up and I ended up not going, Susan’s mother-in-law said that she would pick up my T-shirt for me. Robby and I went on our extra long cruise through Santa Cruz, the weather was perfect. We got home and Robby had some water and I rested for a bit and we took off again. As we were cruising back from the lighthouse we ran into the owner of Robby’s grandma, I can never remember their names but they are very sweet. She said that they are looking at houses here, I really hope they move here. We took off at 11 AM, came back briefly and on our second trip we got back just as Cassy text me and said she was on her way. I went to bed and then Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Sunday was Mother’s Day and although the weather was not very nice the day was awesome. My mom, my aunt, Teresa, Karen and I went to a Mother’s Day brunch at the Coconut Grove on the boardwalk, where Heather works. The food was awesome and I went off of my illumination diet and it was so worth it. The custard French toast was out of this world and the best bacon I think I have ever had. The desserts were awesome, I had a chocolate chocolate truffle but they have a little bit of everything. Everybody really enjoy themselves. After the brunch my aunt and I went to see water for elephants. I thought it was a really good movie and so did my aunt, she read the book and now I’m going to have to. The sun finally came out at the end of the day but it was still cold and windy.

Out and about...

2011-05-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be a good day. I got up and started to take Robby for a cruise but when I got down to the soccer/skate park it started sprinkling so I thought I should turn back, good thing I did because it started raining. I waited for a little while and then started out again, I made it all the way to the boardwalk before it started sprinkling I’ve decided to just keep on going. It just sprinkled a little bit but we got in a nice cruise so it was worth it. There sure was a lot of tearing up of the roads by the wharf, kind of hard to maneuver around but all of the men working around that area were really nice and helpful. They even stopped traffic for Robby and I, mostly for Robby and I know... he gets that treatment everywhere we go. I came back and Heather was cooking and it smelled wonderful in here. I’m still trying to work on eating 4-6 small meals a day and although it’s not working very well I am staying off of dairy and the rest will come as soon as I figure it out. I took a couple of PMs because my neck, shoulder and arms have been hurting the last couple of days... I’m sure because of the weather. Hopefully I will be able to relax and watch couple of movies. I’ve decided that people with Smart cars must be pretty smart but they don’t have a very good sense of humor... I saw this lady parking her smart car and I drove up alongside and said “your car is just a little bit bigger than my wheelchair” she was not amused. She had a couple of kids with her so maybe that’s why she was cranky?

Tuesday was a day stuck in bed, my neck and my arms are getting really sore. Today is my last Tuesday stuck in bed and I think that I can handle staying in bed for one day a week. Cassy came over this morning and fed Robby and I and Teresa will be here sometime this afternoon. I watched a movie called the other sister, I have seen her before and it’s a really cute movie. I also watched a new series called relapse, a guy who deals with people who keep relapsing on drugs and alcohol. I usually watch intervention on Mondays but it hasn’t been on for the last couple weeks. Teresa showed up about 1 PM to get me up and out of here, I was so thrilled. I took Robby for a really long cruise and then I met her at a place called 99 beers on the wall and we had a hamburger and then cruised around downtown for a while and look at shoes. It turned out to be an awesome day.

Wednesday I was supposed to go and get a manicure/pedicure but the guy from Hill-Rom called and wanted to come and repair my bed so I had to reschedule my manicure/pedicure for Saturday. The guy came out to look at my bed but had to order the parts. The parts were delivered here and of course when he came out to install them the bed is working fine and it has been for two weeks so we decided to keep the parts here and just wait until we need them. I bought his bed on Craig’s list about a year ago but the guy told me that it was still under warranty, usually when you purchase a bed from somebody else the warranty doesn’t carry over. After he left I went to take Robby for a cruise but of course it was sprinkling, luckily I took him earlier so he won’t be going stir crazy. Cassy came to take me for a couple of errands but my van would not start, my guess is the battery is dead again. She put me to bed and then went to run errands for me, luckily she loves to do errands. Uncle Dick and aunt Kathy, Lee and Claudia and my mom and I played cribbage. I got some cheese and crackers and some chocolate for Easter and I can’t have any of it because of my elimination diet but they can all enjoy it. My aunt Kathy was my partner and we kicked butt, won four dollars... woo hoo!!

"Don't mistake kindness for weakness." - Albert Collins

Thursday was another day stuck in bed and of course it’s beautiful outside. My mom goes and plays cards so I pretty much had the house to myself, I watched a couple of shows that I TiVo and slept most of the morning. My aunt and Lulu came over for a visit, to take Robby out and play with him a little bit in the driveway... I think Robby wore out first. I can’t believe how big lulu is getting and she talks up a storm. I found out yesterday that Karen graduates June 11, I thought it was May 11... I don’t know if I could stand one more month staying in bed on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I might not have a choice. I think by the time I interviewed, hired somebody and train them it would be time for them to quit. Teresa came by and gave me a nice long hot bath, that sure felt great.

‎~ Dogs are miracles with paws. ~ Susan Kennedy

Friday I got a nice long massage and my chair fixed. The cable got split from leaning back in my chair so Daniel came by and fixed it for me, he also fix the headrests AGAIN. Robby had an appointment today to get his eyes examined so I couldn’t take him out of the house to go on a cruise or anything until about 3:30 PM, his eyes were still really dilated even after that so he just stayed in his kennel. I cruise downtown to exchange some sandals that I bought a while back and to get some wrapping paper at CVS. I came back and stood in the standing frame for an hour, it felt really good.

‘A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours.’ -Anonymous

Saturday was a really long and stressful morning, by the time I got up I was exhausted. I think it was up about 20 minutes when Cassy text me and said she was out of school already, she told me it was that it be a long day for her and she wouldn’t get out until about 4 PM. I told her to give me an hour and a half to run Robby for a little bit and then meet me here at 3:30 PM. When she got here she told me that she wasn’t feeling good and she was just going to put me to bed and she wasn’t coming in tomorrow, Easter Sunday. I really don’t want the girls coming in when they are sick because I don’t mean to be sick. Heather came over this afternoon and set up a spiral ham, some sweet mashed potatoes and some green beans for us to have for Easter. I’ve been really cold all day but I’m trying not to turn the heater on too high because Robby ends up in the living room, my mom found him there the last couple of evenings. I can’t blame him because it is warm in here that he cannot do that so I put his other bed in my bathroom and hopefully that will work, there is tiled floor and it’s cooler in there.

DOGS LIVE HERE~ If you don't want to be greeted with paws and swinging tails don't come inside because dogs live here. If you don't like the feel of a cold nose or a wet tongue, don't come inside because dogs live here. If you don't want to step over many scattered toys, don't come inside because dogs live here. If you think that a home ought to smell of perfume, don't come inside because dogs live here. If you don't mind all of this, you will be instantly loved when you come inside, because dogs live here. ~Author - David Lester

Easter Sunday I ended up staying in bed again. My caregiver came in on Saturday evening and said that she didn’t feel good and that she wasn’t going to come in Easter Sunday evening, it was already too late to make other plans. As I was looking on face book Sunday afternoon I see pictures of her over at her friends smiling and having fun, I was so frustrated that I sent her a message... normally I wouldn’t have done that but I already have to stay in bed two days a week and it’s so beautiful outside. After messaging her I found out that she was at home sick just posting old pictures from her phone, I felt really bad for not believing her. Heather made my mom and I a really nice ham, mashed sweet potatoes and green beans for Easter dinner.

Monday turned out to be a really great day. It was misting outside but I decided to take Robby for a cruise anyway, when we got down to the wharf it started raining harder so we came back. As soon as we got back it lightened up a little bit so we took off again up and down the wharf, through the boardwalk, along the reservoir and down to Ross. We went in Ross and looked around for a little while and then came back through town. When we got back Charlie and Terri came by to say hello, I have not seen them for a very long time and it was really great. We went back down to the wharf and then came back because it was time to go to bed. The weather started out not so good but it ended up being a beautiful day.

Tuesday was so beautiful I couldn’t wait to get dressed and get out of here. Teresa came and got me up about 11 AM and Robby and I took off for the day. we cruised down to the end of the wharf and then to the boardwalk. As we were cruising down the middle of the boardwalk I saw a lady with a dog, as soon as the dog saw Robby he crouched down and froze. I looked around and there was a security officer standing right there but he did nothing. The lady laughed and said “oh look he wants to play”. There are certain ways that a service animal is supposed to act in public and this was nowhere near the train service dog but the lady must have told them at the office that it was because he had a little pink tag. It’s getting more and more frustrating watching these people say that their animals are service animals and then they try to attack my service dog. I was going to try to do something a while back but got to frustrated and gave up but I think I’m going to try again, this is just not right. We cruised down the reservoir to pets mart and I went in to ask if they have some water down somewhere for dogs, they said that they are not allowed to do that. I told them that I had my own bowl and they got somebody to give Robby some water, it was really hot out today. We cruise back through town and down to the wharf again and then back home to eat and rest and then off again for another cruise through the lagoon and back down to the wharf. It was unbelievably gorgeous outside.

Wednesday after I got up Robby and I took a cruise around the wharf and the boardwalk. The lady that does my manicure/pedicure works right about the boardwalk so I didn’t have time to go to far. After the manicure/pedicure I was going to meet Cassy at the buttery to get cupcakes for my moms birthday which was today, we had some people over to play cribbage in the cupcakes were awesome. I wasn’t going to have any because I’m supposed to be off of dairy and butter but everyone kind of insistent so they scraped the frosting off of one of the carrot cake cupcakes and I ate it... I was not the only one that agreed that was the best cupcake ever. We also got chocolate/cheesecake, mocha, double chocolate and another kind I can’t remember.

Thursday was a pretty good day even though I had to stay in bed. I watched a movie called did you hear about the Morgans? And a bunch of episodes of the office, I love that show. Teresa came by about three and we did some personal care and I got to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed. I didn’t sleep all day like I usually do on Thursdays so hopefully I will sleep really good tonight.

Friday I got a nice long massage, got dressed, got up and met Karen and Teresa at Cosco. A couple of days ago my van wouldn’t start and I haven’t had a chance to get somebody over to jump it so I haven’t been able to use it, I hope it’s just the battery. I got a solar battery charger but if it is the battery even that is not working now. It has been a while since I have been able to go to Costco so we got a lot of stuff, we had to quit because the basket was getting too full. I met a gentleman there who is a member of the Lions Club in Watsonville, they are all such nice people. After Robby and I cruised back from Cosco we cruised over to the wharf, down to the boardwalk and part way down the canal before Cassy messaged me and said that she was on her way back from San Jose with her mom. Heather came by and cooked a bunch of wonderful stuff, it really was a great day... and I got to go shopping at Costco. My uncle and aunt came over to play cribbage, we play a dollar a game and I won six dollars... I think that’s a record.

Saturday was awesome, the days are just getting better and better. After I got up I took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon, down to the end of the wharf at back, through the boardwalk, along the reservoir and down to Ross. Instead of coming back through town I came back down the reservoir so I can stop at FedEx and get a couple of shipping forms and I went into CVS to look around for a bit. When I got home Cassy text me and said that she was out of school so I had her meet me back at FedEx so I could send my brother is new time capsule from Apple, hopefully they will improve the speed of our computers and they have a lot more room for storage. I didn’t think that I would need more room since I got the Mac but I have a bunch of photos, music and audio books. It was really warm outside, it got up to 73°, but the wind made it really nice. I was going to have somebody set up Robby’s new swimming pool so I could have Bella over tomorrow for a play date but I forgot, Robby really misses Bella a lot. I look at the pictures of them playing, I have them on my computer as a screensaver, and it really makes me sad because they always had such a great time. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage. They were eating cheese and crackers and I was very jealous, I’m going to have a cheese party after my elimination diet. Cheese is about the only thing I really miss. I lost a dollar.

Sunday the wind died down but it was still really nice outside, I thought it was going to be a lot warmer. After I got up Robby and I went on our regular cruise and on the way back we still had time so we were in a cruise back over to the wharf when I remembered that Robby needed some water so we came home to get him some. Before we left again I decided to practice a couple of his commands so we decided to practice turning the light on and off and as he jumped up to hit the light switch with his paw it slipped and he locked the deadbolt on the door, I can not open the door with the button on the side of my chair if the deadbolt is locked. The button for the front door was in my chair but not working so I can open the front door with a button that I have on the table in my room but if I go outside I can’t open it to get back in so we were basically locked inside the house. Luckily Cassy was going to be here in an hour so we just waited. I did the standing frame and then went to bed. I was supposed to go to a birthday party today but I’m having problems with my van, I can’t wait until my new one gets here. I’m supposed to take Robby to get recertified in June and it’s not ready by then I don’t know what they do but I will be able to go to Santa Rosa.

Such beautiful weather...

2011-04-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Monday was a really awesome day. I took off with Robby and we went all the way down to natural Bridges Beach, about 7 miles, and back. We went down through the wharf and through the boardwalk but had to come home because it was 3 PM, time for Robby and I to eat. Heather was here so she fed both of us and then we were on our way again cruising through the lagoon and back down to the wharf. There was a brown and white puppy running around all over and I was so afraid that he was going to get hit. He did come up and sniff Robby and a gentleman on a bike tried to grab him but he was just too timid and ran away. He had a collar on so I hope that somebody got him before he got run over. I saw a guy who was putting flowers at the memorial site for sky and Patrick and started talking to him. I asked him who the flowers were for and he sent for everyone but especially his son sky, I told him that Patrick was my cousin and we talked for a couple of minutes. I told him that my uncle showed me his yard and how beautiful all the flowers were, he keeps the flowers growing for Patrick and skies Memorial. He said they were like firk and Frak. I also ran into Robby’s veterinarian, Dr. Dave. I seem to run into him all over the place, he is such a neat guy. I ran into my neighbor clear down on Westcliff Drive and talk to him for a few minutes also, he is always so sweet and makes me smile. As I was cruising around the wharf I walked by a lady and she said “you are all over the place today” she didn’t look familiar but I’m sure I saw her somewhere along Westcliff. I wanted to make sure that Robby got plenty of exercise because tomorrow I’m going to be stuck in bed. Robby seems to be exhausted, I know my arms are exhausted but that’s good. I can’t wait until we can start running around like that all the time.

‎"If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat." - Unknown

Tuesday’s and Thursdays are going to suck for a while, I have no morning caregiver until May 11th. When the weather is cold I don’t mind staying in bed all day but when the weather’s nice I would much rather be outside cruising around. I guess I should be grateful that I don’t have to try to find a new temporary caregiver, I’d almost rather stay in bed than go through that. There is a couple of really good movies on pay-per-view so that always makes the day go by faster. I do get to look forward to a nice dinner and a nice long hot bath. I was having a bad day when Heather showed up and made...pan fried tilapia with arugula and Parmesan stuffed tortellini with artichokes, asparagus and tomato basil pesto. It was AWESOME and I ate it all!! Teresa came by and gave me a really nice long hot bath and now I’m in bed watching Tangled and I feel so warm and cozy.

Wednesday looked like it was going to be a really good day and then it started raining. The sun will come out for a couple of minutes and then when I decided to take Robby for a cruise it would start raining, we did get in about an hour before Cassy came to take us shopping. We went grocery shopping at Safeway and then to the mall to look around for a while and get some plant pulleys for my hanging plants on the front and back porch. I came back and my mom was making banana avocado bread and my uncle was making chili. I didn’t get to try the chilly yet but avocado banana bread was awesome. We played cards last night with Lee and Claudia and my aunt and uncle and everybody enjoyed it. The last game we decided to play for two dollars and we got skunked so it cost me four dollars for one game BUT we had fun and it was good company.

Thursday I was stuck in bed again and of course it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. It looks like at least on Tuesdays I won’t be stuck in bed all day because treason is going to come and try to get me up, she has an hour and a half between classes. I think I would go crazy without her.

Friday I had an appointment at Seton in Daly city to find out why I’m having stomach problems. The doctor thumped on my belly a couple of times and said “yes you have a problem” he put me on an elimination diet and then I go back in June on Monday for an x-ray and then I have to take this weird little pill and then go back again on Friday to see where all the little particles in the pill are having problems getting through. the first thing I had to cut out is all dairy, that won’t be too hard for me because I don’t eat that much except cheese and butter. And then beans and peas and then fruit... it probably would have been a lot easier if you gave me a last what I CAN eat. If it works it will definitely be worth it. After the doctor’s appointment Teresa and I went to Olive Garden for lunch, it was awesome and we ate too much. I had the little pastries stuffed with cheese and herbs with beef and she had the same only with chicken. I also had sausage and potato soup that was Keller. I have been craving that place for a while and it didn’t let me down, I can’t wait until my next visit. I tried to find Dr. Crew, he was my wound care doctor in January 2010 and after my flap surgery he came to visit me every day in the hospital, he is so sweet. I’m really not sure that he would remember me but it still would be nice to see him, I’ll try again next time. Before we went to Daly city Robby and I got to take a cruise to the wharf and back and after we came back we went down to the boardwalk, down the reservoir to pet Smart and then back through town just in time for Cassy to put me to bed. Lee and Claudia, uncle Dick and aunt Kathy and my mom and I played cribbage. Not ready to talk about the outcome yet...

Saturday was a gorgeous day, it got up to 70°. I started my day off with a massage and then after I got up I went to our monthly support group. There were six people there and the guy who started the face of the page, Ricardo, showed everybody how to maneuver around face book, I thought I knew a lot about it but I really learned a lot. He changed the name and the people that you did it more than doubled. It’s getting to be pretty popular not only around here but also oversees. He changed the name to neuro disability newsfeed. I get more and more excited about the support group and everything that’s going on with it every month, the people are just amazing. When I came back from the support group Melissa was painting my windows for spring, we decided not to do Easter because then I can keep it up longer. I was supposed to start eating five meals a day today but it didn’t happen. I had a protein drink this morning and then forgot to eat again before Karen left, by the time I got back home it was almost 4 o’clock so we began after Cassy put me to bed. Tomorrow I swear I’m going to do better.

Sunday was another long, exhausting morning so I just decided to take a bath and go back to bed, I hope I’m not going to be sorry because it’s supposed to rain tomorrow. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to eat five or six smaller meals every day. I think I’ve pretty much have it figured out, I hope it works. I was going to relax and watch a couple of movies but I fell asleep most of the day so now that I’m wide awake I’ll give the movies a try.

Nice weather and great family...

2011-04-10T19:32:00.001-07:00

Monday was another bad day stuck in bed, I can’t wait for my doctors appointment on the 15th and I hope they can find out what is wrong with me... really tired of this. I called Hill wrong to see if they could come out and take a look at my bed, the function lights on the side rail keep locking up and sometimes they just don’t work. I had the guy come out once before and he showed me how to unlock it but it just keeps happening and now the only way I can get them all to unlock is to unplug it and plug it back in and now only works for a while. I kind of hope they don’t come out today because I would rather not be in my bed when they’re looking at it but I’m glad to see them whenever they get here.

‎"I have found that when you are deeply troubled there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source."  --Doris Day

Tuesday was an absolutely beautiful day and it was so nice to be able to get up and get out. Teresa took Robby over to Westside animal Hospital to get a bath and I went over to him waves and curls in sunshine Villa to get my hair dyed, manicure and pedicure. Teresa and I went to try a new Chinese food place and it was pretty good. The Thai place we usually go to wasn’t open and it was right across the parking lot so we decided to give it a try. After we got back Teresa waxed my face and then she put me to bed, it was a really long day for her. While Robby and I were at the spa she washed the winter comforter and curtains in the spare bedroom and got out the summer set. Teresa is awesome, I really don’t know what I would do without her.

Wednesday started out to be a really good day. Robby and I took off for our regular cruise and the sun was shining. I got down to cost plus and found a couple more things that I needed for Easter. While I was there I ran into a gentleman whose wife was on the last stages of the interview to get a canine companion for independence dog, they had waited about a year and were very excited. I hope I run into them again after they get their dog. On the way out I ran into Foster, he founded an organization here in Santa Cruz called shared adventures. They are always doing something. Last year I met him at one of the concert on the beach and got to talk to him for a little bit before the concert, she is very sweet man. The next time I ran into him was almost literally, I was late for a movie and I needed to take my dog to relieve himself and I was just going to fast. I apologized and then hurried on my way. When I ran into him today at cost plus I talked to him for a little while and then came back home. Cassy came by and took Robby and I to the dog park in Scotts Valley. When we got there there was about 10 dogs there, Robby and I were so excited. Immediately this big brown boxer came over and kept trying to mount Robby. It was so annoying and the owner did nothing to control his dog, he looked like he thought he was a big macho guy and was probably proud of his dog... I should’ve told him that Robby was a guy? Finally it got to the point where Robby was growling and barked at him so we had to leave, Robby is not supposed to do that. I was so angry that we had to leave because of this one stupid guy and his dog, out of all the 10 dogs in the park Robby was the only one his dog was annoying. You just ruined the whole rest of my day. I came home and went to bed and had dinner. It’s amazing how just one thing like that can ruin your whole day. I kind of wish now that I would have said something but it look like the same group that was there probably every day, they all seem to know each other, and they probably would have just laughed at me anyway. Next time we are going to bring a squirt bottle.

Thursday turned out to be a really good day even though it was raining on and off. Teresa and I went to lunch at Ristorante Italiano, one of our very favorite places to go and we are never disappointed. We got fried calamari and fried shrimp, garlic bread and we both ordered spaghetti with seafood, I got scallops and Teresa got shrimp. Needless to say it was awesome. I Got a coupon from goupons. We went to the nursery to get a couple of Easter plans and ended up also getting a couple of parrots beak plants, I just love the way they look. I hope this time I can keep them alive, I just have to remember to have somebody warn them of a lot. We were going to go to Costco but we were afraid it would start pouring down rain as soon as we got out so we decided to go on Saturday instead, the weather is supposed to be nicer. We are both really tired and full, it was so good and we ate way too much. We just came home and Theresa put me to bed and we watched the dog whisperer for awhile. I watched the doctors TV show and last week they had a episode on knuckle replacement for arthritis. My uncle has arthritis really bad in his hands and he has tried everything so he was really thrilled when I showed him the episode, I really hope that it helps him.

Friday was a great day although the weather was not very nice. After I got up I started to take Robby for a cruise but when I got outside big chunks of ice were falling from the sky, not hard like hail but really soft chunks so we came back inside and waited for it to stop. After it stopped I met Teresa at the taco bar downtown and we had a couple of tacos and wait to see the new movie Arthur, it was really funny and we both enjoyed it but not nearly as funny as the original. We stopped in a couple of stores to look at shoes and then came home and Teresa put me to bed. Before we turned off my cell phone my niece Corinne text me and said that her and her dad are coming to visit tomorrow, hopefully we can go have Spam sushi.

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons." - James Thurber

Saturday was a beautiful day but it was really windy. Robby and I took off and we got about halfway down the wharf and the wind was getting colder so we decided not to go any further. We cruised through the boardwalk but it was so crowded it was really hard to get through so we turned around and came around the outside. We cruised along San Lorenzo reservoir to Ross and then back home through town. When we got back my brother Stanley, Janet and Corinne were here, they came down for the weekend. We went to have dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Robby and I met them up there. I had the Carnitas plate, usually enough food for at least two meals. We came back and after I got into bed we all played cards with my uncle and aunt, I actually won several games.

Sunday after I got up we all went out to breakfast and then Janet, Corinne and I went shopping at the Capitola Mall for a dress for Corinne’s dance. She found two really adorable dresses so her mother got them both for her, she looks so cute and both of them. We went to Ross and looked around for a while and Robby and I cruised home along the reservoir while they drove the van back. Teresa came to put me to bed and we had pizza, what a great day. My brother and my family went home and now I’m just sitting here trying to get warm.

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer...

2011-04-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be a gorgeous day. I had a dentist appointment so Robby and I left early to go on an extra long cruise, it has been a while since we have been able to and it sure felt great. We took the long way home through San Lorenzo Park, and back through the boardwalk along the Levy. I forgot to start the odometer until I left the dentist office, it was almost 5 miles... that’s just one way.

Tuesday was also a gorgeous day. Robby and I cruised down Westcliff Drive to natural Bridges State Park, surprisingly there was not a lot of people but some really beautiful sites. I saw something in the water that I thought was a seal but I think now it was an otter. The caregiver that I have for Tuesdays and Thursdays told me today that it wasn’t really worth her coming all the way out here just to do care giving, she was giving me a massage on Thursdays and I think that’s really what she wants to do. She is also very busy because she works on a form. I will miss her but she still doing alterations on my clothing and making me some new camps to wear, I have to have elastic around the waist and no pockets so I will still get to see her every once in a while. My uncle, my aunt, Lee and Claudia, Lee’s sister and her kid and my mom and I played cribbage and ate cheese and crackers, I love to taste different cheeses. My uncle was my partner and we didn’t do very good, everybody was really tired but glad we did it.

Wednesday was another gorgeous day, just keep them coming. I took Robby for cruise over to the wharf, around the boardwalk and back. I knew that we were going to go and look at a couple of dog parks later so I didn’t want him to get too tired. The first one was in a nice area but there was no dogs around and it wasn’t very accessible, I would have to watch from the outside. It is the only one we could find in Santa Cruz that is enclosed so I think I will ask Dr. Owens if she wants to go and try it out. The next dog park that we checked out was in Scotts Valley, it was really really nice. I remember going there for the Woof to Woof dog festival last year, Robby and I did a demonstration for CCI. There was a one-year-old German shepherd puppy and a little brown yappy dog that wouldn’t stop biting Robby on the butt. Then a lady came in with a little black lab puppy and that was just what Robby was looking for. Robby was really nervous at first and wanted to play with the dogs but stayed in the middle of two chairs and then he ventured out. Since we were in Scotts Valley we stopped to get Robby some dog food, that is the closest place that carries his brand of food. When we got back Heather was cooking in the kitchen and it smelled wonderful, everything was still warm but I couldn’t eat yet because I had to do the standing frame first. I did the standing frame for a half an hour, went to bed and then ate a salad and some chicken.

My cousin is an awesome chef and she has her own website...http://snailsview.com/

Thursday was Kimberly’s last day to do personal care and massage, I really enjoy having her around but she is so very busy. She’s still going to be doing some alterations and sewing for me so I will still be able to see her once in awhile, not to mention face book. We had a really rough morning and I wasn’t feeling very well so I just stayed in bed, I did make an appointment to go back to Seton to see if I could find out what’s wrong with my stomach. Robby still looks like he’s exhausted from yesterday so I don’t feel too guilty. There are a couple of movies on pay-per-view that I would like to see and I have a couple of Netflix movies to keep me busy. Teresa came by and gave me a nice long hot bath and put me to bed, all snuggled in.

Friday was really nice in the morning and then it got HOT. Robby loves to help so much we decided to pose him with a big garbage cans so that it looks like he is pushing them out to the street, it turned out so cute. I started to take Robby on our morning cruise when I noticed that he was limping so I brought him back so Teresa could take a look at him, she found a little rock or something embedded in his pad and we went back out and he was fine. We went down to the wharf because the wind is cooler, down to the boardwalk and then back to the cooler wind on the wharf. When Cassy came I had her take us over to Toys “R” Us so I could get Robby a little pool for the yard to cool him down when it gets warm, I am really jealous because it is so cool. It has a cover over it and you can hook a garden hose to the top and it will spray downward like it’s raining. I can’t wait to see him play in it. I got to bed and got settled before the bed decided to break down, none of the functions on the side rails are working. The last time the technician was here for that problem he showed me how to reset it but it just keeps coming back on. Of course this happens on a Friday at 6 PM. Hopefully somebody will be around tomorrow and I can get somebody out to take a look at.

Saturday was another perfect day, not too hot. Robby and I went for an extra long cruise and did some shopping, is it still shopping you don’t buy anything? We looked around for a while in Ross, the world market and one of the stores that I like downtown. Cassy text me and asked me if I wanted some spam sushi, she has been telling me about it for a while now so I decided to try it. She gets it at a Hawaiian place and it was actually really good, I will definitely have it again. I got back and just as Cassy was ready to put me to bed her mom called and said that the dogs ran away, they have three. Her mom was on her way home from Valley medical center in Santa Clara and she got a call from a lady who found the dogs so Cassy went to go get them and luckily they were all safe. My uncle and aunt came over to play cribbage and my uncle and I actually double skunked my aunt and my mom, I think that was the first double skunk for me and it felt AWESOME.

Sunday was another draining long morning so I ended up staying in bed and of course it’s beautiful outside. I was going to go get a couple of tacos with Heather and then go to the movies with Heather and Cassy to see Paul, I’ve been wanting to see that for a while. I can’t wait until my doctors appointment next week so I can find out what is wrong with my digestive tract. Jess and Teresa took Robby over to the beach to run off some of his energy, Robby just loves the beach... luckily he gets a bath on Tuesday.

Another week of nasty weather...

2011-03-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Monday turned out to be a gorgeous day even though there was supposed to be thunderstorms, silly weatherman. Robby and I took our usual cruise and I finally was able to clock it on my odometer, it’s just a little over 5 miles. Came home and Heather made some chicken adobo, broccoli, mushrooms and quinoa. Teresa came to put me to bed and we went to change my SP (supra-pubic) catheter and although a little bit was coming out I started getting chills and sweating. We waited for a while and took my blood pressure and it was really high so we decided it must be a bad catheter so we changed it again and the chills and sweating were getting worse and my blood pressure was getting higher so we called Dr. Owens and got ready for a trip to emergency. We changed it one more time and a bunch of bladder slough and a gush of urine came out and my blood pressure started dropping and the chills and sweating when away. I have gotten autonomic dysreflexia a couple of times and it’s really scary, glad that is over and so glad that Theresa was here... I don’t think anybody else would have known what to do.

Tuesday I was exhausted and really sore from the night before but it turned out to be a beautiful day. I went to the sunshine Villa and got my manicure and pedicure, I got a they’re really fast because Claudia did a manicure and Samantha did the pedicure, Samantha and I play Scrabble on the iPhone and I really enjoy it. Robby and I cruised around Santa Cruz and came back just in time to eat. While we were cruising around I ran into a guy that I see all the time at the concerts at the beach Michael, I didn’t know his name until today but I talk to him all the time. Kimberly and I went through a box of material that I bought for pants that Karen found in the closet yesterday, I am so excited because there is some really cool fabric in that box. We too are the garage up a couple of times looking for it and it was in the closet in the front bedroom. Kimberly is the one who serge's all of my shirts, I cut them up and back, and she’s going to make some pants for me out of the material that I got. When I got home Heather was cooking, it smelled awesome in here. She made a lamb roast with vegetables, meat loaf, brussels sprouts and egg plant. Teresa came by and gave me a nice long hot bath and then my uncle and my aunt came over to play cribbage, it was a great day.

Wednesday every time it looks like the rain was going to let up a little bit Robby and I would start out for a little cruise and of course it would start pouring rain. I finally gave up and had Cassy come in a little early to group or tree shopping. As soon as we got back home the sun was out and it was beautiful. I did the standing frame for half an hour and then went to bed. My uncle roasted turkey across the street and brought me a turkey leg and some mashed potatoes.

Thursday I stayed in bed because they were coming to fix my chair and I couldn’t find anybody to come in early enough to put me to bed so I wouldn’t be in my chair when they came to fix it. Turned out to be a great idea because it not only rained really hard all day but the wind blew really hard all day, the electricity went out for a couple of hours. Teresa came by to give me a bath, something to eat and cut up some cheese for cheese and crackers later on tonight. Uncle Dick and and Kathy, Claudia, my mom and I played cribbage. A couple of the Windows in my driveway started leaking on the window seal inside the house when it would rain so I called Jeff from Dunton construction and he came right out, luckily it was just the holes inside the window were plugged up and making the water back up inside. He fixed it and didn’t even charge us, he is just the sweetest man.

Friday morning ended up being a long and exhausting morning. By the time we got done with personal care it was already 11 AM so I decided to just stay in bed, I wouldn’t have gotten up until 1 PM and my afternoon caregiver was coming in at 2 PM so it really wasn’t worth it. My afternoon caregiver said that she would play with Robby in the yard and that is my biggest worry about staying in bed. Of course it started raining so I don’t feel so bad. I found my rain cape and I got a cover for the driving instruments on my chair so the least we can still go out when it’s raining. My uncle and my aunt came over to play cribbage, my uncle was my partner and they skunked us on the last game.

Saturday was yet another long personal-care day, they are so exhausting, luckily today though I got to take a nice long hot bath after and that always makes me feel better... I’m just really tired after. It sounds like were going to have about six people, besides my mom and I, over to play cribbage tonight so that should make me feel better. Too many days in bed and it makes me go crazy. Hopefully everything will go alright tomorrow and I will be up and out of here no matter what the weather is like. I’m trying to watch a movie called rabbit hole, I fell asleep the first time that I try to watch it so I’m trying to watch it again... it looks like a really good movie. My uncle and aunt came over again and we played a couple of games of cribbage, we invited about four other people over but never heard from them so we just played by ourselves and had fun. Friendship is not about who came first or who cares the most. It is all about who came in your life and never left.

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day all day long. Robby and I got to go on an extra long cruise and everybody just seem to be happy that the sun was out. I still feel really bad that Robby can’t go on his regular puppy play dates, I was looking at the pictures today and he always has so much fun. Next Wednesday were going to try taking him to the dog park.

This weather is unbelievable...

2011-03-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Monday I ended up staying in bed once again, very frustrating. The massage therapist was supposed to be here at 8:30 AM but is still sick. Karen had a steady party and didn’t expect to come in until 9 AM and I knew she would be tired so we just kept it at 9 AM. It was supposed to rain all day so I kind of planned on staying in bed but still went a little stir crazy. I just watched TV and goes on and off all day. Heather came by about 3 PM and cooked a bunch of wonderful stuff and fed Robby. I told Teresa not to bother to come because there wasn’t much for her to do. I hope it doesn’t rain a lot tomorrow.

Tuesday I got up early and took Robby for a really long cruise, the usual cruise. I was supposed to go to Valley medical center for a presentation on the world's first embryonic stem cell trial but I didn’t make it. One of my tires on my van was low and wanted to get in on Friday he said it was in really bad shape and recommended I didn’t take it to San Jose until I got the tire replaced. It would’ve been nice to go but better to be safe, it was also raining that day. My uncle and my aunt, Steve, Lee and Claudia and my mom and I played cribbage, I didn’t do very good.

Wednesday morning the survey or came by to see if they really thought I needed a residential handicap parking place in front of my house, the lady told me right off that she didn’t think her boss would go for it because I had such a long driveway. You never know unless you ask? I do have a really long driveway but it’s very narrow. Robby and I went for our daily cruise and of course again I forgot to set the odometer on my iPhone to see how long it is, I’m so curious but I always forget. I came home and did the standing frame and went to bed. I looked in my cameras and I can see about four or five men coming up the driveway so I asked Cassy to see what was going on. I could see read out the front door and she said it was a fire truck and that somebody had complained about some kind of car fluid leaking in the driveway but apparently they didn’t have the address, they walked up and down my driveway a couple of times. I asked Cassy to go out and asked them if she needs to put me back in my chair in case we need to get the heck out, they said no everything was fine. Teresa came by after work to get everything ready to go in the crockpot for corned beef and cabbage dinner tomorrow, she is always there for me and I don’t know what I would do without her. Were going to put it in the crockpot tomorrow morning and let it cook all day, last year it was awesome.

‎"When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful." ~ Gene Hill

Thursday I decided to let everyone know that Robby is getting a little bit too socially aggressive so no more puppy play dates or pet therapy for a while or maybe even for ever, depending on whether I can get him back in shape. We went for our regular long cruise and I remembered to set tAhe odometer when I left so I could see how long our cruises are but for some reason when I got back it had shut itself off, maybe I hit it with my arm or something. When I got back and into the house the smell was INCREDIBLE, the corned beef and cabbage cooking in the crockpot all day. It was huge but everybody loved it so much that by the end of the day most of it was gone, I’m definitely going back to Costco to get at least one more. My aunt and uncle, Cassy, Teresa, Claudia, Rich and my mom and I finished it off. My uncle, Claudia and my mom and I ended up playing cribbage and we double skunked them... I have never double skunked anyone in my life and it felt great.

Friday was a very long morning so I just took a nice long hot bath and went back to bed, for some reason I was just really sleepy all day and the day went by fast. Cassy came by at three to treat Robby and I. Heather came by and made some raviolis with Cale, a bunch of different kinds of mushrooms and feta cheese... she had made it for me before and it was awesome. I must’ve fell asleep and slept really hard because I woke up at seven and was wondering where Karen was. It got to be 730 and I just assumed that she slept in. When I looked up there was a PM after the 730 and I couldn’t believe it, I could sleep a lot more before Karen got here at 7 AM. I can go back to sleep right now so I’m listening to the rain outside and playing cribbage online, I love that sound.

Saturday was just a really cold, rainy day. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to cruise down to the support group with Robby because of the weather. We even got really hard hail for about 10 minutes, Karen got a video of it on her camera. I didn’t really think there would be too many people at the support group but there was five, that is a really good group. We had so much fun talking about everything that the group went on for about two hours. We were talking about maybe having another potluck next support group. Cassy text me about 10 minutes to three and said that she was out of school so she would get my van and come and pick me up. It’s supposed to rain all weekend until Tuesday, it looks like thunderstorms on Monday.

Sunday it was supposed to rain all day so I already knew I was just going to stay in bed and watch movies. The night before the electricity went out four times, all after 8 PM of course. Luckily I have a generator that works in my room, the thermostat and the refrigerator in the kitchen. Unfortunately my computer has to be turned on manually each time the electricity goes out, my brother gave me instructions on how to get your computer to automatically reboot after a power outage. The last time the electricity went out was 7 AM this morning and it was out for about three or four hours. By the time Karen got here I was freezing in my arms hurt the rest of the day from my muscles tensing up. We brought the coffee pot in my room so luckily we had coffee, we both really needed it. We had fun watching a squirrel try to get some food out of the squirrel proof bird feeder, it was hilarious. I really hate not being able to feed the squirrels anymore but it just attracts too many raccoons and rats. The little neighbor girls FINALLY brought my Girl Scout cookies, I can’t wait to dig in.

A tsunami in Santa Cruz?

2011-03-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Monday went by really fast. I took Robby for a cruise down to the wharf and into the boardwalk and back. I was going to go with my aunt down to the public Works Department and find out about what we need to do to get a handicapped parking place in front of my residence, my driveway is just too narrow to get my new van in and out of. Too many things happened and we didn’t get to go. My uncle and aunt did go and pick up a protein drink, it’s actually a really good one and doesn’t taste like medicine. They have a friend that lost over 80 pounds drinking it so I’m going to give it a try. Steve has been staying here, he was here several months ago. He came down to see an old girlfriend who has cancer and he did get to see her a couple of times before she passed away last Saturday, needless to say he’s not doing very well right now. Tuesday after I got up I took Robby for a cruise on the wharf, through the boardwalk and as we started down the Levy I could feel raindrops... the sun was out when I left home. I hung around down on the wharf because I had an appointment for a manicure and pedicure, it’s right above the wharf. The salon that I go to is in a retirement complex, our family has known Claudia for many many years... Claudia is a lady that works in the salon. Because it is a retirement place there is always people that come in forgetting their appointment and coming in late or coming in with a don’t have an appointment, she will never turn anybody away. After we left the salon we went for another cruise through the boardwalk and around the wharf and then came home. My uncle, my aunt, Steve, my mom and I played cribbage and then I went to sleep. The last week or so I have been sleeping really good and it feels awesome, usually I don’t get any sleep all night long. Wednesday morning I took a nice long hot bath, got dressed and got up. My aunt and I went down to the Santa Cruz public works office to see what we need to do to get a residential handicap parking place in front of my house. Unfortunately the gentleman that we needed to talk to was in a meeting all day so I gave us his card and I left him a message when I got home to see if I can schedule an appointment, I would rather talk to him in person than on the phone. I took Robby for a cruise down to the wharf and back, came home and did the standing frame, went to bed and ate dinner. Time to relax for the evening. Thursday was my 16 year anniversary of my spinal cord injury, I can’t believe it was 16 years ago. I got up and took Robby for a really long cruise and then my aunt and I went downtown to the public works department and talk to a gentleman about the residential handicap parking place in front of my house. He took down all of the information and said that they would send somebody out to look around and decide whether they thought it was needed. I came home and Heather was cooking so she asked me something to eat and I watched her cook, it looks just like a dance but tastes so good. Friday I was able to make it up in time to go to the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility with Cassy and Robby, I have missed the last two weeks. They had a big St. Patrick’s celebration and we all got four leaf clover ears and afforded clover necklace. Robby got his picture taken with three ladies in four leaf clover costumes, he was just thrilled to be surrounded by ladies. after that we went to Cole’s barbecue, I had heard about it before and it was awesome. Then we went to go see Rango and work on Robby’s theater manners, he’s starting to get up and wander around and jump on my lap and that is not acceptable. I think he just gets bored but he needs to learn to be patient. I came home and stood up in the standing frame and then went to bed. For some reason my arms, my shoulders and my neck were really tense so I took a couple of Tylenol PM’s and slept all the way through the night, I felt great the next morning. We had a big tsunami warning around here this morning at 8:45 AM because of the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan. We watched the news really closely and nothing really happened so we turn the channel and Steve came in and said to turn it on Channel 7, the tsunami was tearing up the Santa Cruz harbor. I was kind of nervous all day because I have never seen anything like that and nothing that close to where I live. Saturday night I got up and ate an awesome breakfast, my brother came down the night before and he always makes breakfast. He made blueberry pancakes, fried eggs and bacon. Robby and I took a long cruise over to Ross and I was getting ready to go in to check out what they had when I got a text from Cassy saying that she was already out of school. I told her I would meet her at home so she could take me to Costco and to the world market so Robby and I cruised home. My floor steamer broke so I got a new one at Costco and I got a couple of really cool Easter decorations at world market, I don’t really have very much for Easter. We had about eight people over for dinner and cribbage. My brother made oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, a salad and corn. Sunday it was really cold and windy outside so I chose to take a nice long hot bath and go back to bed and watched the last season of weeds.

Getting back to beautiful weather...

2011-03-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Monday was an awesome day. I got a nice long relaxing massage, got dressed and got up and the sun was already shining brightly. We had so many problems at puppy play date on Sunday so I decided to check out a couple of new dog parks. I started down Bay Street and pretty soon ran out of sidewalk and ended up in the bike lane. Then the sidewalk moved to the middle of the streets and it was black top, it went down by a river among some trees and it was very beautiful except the blacktop had cracks and big holes in it so I had to turn around and go back... that dog park was not going to work. I went down a couple of side streets open that I could find another way to get there but all I ran into was dead ends and steep hills. We cruised over to the boardwalk, down the Levy and to the world market and then back home through town. Robby decided to poop RIGHT in the middle of the sidewalk. Just as he finished a lady drove up on a bicycle and asked me if I needed help, I thanked her and she picked it up for me... she had the poop bags right in the basket of her bicycle, there are so many nice people around here. We cruised on a little further and I saw this big kid on a skateboard with a little pink backpack, I thought it was so cute that he was not afraid of what people thought seeing him carry it. He asked me if I had a square plastic thing and I knew he meant a credit card but there was no way I was going to give him my credit card. He needed it to opening a gate that led into an apartment complex, he said he left his key at home. I told him I didn’t carry anything with me so we decided to use the tag on Robby’s collar and it worked. He thanked me and we went on our way. It really was a great day.

Tuesday was the first Tuesday of the month so that means bath time for Robby. I got up and waited what seemed like forever on this beautiful day for them to call to let me know Robby was ready so I can go and pick him up and take him for a cruise. I got a letter from CCI that said they have not gotten a vet report on Robby since 2009, they ask that you give them one every year, so I asked them to fill out the paperwork so I can send it in. I ended up waiting most of the day for them to call and say Robby was ready to be picked up, they finally called me at 2 PM and asked me to be there at 2:30 PM so the doctor could talk to me, Robby saw a dermatologist and she prescribed either a shot every week or a spray for the dog’s mouth every morning. The doctor said we should hold off because right now, and for a while now, Robby does it have any problems with allergies or ear infections... knocking on wood. By the time the doctor came out it was already 3 PM, time for Robby to eat, so we took a cruise down to the boardwalk and came back and my mom fed Robby and I. I had a salad and while I was eating it Heather came over with some KILLER chili that she made the night before. She also made lamb sausage with cannelloni beans and some tilapia with lemon, capers and pepperchinis as well as a roasted portobello mushroom and spinach and mushrooms. I can’t wait to eat again. On Sunday Teresa made some greens with tons of garlic, lemon, chicken broth and boneless pork ribs in the crockpot... I love greens and they were awesome. Uncle Dick, aunt Kathy, Steve, Lee and Claudia came over to play cribbage and take all my money.

Wednesday was a really long morning and after the personal care I was exhausted so I just took a really long hot bath and went back to bed and watched a couple of scary movies and some TiVo. It was supposed to rain all day and I was really bummed that it didn’t since I had to stay in bed, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow but I hope it’s like it was today. By the time Karen left it was almost time for Cassy to get here so I didn’t get to take a nap so hopefully I will sleep really good tonight. Heather came by and took Robby for a walk and played with him for a little bit in the yard. I watched a movie called cold storage, very creepy movie. I also watched a movie called House of wax, I love scary movies. Just now I watched one called 127 hours, I’m not sure yet what I thought about that but I’m glad I finally saw it.

Thursday was a gorgeous day, it got up to 60°. Robby and I went for a really long cruise, the usual route. When we got back Teresa took us to Costco, I had $140 credit from them for being such a good customer all year... I LOVE Costco. We came back and Theresa put me to bed and my uncle, my aunt, Steve, my mom and I played cribbage and for the first time in my life I got double skunked. I want my money back after that but I still can’t believe it.

“The dogs in our lives, the dogs we come to love and who (we fervently believe) love us in return, offer more than fidelity, consolation, and companionship. They offer comedy, irony, wit, and a wealth of anecdotes, the "shaggy dog stories" and "stupid pet tricks" that are commonplace pleasures of life. They offer, if we are wise enough or simple enough to take it, a model for what it means to give your heart with little thought of return. Both powerfully imaginary and comfortingly real, dogs act as mirrors for our own beliefs about what would constitute a truly humane society. Perhaps it is not too late for them to teach us some new tricks.” -Marjorie Garber

Friday I didn’t make it over to the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility again and Cassy preferred not to take Robby. I went to take Robby for a really long cruise and ran into my neighbor Andrew who works for the Parks and Recreation Department. The van that I’m going to be getting is going to be really big and my driveway is really narrow, it’s very long but narrow so I’m trying to find out how I can get a residential handicap parking place in front of my house and I knew Andrew would be able to tell me where I need to go. As it turns out right across the street there is a handicap parking place where the swimming pool used to be at the high school, they took out the swimming pool, and they’re going to get rid of the parking place and according to Andrew if they take one out they have to put one in the same area so that would be perfect. Robby and I took our regular cruise down to the wharf, through the boardwalk, along the Levy and over to Ross and back through town. One of these days I’m going to remember to use the odometer on my phone and see how many miles it is. I came back and Cassy put me to bed and Heather came over and made Porcini & Truffle Ravolis( well I bought those) with Spring garlic, Cipollini onions, Portabella mushroom, Arugula, Butter and Reggiano Parmesan Cheese, it was one of the best things I have ever had. What a great day, it was 65° outside.

Saturday was another beautiful day. I took a nice long hot bath, got dressed and got up in my chair. I took Robby on our normal cruise and again forgot to set the odometer to see how far it actually is to go to Ross and back, the long route. Usually when I get to Ross I laid back for about 15 minutes to do a weight shift, I have to do this 15 minutes for every hour, and I heard a voice saying “Tammie what are you doing here” it was my aunt. She was going to pet smart and then to Ross to do some shopping. I came back and decided to go back down to the wharf, when I went around the first time they were selling Girl Scout cookies and I didn’t get a chance to buy any when the girls came around here. I got a text from Cassy saying that she just got out of school and she was on her way so I just came home. Luckily the girls in the neighborhood had some extra Girl Scout cookies so I did end up getting some, I LOVE Girl Scout cookies but then who doesn’t? Cassy wasn’t feeling very good so we just put me to bed and she went home, I told her that on Sunday I was probably going to stay in bed because it was supposed to rain all day so not to come in on Sunday evening if she didn’t feel any better. I watched you again, very cute movie, and then my mom came down and we watched a couple of episodes of iron Chef. I have been sleeping pretty good the last couple of nights, it sure feels great. I’m not sure if it’s because we have company and I have to keep the volume down on the TV, or I feel like I have to, or if I’m just tired from not sleeping very much... anyway it feels great.

Sunday it rained all day long so I just stayed in bed and watched a bunch of movies, it felt good to just relax and have some time by myself. I did get to take a nice long hot bath.

Expecting snow in Santa Cruz...

2011-02-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

Monday was a little bit cooler than Sunday but still a great day. A massage therapist changed her day so I got up early and took Robby for a cruise around the wharf and the boardwalk. I came back and of course Heather was cooking in the kitchen. She made Buffalo tacos for dinner, they were awesome.

Tuesday I have an appointment to get my haircut and have a manicure and pedicure, I decided to get maroon colored fingernail polish with diamond dust in it. After that Robby and I cruised down through the boardwalk, along the Levy and down to Ross and then back home through town. As I was waiting for the light downtown and lady started telling me about her problems, I didn’t want to be rude so I ended up missing the whole light and had to wait for the next one... sometimes I think I’m just too nice.

"A dog wags its tail with its heart." - Martin Buxbaum

Wednesday Susan came for my massage, Monday was a holiday and she wanted to spend it with her kids because they were out of school. After the massage I took a nice long hot bath and went back to bed, it was already 2 PM and by evening caregiver was going to be there at 3 PM... no need to get up just for an hour in this cold weather. My uncle and aunt, Lee and Claudia, my mom and I played cribbage and I think I lost every game but had fun. Claudia brought over some goat cheese and some crackers and I had some vegetable chips.

Thursday it was pretty cold outside but I managed to take Robby for a cruise a couple of times, that’s about all that happened that day.

Friday I wasn’t able to get out in time to go with Robby and Cassy to Santa Cruz skilled nursing for pet therapy. When Cassy came back she took me grocery shopping and then I took Robby for a cruise, stood up in my standing frame and went to bed. The weather was beautiful outside even though it was supposed to rain, I hope that Saturday was nice also because I wanted to go to the boardwalk and check out the chowder cookoff.

Saturday I almost got up but they were little pictures of snowballs on my weather report so I decided not to, good thing because it was freezing outside and it rained. I decided to just watch movies all day and relax, tomorrow is supposed to be warmer and I know Robby will be ready for puppy play date. My uncle and aunt came over to play cribbage with my mom and I. My uncle was my partner and we lost the first couple of games but came back in the last couple of games, we did get skunked but we almost broke even... we’ll get them next time.

Sunday Turned out to be a really good day but puppy play date didn’t go so well. Robby was not listening to me most of the time, Bella attacked a little kid on a bicycle and Ozzy attacked two kids on skateboards, apparently the ball bearings in the skateboards drives dogs nuts. We’re going to have to find somewhere else to take the dogs or just take them to the dog Beach, I have to watch from up above but I still love it and the dogs have fun.

The weather is getting warmer...

2011-02-22T19:47:00.001-08:00

Monday it rained pretty much all day, it looks like it’s supposed to rain all week. Cassy, Heather and I went to have sushi at Mobos and then went to the movies to see True Grit. Both the movie and the sushi were really good. I had a calamari roll and a flying Tiger roll, both in think my favorites. We came back and heather cooked a bunch of awesome dishes to last me a couple of days. She introduced me to lamb sausage and cannelloni beans, one of my new favorites. The movie that we saw started at 130 p.m. and it was two hours, unfortunately Robby’s feeding time is at 3 PM, the movie was almost over with Robby jumped up and grab the leash and put it in my lap... I think he was trying to tell me something??

Tuesday can you believe my regular caregiver AND my backup did not come in so once again I had to cancel with Claudia for a haircut, manicure and pedicure... I really need a haircut. I think I have rescheduled her the last three or four weeks, thank goodness she is a family friend and understands. I watched a couple of movies and had a relaxing day regardless. Heather came over and made me calamari steak with capers, asparagus, Meyer lemon and butter over quinoa... needless to say it was awesome.

‎"One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why." ~Unknown

Wednesday was going to be a really good day but due to complications I had to go to bed early. Cassy and I were going to go have sushi and then go to see a movie, the roommate. We have both been watching a TV series called Friday night lights and one of the actresses from that series was going to be in the movie. Hopefully we will make it next Wednesday.

Thursday was just another rainy day and I didn’t feel very well so I stayed in bed again. Nothing really happened.

Friday the massage therapist came in late so I got a really nice massage, a nice long hot bath and went back to bed. Daniel was coming over to fix my chair, it seems like an ongoing thing but at least now I know it’s being taken care of.

Saturday was our Santa Cruz spinal cord injury support group. They had a couple of people there from the alliance to give us information on how to get help for things we need help with, it was very interesting. It was raining so hard so I had to ask my mom to give me a ride. I came back home and Heather was cooking an amazing dinner. Trout with lemon and capers, quinoa and asparagus and mushrooms. What a great day.

Sunday turned out to be an awesome day. We canceled puppy play date because without it was going to be cold and muddy so Cassy and I went out to eat and went to see a movie. Robby and I cruised downtown and met Cassy and Jack at aqua blue. I had a killer salad with miso wasabi dressing, Cassy had pad Thai noodles with chicken and Jack had a California roll with french fries. I have only been there twice but everything that everybody ordered looks awesome. After that we went to see a movie called the roommate. Cassy talked me into watching a series on Netflix called Friday night lights and one of the girls from that series was in the movie so we decided to go see it, it was a really creepy scary movie but I liked it.

The calm before the storm...

2011-02-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

Monday a course was massaged day and it always feels so great. My massage therapist suggested that maybe I get a massage twice a week, once by her and the other by Kimberly, who used to be my caregiver but her real passion is massages. It might be a really good idea. After I got up and took Robby for a cruise down to the boardwalk and then down to the wharf. Cassidy and Teresa switched days so Teresa came to put me to bed.

Tuesday I was supposed to get my haircut, manicure and pedicure but Robby was throwing up so I didn’t think it was a good idea to take him to the nursing care facility so I rescheduled for next Tuesday. Heather came by so we decided to go have tacos and cruised through the lagoon, I haven’t spent time with her for a long time because she’s been so busy so it was really nice. Teresa came by and we went shopping at Macy’s, they had a huge 25-75% off and we got some really good deals. I was afraid that I spent a lot more than I did so I was happy. I got some really nice stuff.

Wednesday was an awesome day. The weather was beautiful so Robby and I cruised along the cliffs. I wanted to go all the way down to the end where natural Bridges Beach is because the monarch butterflies are there but I was afraid to go very far from my house because the laid-back on my chair is making a loud noise so I don’t want to be laying back and public and have my chair break. Wednesday we trained Kimberly how to do the morning routine, she is going to be doing Tuesday’s and Thursdays for awhile to get Karen a break. She brought her surging machine and sewed up the back of some of my shirts, I cut them up the back so that they’re easier to put on in the chair. I can’t wait to have her serge some of my sweaters and skirts.

Thursday Kimberly got me up and I took Robby for a cruise, the weather is starting to cool down a little bit and next week it’s going to rain. Teresa came by and put me to bed.

Friday we decided not to go to the skilled nursing facility. The morning routine was taking a long time and Cassy didn’t feel like going by herself. I decided to just stay in bed after I took a bath and I had a really nice relaxing day.

A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied. ~ Irish Proverb

Saturday was an awesome day. It was about 70° outside so Robby and I took a cruise down to natural Bridges State Park, I finally used my odometer app on my phone and it’s about 7 miles there and back. Unfortunately when I got back I was having bladder problems and didn’t look like I might have a UTI.

Sunday I ended up staying in bed AGAIN because if I have a UTI problem it’s better to stay in bed. I took a nice long hot bath and changed my SP tube and hoped for the best. Jess came over and took Robby for a nice long walk. My uncle and aunt came over later that night and played cribbage with my mom and I, that cheered me up considerably.

Super Bowl weekend...

2011-02-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

Monday once again I ended up staying in bed. I wanted to finish installing my backup home automation computer but unfortunately I ran into a problem and my brother was busy when I tried to call him. It was a nice relaxing day and the rest of the week is going to be busy so I enjoyed it. Heather came over and brought me this killer Southwest wrap, it was so delicious. My uncle and aunt came over in the evening to play cribbage, I love playing cribbage... especially when we win. My uncle was my partner and we won four games but lost the last one, sure feels good to win.

Tuesday I was supposed to get a manicure, pedicure and hopefully my haircut but instead I ended up staying in bed AGAIN. We didn’t even get to finish the personal care and my morning attendant told me that she needed to leave at 10:30 AM. She said that it might be a good idea to find somebody else to do Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings until the end of March because she would have to leave at 10:30 AM. I messaged Kimberly to see if she would be interested but I don’t think she really wants to do caregiving and she is much too busy so we will see what happens, I figure it can’t hurt to ask. My mom and I watched Nanny McPhee returns, kind of a cute movie.

Wednesday a guy I met at the support group Christmas party came over to check out my house. This is actually his second spinal cord injury, the first one left him a paraplegic and a second on left him a quadriplegic. He is such a nice guy and he has such a great and caring family, they own a restaurant in Capitola. His mom brought the best guacamole I have ever had to the support group Christmas party. He is interested in the home automation system my brother set up for me, I really hope it works out for him. It sounds like his house is pretty small so he doesn’t have a lot of room for anything else but the lift system might be good for him. He put in a roll in the shower but he doesn’t have enough room to turn his shower chair around so I told him that the ceiling lift system might be good for him, I hope it works out for him.

Thursday I took Robby for really long cruise around the boardwalk and back, he just looks so happy when we go for a cruise. After that Teresa and I went out to lunch at Ristorante Italiano. We sat outside and was really a beautiful day. We had calamari and popcorn shrimp which were really large shrimp and it was awesome. I had veal Parmesan and vegetables and Teresa had an egg plant and spinach cannelloni with vegetables, we were both very happy with what we got.

Friday I wasn’t able to make it to Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility so Cassady took Robby. My morning caregiver slept in late. After Cassy came back I took Robby for a really long walk and then we did the standing frame and then I went to bed. Cassy got me addicted to a series called Friday night lights so I have been watching that a lot on Netflix.

Saturday the morning care to go long time and I needed to take a bath after that so I just stayed in bed again, I’m starting to feel guilty about staying in bed so much but it’s only because the people around me... it felt great for me to relax and just watch movies.

Sunday Dr. Owens was busy so I took Robby on a really long cruise past the lighthouse on Westcliff Drive. I thought I was going to be really hot but it was really nice and although there was a lot of people it was a great outing. I came back and Cassy put me to bed, it is Super Bowl weekend and she has a party to go to with her family... I myself will not be watching the Super Bowl.

Just another week...

2011-01-31T13:04:00.000-08:00

Monday Teresa took both my new chair and my old chair to Campbell to get the headlight and taillights put on my new chair, it is so awesome to have lights. We also put a cigarette lighter attachment on the batteries so I can use my electric throw that is run by batteries, I am ready for the winter and for the darkness. It’ll be nice to be able to come home from the concerts on the beach and have lights. I have been trying to find a place to get rid of my old wheelchair and they agreed to take it off of my hands, what a big relief. It was just taking up room in my garage and nobody wanted to take it because of the liability, I know they can find a good home for it, I’m sure there’s somebody out there that can use it. When I took a bath my lift broke so I had to call Bill to come and fix it, luckily he lives close and is always here when I need him. It got stuck in the bathroom so Karen had to push my bed into the bathroom and put me on it and then push me back into the bedroom, she is so clever.

Tuesday I was just too tired so I stayed in bed. Monday wasn’t a very relaxing day with all the people running in and out so I just wanted a day to stay in bed and relax. Teresa and Jess took Robby over to the dog park and he had a really good time so I don’t have to feel guilty about him not getting out. I think I must be going through something and I don’t know what it is. When I first moved here I was hardly ever home and out cruising with Robby everywhere. Lately I just get up so that people don’t ask me why I didn’t get up and I can’t wait to go back to bed. I still take Robby on long cruises but now it’s because I feel guilty if I don’t and not because I want to. I used to cruise all the way down the ocean to the beach but now I’m just afraid that somebody’s dog is going to attack my dog. I hope that I get over this soon and I wish I knew how to rush through it.

Wednesday I decided this just hasn’t been a very good week. Again because the morning procedures took way too long I ended up staying in bed again. It was more relaxing and I didn’t get extremely anxious like I usually do. I watched a couple of movies and enjoy the peace and quiet. Cassy brought Jack and he played with Robby for a little bit, that always makes me feel better. Tomorrow’s going to be a great day, I’m going out to lunch with Teresa.

Thursday was an awesome day. I felt better and more rest and than I have in a long time. I was supposed to go out to lunch with Teresa but she wasn’t feeling good so we rescheduled. I did however take a very long cruise with Robby, I keep meaning to gauge how long it is on my telephone but I always forget until I get home. We went down past the lighthouse to natural Bridges Beach and a little bit further, they really felt great, we used to do that almost every day and I think were going to try to do it again. I ran into Andrew at the lighthouse, he works for parks and recreation and I seem to see him everywhere. On the way back I ran into my uncle who was riding his bike down to natural Bridges Beach, maybe we will start doing it together since we both want to get out.

Friday we had a great time at the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility. They were having a Valentine/Chinese new year party. They showed a couple of DVDs of silly animal pictures with music and pictures of the residents with the pets at pet therapy, it was really cute. We came back home and went through the four containers of dog stuff that I have and got rid of most of it, we’re going to take it to the animal shelter tomorrow. I did the standing frame for 45 minutes and went to bed to watch the social network, I think I’m the only one left in the world that hasn’t seen it yet.

Saturday morning I took a nice long, hot bath... what a great way to start your day. It started out sunny so I decided to take Robby for a nice long cruise but about halfway to the lighthouse it started sprinkling so we had to turn around and come back. Cassy cleaned out some more in the garage and we took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill and to the pet adoption place. I have had a craving for KFC chicken for a while so we stopped there on the way back and got some, I got enough for Teresa and Karen in case they get hungry when they’re cleaning tomorrow. I got home and Cassy said it looks like my refrigerator is broken, there’s not much I can do until Karen gets here tomorrow and if it seems like it’s still not working life take everything out and put it in the refrigerator in the garage. If it’s not cold I guess it’s time to clean a refrigerator and start over... it’s always something.

Sunday it was supposed to rain and it did for most of the day so I decided to stay in bed and Karen helped me set up my new computer backup for the automation system. All we have left to do is program all the numbers on the remote to the box, for each button on the remote you have to program a button. Somebody is coming out on Wednesday to fix the refrigerator, thank goodness I have one in the garage.

Headlight and tail lights on my chair...

2011-01-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

Monday was massage Day. After my massage I took a nice long hot bath and then went back to bed. I didn’t have time to get up because Daniel was coming over today to fix my wheelchair, the parts had been on order for a while so I was finally glad to get that done. The sidewalks and streets around here are so uneven but everything seems to get loose a lot faster on my chair. He tightened up a bunch of stuff and replaced a bunch of stuff that had fallen off and hopefully I’m back in business.

Tuesday I FINALLY got to keep my appointment to get my hair dyed, I keep having problems with my head rest so I kept having to cancel it. Samantha did it today and she did a really good job, I love it. I also got a manicure and pedicure, it always makes you feel really good. I came home and Heather was cooking, it smelled so good in here. She made lamb sausages with cannelloni beans, sautéed brussels sprouts and shoestring roasted potatoes... needless to say it was AWESOME. What a great day.

Wednesday was another beautiful day outside. Robby and I did a lot of practicing our commands, he acts really silly sometimes and it’s hard not to laugh but I have to be strong and make him do what he supposed to do. I met Cassy over at a Mobos for sushi and her mom and Jack joined us. Aki was on a radio show this morning promoting their training and she was really good, she didn’t seem nervous at all. They teach all forms of CPR and life-saving classes. We had a really nice lunch, sushi is always good. After lunch Cassy and I went to see the Black Swan. I had heard a lot of things about it but everyone that saw it seemed to like it, Cassy and I were not very impressed. For some reason Robby just could not keep still. The theater was very small and the place that they had assigned for wheelchairs was really close to the screen, about the third row, so we decided to sit up towards the top and I just kind of sat in the aisle. A couple of minutes after we got settled a lady that was sitting a couple chairs away got up and said “I have to move because I’m allergic to dogs” I felt really bad and I apologize, she said there was no problem but I still felt guilty. Throughout the whole movie I could hear Robby’s tags on his collar and he just could not sit still, I don’t know if he was more anxious than usual or just because I already feel guilty making a lady move but I just heard every little sound. At least we had a really nice lunch and visit.

‎"Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them"  — John Grogan

Thursday was yet another gorgeous day so Robby and I just went out for a really long cruise. It has been a long time since we have cruised along the wharf, the boardwalk, the Levy and back through town and it felt great. Unfortunately we had to come back because Robby had an appointment at the vet. His left ear has been really dirty and smelly, luckily he hasn’t been scratching it a lot or shaking his head. The vet said we came in just in time so he washed it out and and gave me some antihistamines for him just in case. I came back home and Cassy brought me some dim sum and it was AWESOME. Now relaxing in bed and watching movies.

Friday we went over to the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility, I missed the last two weeks and it was really nice to see everyone again. It was a memorial for somebody who had passed away but it was very uplifting and everybody sang songs and said prayers. After that we went grocery shopping and then back home to do this standing frame, it had been about a week since I was able to get on the standing frame and it felt good.

Saturday Cassy, Heather and I went to eat at a place that I had never been before downtown called Aqua Blue, I had heard good things about it and the food was pretty good... I had a garlic steak bento box and it was awesome. After that we went to see a fighter, I knew it was good to be a good movie and I was not disappointed. I’m not sure that Heather really wanted to go see it but she enjoyed it. I came home and Teresa and Karen cleaned out a big portion of the garage, it looked awesome... the garage seems to be a work in progress.

Sunday was puppy play date. It’s always so much fun to watch the dogs play. I’m having a problem with Robby coming back to me when I tell him to so I’m afraid that if he doesn’t start minding me I’m going to have to quit going, that would be awful. I’m also having a problem with people giving him treats, especially when they throw it in the air and it lands on the ground... he cannot eat stuff off the ground. I’m also wondering if it’s a bad idea taking him to the Santa Cruz killed nursing facility, that would also be awful if I couldn’t take him there.

A beautiful day to watch puppies play...

2011-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Monday I got a massage from Kimberly because Susan is on vacation. I felt so nice and relaxed afterwards that I decided to just stay in bed. I feel like I have been staying in bed a lot but is just too cold outside to do anything and if I’m going to stay in my house the bed is just more comfortable. I do felt bad for Robby but he had a really great play date on Sunday and he pretty much slept all day.

Tuesday Teresa, Cassy and I went to have Thai food, it was awesome. We all had comforters to wash and the Thai food restaurant is right across the parking lot. I came home and some friends came over to play cribbage, I lost all but one game but have fun.

Wednesday turned out to be a huge disappointment. I got all ready to take a bath, in my sling and water ready, and my ceiling lift didn’t work. It did this to me last week so I called the guy out and he said that we just weren’t making sure it got docked property so we tried to be extra careful, very frustrating.

Thursday was really cold but I did manage to take Robby out a couple of times to cruise around. Teresa took me to Cosco, I love that place. That’s what I get most of my care and cleaning supplies.

Friday was a beautiful day. I sent Robby with Cassy to the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility because I had to stay here and wait for the guy to bring me a battery for my ceiling lift. Cassy got back before he came so she stayed here while I took Robby out for a cruise. The weather was so perfect and it was so nice to have some time with Robby and I really didn’t want to come back but I did. The guy came and changed the battery and my aunt came over to hook up my new Apple TV. I didn’t get to do the standing frame because the guy who put in the batteries set to let it fully charge overnight.

Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day. I got to take a nice long hot bath, get dressed and out and head out to our monthly spinal cord injury peer support group. Roger e-mailed me last night and said that he wasn’t feeling good and she was not going to be able to make it, that made me kind of nervous because I felt like I was probably going to be the one to run the group. I would love to be able to do that but I just don’t think I have enough confidence in myself to do it. I was also very nervous that not very many people would show up, I think I just worry too much. About 10 people showed up and we have a lot to talk about and everybody was very comfortable, we talked for about two hours. It was such a beautiful day that Robby and I cruised down there and back and now he is sleeping like a baby.

Sunday was of course puppy play date with Bella and Ozzy. They get along so well and it’s so cool to watch them. It’s just nice to see a bunch of dogs getting together and playing nice. The service dog I had before Robby wasn’t really mean but didn’t particularly like to be around other animals so I couldn’t really take her into a public place, even though she was a service dog. I took Seth with me and I think he had a good time. Nana and Seth got along really well. We’re supposed to have a couple more beautiful days.

A new puppy for our puppy play dates...

2011-01-11T23:34:00.000-08:00

Monday Stanley and Corinne came back down for another visit. We were going to try to plan on going to the Monterey Bay aquarium but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. Corinne and I went down to rent a couple of videos and Corinne made an awesome dinner of oven fried chicken, bake potatoes and a huge cup cake for dessert.

Tuesday was massage Day. Susan is going on vacation for a couple of weeks and Kimberly is going to fill in for her. After I got up Stanley, Corinne and I went to Mobos for sushi, as usual it was awesome.

On Wednesday Stanley and Corinne took off to go home, their visits are always too short. Teresa took Robby and I to the Lions Club in Los Gatos for an update. We were there a year ago to thank them for their help in expediting my application for Robby, I can’t believe it’s been a year already. They are always so nice and very funny and I’m seriously thinking about joining. I met a guy named Gary who owns a pet store in Los Gatos called pet people, the kind of food that I get for Robby is really hard to find so I was so excited when he said that they carry it, we stopped by on the way home to grab a bag. They always do so much for so many people, I love to follow them on face book. We had a really nice lunch and Robby did a couple of demonstrations, of course he looked so happy doing it and he did everything perfect. After that we went to the happy Dragon in Los Gatos. My uncle is always telling Teresa how wonderful it is so we stopped by on our way through and of course found some great bargains. My bed hasn’t been working very well, the functions on one side cut in and out and I keep meaning to call but you know how that goes? Tonight a totally died and none of the functions at all would work. I called Hill-Rom but of course it was too late to send someone out and none of the things they had me try over the phone worked, that’s what I get for procrastinating. Hopefully they will be able to send somebody out tomorrow, it’s usually something really simple.

Thursday I had a lot of appointments to wait for sign didn’t get to do too much interaction with the puppy. My kitchen Fossett has not been working very well for a while so my aunt ordered me to say what that she has, it is awesome. There was an extra hole in the sink so I’ve decided to put in a hot water faucet for tea, I drink tea every night. The guy came out to fix my gate. My aunt accidentally left her car and the way of it closing and instead of it bouncing back open it scratched her truck, it is supposed to bounce back open... it’s very dangerous if it does not. They fixed that and made sure that everything else was okay. The guy from Hill-Rom came out to fix my bed and of course after pressing a couple of buttons there was nothing wrong with it, I knew that was going to happen but I was so thrilled that it was working. Teresa and I decided to go to Costco but it was so packed and there was no place to park so we decided to forget it. We came back and I took a long hot bath and went to bed and felt great.

Friday I wasn’t feeling very good, really bad headache again, so I stayed in bed. I thought I was over this cold but I think not, now I’m losing my voice. I don’t get sick very often so I’m thankful for that but I never got sick I would be a lot happier, I guess we are never satisfied? I slept most of the day so I hope that I’m able to sleep tonight. I feel bad for Robby but Cassidy and Heather played with him for a while and I will make it up to him tomorrow.

Saturday turned out to be a pretty productive day. I’ve been meaning to go over to Costco for a while and I finally made it. Came back home and got up in the standing frame, I haven’t been able to do that for a while and it really felt great. It’s still way too cold to cruise around and I feel bad for Robby but we play in the house and in the driveway as much as possible. Tomorrow is puppy play date.

Sunday of course was puppy play date. It was really cold but Teresa offered to drive us and Karen came along to take pictures. We finally got to meet or Ozzy and all three of the dogs got along great, I can’t wait to see the pictures.

‎"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda Radner

Taking down the Christmas decorations...

2011-01-04T00:10:00.000-08:00

Monday turned out to be a beautiful day. Corinne and I went to the movies to see little Fockers, it was really funny. We came back and the house smelled wonderful, Heather was here... it’s like having Santa Claus come to your house almost daily. After Cassy put me to bed we watched the notebook, I love that movie but it always makes me cry. The more I hang out with Corinne the more I enjoy her company. I never had kids and I never really wanted to be around them, although your nieces and nephews are different. The older she gets the more fun she is, she is a funny girl.

Tuesday I had a dentist appointment and on the way over it on the way back we just barely missed the rain but I was finally able to give Robby a good workout. We haven’t been working on our commands as diligently as we did before and I feel bad about that but we’re going to start tomorrow and get back into the groove. We ordered pizza and it was awesome, I haven’t had pizza for a very long time.

On Wednesday I decided to take Robby for a really long cruise because it was such a beautiful day. We went to the end of the wharf, through the boardwalk, down the Levy to pet Smart and then back through town. After I got back I went up to Dr. Owen’s office to get my Depo-Provera shot.

Thursday Corinne and I went to Mobos and had some awesome sushi. We both had a California roll that was covered with tempura shrimp and flying fish eggs. I came back and got ready to take a nice long hot bath but my lift did not work. It worked when we put me from the chair to the bed but then we went to put me from the bed to the bathtub it would not work.

Friday I ended up staying in bed and waiting for the guy to come and fix my lift. It is very frustrating when the lift doesn’t work because I cannot do ANYTHING. Even though it was New Year’s Eve day he came by and was very glad to do it. He has a son who is a quadriplegic and understands the importance of being able to use your lift. Apparently it just wasn’t getting charged enough and he said that we need to take better care in making sure that it’s docked in the proper place to be charged. He is such a nice guy and I always enjoy catching up with him, too bad that it always unfortunately happens when my equipment breaks down... he lives just down the street.

Saturday it pretty much rained all day so I decided to stay in bed. I took a nice long hot bath and then went to bed and watched movies, it actually felt great and the day went by really fast. I can’t believe another year has gone by.

‎"I can't think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog -- completely exhausted after a hard day in the field -- limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where I'm sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee, and closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. I don't know what I've done to deserve that kind of friend." -- dog quote by Gene Hill

Sunday we decided to skip puppy play date, it was raining off and on and everything was muddy. We still haven’t got to meet Ozzy, Bellas new roommate. They are trying him out for a week to see how they get along and it looks like they get along great from the pictures I have seen on face book. Teresa, Heather and I went to bed Bath and beyond to do a little shopping, I love shopping. After that we went over to new leaf market to pick out a few things for Heather to cook for me in the next few days. It was only my second time being there and everything looked incredible, no wonder that is her favorite place to go. We came home and started putting the Christmas decorations away for another year.

Christmas...

2010-12-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

Monday I went to see Claudia to get a manicure and pedicure, I got red with sparkles and it is time for Christmas. Teresa and Karen put permanent lights on my patio outside my bedroom door, it looks awesome. For Christmas Teresa brought me three lighted white Christmas trees for the front porch. I cannot wait until I get my new van in a couple of months. The van that I have now is 10 years old and very unpredictable, I don’t even know from one day to the next if it is going to start. I got a brand-new battery but it just keeps dying. I think because the van is so low to the ground that seems to scrape on every driveway or bump in the road that it has warped the door. I tried taking all the fuses out and got a solar battery charger but nothing seems to work, it’s just time for a new one.

Tuesday I got my weekly massage, took a bath and got up late. We were having a Christmas party that night so I didn’t want to be up for too long. My mom made lasagna and Teresa made garlic bread, everybody else brought something and of course we had food for days. Before dinner we played the Christmas exchange game, that is always fun. After the game we played cribbage and I think I lost every game, I got skunked one. There were about 16 people here, friends that we were introduced to by my aunt and uncle. We always have a good time.

Wednesday about 2 AM I got an e-mail from Teresa, a big oak tree had fallen on her house and broke a couple of windows and she was without electricity. She put me to bed on Tuesday evening and didn’t leave here until about 11 p.m. I told her to come and stay here but they have cats they were worried about. I was looking on the news but I didn’t see anything about it, I will keep looking because I’m sure they will have something. Teresa and I took care into the airport, she is going home to visit her family. We went to Chili’s for lunch and had a killer hamburger and french fries, shopping at world market and target and then back home. We were going to go to the Apple store in Los Gatos but we lost all track of time. Cassidy was going to put me to bed and I told her we would be home at three, it was 330 p.m.

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."  --Roger Caras

Thursday was a beautiful day. The sun was out and it was warm so I got to take Robby a really long cruise. We came back just in time to see Kimberly, Kimberly worked for me about a year and a half ago but moved away... I’m so glad to see her back. She’s going to fill in for a couple of girls that are on vacation and help me out with a couple of other things. I can’t believe the excellent people that I found to help me out since I moved here to Santa Cruz. I remember some of the nightmare people that I have work for me in San Jose, except for the occasional oddball I have had really good luck. Everything about living here just keeps getting better. Karen is on vacation so Teresa has been getting me up in the mornings. I realized today that I was being very grumpy and stressed out and now I feel bad. I have had one person get me up in the morning for the last couple of years so I guess I get used to things done a certain way. Luckily Teresa is good at whatever she does. I’m really very lucky.

Friday Cassy took Robby and I to the Santa Cruz killed nursing facility for Christmas party, it was awesome. Everybody got a present and it was so touching to see everybody so excited. After that we went over to the Capitol Mall just to waste some time. I ran into Linda who is in charge of the organization that got me volunteering at Santa Cruz killed nursing, it was really great to see her. We came back and Teresa made me a KELLER Christmas Eve dinner, a game hen, brussels sprouts with cheese and bacon, squash and hippie rice pilaf... she is an awesome cook. Her and Jess joined me. I appreciate her so much.

Saturday was Christmas. It looked like it was going to rain all day and I was exhausted, I haven’t been able to sleep at all lately. Somebody told me it might be the beginning stages of menopause, I’m really looking forward to that. My family wasn’t going to be here until the late afternoon so I decided to just stay in bed. Heather came over and put in a roast that she got for me, it was the most beautiful 20 pound roast I had ever seen. She cut it in half and seasoned it and we kept half of it here and my aunt and uncle took the other half up to my cousins house. After about an hour you can smell it throughout the house, it smelled awesome and tasted even better. My aunt and uncle came back and also raved about how great it was. We watched the movie grown-ups and played cribbage and just visited for a while. It was a really great Christmas.

Sunday I got up and Teresa, Corinne and I went over to pick up Bella and took her and Robby to the schoolyard to play. It has been a couple of weeks and they were both so wound up it was ridiculous. They played for about an hour and they were a huge muddy mess. We took Bella back and hosed her off, she hates the hose and it sounded like somebody was killing her. We brought Robby back here and gave him a bath and he is sleeping like a puppy. My family left and Corinne stayed here to spend a week with us. Hopefully the weather is going to be nice but if not we will find something to do, she is always really cool to hang out with.

Santa Cruz SCI Christmas Party...

2010-12-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

Monday turned out to be a really good day even though it was a little colder. Robby and I got to go on a really long cruise and it felt great, even though Mr. Mister pooped in the parking lot. He does really good but sometimes when you start exercising you just have to go. I usually take him out to go potty before we go for a cruise but I got distracted so we stopped along the way, he generally only poops in the backyard unless he can’t hold it any longer. When we got back Cassy took us grocery shopping. We skipped the standing frame today because the bruise below my knee still looks pretty bad, I don’t know if leaning against it would make it worse. Heather came by with some fresh rock cod and set it up so somebody can cook it for me tomorrow. I can hardly wait. My uncle came by to give us an update on everything. My cousin Rich is still on the mend and my uncle got some shots in his hands to hopefully help with his arthritis, I hope it works so we can play cribbage and I can take his money.

Tuesday even though it was really foggy outside Robbie and I cruised over to the lighthouse, it was so beautiful there. We came back and Teresa and Karen put up the rest of my Christmas lights, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. My living room smells like Christmas tree and the lights outside look awesome. Melissa came by on Monday and painted my windows and they are so beautiful.

Wednesday was a bad day. I got up but ended up going back to bed because of mechanical problems. I was supposed to go see Claudia and get my hair dyed in my nails done, I rescheduled for Monday. Cassidy said that she would take my van over to Whalers car wash and get it washed for me, she said they did a really good job. Heather made a killer fresh cod fillet and I had quinoa, asparagus and spinach, needless to say it was AWESOME. My mom and I watched the new karate kid movie, it was really good and of course she cried.

Thursday Teresa drove Karen, her boyfriend and I to San Jose. Karen’s boyfriend was flying out to Mexico so we decided to drop him off and make a Day of it. We went to the container store because I remember a couple of years ago they had really cool wrapping paper but I didn’t really see anything spectacular, I did see one that I liked but they were out of it. We went to Valley fair Mall, now it’s called Westfield, and found a Santa outfit for Robbie and Teresa got one for Gigi. Robbie wore it around the mall and then we had his picture taken with Santa at Macy’s, Robbie was of course a HUGE hit. We went to the cheesecake factory for lunch and it was as great as I remember it to be, we didn’t have any room for dessert and we were going to come back and get some to take home after we went shopping but we forgot.

Friday was a lot of last-minute running around. I went to Hallmark to get a gift card for a long time friend of ours Helen. She is legally blind but makes her way every Tuesday to the Hallmark store in the mall to buy cards and gifts for people in her life. She knits stockings for everyone and fills them with Candy, they are so adorable. I told her that our support group was having a Christmas party so she gave me a bunch of stockings that she knitted to fill with Candy at hand out to everyone, how adorable is that?? We also stopped at Walgreens to get some candy to fill the stockings, CVS to get some wrapping paper and a centerpiece for the table, to cost plus to get a gift for Christmas party and having here on Tuesday and to Costco to get some croissant sandwiches, plates and napkins. Needless to say by the time I got home I was exhausted and ready for bed. I forgot to mention that it rained ALL day nonstop and Robbie and I were soaked. It’s nice to be in my warm bed, in my warm house and listening to the rain outside where it belongs.

Saturday I was so nervous that nobody was going to show up at the support group meeting/Christmas party at my stomach was a little upset. It was supposed to start at 1 PM and I was getting a little nervous when it was 1:05 PM and still nobody was there. All of a sudden a bunch of people started showing up and I was so relieved. There ended up being around 14 people there and we all had such a good time and it went by way too fast. One of the kids that has been going to the support groups for awhile didn’t have a computer at home so we presented him with one and it felt so great. There was two new people came with their families. A young kid from Salinas that got shot about three months ago and an older guy who is a computer expert who has been injured for a while. I felt so great when I left because of how well it went and I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight but that’s okay. Karen and Cassidy came along to help me set everything up and help the people that needed help, they are both so good at doing that. Karen took pictures, it’s nice to have the memories. After I went to bed my aunt and uncle came over to play cribbage for a while, my uncle was my partner and we won two and lost two, one of the games we got skunked... we are not ready to talk about it yet.

Sunday it started out raining like crazy. Karen, Teresa and I went to Aptos to where a friend of Teresa’s has a booth and a beauty supply so long. For Christmas Teresa got me a haircut so I couldn’t really turn it down. I have a lady that does my hair, manicure and pedicure regularly but how can I say no? After that we all went out to lunch to a place called Gayle’s, it was awesome. Teresa’s friend who did my hair is the girlfriend of the guy who takes care of my yard and he showed up while we were eating. We came back home and Karen wrapped some empty boxes to put under my tree so it didn’t look so bare.

Another rainy week...

2010-12-12T18:42:00.001-08:00

Monday I wasn’t feeling much better than I was Sunday so I ended up staying in bed and of course it was beautiful outside, about 60°. I watched a lot of TV and try to make the best of it. I hope I feel better on Tuesday because I want to go get my Christmas tree. I watched Toy story three with my mom, we watched one two and three in the last three days. Very cute movies. My aunt and uncle have had company at their house for a while and they finally left today, they have some really good and long lasting friends. I saw the pet Smart ad and they are taking pictures of your dog last weekend, this weekend and next weekend so I’m going to take Robby over there next weekend to get his picture taken with Santa and I’m so excited. Last year he just kind of melted right into Santa and you could tell they were both really enjoying it, I turned around and looked and there was all of a sudden a long line and people kind of annoyed with us for taking so long.

Tuesday morning I got a massage, it had been two weeks and I was really stiff and sore. After I got up I took Robby for a short cruise in between the raindrops, I thought we were going to go get Bella and go to the park but that didn’t happen. Teresa took me to Home Depot to get my Christmas tree, I prefer a noble fur, we got the fullest and the most beautiful... I love the way they smell. My mom couldn’t get her printer to work so Teresa took me over to Kinko’s and we have a bunch of copies made of the Christmas letter and a really cute picture of Robby with his new Santa hat, he hates it so much. When we got back it was really late so no time for a long hot bath, I could have really used one but what we did was more important. After Kinko’s we went to Trader Joe’s and bought a wreath for the Center of our tables, now it’s really looking like Christmas around here.

Wednesday it looked like it was going to rain all day so I procrastinate as much as I could before I got out of bed. Cassidy took me over to target in Watsonville and I found a candle to go inside the wreaths, it’s really beautiful. I came home and Cassidy put me in the standing frame but we had a mishap so I was only in it for half an hour. She put the hip laterals on backwards so we decided to change them while I was standing, not a good idea, my hips shifted to the left and we could not recover them. We are still in excremental stages in trying to find new ways but we are getting there.

Thursday I got another massage in the morning, it felt so good. My left arm is so tight that it hurts for her to even touch side think I’m going to try the electrodes. I think because it’s cold and my muscles tense up. After the massage and took a nice long hot bath. After I got up and dressed and took Robby for a cruise through the lagoon and down to the soccer Park and back without getting wet. Teresa came by and her and Karen decorated my Christmas tree, it looks so cool. I think the lights are a little bit too big and too bright so I’ll have to find different lights for next year. I am ready for the girls Christmas party. My aunt called and said that they had been in the hospital with my cousin, Rich, most of the day. His heart was beating weird and he didn’t feel good, this is the third time he has gone through this. For the rest of the evening it was really hard for me to concentrate because I was so worried about him, I didn’t realize until later how hard it affected me and I cannot even imagine how worried his parents are.

Friday Cassy took Robby and I to the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility, I didn’t get to go last week and I really missed it. When I first started going I was really nervous but everybody has made me feel so comfortable. We came back home and I took Robby for a cruise and then Cassy put me in the standing frame and then back to bed. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

Saturday it kept going from sunshine to sprinkles. I got up and went to the movies with Heather, we saw the latest The Chronicles of Narnia in 3D, it was really good. Sometimes getting me up in the standing frame is really easy and other times it’s just really hard to get it right, after a little bit more practice hopefully we will find the easy way. I woke up this morning with a big bruise on my right leg, the only thing I can think of that would give me a bruise there is the standing frame. I still love it.

Sunday I took a nice long hot bath and went back to bed, of course it was a gorgeous day outside. Teresa was sick and Karen had plans and couldn’t come back in the evening. I watched a couple of movies and visited with Heather. She took Robby out for a walk and played ball with him in the driveway. Today was Robby’s play date and he really needed it, it has been raining so the puppies haven’t gotten together for a while. Heather made me a killer BBQ pork rib wrap with spinach and some green beans.

Happy Birthday Teresa...

2010-12-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

Monday turned out to be a gorgeous day. It was Cassidy’s birthday so we went to Mobos for sushi. We used to go once a week and I really miss it. In my opinion the best sushi ever. Robby and I cruised down and met Cassy and then we all cruised back. When we were coming out of Mobos a guy cruising around in a chair stopped us to ask about Robby and how he can get a service dog, basically what would be involved and how long would it take to get one. We came back and I went to bed early so Cassy could spend the evening with her family.

Tuesday the massage therapist wasn’t able to make it again, her son had an ear infection and she overdid and her old relapsed. I can really tell in my neck, shoulders and arms when I’m not able to get a massage. She wanted to reschedule but this week is just too busy. I can’t wait until next Tuesday. It’s still pretty cold outside but I took Robby for a short cruise through the lagoon. Teresa and I went to pick up Bella and took them to Bayview elementary school and of course there was a bunch of kids at both ends so we tried a couple more high schools, same thing. We went to the soccer Park but somebody was practicing there also so we just went back to Bayview and of course the kids were gone so the puppies ran around for about an hour and were each other out, the best exercise for them both. We came back home and I took a nice long hot bath and went to bed.

Wednesday Rachel gave Robby a bath, he really needed one after playing in the mud with Bella for two days... unfortunately tomorrow they’re going to play in the mud again. I was finally able to get my manicure/pedicure, I got diamond sparkle silver. While I was there there was a couple of ladies with walkers and one of them had tennis balls on the end so of course Robby thought it was his toy and grabbed one, I told him to leave it and he did but everybody got a good laugh... good thing they have a sense of humor. Cassy took me over to Scotts Valley to get Robby’s food, Scotts Valley is the closest place that stocks it. Of course all the way back I had to stop and get some KFC. We went to Beverly’s fabric to get some small bales of hay and straw for my nativity scene, now I can just remember how to set it up... thank goodness for you tube. I also went shopping at Safeway and then home again home again...

Thursday was pretty cold outside. Patrick, the guy that takes care of my yard, came by and fixed my pond and while he was fixing it he found a huge praying mantis. I noticed it the last couple of days by my bedroom door, I just love to watch them. Patrick’s dog came up and sniffed him and he just fell over, Patrick said that they play dead when they think they are threatened so I watched it for a while and he was right... I saw him get up and move when he thought the coast was clear. I was so relieved that we were going to get Bella that afternoon and let the dogs run because it was way too cold to try cruising Robby around. There ended up being about eight dogs and they all got along really well and had such a great time. I came back home and I got to take a nice long hot bath and go to bed.

Friday I ended up staying in bed. I was going to get up and take Robby to the skilled nursing facility but I needed to get my chair to Watsonville so they can fix it and they didn’t want me in it so I just decided to take the day off. Cassy took Robby to the skilled nursing facility and then took my chair to Watsonville, I hope it doesn’t take very long AND I hope they get it fixed.

I thought Saturday was going to be another cold day but it wasn’t. One of my mom’s friends had a birthday party in San Jose and we were going to go but decided not to because of the unpredictable weather and my really old van, two of the tires keep getting really low and it doesn’t always start so I don’t like to take it too far from home... I cannot wait to get my new van in February. My mom had a couple of surgeries on her left leg and is still very sore so she shouldn’t be driving anyway. I went over to the world market and picked out a couple of Christmas ornaments for a party that my mom, my aunt and her friend are going to.

Sunday I just wasn’t feeling good. I have been excited all week to go get my Christmas tree today but we ended up putting it off until Tuesday. I couldn’t stop sweating for some reason and I don’t know why, we tried all of the usual symptoms and couldn’t figure out why so we decided to just stay home. It was Theresa’s birthday yesterday so Heather came over today and maybe a KILLER dinner of lobster, scallops with champagne and orange, awesome rice and green beans. I think it was probably the best meal I have ever had, vanilla cheesecake for dessert. I wish Teresa had a birthday everyday. We had a really good time visiting and then Teresa and Karen hung up my Christmas lights outside, I just love Christmas AND birthdays.

Thanksgiving...

2010-11-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Monday turned out to be a really good day. The weather was a little unpredictable but by the time I got home it was nice enough to take Robby for a cruise. I went to Home Depot to see if I could find some books that I could use to hang up my Christmas lights and keep up year-round, not the Christmas lights the hooks. I found some online but I thought maybe I could find some at Home Depot but I couldn’t find anything so I ordered the ones online, they are really nice and will last for years. Cassy took me grocery shopping at Safeway, this time I wasn’t hungry when I went so I basically stuck to what I have on the list. I got up in the standing frame but not as long as I had hoped, for some reason some days it just isn’t right and today was one of those days. My abdominal Binder slipped up and opened and my hips just wouldn’t sit straight.

Tuesday the massage therapist was catching a cold and her arm was sore so she stayed home and stayed in bed. I hope she feels better because I know she has a house full of people for Thanksgiving. I went grocery shopping with my mom and we got half of what we were going to have for Thanksgiving, my aunt got the other half. It looks like it’s going to be my brother and his family from Modesto and my cousin and his family. I’m so excited about spending time with my family and of course the food. I came home and Heather was cooking, I just love that. I got a new keyless entry for my front door and Theresa installed it, she did a really good job and it worked perfectly. I took a nice long hot bath and went to bed.

Wednesday didn’t turn out to be such a good day. I had a headache all day long that I just could not get rid of so I ended up staying in bed. It took a couple of Tylenol PM’s and tried to sleep it off and then later on in the day my uncle brought me over a mild pain pill, it finally went away. Luckily Cassy brought Jack over and he played with Robby in the driveway for a little bit. It has been really cold here so Robby hasn’t gotten the exercise that he’s used to getting and I feel really bad, he is just bouncing all over the place. My uncle and aunt came over to play cribbage with my mom and I, they killed us. I think they skunked us twice, we’ll get them next time. My brother and his family showed up and we visited for a while but they all looked really tired.

Thanksgiving turned out to be a really great day. Corinne, Lexi and I took Robby for a walk through the lagoon, I stayed on the dry land and Corinne and Lexi braved the water boardwalk. I did go back on it a little bit later to take a couple of pictures with Robby but it always starts wobbling because of the pylons that it’s on and it makes me nervous and I can’t wait to get back to dry land. We had an awesome Thanksgiving dinner at my uncle and aunt’s place. Rich and his family were also there and Karen took pictures, I love the memories.

Friday was a beautiful day. Robby and I didn’t get to go to the Santa Cruz skilled nursing facility because Cassy was collecting toys at Toys “R” Us for toys for tots, she is so cool. Robby and I took a really long cruise through the boardwalk, down the Levy, to Ross and back, it felt so good to get out and about again without freezing to death. I came home and Heather was cooking, my house always smells so wonderful when Heather is here. We got to visit for a little bit and then Alexia came over and then I went to bed.

Saturday it rained a lot. I kept looking outside waiting for a break in the weather so I can cruise around a little bit with Robby. Finally about 1:15 PM we decided to just go for it and the weather actually stayed nice until we got home. I was up in the standing frame for a while and then went to bed. My uncle came over and visited for a while.

Sunday turned out to be a really good day. We put away the Thanksgiving decorations and started decorating for Christmas, I thought I had a lot more Christmas decorations than I actually do but I have a lot. Dr. Owens went down south to visit with her mom, she just found out that she had cancer, so we went up to get Bella and took her and Robby to the park for a while. It was such a nice play date, at one time there was probably about 10 dogs there all getting along really nicely. Bonnie and her owner showed up, it was really nice see them. It started getting really cold and we were freezing by the time we got finished, no one wanted to be the first to say “let’s go it’s freezing out here”.