Just another week...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.