Monday was a perfect day. Karen fed the hungry mongrel, provided me, and got me dressed up in my chair. It's just a whole big adventure cruising out of the cul-de-sac and saying what direction/sidewalk am I not going to get to go today and then try to figure how to get from here to the wharf, way too much thinking that early in the morning as far as I'm concerned. The sidewalk was clear all the way down to the parking lot that we cut off through, and the rest of the way, it was all clear down to the wharf; the weather and the waves were just incredible! I'm out here once again, able to cruise around as much as I want and not have to fear that my batteries are going to die, and I have Roger to thank… "Thank you, Roger!!" I think of this time right now all the times that I was stuck in bed, and I can't believe I'm here.
We cruised down to the end of the wharf and back and then over to the boardwalk, down to both ends and back. They decorated so beautifully over at the boardwalk, and they have a bubble machine. When the bubbles pop, there's fog inside, the Christmas tree has these really cool lights all the way up and down, beach balls for ornaments and white thongs for Garland, there are several giant Christmas wreaths, there's usually a sleigh with the picture of the big dipper in the background, they have this kind of half-round stairs that goes from the bottom up to the top, and they always have Garland, lights and Christmas bulbs all the way up… It's just breathtaking! On our way back, I decided it was just too beautiful, and I was so grateful to be out, so we started to cruise down Westcliff Drive before we had to go home. We cruised about down to the indicator surfer statue, and I got a little paranoid and decided I better get back just in case my batteries are going to die again; there's nobody around to come and get me, and it is getting a little warm. After we got back home, we rested for a bit, and I leaned back in my wheelchair, watched TV, and dozed off for a couple of minutes. It felt perfect! Dude, out to the backyard to see if he has to go potty, and he rolled around for a little while and just looked so happy and content! We practiced a couple of commands in the driveway and then came back in to watch TV until Rachel came in. She came in and fed the hungry little guy, put me to bed… She ran the massage gun up and down my arms and shoulders a little bit; man, that sure feels good; it always makes me a lot more relaxed. She finished putting me to bed, did some range of motion, and some of that massage going on my legs… I think it really helps reduce spasms at night, so I'm so grateful. She sent me up to the computer, went and got me something to eat, swept and mopped, cleaned up and wiped down everything, brushed my teeth, washed my face, took Dude out one more time, locked him up in his kennel, and went home. After such an incredible day, it felt so good to just lay here and relax, listen to music until I got sleepy, then watch TV until I fell asleep.
Tuesday was a perfect day. Cindy came in and fed the hungry canine, fed me, and got me dressed up in my chair. We took off to Capitola for my appointment with Jennifer; this is the first time going back after I had a bad reaction when she waxed me last time; she said it looks like I'm using face product with retinol… I will have to go home and find it so I can throw it away. After we left, we went to pick up some medication at Safeway and then cruise on home. A puppy play date began; I thought many more people would be there, so it was awesome! It's so lovely to see everybody and catch up, and of course, the puppies just jump right in and chase each other and play… There were about six people, and I think five or six dogs… Perfect! I have seen one of the ladies there before, but it's been a couple of years since I heard her talking about a CCI puppy named cowboy. I remember going to Dominica hospital, and when I came out, we were resting on one of the benches, and she had an SD in training, and I was about to go in to get a successor dog, so she told me to look for cowboy. I never met the dog the second time, but it was nice to meet her; she brought the newest puppy she was raising. CCI has such a great community, I've been dealing with them since 2009, and I have never met an unkind person. It's just impossible to come away from that place and not have complete respect for anybody who has anything to do with that organization. When Rachel came in, and everybody went home, I came inside, and she fed the hungry pooch, put me to bed, then got me something to eat. Rachel ran around and cleaned everything; I told her that she really didn't have to do that, but secretly I am so happy that she does… She is pretty awesome! After she left, I decided to just watch TV, and I fell asleep.
Wednesday was a pretty good day. Susan came in for an hour massage; she still taking it easy because of her injury… You gotta take care of yourself first? Karen came in and fed the hungry hound dog, provided me, and we did some personal care which is taking longer and more hard on my body these days for some reason. The lovely long hot bath afterward helps a lot, and going back to bed and staying there helps a little more. While I was cruising around the Internet, I found some pictures of this house used years before I bought it, it looks really different, and it seems the same. I love love love pictures of the new baby, I love the way everybody looks at her, and I love the way she looks at everybody… She is going to be an extraordinary human being. Rachel came in and fed the hungry knucklehead, fed me, and then wandered around and made everything else shiny and clean… She is definitely a keeper! After Rachel cleaned up and went home, I watched TV for a while, listened to the same song over and over and over… Ask my mom, she will agree, LOL. Every once in a while, well, maybe more than that, I hear this song that I have to repeat several times even though I tell myself, okay, this is the last time. I watched TV until I fell asleep.
Thursday was a great day! Karen came in and fed the hungry pooch, fed me, and got me dressed and up in my chair, such a great feeling, and I love getting up on Thursdays and having the whole day to cruise around with my little buddy. Last night I tried to upload the newest operating system on my computer, and it wouldn't; it kept saying that the disc had a hardware problem that couldn't be repaired… Are you kidding me?? Karen took a look at it, texted her husband, and neither one of them could figure it out… I know from experience if neither one of them can figure it out, I need to take a trip to the Apple Store in Los Gatos. My aunt came over, and I asked her if they had any plans, and she said no, so she and my uncle drove me over the hill to the Apple Store; my uncle went across the street to the Happy Dragon… One of his favorite places to shop. While we were in there, the guy hooked up my computer to a diagnostic thing and told me that I had something creeping up the inside of my laptop; he said the best way to explain it is that it's like mold… It starts in the corner and crawls all the way through your computer until everything is ruined. He said that if I get a new computer and bring this one back to Apple, it will give me $700 for it, but it wasn't even really a choice.
Friday was a pretty good day. Susan came in to give me a nice long hour massage, she was in an automobile accident, and now she wants to try to get back into massaging slowly, so she agreed to come and try… I was so thankful because I really needed it. Karen came in and fed the hungry hound dog, then we did some personal care and a nice long hot bath; I decided to just stay in bed… I just haven't been feeling perfect, and I'm hoping that this is not just me getting old. Dr. Owens asked me for a urine sample, so I took it down as she said I definitely have a UTI, nothing new to me. My arms, neck, and shoulders have been exhausted and fatigued, and I just thought that I did not have a caregiver for over a month for using my arm too much, but maybe it's an infection? I don't want to have a disease, but I would like to have something that I can blame all this other stuff on, and then there's a chance it will get better. I was trying to explain to my brother David what the guy told me at the Apple Store, but he didn't really understand until I showed him a picture; you can see on the left-hand side in the bottom these gray spots that actually look like mold, and that's how the guy explained it to me… Once my brother saw it he said that was a perfect explanation and he said he would order a new computer for me; I don't know what I would do without him! I have no idea what goes into buying a new computer; I think all of the computers he purchased for me and then came down and transferred all the important stuff from the old one to the new one. It showed me the process of going in and looking and seeing if the hard drive is really ruined so I could take a picture and send it to him; I can't believe I figured it out… Whenever somebody asks me to do something, I panic because I'm afraid I'm going to do it wrong, but he gave me such great directions I had the answer for him in no time. I listened to music for a while until ready choking; she fed the hungry little guy and then provided me. She washed my face and brushed my teeth, cleaned everything up, and then went home for the evening. I watched TV until I fell asleep.
Saturday was a really fantastic day that almost didn't happen. I don't know if it's just because I feel good or nervous, but I had stomach problems. My friend Beth and her daughter were going to be here at 10 AM, and we are still dealing with the runs right up until I think 9:30 AM. Karen pulled it off, and she had me dressing up in my chair just as they pulled into the driveway. A couple of weeks ago, I was supposed to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with my cousin, his daughter, and her little girl, but my cousin's daughter hasn't gotten the vaccine… She's pregnant with twins and didn't want any complications. So I changed the date and asked my friend Beth; I worked with her 26 years ago at a semiconductor company in Milpitas for 10 years. I invited her to our birthday bash, and it was so great to see her that I felt like I ignored everyone else; I hope I didn't. She just lives over the hill, so hopefully, we're going to be able to get together a lot more and catch up. We had such a good time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and it was so lovely to meet her daughter; I think it was just in time as I believe she plans on going off to college… Beth seemed to be a little bit nervous about that, but I'm sure all mothers are? Beth's daughter fell in love with Dude, and I think Dude fell in love with her; she's working as a vet tech and loves it. I took a lot of pictures, we had a nice lunch and came back home just as Rachel came into work. We said goodbye… What a fantastic day! Rachel fed, Dude, put me to bed, and I fell asleep for about 1/2 an hour… My body was cold and sore, and she put the microwave pillow around my neck, and I was gone. When I woke up, she finished setting me up to the computer, and I was out again before she even left.
