"It's here!" The voice in the hallway said. And that voice belonged to Betsy. She's been my dedicated CNA since last December. And within seconds after making that impossible declaration, she came angling through the doorway with my wheelchair in tow.
"Yes, it's really happening!" … my brain tried convincing me.
She was smiling ear to ear, while I was merely in a state of shock. The company had called me earlier that morning, explaining their rep would be contacting me by phone, letting me know when she'd be arriving with the chair. Well, apparently, they left my power chair up front at the reception desk and then Betsy came to pick it up herself.
Without the company representative being present (the person who was supposed to explain the ins and outs and operation of the power chair - and also make subtle positioning adjustments for me) I didn't know what to do next.
I asked Betsy, and she simply ordered me to "get in the damn chair!"
So that's what I did.
Then I proceeded to make adjustments, wanting to make the chair workable based upon its positioning. And that took a while. She helped me, and she made suggestions, but there was a fair amount of trial and error.
Initially I bumped into this, and crashed into that …in non-violent ways.
"Toodles!" Betsy offered, waving me away as I headed down the hallway at the slowest speed possible. There was neither wind in my hair, nor wind in my sails.
Within minutes, I was in the physical therapy room. Why? I had questions. First off, it was clear that the foot rest was too short. Or my legs were far too long. The seat belt was also too tight. Just slightly. Otherwise, everything else seemed to be fine and dandy. Oh, and the therapy staff was giddy with excitement for me.
Making it all the way to the front portion of the building (the reception area, the main entryway) was my first objective. And I did just that. Very slowly. It may have taken me 10 minutes to make my way there. But I did it. Even so, I wasn't quite ready to go outside yet. My ability to control the apparatus was of the utmost importance, and at that point, the chair was still getting away from me. Difficult to steer. Lots of tension on the controller. Tight muscles. Low levels of oxygen in my brain. So I wisely practiced. Indoors. Hoping to tame my new machine.
First, I made a beeline down the hallway towards the back of the building, near the laundry area. I made a sharp left. Very very slowly. So slowly, that I don't believe the turn was sharp anymore. Then I cruised back around and went to the cafeteria area. There, I worked my way around the tables, weaving in and out… even executing figure eights and other prominent shapes. Yes, I nearly crashed half a dozen times, but the damage would have been limited by my super slowness.
I went back and forth to my room several times (stopped often by well wishing staff members), before making a momentous decision. I still didn't know how to utilize the controller to its full extent. Nor did I understand all the buttons, but …
(View from reception area) -
The double doors parted and I was free at last. Outdoors. The place where everybody else on the planet goes. All the normal people. Everyday people who exist in everyday ways.
At first it was - Wow!!!!
And then… the surrealness hit hard. Reality felt wrong. Like, how did I get here? I mean, I looked around, and outside was no longer just outside, it was a million billion possible opportunities. I hadn't been out of my bed on my own since 2015.
No, I didn't break down emotionally, as I thought I might (that's what happened intermittently during the week leading up to this event) … mainly, I was too focused on not dying. Not crashing. Not injuring others. Not getting myself into a predicament. And really, my greatest fear was losing my newfound freedom. The privilege of being allowed to go outside on my own.
The early afternoon heat and humidity were stifling, but back and forth along the narrow sidewalk, with only one close call of note. A rogue palm frond nearly decapitated me. And yes, those palm fronds can be both sharp and jagged at the same time.
Let's skip forward to …
Day Number 2
Goal: complete a lap around the entire building
I wanted to hit the road earlier (get in my chair), but no CNAs were available to assist me until after 8:00 a.m. - Then breakfast arrived late (for the others) - so my shower didn't take place until 10:00 a.m., but by 11:00 a.m. I was up and rolling. Of course, so too was the desert sun, blaring and glaring all over the place. So by the time I made it through the automatic double doors the temperature was already over 100° (with the heat index pushing past 110°). And yes, that kind of heat is difficult. But now, having my power chair, I can go inside and outside as I choose to do so (to cool off).
(Here, I'm on the east side of the building looking north. The beautiful tree you see used to be outside my window (when I was briefly in room 227, the room where I contracted covid-19, the illness that took my former roommate's life).
Exploration
During my first attempt to circumnavigate the building, I only made it 1/4 of the way around. I stopped under a shade tree (and perhaps wisely) decided to turn back. But this time, I was hell bent to trek across … The Deadly Desert Terrain?
Deadly?
Perhaps not, but the evening prior, staff members were showing me pictures of two rather large javelinas roaming about. If you didn't already know, javelinas can be rather mean and unruly, weighing in at around 50 lbs, give or take a dozen either way.
Additional background: Javelinas can inflict serious or even fatal wounds on pets and humans. The animals are considered big-game species and cannot be killed (no, they aren't immortal!), injured or trapped unless certain provisions of Arizona's hunting regulations have been met…
Seeing as my chair weighs 388 lbs, I'm not too concerned. Rattlesnakes? Nope, I fear those. But they are rather easy to avoid if you stay away from their typical hiding places.
Soooo----
Robust cumulus towers were popping up all along the northern periphery. And that's quite unusual, so early in the day. And better yet, these developing storms were no more than 15 miles away. Not surprisingly, I took numerous pics.
Anyway, I knew right then and there storms were in the offing. Likely severe. Likely with torrential rains as well. And probably earlier in the afternoon than usual. The winds were already strong out of the southeast, and with the dew point around 70°, things were going to get out and out exciting.
I went back inside and applied sunscreen, while also donning my thin brown t-shirt and blue baseball cap. I truly needed the additional protection. Yes, suffering from heat stroke on my initial voyage would have been the worst possible outcome, but I didn't want sunburn on my agenda either.
After making my way back up to the front of the building, I shared my travel plan with the receptionist on duty… in case I didn't come back. Got lost. Got stuck. Whatever.
Interruption!
Because the Internet connection sucks here, I am over my mobile phone data, so whenever I do voice-to-text it's charging me (former wife) for each word. Or maybe the paragraph. So at this point I will simply post pictures with brief descriptions. Yes, this is maddening. Even my text messages push me further past the limit. I spoke with maintenance, regarding their internet server, but they claim everything is on the up and up. Sooo….
(Back end of the property - not typically green, as we've had an impressive 3.33 inches of rain in the past three weeks)
(Where I sit when I chat with my former roommate, Dan - who happens to be greatly improved)
(It's monsoon season, so we get plenty of this!)
I've had many adventures in the past six days, far too many to mention. But again, my internet connection is faulty and unfortunately, costs somebody else money. Once the problem is resolved, I'll share additional antidotes and such. And I hope each of you is doing well. Please ask any questions you like. If I can't answer them, I will answer them! If the internet works properly.
Take care,
Howard
"Yes, it's really happening!" … my brain tried convincing me.
She was smiling ear to ear, while I was merely in a state of shock. The company had called me earlier that morning, explaining their rep would be contacting me by phone, letting me know when she'd be arriving with the chair. Well, apparently, they left my power chair up front at the reception desk and then Betsy came to pick it up herself.
Without the company representative being present (the person who was supposed to explain the ins and outs and operation of the power chair - and also make subtle positioning adjustments for me) I didn't know what to do next.
I asked Betsy, and she simply ordered me to "get in the damn chair!"
So that's what I did.
Then I proceeded to make adjustments, wanting to make the chair workable based upon its positioning. And that took a while. She helped me, and she made suggestions, but there was a fair amount of trial and error.
Initially I bumped into this, and crashed into that …in non-violent ways.
"Toodles!" Betsy offered, waving me away as I headed down the hallway at the slowest speed possible. There was neither wind in my hair, nor wind in my sails.
Within minutes, I was in the physical therapy room. Why? I had questions. First off, it was clear that the foot rest was too short. Or my legs were far too long. The seat belt was also too tight. Just slightly. Otherwise, everything else seemed to be fine and dandy. Oh, and the therapy staff was giddy with excitement for me.
Making it all the way to the front portion of the building (the reception area, the main entryway) was my first objective. And I did just that. Very slowly. It may have taken me 10 minutes to make my way there. But I did it. Even so, I wasn't quite ready to go outside yet. My ability to control the apparatus was of the utmost importance, and at that point, the chair was still getting away from me. Difficult to steer. Lots of tension on the controller. Tight muscles. Low levels of oxygen in my brain. So I wisely practiced. Indoors. Hoping to tame my new machine.
First, I made a beeline down the hallway towards the back of the building, near the laundry area. I made a sharp left. Very very slowly. So slowly, that I don't believe the turn was sharp anymore. Then I cruised back around and went to the cafeteria area. There, I worked my way around the tables, weaving in and out… even executing figure eights and other prominent shapes. Yes, I nearly crashed half a dozen times, but the damage would have been limited by my super slowness.
I went back and forth to my room several times (stopped often by well wishing staff members), before making a momentous decision. I still didn't know how to utilize the controller to its full extent. Nor did I understand all the buttons, but …
(View from reception area) -
The double doors parted and I was free at last. Outdoors. The place where everybody else on the planet goes. All the normal people. Everyday people who exist in everyday ways.
At first it was - Wow!!!!
And then… the surrealness hit hard. Reality felt wrong. Like, how did I get here? I mean, I looked around, and outside was no longer just outside, it was a million billion possible opportunities. I hadn't been out of my bed on my own since 2015.
No, I didn't break down emotionally, as I thought I might (that's what happened intermittently during the week leading up to this event) … mainly, I was too focused on not dying. Not crashing. Not injuring others. Not getting myself into a predicament. And really, my greatest fear was losing my newfound freedom. The privilege of being allowed to go outside on my own.
The early afternoon heat and humidity were stifling, but back and forth along the narrow sidewalk, with only one close call of note. A rogue palm frond nearly decapitated me. And yes, those palm fronds can be both sharp and jagged at the same time.
Let's skip forward to …
Day Number 2
Goal: complete a lap around the entire building
I wanted to hit the road earlier (get in my chair), but no CNAs were available to assist me until after 8:00 a.m. - Then breakfast arrived late (for the others) - so my shower didn't take place until 10:00 a.m., but by 11:00 a.m. I was up and rolling. Of course, so too was the desert sun, blaring and glaring all over the place. So by the time I made it through the automatic double doors the temperature was already over 100° (with the heat index pushing past 110°). And yes, that kind of heat is difficult. But now, having my power chair, I can go inside and outside as I choose to do so (to cool off).
(Here, I'm on the east side of the building looking north. The beautiful tree you see used to be outside my window (when I was briefly in room 227, the room where I contracted covid-19, the illness that took my former roommate's life).
Exploration
During my first attempt to circumnavigate the building, I only made it 1/4 of the way around. I stopped under a shade tree (and perhaps wisely) decided to turn back. But this time, I was hell bent to trek across … The Deadly Desert Terrain?
Deadly?
Perhaps not, but the evening prior, staff members were showing me pictures of two rather large javelinas roaming about. If you didn't already know, javelinas can be rather mean and unruly, weighing in at around 50 lbs, give or take a dozen either way.
Additional background: Javelinas can inflict serious or even fatal wounds on pets and humans. The animals are considered big-game species and cannot be killed (no, they aren't immortal!), injured or trapped unless certain provisions of Arizona's hunting regulations have been met…
Seeing as my chair weighs 388 lbs, I'm not too concerned. Rattlesnakes? Nope, I fear those. But they are rather easy to avoid if you stay away from their typical hiding places.
Soooo----
Robust cumulus towers were popping up all along the northern periphery. And that's quite unusual, so early in the day. And better yet, these developing storms were no more than 15 miles away. Not surprisingly, I took numerous pics.
Anyway, I knew right then and there storms were in the offing. Likely severe. Likely with torrential rains as well. And probably earlier in the afternoon than usual. The winds were already strong out of the southeast, and with the dew point around 70°, things were going to get out and out exciting.
I went back inside and applied sunscreen, while also donning my thin brown t-shirt and blue baseball cap. I truly needed the additional protection. Yes, suffering from heat stroke on my initial voyage would have been the worst possible outcome, but I didn't want sunburn on my agenda either.
After making my way back up to the front of the building, I shared my travel plan with the receptionist on duty… in case I didn't come back. Got lost. Got stuck. Whatever.
Interruption!
Because the Internet connection sucks here, I am over my mobile phone data, so whenever I do voice-to-text it's charging me (former wife) for each word. Or maybe the paragraph. So at this point I will simply post pictures with brief descriptions. Yes, this is maddening. Even my text messages push me further past the limit. I spoke with maintenance, regarding their internet server, but they claim everything is on the up and up. Sooo….
(Back end of the property - not typically green, as we've had an impressive 3.33 inches of rain in the past three weeks)
(Where I sit when I chat with my former roommate, Dan - who happens to be greatly improved)
(It's monsoon season, so we get plenty of this!)
I've had many adventures in the past six days, far too many to mention. But again, my internet connection is faulty and unfortunately, costs somebody else money. Once the problem is resolved, I'll share additional antidotes and such. And I hope each of you is doing well. Please ask any questions you like. If I can't answer them, I will answer them! If the internet works properly.
Take care,
Howard
