Skip to main content

When it snows and blows

 be careful what you wish/pray for.

On Christmas Eve, I was lamenting the lack of snow.

"When it's winter, I'd rather there was snow on the ground," I mused, "instead of this ugly grayness."

Well, there's snow on the ground and plenty of it. In fact, I estimate about 250 inches (though we all know how bad I am at math) and there's more coming down and even more in the forecast.

Looking out, it's kind of pretty. Like a snow globe. As a four-wheeler, I feel though almost trapped inside that snow globe because traversing the snow is difficult and messy in a wheelchair. Imagine pushing a stroller through a sandy beach and you have an inkling about the challenges of propelling my chair through deep snow.

And sometimes, getting the snow off the wheels of the chair is a frustrating task. I towel off the wheels, but they are still a little wet and/or dirty. Imagine coming in from the snow, wiping your boots on a mat but then walking in to the house with those boots still on. They'd surely make a wee bit of a mess on the floors. Now you have an inkling of the additional challenge presented by coming in with a wheelchair from the snow covered walks.

And those are just a couple reasons why being a four-wheeler  in the snowy winter is a challenge.

Comments

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Fall of Giants

I've long been a fan of historical fiction and just this past Christmas I received from my son Michael Ken Follett's most recent book, Fall of Giants. It is the first book of a trilogy that covers the 20th century and the first installment covers the early 1900s up to just after World War I. It includes characters based in Russia in the time of their revolution. While I studied the Russian Revolution in college, this book brought much back to me - including the chaos that reigned for years leading up to the revolution and continuing throughout. I write about this today because the Egyptian revolution reminds me of the Russian revolution. The Russian revolution started out quietly and largely as a protest against a harsh and autocratic government - the Tsar. The Russian people didn't have a say in their government and were very poor while the royalty in Russia lived large. The secret police in Russia often killed and imprisoned people for no apparent reason and there were ...

Don't cry for me ...

Song lyrics or titles run through my mind to often sum up a situation or add humor to one. Today, it's "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Only today the title is "Don't cry for me anybody"! I mean, I get it, that people feel bad that I've got breast cancer and that I've been living with MS for nearly 27 years. And I've had other issues that I've blogged about related to #metoo. I get that it seems like a lot looking in from the outside. I hear your comments and appreciate your support. But here's the thing, it doesn't feel overwhelming to me, looking out from the inside. Know what I mean? I live the life that I've been dealt and do it with the personality and faith I've been given. Which means, I could do one of the following: A. Have a miserable, pity-me attitude that would lead to being  miserable; B. Lean into my troubles and seek answers constantly either through research or angrily with God, which would lea...

Funny, Furry Four-legged Friend

Even before we got her, I knew what she would look like and we, as a family, had even decided on her name. Because she was going to be a sandy color and we live near the beach we decided that Sandy was the ideal name. It really didn't take a whole lot of debate, which is a rarity in this home! And then when we saw her - I knew. She was small enough that she almost fit in the palm of my hand and as I held her, I looked in those big, brown eyes and she calmly looked back. We shared a moment. And it is that moment that I keep remembering as today creeps slowly by - knowing that my dear, sweet Sandy will not be with this family or on this earth much longer. I am relishing that moment - it was the beginning. We have had a couple similar moments today - when I have been petting her and she looks up at me with the same love and loyalty I've cherished for seven years. We learned this morning that she has cancer - and has likely had it for some time. The vet, Dr. Jim, was compassionate ...