Food for thought

I have been thinking. When my kids were babies I gave them breast milk, never formula. They rarely ate prepared baby food. What am I eating now? Cans of prepared formula. I do know of people that prepared their own food for tube feeding, but it sounds like a lot of work and need for tons of water.  Besides I almost float away now with the water I get. I guess at the beginning of life nutrition was more important to  me. Besides that I was much younger and had more energy.

Manzanita Bay - Part II

Celebrating Kari's birthday was a great way to start the week.  On Sunday, we all gathered around the TV watching the World Cup, hoping that the American Women would win.  By the time it was over, the rain had quit, and we were playing outside in the sunshine.

Monday brought our new adventure.  The local bike shop in Manzanita rents sand tricycles sized for kids and adults.  Additional they have a beach wheelchair available free of charge.  We had talked to the shop on Sunday, and he had rigged a platform for my breathing machine.  So we headed off to the beach with a tricycle for each boy, and three tricycles for the adults to share.  I am not sure who had the most fun riding on the hard sand near the water line.  We had a few accidents because the bikes are steered by leaning one way or the other.  Most were single bike accidents, but the two bike accident was a real body bruiser.  When we were tired of riding, we were able to watch some kite surfers launch from the shore and start riding the waves.  It was amazing to see.  After all that exercise, we had to refuel at the local ice cream shop.

The rest of the week we played on the beach, dug in the sand, diverted the creek that ran in front of our house, jumped the waves, and introduced Quincy to the beach.  He loved the sand and running, but did not like it when people walked by without telling him how cute he was.  Another activity at dusk was to release wish laterns from the beach.  These rice paper hot air balloons traveled high in the sky, floated on the breeze, and carried each person's wishes with them.

All in all, it was a wonderful week.  I got my salt air fix, watched the sun set over the water, played with the boys, and enjoyed being with my family.  The week was exactly what I had hoped it would be.

Great vacation

part 1
Everyone says that the weather on the Oregon coast is windy or rainy most of the time. We certainly had more then our share of good days. The drive over was dripy, but only a little rain.
Getting me into the house turned out to be more of an adventure then we expected. We have an 8 foot folding ramp we planned to use to get the 4 steps in the front. However the steps were slightly to narrow. Then we went around to the hot tub and into the studio apartment where Todd's family would be staying. With some manoeuvring I was able to get up the stairs out of that door. Then a new challenge presented, the threshold was about 3 inches high. First thing we did was call Todd hoping he hadn't left yet so he could bring our front door ramp. Fortunately we just caught him just in time. Now, what do we do in the meantime? With the speed up a bit and some help from behind I was able to bounce inside. Not my favorite way of doing it. Once I was inside Dave and the property manager were able to place some 2x4's by the front and back doors so I could do a controlled bounce in and out. In the morning Todd and Dave were able to slightly  modify the front steps and the ramp so  it would fit.
It was a bit dripy Saturday & Sunday morning, but it burned off and made a great afternoon. Sunday we celebrated Kari's birthday with her traditional chocolate fudge cake. It is rather thought provoking when your youngest child has so many candles on her cake.

BEST GRANDSONS

Have I mentioned that I have the best grandsons? Last night Cindy and the boys stopped by after dinner - Todd stayed home to do the dishes and get a break from kids. When they came Dave had just finished taking to the bathroom and hadn't time to get me resettled in my chair. The boys came in Pop Pop, then me. Walker immediately asked if I wanted my head tipped back and knew just how to do it. They are so comfortable helping put my arm brace on and getting me set up to eat. I am so very proud of the way they take everything in stride and accept my needs. Did I say anything about our house rules? There are usually 4 small dishes on the counter holding walnuts, pecans, almonds and (drum roll here) dark chocolate covered blueberries. The deal is they can have them as long as they give me 1 for every 2 they eat. Of course that means placed in my mouth. Don't tell them, but I am thinking about changing it to 1 for every 3. With all three now eating the blueberries it is hard to keep up.

First day of summer

YEA, the first day of summer was actually like summertime should be. It was warm and clear, with the brilliant blue sky that reminds me why this is such a great place to live. it also reached 82 - our second day of the year over 80.
I spent most of the day on the deck reading. My chair mounted computer makes this really easy. Of course that was after I checked email and checked a few websites I follow. The only problem I have is paying attention to the low battery warning. There are outlets on the deck, but I have a history of forgetting that I am plugged in and driving away. A cord doesn't stand a chance against a 400 pound wheelchair. When the battery gave up I had to look for a different way to cause trouble.
Dave was working on his motorcycle, so I had Sherry walk Quincy and me over to Todd before she left. The boys were working on an art project so I had fun watching them. Of course being boys they were soon involved in much more active fun.

SUN

Since I have whined so much about the cold and rain, I better mention the good days we have had. Two weeks ago, on Saturday was the last t-ball game for Sam and Miles. It was a spectacular day, clear bright blue sky with a view of Mt. Saint Helens that you could reach out and touch.
 This was also a game they were playing on the main field. It has real dugouts and a public address system. Cindy nominated Dave to be the announcer, a job he enjoyed. The boys said they could hear their names when they went up to bat. Such fun!
That was also the first week Kari used her family leave time to be with us. She will be working 30 hours a week so she can spend more time with us.  Some of the time she will do things with Dave, some of the time she will help with my care and some of the time she will work on her first quilt. Since I have started 3 others on their quilt she figured she better learn while  I could still talk.  She is on her way. It makes it nice that she has used similar tools on paper as are used to cut the fabric.
Another bit of good news was that after trying 5 times to find a secondary caregiver we were finally successful on the 6th. This means we will have help 6 days a week and occasionally even 7. Additionally Dave can get away for a few days once in a while. My decline continues at a slow pace so we are able to keep up my changing needs. And, even more important, I am enjoying life.