Cabin fever

I finally got my air conditioner fixed and what a relief. It broke yesterday afternoon so it was a miserable night.

I talked to an old friend of mine, Rick, and he said he's going to come out in November and take me to the Abilities Expo and help me pick out a new van. I know it's time to get a new one and I know I'm going to have to get a bigger one that I have no idea how to go about picking one out, it will be really great to see him again.

All of my sores have healed up really nicely, there is just one small one that's filling in which means I am out of here. I'm so tired of sticking around the house and staying in bed, and so is Brodie although Kelly has been taking her to the park. Tomorrow we're going to take her to the park at 11 a.m. and then I'd like to go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I'm not sure what else but something to get outside and into this beautiful weather.

New shoes

I felt really bad for Brodie when we went to Santa Cruz. The ground was so hot she could not stand still for very long, I had to roll from tree to tree and anywhere I can find shade to keep her feet from burning. When I got home that evening out of curiosity I went online to see if I could find protective shoes for dogs... there they were so next time we will be prepared.

I got a new mattress to try for my bed. It's only the second night and I'm going to have to get used to it. It's a lot better for circulation so maybe after the week is over I will like it and want to get one for myself.

Of all days my air conditioner broke this morning. By the time my attendant got here at 3:30 PM I was ready to take a very cool bath and boy did it feel great. George made a phone call and the guy will be over here to fix it tomorrow before it gets too hot out.

By next week my sores will be healed up and I will be good to go. I'm going stir crazy having to stay in bed so much but I'm convinced that as soon as I get my exercise bicycle I won't have to worry about pressure sores anymore. A friend of mine sent me the link to a group on Yahoo that he belongs to and one of the discussions on the messageboard happens to be about this particular bicycle and nobody had anything bad to say about in fact they were really excited and that helped a lot in my decision.

Ergys

Lulu has been sick for the last couple of days so I have been stuck in bed, luckily I have two of my cousins here to keep me company.

My ceiling lift broke on Saturday morning. I could still use it but it took two people to get me from the bedroom to the bathroom so I could get into the bathtub. Bill came out to fix it on Monday and while he was here we got to talking and he was telling me about a stationary bicycle that he had gotten for his son, his son Levi has a C-3 spinal cord injury but his injury is incomplete. His son Levi was really good friends with my cousin Patrick who passed away mysteriously in 1999. A stationary bicycle Is for Quadriplegics and Paraplegics to help improve their circulation and strengthen their muscles so they won't atrophy, it's also supposed to help eliminate pressure sores and help the bowel and bladder. I called Dr. Miner who has been my doctor since my spinal cord injury 10 years ago and she was as excited about me getting it as I was about getting it. I have been reading a lot about it and I can't wait to see how it improves my life.

Alameda County fair and Santa Cruz

The Alameda County fair was a lot of fun and perfect weather. They had some tents set up with a misting system to cool you down. Carrot Top was so funny , I laughed hysterically the whole time. We walked around for awhile before and after and of course ate whatever we could. I had my first Gyro and enjoyed it very much. I didn't get to have any funnel cake but we decided to go back on Saturday but when we got home there was a message from my sister-in-law saying that they were coming down on Saturday and we were all going to Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk. The fair will be here next month so I will be able to go to this one.

 

Stanley and his family came down on Friday and we had pizza, cheese bread and hot wings.  We had really good luck getting to and from Santa Cruz also. We made it up there and back with no traffic and the weather was really great. The kids had a great time and I really enjoyed watching them and hanging out with them and my brother and sister-in-law. Each of the boys brought a friend so there was two extra boys but they were so sweet and did whatever they could to help me, it made me feel really good. On Sunday all the kids came in my room because I was stuck in bed and we watched a couple of movies before they left.  It felt really cozy to look around and see all the kids in my room. One great thing about hanging out with them is they never make me feel like a burden or somebody they have to bring along.

Carrot top

It's been awhile since I have written anything in here but not much has been going on. I still spend a lot of days in bed trying to get rid of a pressures sore. Is looking a lot better and I'm not going to have to be down for much longer.

We had a nice quiet 4th of July.  I was invited to go to a neighbors for a barbecue but Lulu also was invited to a barbecue and had to leave early so I just stayed here. My Mom, Kelly and I got some barbecued ribs at Chili's and watched a movie.

Tomorrow I have an appointment at Valley Medical for pressure seating mapping so I can hopefully find out what kind of cushion will be best for me to have on my chair to prevent pressure sores. After that we are going to Pleasanton to the Alameda County fair to check it out and see Carrot Top.

I cannot believe at the end of this month it's time again for the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I went last year for the first time and it was great but really really hot, this time I'm going to go really early and try to beat the heat. I love garlic and I can't wait to try as much as I can.

Brodie's stitches

Yesterday I took Brodie to finally get her stitches out in the doctor said everything looks great, now we just have to wait until the hair fully grows back on her tail. We took her to the park and she ran around like crazy, just like her old self.

I'm going to go check it out the Alameda County Fair Thursday to see if it's worth going back, judging from last year and from what I have heard so far it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. It also looks like the weather is going to be perfect.

The weekend

Last year we went to the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton and saw Carrot Top. I always thought that he was kind of silly but he was actually really funny. The fair is here again this year for a couple of weeks and I will definitely be there.

Nick came back yesterday to install the surroundsound in my bedroom and it sounds awesome. I had taped the Eagles first farewell concert and we watched it yesterday, it sounded so good the neighbors came over to watch lol...it was unbelievable.