With the increase of online sales, physical store locations are disappearing. Ottumwa is a town that has experienced this and has seen closure of K-Mart, Target, Younkers, and more over the last decade. The most recent is a clothing retailer called Herberger's that had their final day open today.
Over a month ago, this retailer was having sales on everything in the store, including the shopping carts. My parents thought this could be handy for bringing groceries in the house, so they purchased one. However, they couldn't take it home until closer to closing date. The selected cart was labeled and we waited until the appropriate time.
That day was this past Wednesday. We took an evening ride to retrieve our cart and enjoy the late summer weather. Upon entering Herberger's, we were greeted with vary merchandise remaining and well used empty shelves and display racks with price tags to purchase. The hunt for our own half-size cart began with going all around the empty store. Dad checked every possible candidate, even discreetly looking at carts the few customers were using.
After nearly 30 minutes, and recruiting a cashier, our target was found stuck between empty shelves filled with display hooks. Dad and the cashier started removing the contents while I sat nearby. My parking spot was in a number of complete and partial mannequins, all stark white and naked.
A child sized figure was propped up to my left about my eye line facing me. I no longer had any curiosity on if mannequins were modeled to a particular gender as all was plain to see. In front of me were adult sized props, but only the bottom half. The back of all them were facing me while our prize was retrieved. While the front is generic, the rear is anatomically correct.
I sat for about five minutes getting mooned and flashed with a multitude of thoughts running through my head. Most ideas went around prank possibilities at camp or unique ways to hang my clothes. However, the price on the smaller figure was much more than I wanted to spend for entertainment.
Living the quad life, I never quite know where I may find myself during a day. I'm hoping this week won't include getting mooned, but I guess the possibility exists.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Break Week
The last few weeks have somewhat felt like running a marathon, but while still sitting. I preached the last three weeks at three different churches and spent the last two Thursdays at the Iowa State Fair. Today is my first week off and it feels good and boring at the same time.
On July 29, I preached at a small church in Ames, IA. I hadn't ever seen the church before, but I did make sure it was accessible. Dad and I arrived about half an hour before the service started to get setup and unknown to me, they built a ramp so I could get on stage. It felt a little strange at first that I could easily be seen, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
August 5 was another congregation, but this time in town and a building I was familiar with. They also built a ramp so I could access the lower part of their platform. It was a little more comfortable since I preached on stage the previous week, but still felt odd. This was my first time preaching at both churches, so I used my somewhat introductory message of using the tools God has given us, such as wheelchairs and diaphragmatic pacemakers.
My final week on August 12 was at my home church. This was my second time to give the message to my congregation, so it required a new message. In addition to me preaching, dad also covered the service opening and congregational prayer. On top of that, I didn't have a nurse on August 10 or 11, so I preached after two nights of little sleep.
Just as I started, a wave of exhaustion hit me but thankfully a few sentences in I was given a boost of energy. I preached on how to respond to a world of suffering and received several notes thanking me for it, so tiredness must not have shown through.
Between preaching, I volunteered at the Ark Encounter booth at the fair August 9 and 16. The other volunteers can easily hand out gospel tracts, but I have to stop the person, direct them to my hands, then how to pull out a tract. This was my third year and I feel like I gave out more tracts and talked with more people than previous times.
It was a challenge preparing sermons and coordinating with multiple churches among everything else. I started to get in a routine though and it started to get easier. Today is a nice break, but I hope I'm able to do more before winter comes. I'll see what happens the next few weeks and follow God's plan for the preacher quad life.
On July 29, I preached at a small church in Ames, IA. I hadn't ever seen the church before, but I did make sure it was accessible. Dad and I arrived about half an hour before the service started to get setup and unknown to me, they built a ramp so I could get on stage. It felt a little strange at first that I could easily be seen, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
August 5 was another congregation, but this time in town and a building I was familiar with. They also built a ramp so I could access the lower part of their platform. It was a little more comfortable since I preached on stage the previous week, but still felt odd. This was my first time preaching at both churches, so I used my somewhat introductory message of using the tools God has given us, such as wheelchairs and diaphragmatic pacemakers.
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| Two gospel booth volunteers |
Just as I started, a wave of exhaustion hit me but thankfully a few sentences in I was given a boost of energy. I preached on how to respond to a world of suffering and received several notes thanking me for it, so tiredness must not have shown through.
Between preaching, I volunteered at the Ark Encounter booth at the fair August 9 and 16. The other volunteers can easily hand out gospel tracts, but I have to stop the person, direct them to my hands, then how to pull out a tract. This was my third year and I feel like I gave out more tracts and talked with more people than previous times.
It was a challenge preparing sermons and coordinating with multiple churches among everything else. I started to get in a routine though and it started to get easier. Today is a nice break, but I hope I'm able to do more before winter comes. I'll see what happens the next few weeks and follow God's plan for the preacher quad life.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Human Please
A while back, two rare occurrences happened at once. First, I went inside a fast food restaurant. It takes a fair amount of time and effort to get in and out of the van, so I normally just stay in and use the drive-thru. The second rarity is that the restaurant was McDonald's. I may eat from McDonald's once a year, if even, making it a very odd event.
Upon entering, I was greeted by two large vertical touchscreens with the words "order here" stenciled on the front. This was my first encounter with such a device and I noted a problem. They require hand
control to use. Further inside and to the right, I saw a bored late teen woman partially leaning over a register. After all my party had used the restrooms, I drove over to the lady to order my chicken nuggets.
She took a fair amount of time to enter our information and seemed unfamiliar with the process, but did manage to get it correct. The only wheelchair accessible table was near the entrance directly beside one of the kiosks. As I ate my food-like substance, I had a good view of the order process. Families and individuals would line up, poke at the screen to make selections, look confused, poke some more, and complete the order.
Payment was done with a credit card in a slot or by tapping it out through a smart phone. The only human interaction was when picking up an order, and it was very brief. I was there for about 30 minutes and didn't see any other customers order through the person at the register.
As demand grows for high wages at entry level jobs, this is how corporations respond. I see the same with the increase of self checkout lanes at mass retailers like Walmart. Fewer employees are required, and therefore less payroll needed, and the consumer is made to do the work of staff.
I refuse to use these new systems and always use a checker or person at the counter. Even if I received the employee discount for the work, I wouldn't make the switch.
Living the quad life has constraints, especially when real world interactions are inaccessible. I'm thankful God has provided me with caregivers that act as my hands and feet, but I still like being as independent as possible. This interaction, and meal, confirmed why I don't visit McDonald's and let me see the changing world I hadn't experienced. I'll look for more human interaction this week and at other food options.
Upon entering, I was greeted by two large vertical touchscreens with the words "order here" stenciled on the front. This was my first encounter with such a device and I noted a problem. They require hand
She took a fair amount of time to enter our information and seemed unfamiliar with the process, but did manage to get it correct. The only wheelchair accessible table was near the entrance directly beside one of the kiosks. As I ate my food-like substance, I had a good view of the order process. Families and individuals would line up, poke at the screen to make selections, look confused, poke some more, and complete the order.
Payment was done with a credit card in a slot or by tapping it out through a smart phone. The only human interaction was when picking up an order, and it was very brief. I was there for about 30 minutes and didn't see any other customers order through the person at the register.
As demand grows for high wages at entry level jobs, this is how corporations respond. I see the same with the increase of self checkout lanes at mass retailers like Walmart. Fewer employees are required, and therefore less payroll needed, and the consumer is made to do the work of staff.
I refuse to use these new systems and always use a checker or person at the counter. Even if I received the employee discount for the work, I wouldn't make the switch.
Living the quad life has constraints, especially when real world interactions are inaccessible. I'm thankful God has provided me with caregivers that act as my hands and feet, but I still like being as independent as possible. This interaction, and meal, confirmed why I don't visit McDonald's and let me see the changing world I hadn't experienced. I'll look for more human interaction this week and at other food options.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Time Constraints
It has been over a month now with my new sitting routine. When in bed, I sit for 45 minutes and spend the next 3-4 hours flat. It's a routine that is helping, but doesn't allow time to get much done.
Along with the short sessions, I only sit for 3-4 times a day. At most, that gives me a total of three hours a day that I can easily get anything accomplished. It hasn't been much of an issue, but I'm starting to feel the restraints now with a more active month ahead.
Last week, I sent out a quote for redesigning one of my clients' web sites. They opted to wait on it until later in the year, and I was almost relieved to hear the response. Extra work is always good, but I don't know how I would be able to get such a project complete. Even a simple site that would take a couple days normally would be drawn out for months with my routine.
I'm in my three-week sprint of preaching in three different churches. It's a challenge to get planning complete for each week and everything sent to different people coordinating worship services. I'm trying to do more while flat, but I need to be careful.
In May, I noticed my jaw was popping on occasion when I ate. It was pretty rare, but still annoying. Unfortunately, it has drastically increased the past few weeks and now nearly every meal consists of my mouth grinding and popping. Thankfully, it doesn't happen when I'm just using my mouth stick, but I'm guessing the increased activity while flat is contributing to it.
This week, I had my regular check-up with my doctor for the pressure sores. He made a few changes in my meds for the main wound that will hopefully increase healing. I'm also scheduled to see my regular doctor about my mouth and maybe make progress with it.
Living the quad life has it's challenges, but I have seen God's hand in everything through the years. It may be time to look again at voice recognition options for some activities, but I'll wait to see. A busy week is ahead and I look forward to what the days may bring.
Along with the short sessions, I only sit for 3-4 times a day. At most, that gives me a total of three hours a day that I can easily get anything accomplished. It hasn't been much of an issue, but I'm starting to feel the restraints now with a more active month ahead.
Last week, I sent out a quote for redesigning one of my clients' web sites. They opted to wait on it until later in the year, and I was almost relieved to hear the response. Extra work is always good, but I don't know how I would be able to get such a project complete. Even a simple site that would take a couple days normally would be drawn out for months with my routine.
I'm in my three-week sprint of preaching in three different churches. It's a challenge to get planning complete for each week and everything sent to different people coordinating worship services. I'm trying to do more while flat, but I need to be careful.
In May, I noticed my jaw was popping on occasion when I ate. It was pretty rare, but still annoying. Unfortunately, it has drastically increased the past few weeks and now nearly every meal consists of my mouth grinding and popping. Thankfully, it doesn't happen when I'm just using my mouth stick, but I'm guessing the increased activity while flat is contributing to it.
This week, I had my regular check-up with my doctor for the pressure sores. He made a few changes in my meds for the main wound that will hopefully increase healing. I'm also scheduled to see my regular doctor about my mouth and maybe make progress with it.
Living the quad life has it's challenges, but I have seen God's hand in everything through the years. It may be time to look again at voice recognition options for some activities, but I'll wait to see. A busy week is ahead and I look forward to what the days may bring.
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Amish Visit
Southeast Iowa has a growing number of Amish living around several small towns. Near Albia, IA, there is a small store run by Amish selling a variety of goods. On the last Friday of the month, they have a supper open to the public to help raise funds for their school.
When I had regular Friday evening help, this supper was a regular stop my parents made. Help has been very rare for evenings this year and they haven't been able to get out very often. However, this last Friday was an Amish supper night and the weather was perfect for being out. The three of us decided to take a trip south and enjoy the evening.
It was a small crowd of about a few Amish families and "English" primarily around my parents' age. Whenever I go out in public, I'm used to curious looks from kids, and adults, with my equipment. However, I highly doubt Amish children have ever seen a man using an electric wheelchair controlled by my chin. As soon as I started getting out of the van, I could see the curious faces.
Children are generally curious, and I don't mind helping them learn about different abilities if the opportunity arises. I noticed all the kids were quiet without the usual squabbles from other kids I'm used to. After getting grilled chicken and real mashed potatoes from the food line, we sat at the end of a table where I could watch a game of volleyball.
As mom helped shovel my supper in, Amish kids kept slowly walking past while checking me out. At one point, two girls just stopped and studied me about five feet away. Between bites, I said hi and smiled and they responded with bigger grins. There bare feet slowly shuffled away while still keeping an eye on the visitor with wheels.
After a tour through the store and purchase of bulk spices, it was time to load up in the van and head home. As I backed onto the lift and started my ascent to the door, about a dozen kids watched with fascination across the small parking lot. Dad joked that with my regular lack of footwear, I should fit in well with the crowd.
Living the quad life, I expect to be a person of interest when out in public. I can't say I see very many people like me regularly out and about, so people tend to be curious. Friday was a little more interest than usual, but it serves as a reminder to try to always be polite and set a good example, even if I don't succeed.
If the weather is good for the next Amish supper, I can see going again. Maybe next time I should learn Pennsylvania Dutch though and see if the kids will speak more.
When I had regular Friday evening help, this supper was a regular stop my parents made. Help has been very rare for evenings this year and they haven't been able to get out very often. However, this last Friday was an Amish supper night and the weather was perfect for being out. The three of us decided to take a trip south and enjoy the evening.
It was a small crowd of about a few Amish families and "English" primarily around my parents' age. Whenever I go out in public, I'm used to curious looks from kids, and adults, with my equipment. However, I highly doubt Amish children have ever seen a man using an electric wheelchair controlled by my chin. As soon as I started getting out of the van, I could see the curious faces.
Children are generally curious, and I don't mind helping them learn about different abilities if the opportunity arises. I noticed all the kids were quiet without the usual squabbles from other kids I'm used to. After getting grilled chicken and real mashed potatoes from the food line, we sat at the end of a table where I could watch a game of volleyball.
As mom helped shovel my supper in, Amish kids kept slowly walking past while checking me out. At one point, two girls just stopped and studied me about five feet away. Between bites, I said hi and smiled and they responded with bigger grins. There bare feet slowly shuffled away while still keeping an eye on the visitor with wheels.
After a tour through the store and purchase of bulk spices, it was time to load up in the van and head home. As I backed onto the lift and started my ascent to the door, about a dozen kids watched with fascination across the small parking lot. Dad joked that with my regular lack of footwear, I should fit in well with the crowd.
Living the quad life, I expect to be a person of interest when out in public. I can't say I see very many people like me regularly out and about, so people tend to be curious. Friday was a little more interest than usual, but it serves as a reminder to try to always be polite and set a good example, even if I don't succeed.
If the weather is good for the next Amish supper, I can see going again. Maybe next time I should learn Pennsylvania Dutch though and see if the kids will speak more.
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Be Prepared
Every week when I make my entry here, I normally have an idea what to expect for the week ahead. That was the case last week, but another one of those unexpected events blew in on Thursday.
The day started early with my day caregiver calling off due to illness. Dad was busy with deadlines at work, but he would be able to come home a few times during the day to help with my cares. Around 3:00, I was on Facebook and saw a notification that a local news station was doing live coverage of storms in the area. I was on flat time and not doing much anyway, so I started watching it.
A small, but strong, storm cell was just east of Des Moines and had produced tornado damage in Bondurant. The cell was growing in size, but it was heading directly east and would be at least a county north of us. It was only mom and I at home anyway, so I wouldn't be able to get up in my chair. The report continued showing damage to houses as well as storm tracking and other cells in Iowa.
Dad came home about 3:30 to do my afternoon cares and he agreed with my estimate that we would be well south of any trouble. Over the next 20 minutes, we watched as it started to drop south and get closer to us. Just about 3:50, the tornado sirens went off in town, but it still was tracking to our north. However, by 4:00 the storm shifted slightly south again with a very prominent hook echo on the radar. Winds started picking up outside and the newscasters were saying anyone in my area of town needed to seek shelter immediately.
At this point, dad and I agreed as well and he picked me up, brought me downstairs, and laid me on a mattress on the floor. As is typical in Iowa, he went back upstairs to check the weather while mom and grandma stayed downstairs with me. The lights flickered a few times, but that was it. Dad came down and said the clouds looked odd, but he never saw anything of a tornado and the sun was coming out.
With some grunting, dad got me off the floor and back upstairs to my bed where the news was still going. They said damage was reported at Vermeer Mfg., a nearby farm equipment manufacturer, and it sounded extensive. I got in my chair a short while later to run errands and we noticed leaves from corn stalks all over the yard.
Friday's nurse was sick as well, so dad stayed home with me and we went to survey damage in the area. A short drive to the north, we found extensive tracts of corn fields flattened by an apparent tornado. The area was about half a mile from our house and explained the origin of the leaves. One of the plants at Vermeer also suffered severe damage from what was determined to be an EF-3 tornado. The facility is around a mile from my house with parking lot lights clearly visible at night.
Thankfully, there were only 13 minor injuries reported with no fatalities. If the storm had shifted another mile or less south, it likely would have been a different outcome. This week has taught me again to be thankful for God's blessings. It also shows that we always need to be prepared for any situation and not wait until the last minute. This week will hopefully be calmer, but I'll continue to go along the path planned for me.
The day started early with my day caregiver calling off due to illness. Dad was busy with deadlines at work, but he would be able to come home a few times during the day to help with my cares. Around 3:00, I was on Facebook and saw a notification that a local news station was doing live coverage of storms in the area. I was on flat time and not doing much anyway, so I started watching it.
A small, but strong, storm cell was just east of Des Moines and had produced tornado damage in Bondurant. The cell was growing in size, but it was heading directly east and would be at least a county north of us. It was only mom and I at home anyway, so I wouldn't be able to get up in my chair. The report continued showing damage to houses as well as storm tracking and other cells in Iowa.
Dad came home about 3:30 to do my afternoon cares and he agreed with my estimate that we would be well south of any trouble. Over the next 20 minutes, we watched as it started to drop south and get closer to us. Just about 3:50, the tornado sirens went off in town, but it still was tracking to our north. However, by 4:00 the storm shifted slightly south again with a very prominent hook echo on the radar. Winds started picking up outside and the newscasters were saying anyone in my area of town needed to seek shelter immediately.
With some grunting, dad got me off the floor and back upstairs to my bed where the news was still going. They said damage was reported at Vermeer Mfg., a nearby farm equipment manufacturer, and it sounded extensive. I got in my chair a short while later to run errands and we noticed leaves from corn stalks all over the yard.
Friday's nurse was sick as well, so dad stayed home with me and we went to survey damage in the area. A short drive to the north, we found extensive tracts of corn fields flattened by an apparent tornado. The area was about half a mile from our house and explained the origin of the leaves. One of the plants at Vermeer also suffered severe damage from what was determined to be an EF-3 tornado. The facility is around a mile from my house with parking lot lights clearly visible at night.
Thankfully, there were only 13 minor injuries reported with no fatalities. If the storm had shifted another mile or less south, it likely would have been a different outcome. This week has taught me again to be thankful for God's blessings. It also shows that we always need to be prepared for any situation and not wait until the last minute. This week will hopefully be calmer, but I'll continue to go along the path planned for me.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Numbering Up
July hasn't been a busy month and it has allowed for a lot of down time and healing. However, I'm not just laying around watching the clock.
This month marks three years since I started using the FES bike. My latest report lists 150 sessions and 439 miles biked. I know a few sessions also didn't get recorded, so actual numbers are even higher. For someone that hasn't walked in over 33 years, I think it's pretty good.
One of the parameters the bike records is how much power my leg muscles are putting into the work. Usually, it just reads 0.0, but it will go up to 2.0 for short stents when my legs are stiff. This past Friday, the reading stayed consistently around 2.7-2.8 for over a minute. That means my own muscles were responding to the stimulation and doing work instead of just going along for the ride.
With getting back to biking, laying flat, and my regular high protein intake, my pressure sores are also responding. Different caregivers give various responses to how they look, but this week both my day assistants said they looked good. The one that worsened last month still has a long way to go, but I'm thankful for any progress. I pray they continue the next few weeks as break time will soon be over.
A couple weeks ago, a church asked me to preach for them on August 5. Unfortunately, the facility is not accessible, so I had to decline. A few days later, I was asked for the same day at another, accessible, church and was able to accept. My own church asked me to preach in August as well and that was decided to be the 12th.
This week, another church in northern Iowa asked me to preach on July 29. It sounds like I can get in without trouble and accepted the invitation. That means I'm scheduled to preach three weeks in a row at three different churches. I plan to preach the same message at two of them, but coordinating everything is getting tricky. I'm also scheduled to work at the Ark Encounter booth twice in August during the Iowa State Fair and to speak to nursing students at the end of the month.
I am thankful to have these opportunities and the break before they begin. Hopefully healing will continue even with a busy quad life. I'll see if anyone else calls this week!
This month marks three years since I started using the FES bike. My latest report lists 150 sessions and 439 miles biked. I know a few sessions also didn't get recorded, so actual numbers are even higher. For someone that hasn't walked in over 33 years, I think it's pretty good.
 |
| Regular readings |
With getting back to biking, laying flat, and my regular high protein intake, my pressure sores are also responding. Different caregivers give various responses to how they look, but this week both my day assistants said they looked good. The one that worsened last month still has a long way to go, but I'm thankful for any progress. I pray they continue the next few weeks as break time will soon be over.
A couple weeks ago, a church asked me to preach for them on August 5. Unfortunately, the facility is not accessible, so I had to decline. A few days later, I was asked for the same day at another, accessible, church and was able to accept. My own church asked me to preach in August as well and that was decided to be the 12th.
This week, another church in northern Iowa asked me to preach on July 29. It sounds like I can get in without trouble and accepted the invitation. That means I'm scheduled to preach three weeks in a row at three different churches. I plan to preach the same message at two of them, but coordinating everything is getting tricky. I'm also scheduled to work at the Ark Encounter booth twice in August during the Iowa State Fair and to speak to nursing students at the end of the month.
I am thankful to have these opportunities and the break before they begin. Hopefully healing will continue even with a busy quad life. I'll see if anyone else calls this week!
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