Author: Neil

Well, of course, I am back from my trip! We cut it a bit short, as it was raining and cold every night in the mountains.

I drove about 12 hours to Dallas, TX, to my friend Kristal’s house. The drive was nice, no serious problems. The roads in TX are a bit of a mess. The interstate highways have no fencing in between the roadside and the access roads!

That means sneaky-sneaky cops!

Let me illustrate…..

================= Interstate===============me, not speeding========
——–side of the road, NO FENCING!————
==============frontage/access road======== cop clocking traffic==========

That is just not fair! Really!

I didn’t get pulled over once on the trip… Kristal, though…. Sorry doll! My out of state tags did you in!

Any who…..

So, we left Dallas and drove up to Amirillo, TX. From there we went up through New Mexico to get to the mountains of southern Colorado.

We stayed a few nights in the Rockies, but had to give up the ghost… The ladies in tents got rained out, rained on, and cold to the bones in their tents. I camped under my truck camper shell, so I stayed dry, and mostly warm.

We were all ready to bail, though. It was a great time, and the mountains were beautiful, but it was just to bad a weather to stay..

We packed up, ( I say we, it was all Kristal packing up my stuff, thanks sweets!) and drove back to New Mexico and camped for the night in a Motel 6.

We all played some euchre, (yay! Kristal finally got to win a round! Sorry, Jenea… You will learn, Darlin’) and then took off the next morning for TX.

Kristal was able to get a flight to Utah, and I am glad she did. I took off for home, as I ain’t getting on a plane right now with prosthetic legs!

I didn’t get to meet Brian and Nancy, but I already think a lot of them for hooking Kristal up and getting her to the Best Friends shelter!

I did get to meet Meghan and Becca, and ladies, you are top notch! I am very glad to call you friends!

I know this is not near enough of an update, and I didn’t even think about getting out the camera, but I am wore out from my day today! So, sorry 🙂 I will write a longer blog for ya later!

N

Or, if you have read the book and know the title… I’m Gone to Texas….

Or I will be in a few short days! I am going with some friends out West, and will be gone for a few weeks… We are going to Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Utah.

Not in that order, of course 😉

But, before I tell anymore about the trip, how about I give you some updates!

First off!

New sockets! As of yesterday, I have new sockets. These are a departure from the old sockets, fo sho… See, the old sockets were like a well fitting pair of work gloves. Big, thick, well padded, and great for the everyday chores.

The new sockets? They are like a set of hand made Italian leather driving gloves. Small, close fitting and curve hugging.. I only need to wear my liners and a thin sheer nylon sock over my liner for these to fit.

Wow, is all I can say. The downside? I have only a few days to learn to walk in these new sockets. Every major socket upgrade comes with a learning curve, and these have a real hairpin turn for a curve. :/

I couldn’t really walk in then much yesterday, as I over taxed myself walking the Louisville riverfront during a photo shoot.. Yea, a photo shoot. My prosthetics people asked me to do some photos with a professional photographer for their website, and of course, I agreed!

But, as I am apt to do, I overdid it. The photographer was named Andrew, and was a great dude to work with. If you read this, Drew, feel free to make a comment with your business info in it below, I don’t mind giving you a bit of free advertising space 😉

So, anyway, I did the shoot on my old sockets, and was worn out by the time I was ready to try the new sockets.

Poor Tommy, one of my leg guys, spent like an hour or two working out the kinks or adjusting my new legs to a perfect fit. Anyone who knows how I get when I am frustrated will understand what poor Tommy went through. (Yea, Jenny Jenny, it was one of my cussing and grumbling fits lol)

So, I made it home, came in the house and crashed out… It was a long drive, and a long, yet productive, day.

I haven’t gotten back up on my legs yet this morning, but I will when I get done posting this blog…

So, back to the trip.. Umm, a good friend is having her birthday celebration as a trip this year. She doesn’t usually celebrate, but this year she is going overboard, and invited me along. The invite came in February, and it has been a shining star for me to gaze at, and a reason to push myself to get better! I want this trip!

I am going to forgo the wheelchair, and do this without. It is going to be a test to my stamina, and my will power. But I will do it! One of the places we will be going is the Grand Canyon, and I want to stand on the edge, raise my voice and say “Fuck You, World! I am still alive, and I am still standing!”

When I do that, I will probably get some complaints from other campers, but I give not two scheisse about it. I need to do that, for me 😀

Anyway, I will be leaving out very early on the 6th, or very late on the 5th, and am going to be driving to Texas.

I will have limited Internet access, but will try to throw up quick blogs when I can to document the trip. I will be avoiding facebook like the plague, and the only posts their you are likely to get while I am gone are the auto update of my blog.

Why no Facebook? For the same reason I won’t be answering my phone… This is me time, to the max. I will be hanging with good friends.. Camping, mudding in the truck, having a few choice beverages, helping out some animals in a shelter, and seeing the West in all it’s glory!

Josey Wales didn’t update his FB and stay on his phone during his trip, so why should I?

Wish me luck, this is going to be an awesome, scary, great time!

Neil

So, yes, it has been a while… I have heard from quite a few people lately that I need to post some thing new…. Well, here it is!

I haven’t really posted anything because there has been nothing to report. That has changed in the past few days, though.

Let’s see, happenings…..happenings….

First, I got my fingers a while back. I had to send them back :/

Long story short, there was a goof somewhere, and I was shorted a few fingers. (pun intended) so, I sent them back, and they were adjusted and mailed back to me. I have an index finger, middle finger and thumb now.

The thumb didn’t really help me much, more if a problem with my hand than a prosthetic design problem, and I still didn’t have a ring finger.

So, off in the mail again they went this week. I am trading the thumb for a ring finger! I have a stationary thumb setup that works for me, and with four fingers to go with, I should be good to go!

Next up on the news list, I bought a truck! Yea, i know, i have one already, but the folks were apprehensive about me driving a stick shift, so I got an automatic. I also got a set of hand controls for it, to further ease minds, and I have been driving the hell out of it!

Oh, a quick picture of it…

Also new on the news front… My leg has healed enough so I can start walking again!

It has only been a few days, bit I am already getting a feel for it once again. Being down so long, I lost some strength, and will have to work hard to gain it back, but I am no stranger to hard work and challenges!

I will say this…. One of my socket list items is driving my stick shift truck again… Well, mark that off the list! I drove it just fine, and really feel I wasted money buying an automatic just to make someone else happy, but oh well.

I still drove my little stick shift 4×4!

Next up on the list I think….

Motorcycle, baby!

Thank you to all my friends and loved ones, once again, for all your support! Without you pushing me forward, I don’t know I would have the courage to keep it up!

Oh, and by the way, RoC represent! (inside joke, if you understand it, great! If not, don’t worry 😉 )

Stay off the sidewalks….. Guess who is driving again!

Well, today is memorial day. I am sure many of you are at the lake, fishing, BBQing, motorcycle riding or many of the other things associated with this day. This day that marks the beginning of summer!

This is also the day to remember those who have fallen. Don’t ever forget that.

This day is about remembering our soldiers who gave their lives defending freedom. Some in some far away sandbox, some closer to home. They were all our soldiers, though. I think we forget at times this is more than just a three day weekend, or reason to party. You can count me in as one who sometimes forgets. But today, I am remembering.

Perhaps it is because I have been on one long miserable three day weekend from work since i got sick. Holidays don’t mean as much when you don’t look forward to the time off to spend with family. That is what holidays are about, mostly. Family, friends and loved ones getting together to celebrate life.

Just don’t forget that someone might not to see their soldier on holidays ever again, and don’t let that sacrifice go unnoticed. As you are spending time today doing what you love, remember the soldiers, and their loved ones. This is their day of memorial.

Now, on to an update!

So, I got new, smaller sockets. They have mostly sat idle on my prosthetics, as my left leg still has a tiny spot on it. It is so close to being healed, but not quite yet. Every time I get on my legs I set my little bad spots back a day or so. The right leg is completely healed, and it gets old sitting around, but I have to be patient.

I have to spend most of my time lying back, as sitting in the wheelchair too much makes my back not want to be straight. I have mentioned before that too much of a seated position shapes your back that way, and that really bites the big banana, ya know? But, I do what I must. I still do my leg excersises, but that only goes so far without a real workout.

Oh well, I have gotten used to playing the waiting game.

My prosthetic hand should be ready any time now. It has been a month or more since i had the hand casting done and my contact at Didrick Medical tells me it should take four to six weeks to make. I am hoping for the former, as I want a freaking opposable thumb again!

When my left leg heals, I am going to be working very hard to get on my feet again. Later in the month of June there is going to be my high school twenty year reunion. I may be missing some body parts, but I still have all my hair!

I would really like to go to this on my feet, and not in a wheelchair. We shall see.

Speaking of my hair… Since I got sick, the sides of my head have started going salt and pepper on me. More pepper than salt, but it is noticable! ACK! Oh well, at least I know someone who can fix that, if it gets too bad 😉

Well, that is all for my blog today. Have a great holiday, just remember why we have it, ok?