Batteries and Bladders, Adventure #7


Going down to the library is a (pardon the expression) “no-brainer” scoot--reasonable distance, predictable terrain, no charging issues...a short jaunt.  So I confidently take off.  Usually, I lose one to two green dots on the second to the last hill going home.  It’s a steep hill and I expect significant slowing, but it’s only about two miles, albeit uphill, from the library, and a further mile home.  No need to worry about adequate power or need for a bathroom stop.
Battery Indicator
About a fourth of a mile from the library, the scooter begins to lose green dots in a location I’ve never lost power before.  I’m thinking it might be better to take a less steep route home.  It’s all uphill, but there is uphill and UPHILL.  The less steep route has more traffic, but since I have the time, I’ll just be slow and cautious.  My one hour jaunt stretched to two hours.  I usually keep a close eye on the charging dial, but since there was no choice but to head home, I decided to just cross my fingers, keep my eyes straight ahead and not even watch the diminishing power.  What good would panic do?  Was there someone at home to call?  No.  Could I charge somewhere?  No.
Another annoying sensation crept into my awareness.  I thought, “Tam, you’re 62, you’ll get home eventually and there are people you can call if you really get in trouble, but you have to PEE!”
What if I do have to call for a pickup?  Who’s going to let a woman who just wet herself get into their car?  No one I know...
I did eventually make it home under my own power and remained continent (Allah be praised), but I opened the garage, scooted up to my walker/rollator and headed directly into the bathroom (I would have run if I could have)--scooter power on, cell phone music on, helmet on, and sunglasses on.  Earl came home while I was in the bathroom and met my opening door with my now off cell phone.  “Did you forget this?” he said, “and you left the scooter on, the garage door open and your helmet on.”.  Now I could have said a lot of things--none of which were very nice, but I just mentioned the cell phone not being a priority and he got the picture.  We’re not talking about an oblivious man here.
Later, relating the premature power loss story to my friend Barbara, she said offhandedly, “Maybe it was the heat...”  It was 90 degrees that day.  “Oh yeah”, I thought.
Today’s lessons:  Heat may matter, adversely effecting scooter power, and never skip a bathroom stop--ever--for any reason--never.

Comments

  1. VermontBabaSeptember 13, 2011 at 7:31 PM

    Hi Tammy

    What very interesting adventures you have had on your scooter! I think you have been incredibly resourceful, but it probably has created just a few concerns for hubby Earl -- "what will she do next!!". Looking forward to your next scooter installment. XOX from your Vermont Barbara.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We have contact

Image
Skeeter alerted me to an eyesight problem when I realized there were times when I had to navigate precisely while scooting.  I found myself dealing with my deliberate mono–vision by closing one eye in order to gauge available distance.  How much space was between Earl's car and my car, and between the telephone pole and the edge of the sidewalk?  How much asphalt before the road dropped off into dirt?  It was like my old "contact lens" days when one lens isn't in–blurry around the edge (not exactly double vision) .  Hmm, cataracts (at that time in life) , diminishing acuity (OK,  predictable... ) , Ataxia (a typical symptom for some people) ? Around 1993, I had radial keratotomy (RK) after years of wearing contact lenses or coke bottle glasses for being legally blind.  The surgeons gave me one eye for reading and one for distance (mono–vision) .  It was a good solution for someone in the 40s.  But, as I aged, the difference between the eyes was too significant.
Read more

Resume and Update

Image
It's been almost a year since I last blogged. I'd like to think that I was busy, but in fact, I was just too lazy and got overwhelmed at the thought of writing. The other issue is that not a whole lot new has happened and when friends would say, "You haven't blogged in a while," I just nodded my head and stared blankly. I thought maybe it was time to retire the blog and move on.  I mean-- geez! I started this in 2011. There are nearly 200 posts, two thirds of them after publishing my book.  How much blabbing can a person do?  However, the prospect of not being able to blab was just too much to deal with. So, I decided to dig in and update some old posts-- like, "Whatever happened to...?" or "w hatever happened after...?". Going through old posts was rewarding. I discovered that being honest has paid off in that most of my old observations were still valid.  I was relieved to know that there were few instances of "I wish I hadn't said t
Read more

East Coast Roadtrip

Image
East Coast Fall foliage It had been more than two years since we had ventured on our first roadtrip*.  It was time to move from using a walker to a wheelchair.  That was a particularly difficult humiliation bullet to bite.  I thought I had accepted the inevitability of progression, but I found myself whining, "No-o-o-o!"  Was this the end of the road before absolute immobility? Were my traveling days over?  More importantly, would I strain Earl's back and were my scooting days over? 😱 As with previous transitions, logic and practicality won out.  I was so freakin' slow with a walker. I didn't appreciate how frightening my precarious balance was to others.  Finally, I knew an injury was the bigger personal threat and was to be avoided at all costs.  Thelma and Louise ** became a permanent part of my next chapter.  Wheelchair use gave me greater mobility and freedom than I had expected.  It didn't impact my travel, scooting, and I didn't "
Read more