Scooter Saga

There's not a whole lot one can do about ataxia or many of the movement disorders beyond taking care of oneself, maintaining good nutrition, flexibility, and strength.  I can't compare myself to the disabled athletes, never having been in their league. And I definitely don't aspire to that level of dedication.  But, some kind of exercise is even more critical to me now than my pre–SCA days.  Not only does immobility reduce muscle mass and function, but there is also that 'aging' thing going on.  "Use it or lose it", they say. To that end, I depend on my Tuesday yoga friend and Earl, my personal trainer* .   But I spend so much time by myself, it's easy to succumb to my minimal motivation given half a chance.  There's always the excuse of safety first; no one around to hold me up or call 9-1-1, yada yada. As my ataxia took me out of the customary mobility game, a fellow runner asked me if I was resentful or jealous of my athletic friends.  &qu

Disclaimer: I realize the Northwest also includes Washington and Idaho, but I'm an Oregonian and this is my blog. Assaulted by the green One thing the Northwest does well is ' green '. Years ago, a California friend, on relocating to Oregon, said he sometimes felt 'assaulted by the green'.  Granted when you're used to non-mountainous terrain, frequent sunshine and seeing the horizon, it can be disconcerting here, but who's going to listen to a Californian?  It's Oregon, for Pete's sake!  Our desert–loving relatives, on a visit, kept expecting to see the horizon when they got over the next hill (we say 'hill', they say 'mountain') .  However, there was usually another hill or trees in the view. Another friend, transplanted from the Northwest to the Midwest for a time, told me she could stand on a can of shoe polish and see Wisconsin from Illinois.  I'm guessing she meant it was flat there. Flowers in, on, over walls

Windstorm or trimming . Scooting led me to coin the term 'BS sidewalk' (my friends know I don't abbreviate).   That's where a sidewalk provides disabled access at the entrance and then ends abruptly without warning.  I usually know the BS sidewalks to avoid at home, but often don't when traveling.  I scoot behind Earl, my trusty scout for just that reason.  When I see him turn around with a troubled expression on his face, I know there's an obstruction of some sort ahead.  Most often, I can go over, go around, or plow through.  Occasionally however, I need to turn around if there's room or back up if there's not. BS sidewalk–LO BS sidewalk–Maui Construction stuff Trash can in walkway Sometimes, people just don't think about it.  But when they spot a person on a mobility scooter going around their obstruction, they're usually mortified and don't forget again.  For years, bicyclists have dealt with parked veh

Unloading Skeeter Tiller, battery, seat One of the things we like about Skeeter and the rental is the ease of both assembly and transport.  As I said in the beginning, I decided to buy a scooter with as much stability as possible in the travel scooter category.  Skeeter only weighs 74 lbs. in total, disassembles in three parts, the heaviest of which is 25 lbs. and fits in most compact cars.  Certainly, a van/SUV is nice, but not essential. My friends, Sandie, and of course Earl, can all handle it without risking injury.  Loading time varies with familiarity, but is usually about five minutes.  I've even been known to help when balance wasn't required, but it looked pretty pathetic.  Usually, I wait until it's brought around to me.  It's clearly a mobility device, but I've gotten used to biting humiliation bullets.  At this point, I just appreciate the helping hand. Stand and deliver Your chariot awaits Fits in back of car Stow &#

Skeeter was losing her oomph and of course, I attributed it to heavy use and a dying battery.  A trip to Maui was approaching, so we thought it wise to get her checked out and, if necessary, buy a new battery.  Fortunately, Earl isn't threatened by my enjoyment of a battery–operated device and was willing to do whatever it took to avoid trouble in paradise. I called the store where we originally bought Skeeter Battery Hygiene? Adventure #8 , made an appointment, and Earl and I took her in.  We were much calmer than the first time (previous Battery Hygiene post) , figuring the problem could be detected, fixed or replaced and it wasn't my fault.  Turned out, the battery was fine, but Skeeter needed a new brake mechanism.  Only a week before going to Maui,  they TWO-DAY shipped the part.  We took Skeeter back two days later.  After an hour of killing time in the store and no sign of scooter or technician, I figured something was up.  The technician hadn't been satisfied