Scooter Saga

Zoe, our eight year old grand daughter, looked at me intently and asked, "Grandma, what do you do all day while Grandpa is at work?"  I truly believe that when a child poses a direct, well thought–out question, she deserves a non-defensive, well thought–out answer.* Being ready with just the right response, I said, "Uhhh.  Can I get back to you on that?" In all fairness, my hesitation was somewhat legitimate.  Like the sex discussion (apart from it not being my job) , I didn't want to give information she didn't ask about.  Zoe didn't need the blab, blab, blab about working inside vs. outside the home, men & women in employment settings, disability, ataxia, retirement, etc.  It's not the first time I've heard the "What do you do?" question, but most often, it's from a societally–influenced, internal voice.  Going somewhere else to work never needed justification.  Involving retirement/home/productivity may introduce an

Pacific Northwest Wine Country The Northeast deservedly promotes its beautiful Fall colors, but the Pacific Northwest is no slouch in the beauty department either.  Fortunately, we have an abundance of evergreen that keeps the landscape from becoming stark after the leaves drop.  The Portland area is close to the valleys of the Oregon wine industry.  It's lovely year round, but harvest time in particular, has become a worthwhile outing.  A favorite bicycling destination, Earl, Jason and friends go frequently.  After my diagnosis, I found myself missing the wine country adventures enjoyed by cyclists (whine, whine, wine) .  Like so many things, Skeeter provided an opportunity to bring that back in my life—with some adjustments. Our friends picked us up for a wine country day trip.  Fortunately, Skeeter is small enough to fit in most cars/SUVs, so we don't need to rent a truck.  Granted, frequent loading is required, but it doesn't seem too onerous*—at least, to m