Martha with our friend Melissa at the Rivery
So, last time I wrote about how I was turning The Martha Chronicles (the story of my wife’s serious fall and wonderful recovery) into a PDF book and making it available for free on my website (go here to see it: https://www.michaeljaytucker.com/basic-01).
But it struck me that at least some folks out there might not have followed the original Chronicles while I was posting them on Facebook. So, I figured, I ought to give everyone a sample or two. Or three. Or, to be precise, four.
You can already see most of Chapters 1 and 2 on this blog (here and here respectively). But, below please find Chapter 3. Other chapters will follow on Thursday, next Monday, and next Thursday. This way you’ll have, at least, some idea of what you’re getting into before you actually download the dang thing.
Call it a free sample…of something that is already free. Which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…but, heck? Mere contradictions and inconsistencies have never slowed me down before.
Anyway, here we go:
Ramping It Up
I was surprised how quickly we were able to adapt to Martha’s small disability. It wasn’t always a smooth transition, but we did pretty well, considering. For instance, we were soon able to get out and about, at least a little bit, and even managed to grab breakfast and lunch out some of our favorite restaurants. And we addressed the issue of…ramps.
Here’s what I wrote about it on Feb 1, 2022:
Hey, Everybody,
Well, here’s the next installment of the Martha Tucker’s getting better story :-)
She is mending a bit more with every passing day. She still has some pain. Indeed, sometimes, particularly in the early morning and just before bed, it is more than “some.” It is downright awful. But, the good news is that the awfulness quotient seems to be going down rapidly. In fact, increasingly, she is not feeling any pain at all during the daylight hours. (Three cheers!)
She is also getting a bit more mobile. We are being careful not to do too much too soon, but she is managing to walk some with her Rollator Walker -- which has proved, btw, an excellent investment. She uses it to walk (at least short distances), and, when we are in the house and moving from room to room, we employ it as a kind of transport chair. That is, not a real wheelchair, but a convenient means of short-distance transport. (If only I could stop running into things with it. Sigh.)
But speaking of the wheelchair, there’s been progress on that front, too. First, we have been using it to get out more. In fact, this morning we managed to do breakfast at the Rivery (https://www.riverycoffeehouse.com/), which is one of our favorite pastry shops around town. Here’s a picture of Martha with our friend Melissa Mager just after we polished off some of her excellent croissants. (Malissa also does jewelry. Take a look at her work here: https://www.facebook.com/Mother-of-Mystical-Things-114831059923766)
Second bit of news on the wheelchair front, I think I have finally managed to deal with the ramp problem, or at least partly. I’ve now got two ramps, one on the main step on the way out the front door, and the second on the threshold of the door itself. This morning, Martha and I managed to roll in and out of the house using the two ramps and so far nothing has collapsed into smoking ruins. At least not yet. I’ll let you know any further developments as we get more experience with them.
Other than that, there isn’t much news. We’re doing pretty well. Martha’s biggest problem right now, I think, is boredom. Or maybe I should call it “frustration.” Either way, she’s not too happy with having to employ me for even the smallest things, like getting in and out chairs and rooms. And then there’s my cooking. Or, as my family and close friends put it, my “attempts” at cooking. I won’t repeat what my enemies say about my skills at meal prep. Suffice it to be said that twice I have been contacted by state, local, Federal, and international authorities regarding potential violations of the Hague Conventions regarding the use of toxic chemicals in warfare...
It was a bit embarrassing explaining that all they were smelling was my efforts at creamed corned beef on toast. Oh, well...
Anyway, here’s a picture of my new ramp system.
cheers
mjt
The Ramps
To this posting, I added the following:
P.S. — a big shout out and thanks to our friend Denise Bafti, who sent me very useful information about plastic or rubber ramps. We ended up using metal ones out front, but these proved difficult to use inside the house and on the back porch. So, on Denise’s advice, we purchased things like the “Electriduct 1" Rise Rubber Power Wheelchair Scooter Threshold Ramp.” Worked great.
You can see the product on Amazon here:
So, again, Thanks Denise. We owe you.
~mjt
Anyway, that was the beginning of February. Next time…
An ice storm.
But a cozy one.
Copyright©2022 Michael Jay Tucker
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