Keep on Moving Club: April 2018

[Sunshine]

riding my horse,this week, which I was so afraid , that it would not happen,,,, but my horse Gnat, was so patient, strapping my legs , belting the saddle,, hey its works,,better then paying 9,000 dollars for a saddle for the disabled..

Sunshine you go girl !! this is so cool,,!!

Yay for you too Peg! Two of my surfing buddies ride their horses when they aren’t surfing. They’re dedicated, and I even gave one of their horses a surfers nickname . Their horses are members of their family, one rides her horse on the beach sometimes.

[Virginia]

Well, I am going to join all of you today. I went to Costco. Could not get handicap parking. Parked 11 car spaces away walked that plus the road that cars drive in front of at Costco, then to the other side of Costco. Picked up prescription, retraced my steps, drove a few miles to Harris Teeter, grocery shopped, ran into neighbor and had to stand and talk a bit. Finally got groceries in car. Then went to Whole Foods and got food for tonight and tomorrow night from hot bar and salad bar. Came home, unloaded car and immediately got undressed and got comfortable. I was gone for 3 hours today. Weather was good and that helped a lot.

[stillstANNding]

That's a lot Virginia. People don't realize the standing without support takes as much energy as walking!

ANN

[jendie]

I ordered myself an adult tricycle the other day, it should be here by May 3rd. I missed cycling so much and decided to get the kind I can still ride. This way I can give Karma a bit of a run daily to help her use up some of her extra energy since I don't drive, have a back yard, or close by dog park. My lab/Italian Greyhound cross has moments of super high speed that I would like to help her to use up efficiently.

[Virginia]

That is wonderful Jendie. I think you will also love the fresh air. It will probably make you feel so much better.

[Sunshine]

Chocolate for Virginia and jendie!

[agate]

There's more and more evidence that chocolate is good for us, and it should definitely be in the picture here for them.

Jendie, is the adult tricycle like a regular bike but with two wheels in back and maybe a basket in between them? Happy pedalling!

[stillstANNding]

Jendie, the problem I have with bikes is that I don't know how far I can go and still be able to get back. You know, when our metaphorical battery will shut off leaving us stuck. The balance problem is solved by the trike but not unknown endurance.

Let us know how it goes.

ANN

[Virginia]

I'll have that chocolate definitely and thanks Agate for helping me not to feel guilty about it.

Ann, I can't ride a bike due to balance and if I tried a trike I would get stuck about a block from home with no way to get back. The weakness in upper part of my legs does not allow me to even use a stationary bike.

[Lazarus]

Well, as usual, so many are finding ways to keep moving. I am impressed. So impressed.
I started the farmers’ Market yesterday. Not sure I can manage but I set up differently and have accommodated movement issues so I am always close to something I can hang onto. Almost always. It worked out fine and I had a successful market.

We have some new farmers who have joined the market and it was a load of fun to meet new and old friends...especially as I hardly left the house this winter. Too much time resting these weary bones. Feels like I have to crank my muscles to start moving easily again. Like a windup toy I need a full cranking to start going strong again.

[Sunshine]

Lazarus what you’ve been doing at the market is so inspiring to me.

[Sunshine]

As promised, I went surfing today. DH is no longer able to wheelchair me to the ocean and sit on the beach . So, today I tried something different. 2 friends picked me up and took me to the beach. My DH came by and picked me up at the end of the session, after my crew cleaned me up, wheeledme to the car, and carried my gear. Great and generous team, for sure! And the other dudes at the beach have generous hearts, high fiving me and giving words of encouragement and truly heart felt prayer (not “Thoughts and prayers”— but meaningful ones).

The ocean is still nippy, so I was glad i had my full suit. IT was about 65F at the beginning, and about 78F at the end.

It started out frustrating. The ranger usually brings the chair after the guard calls him. So, we were waiting, waiting and waiting. After 25 minutes a dude contacted the guard who then called the ranger again. In total, it was a 55 minutes wait for the beach wheelchair. The ranger sheepishly admitted he forgot. Usually its at most a 10 minute wait.

Well, I am not an ordinary surfer. I have a small window of opportunity in terms of med dosing, and endurance of muscle. Gotta surf before 11:00, so the hour wait was frustrating. It gets tiring losing ones skills, friends, and independence. But many of us here know that, and worse than what I have lost for sure.

But what a treat at the ocean! The water was luscious turquois, clean, you could see through the waves, 2’3’ high waves at a decent interval. Tide was just right too. And it wasnt crowded! People checked the surf forecast and it said, “Very Poor”, and they missed out!

My buddy surfed right over a black tip shark , about 3-4’ long. IT was a sobering event! We all got some very fun rides.

My first ride, I elected to stay prone since I was a bit in front of the wave and didnt think I could maneuver it standing. It was a VERY long, and VERY fast ride :) The waves didnt seem powerful when I paddled out, easily negotiated, but that ride had punch in it.

Then I had a couple of more fairly short rides standing, One was better than the other, not my favorite of the year, but still pretty fun, Caught it just right, scrambled up quickly and then got that nice zippy floaty feeling. Such an addictive activity.

And, mainly, it was nice to be in the ocean again, amongst good friends. I found I felt a bit apart from the scene. This was my own struggle; no one excluded me, and they all tried to help out. I think I feel the emotional pain of such rapid loss of everything, that being there was bitter sweet.

I gotta let people help me, pick me up, take me home, and not worry about feeling like an imposition. THey WANT to do this. Its me that holds back. And celebrate inspiring others at the beach and complimenting self on being courageous.

So many here on the board are courageous in so many different ways. It inspires me.

[Virginia]

Sunshine, your thinking and attitude are so wonderful. I know it must be hard, but keep on. I bet your friends are more happy to do for you than you can imagine.

Linda, going to market!!! What a feat. So proud of you. That must make for a long day.

[stillstANNding]

For Sunshine,

Biggest wave ever surfed award:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

ANN

[Howie]

WOW!!! Just seeing that thing coming, I would want to run instead of surfing it!