Wonderful Wonders

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write what I’ve been thinking/feeling about a situation I was in last week which made me wonder, what do people think when they see me. I apologize upfront if this post is a bit scattered or is too lengthy. Continue Reading Here

Today is a sad day, today my Uncle passed away.  He was a strong man, a man of few words but always there if needed. Today my Mother lost one of her brothers. Continue Reading Here

I have so many conflicting thoughts 😕 about this blog post circling inside my head… Last month, in my posts Falling For Fall…Again and Odd, How Old and Dying Can Feel So Invigorating I told you how much I’ve always enjoyed Fall. The Fall colors, the brisk air, the smell of fresh basked apple pie 🥧 are certainly invigorating, but what I didn’t consider at the beginning of the season (only a few weeks ago) was the sadness 😦 that I’m now feeling as we get further into Autumn.

As we move into October, more and more harvest festivals and October fests begin to take place bring with it the yet again, reminders of what I can no longer take part in, no longer look forward to and no longer enjoy.

Farms and farmland are not normally easily #accessible in a #wheelchair It’s difficult if not impossible to move across the uneven grounds of an apple orchard 🍎 in a #wheelchair. It’s difficult if not impossible to move around the uneven grounds of a pumpkin patch 🎃 in a #wheelchair. It’s impossible to enjoy a hayride as a #paraplegic. It’s impossible to feel the leaves 🍂 crunch beneath your feet 🚶‍♀️ in a #wheelchair. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to fully enjoy Autumn’s adventures.

I miss walking hand-in-hand 🤝 with my honey through piles of leaves, as we laughed together enjoying each other. I miss being happy as we playfully took pictures of ourselves in those fun autumn cutouts.

As we drove around the #Catskills this past weekend. which was in full peak for leaf peeping, I was once again reminded of all the things I no longer can do since that fateful day in June 2016 when surgery gone wrong left me #paralyzed. As the colors begin to fade and days become darker earlier, so too does my spirits darken. Outwardly, for my honey, I force myself to enjoy the ride, enjoy looking at the colorful landscape passing by me as we drove, while inward thinking just as sure as the beauty of this landscape is passing me by so too has my happy life.

As always, I wish you days filled with wonder – take a minute to wonder what it is that made you smile today!

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Okay so we know it’s been 3+ years now since that fateful day in June 2016 when hip surgery went wrong and left me #paralyzed from the waist down, but it’s been almost 1 year since I started blogging again. I thought I’d recap and summarize my year of blogging about #LivingThisParalyzedLife, some good, some bad, some happy, and oh yes, some sad, but all the while a real life learning adventure. Continue Reading Here

After my surgery gone wrong left me #paralyzed from my waist down back in June 2016, #mobility and #independence came to a screeching halt! 

About 8 months later, Continue Reading Here

While #Autumn brings beautify colors to the majestic #Hudson_Valley (where we live) and the #Catskills (our 2nd home on the lake), it struck me recently as kind of odd. Continue Reading Here

OMG, for the first time since my surgery gone wrong left me #paralyzed in 2016, I can’t believe my inner self is actually flirting with falling for Fall. . . again! Continue Reading Here

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Okay so if you’ve been following along with me and this new journey, #Living_This_Paralyzed_Life, then you will remember several months back we were basically forced to cancel our trip to #Sedona AZ because, well basically, I panicked. I panicked because I have not yet traveled anywhere in any vehicle except our car and frankly, we don’t know how to do any other form of transportation. I know I need an #Aisle_Wheelchair but how does one go about getting one??? The airline we had our flights booked with publishes an “accessibility desk” phone number which I assumed would be able to help answer a few questions we had but sadly, after calling for 3 days, no one ever answered the phone, so yes, I panicked and we cancelled our entire trip. 🙁

Which now brings us to, once again, trying to figure out how, how can we travel more easily and less stressful for both of us. My honey will be retiring and we, like many other retirees, would love to travel, but how? How always seems to be such a daunting thought now. 🙁 We know flying doesn’t work but perhaps an #RV 🤔

After discussing the pros and cons of the various types of RVs, we decided a small tow behind might work best for us. So together we set out to visit Camping World, our local RV dealer. We went with intentions on looking at a #Coleman #Travel_Trailer. While we were there, the staff suggested we look at a #Toyhauler because it might be easier to push me in as the entire back wall opens down to a ramp. While that was really interesting, we feel that it might be too steep for my honey to push me in the #wheelchair.

Which brings us back to a travel trailer. Now, with a travel trailer we need to decide on how to get me in, I would like to go along 😂 Adding a lift of course adds to the overall cost. As of now, the Coleman Lantern by Dutchmen seems to be what would fit our needs bearing in mind additional costs and time for additional modifications. Personally, I really like the 2019 Coleman Coleman Light 2515RL, this model also has the jack-n-jill bathroom which is beneficial if we had guests as my honey needs to assist me and having this would help me maintain some small level of dignity.

We haven’t explored the additional cost of adding a lift but the additional conversion cost to modify the new Dodge Grand Caravan we purchased last month was just over $20K! 😲

For now we will continue to explore options and cost but would welcome any suggestions 😉

As always, I wish you days filled with wonder – take a minute to wonder what it is that made you smile today!

Please feel free to “SHARE” this post with your family/friends! And don’t forget to leave your comments below, we love hearing from you!

Here I sit yet again feeling sad and angry because once again I’m forced to be left out of an upcoming event I should be attending. Continue Reading Here