bb king died last thurs. mayor of bluesville on xm radio channel 70. he played at one of the colleges i attended, i no longer recall which school.
my intent of the last post was to establish my independence w/ ability to take care of myself. this is not a continuation of that but because of that taking care of myself i am able to be back living in my van living w/ just a fully functioning left arm. i am right handed. i secure my deck shoes w/ cord locks as i am unable to tie my shoes. these shoes are not suited for technical trails which is good as i am to remain fully upright. when i can tie my shoes i will move to ones that are suited for trail hiking. i am freed of the sling in 2 weeks, 6 weeks post surgery. i do wander around in the desert while using a hiking pole. pulling on each sock one handed takes perseverence. i am able to button my pants and zip the fly incorporating a helping right hand.
i fix bfast that the menu has progressed as my ability to figure clean up. at first it was just 2 pieces of toast made in the stove, i buttered each and squeezed honey and spread around. a cup of cold brewed coffee washed it down. clean up was licking the knife off and saving to make an almond butter sandwich at lunch. i rinsed the cup out then put in the cupboard. next step was adding oatmeal which required whisking. i held the pan handle w/ my right and whisked w/ my left. cleanup i leaned hard on the galley counter to grab a hold of the handle to steady it while i scrubbed out the pan. i heated water in the pan and used soap and heated rinse water for everything. clean kitchen. last night i got a hankering for scrambled eggs. i made them for bfast today along w/ the toast and coffee. i broke 2 eggs using my left arm. no egg shell bits. more things to wash, dry, and put away. i have 10 more eggs to work on my proficiency.
more days of rain. i still search for rain fall totals here in sedona. riders head out under threatening skies then get dumped on. quite the sight to see the dripping wet and red mud splattered riders.
thurs i slept w/o aid of pain meds. i made it sleeping fitfully. during the day there are many pain distractions to push the shoulder pain into the background. however, once in bed w/ no distractions the pain is what i feel. i ditched the bed rest pillow when i learned that i can sleep on my side. laying on my back still sends pain signals. i am still off the meds.
i walk streets around voc when it doesn’t rain. yesterday i found a buck folding hunter pocket knife. quite heavy for a single blade knife. i carried one like this on my pct hike.
last week a rider stopped at my van. he was paul from boone, nc. we talked about their trails as i had ridden a bunch of them. the song tom dooley is right at kerr scott reservoir. i gave stories away for free. he even got a free pic. he knows shrimper, a f.o.s. person. an article about boone was in the previous issue of bike mag that i clipped. i showed it to paul who was impressed w/ my saving.
monday is first day of pt, 4 weeks out.
2 nights ago the furnace would not start. time to take steps to make it healthy. i texted the guy asking for help. he answered back. later in the day i opened my email to find mail from him sent b4 i texted him. he wants to resolve the furnace issues. compliments to him staying on top.
my bike is a fixture on the back of the van uncovered in the rain as it takes 2 hands to put the cover on. i will need new cables b4 i start riding again.
what an experience my odyssey has been to see so much of america and ride so many miles of trails. i have experienced so much. i enjoy sharing common trails w/ riders. i have a connection. way more than if i had a home base and just ventured for for short distance trips. i would not have ridden in arkansas say, or pick another state.
friends from spokane, randy and terry, are riding turner burners.