A beautiful day for swinging

It was such a nice day today, that Linda wanted to go out in the back yard. I didn't know how well we'd do with the wheelchair, since it was hard taking her loaner in the grass. But it turned out to be not too bad. Linda wanted to see the garden that was put in for us. It looks really good. She also wanted to look at her car, which doesn't look as great.

Linda's favorite thing to do in the back yard is swing, and she actually has two swings. She has a forest green porch swing that I made for her, and she has a canvas swing called a sky chair. The sky chair is hard to get in and out for regular people, so I don't think we are ready for that yet. But she did get to swing on her porch swing. I just brought the chair over and we did the transfer carefully (since the swing can move, obviously). It was actually easier than I expected.

She took a pen and pad out with her so she could write down notes for the book she is writing about her experience. Yes, she has started it. I know a lot of you wanted her to do that. Sometimes now, I say, "Do you even remember what it felt like when ...?" Every once in a while, she'll just answer, "Wait until I write my book. I'll put it in there." She has started typing a bit up on her computer, very slowly. She used to touch type, but it's hunt and peck for now. Still I think it's great. If nothing else, typing is a great OT exercise; a nice combination of gross and fine motor movements.

We went to dinner tonight at Pagliais. I was in kind of a down mood. I pinched her hand in the door trying to get the wheelchair from being hung up on the threshold. I think that really hurt, but she played it down. Then we sat in a booth next to a family of chain smokers, about the stinkiest thing ever. Normally we'd have switched tables, although Pagliais is so small it really doesn't make much difference. But it's too hard to do that now, so we just toughed it out. I feel bad for their young children. They have to live with that. My Ronza was good.

Tomorrow, we have Linda's first outpatient therapy appointment. It seemed like forever when they told me Linda's first appointment wouldn't be until Wednesday this week. And here we are, Tuesday night already. Wow.

Ellie will be coming home soon, too. I haven't talked to Marilyn lately, but the last time we spoke, she was talking about Thursday. That will really turn things upside down again, but Ellie's going to be really glad to have her mom at home again.