I Wasn’t Going to Watch, but…

After a long and (for me) wearing day that included two medical appointments at two different VA medical centers and two trips to the drug store to fill prescriptions, I was exhausted when I returned home at 3:00 p.m. yesterday. Of course, I wasn’t as bushed as I could have been; Tasha and my new wheelchair saved me from walking five or six hundred yards in Veteran Administration parking lots and buildings.

I thanked Tasha for her excellent assistance. My new wheeling is big and incredibly heavy. If it were a ship, I’d term it a dreadnought.

The wheelchair, with me in it, is too heavy for Tasha to push uphill. So, I walked up those areas—especially the steep ramp leading into the VA hospital. (Why a hospital was so designed I don’t know).

The wheelchair is also too wide to fit through the exterior doors of one VA clinic. So I got out of the chair, Tasha folded it, and then pushed it through the door where I was again able to ride in it. The chair is also too large to fit through the interior doors of the clinic, so again I had to leave the wheelchair and hobble through the doors, where I sat in chair much too small for my bulk. (See my comment at the end of the paragraph, above).

I’ll not learn the results of the two medical visits until at least next week; the one that was the most difficult is the one that means the most to me: recertification for oxygen. If I don’t “pass” that test the VA could remove the oxygen from me. I have my fingers crossed!

Do I need to say that by the time I returned home I was physically drained and really in need of a nap? I just wanted to exchange the portable oxygen tank for my CPAP and collapse in bed!

Unfortunately I couldn’t do that. The furball had scatted out the door when I left for the medical appointments and I wanted to make sure he was safe before I napped. Alex wasn’t in front of my house or napping on my neighbor’s porch. When I called his name, he didn’t come running across the lawns as he often does.

So I shuffled my way to the back door and went out on the deck. I almost didn’t see Alex: he was curled up, sunning himself on a deck chair on the far side of the deck table. I called him—and he either didn’t hear me or he ignored me. So I hobbled across the deck and stood above my sun-bathing cat and ruffled his ears. That got his attention!

Alex uncurled himself, stood up, stretched, leaped off the chair, and strolled across the deck and into the house. By the time I caught up with him, he was sitting of our his table and staring at his food bowls. Yeah, both bowls had food in them from his breakfast, but that makes no difference to Alex. He demanded both his favorite wet meal and that some kitty kat treats be added to his dry food. I gave him both, scratched hi head, and brushed his coat. I was yawning all the while.

Finally I shuffled into the bedroom, attached the oxygen hose to the CPAP, and collapsed on (in) to the bed. I slept soundly for about four hours and only awaked when I became aware that I had a cat curled up on my face. I decided to get out of bed, which I did, and then repeated the procedure I discussed in the previous paragraph regarding Alex and his food.

While feeding Alex I began to feel hungry—I had not eaten since breakfast. I had received in the mail a coupon for a $5.00 medium pizza; so I went online and ordered it to be delivered. Since I was still feeling a bit sleep-deprived, I reclined in my new lift chair, and flipped on the TV. After surfing for a bit, I encountered a NCAA (basketball) tournament game.

I am not a great basketball fan. I prefer to watch (in this order) football, soccer, and baseball. I never get March Madness and don’t even watch the tournament unless one of the universities from which I have a degree is playing. Since I have degrees from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, it is often the case that one if not both are among the final sixteen teams.

I only learned that the University of Louisville was in the tournament when I heard that President Obama had stated that he believed that the University of North Carolina would defeat U of L in the championship game..

So I wasn’t completely surprised when I surfed to a NCAA game in which the University of Louisville was playing another Kentucky school, Morehead University, where several of my friends attended college. A few minutes later the pizza arrived, so I returned to the life chair, and settled back to watch the game.

A few minutes later, I decided I needed something to drink with the pizza and, when I opened the refrigerator, I saw that I still had five beers left from the St. Patrick’s Day 6-pack that I had purchased. I opened a bottle and returned to the lift chair and the pizza.

I hadn’t planned to watch the NCAA Tournament! But here I was, reclining in front of the TV, watching basketball, eating pizza and drinking a beer which I believe a few million other American dudes and dudettes are doing during this March Madness!

It was actually a neat experience, especially after the demanding day I had had. It was even enjoyable when Alex decided to jump up on my stomach and explore the pizza I was eating. I think he did sample a bit of sausage before he decided it wasn’t his kind of food and jumped down to the floor to groom his handsome self!

I may watch more basketball during this year’s March Madness!