Hi again, James!  This is a continuation of my previous message:

JB>  I may have mentioned an Aunt who lives in a chair?


          You did mention that your godmother had $600 worth of annuals in
the ground... but come to think of it, you didn't say whether or not she'd
planted them herself!  Is this the same person??



JB>  One day, my mom asked her how she was going to plant
JB>  all the plants she was buying. After a little pause,
JB>  her solution was to invite one of her sons over, or
JB>  grab the first neighbour to pass by to do it for her.


          Whereas we built a raised bed so Nora could plant her own....  :-)



JB>  For me - I don't think I'm breaking new ground here -


          Good pun... [chuckle].



JB>  I was ecstatic to get in the dirt this summer. After so
JB>  many tried to keep up with my plan, I was actually able
JB>  to execute it. I had two people ask if I was the new
JB>  homeowner. I knew I had done some good, and it was all
JB>  because of me. If it failed, I could blame no one but
JB>  myself, but when I succeeded, I knew all the na-sayers
JB>  could blow it out their hot heads.


          Yes, I enjoy playing in the dirt!  If you do it yourself you know
it will be done the way you'd like it done... and there's a sense of
satisfaction far beyond what you have when others do it for you.  Much of
our own work with Nora is managing the environment so she can do things for
herself.  I see that as the role of a teacher, but I guess in a way it's
"engineering" too....  :-)



AH>  And as for those who lose interest when they see a cane
AH>  or whatever... is it worth trying to drag them kicking
AH>  & screaming into the 21st century?  Probably not....  :-)

JB>  In order to avoid duplicating the topic George started
JB>  in ABLED. I think he said a mouthful, and was quite
JB>  indicative of common problems.


          I agree that he had a lot of good points there.  We've met
George... he's one of our BBS users & he came to visit Nora after she
had her stroke.  I can tell he has devoted some thought to the matter &
extends the understanding he'd like for himself to other folks.  These
things work both ways!  I've been following the echo for years & post
in it on occasion.  Another of the current regulars, however, is probably
more receptive to such ideas from George et al. than she would be from me. 
I have enough to do, and she sounds so much like a person I mentioned
earlier that I may learn more by not getting involved.  ;-)



JB>  As far as 'hiding' in a back bedroom, I do so out
JB>  of necessity.


          If you do it because there are limits to your energy, I don't
have a problem with that.  What I was referring to was the way things were
when I was growing up.  You might think you knew a person and/or their
family quite well, only to discover some years later that there was another
family member who was seldom spoken of & who was often confined to a
single room... like Boo Radley, whose father felt embarrassed & didn't
know what else to do with him.  In most cases these hidden people were
mentally and/or physically handicapped....  :-/



JB>  It was survival that I had to immobilize myself for
JB>  the length of time, not an unwillingness to leave the
JB>  structure.


          Uh-huh.  You decide for yourself whether or not to go out, and by
so doing make it easier & more acceptable for other folks to do the
same....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+