Thursday. Senior Fitness Day. As I’ve mentioned several times, I visit a physical therapy center twice a week to give my large, old, fleshy body a chance for some exercise. The body likes the kind of weather we’ve been having and cooperates fully. I have lots of conditions that severely limit what I can do and the good people at the PT place have designed a program for me that I can do.
Actually, when the weather cooperates, I can do it rather easily. I have limited walking ability so using the treadmill is basically out of the plan, but I do get my heart rate up a bit by riding a stationary bicycle for 25 or 30 minutes. I have some weight work to accomplish and a huge ball to stand on to improve my balance. We recently added a new part of the routine which I can best describe as sit downs/stand up.
Although all of the routines are designed to get me moving, I sometimes get the impression they are simply delaying the inevitable. But they are succeeding in doing that. Several years ago, my mobility was so bad due to arthritis, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, a steel plate in my hip, little bubbles that like to burst in my arteries, and a whole bunch of artery bypasses called stents that my doctor told me I’d probably be in a wheelchair within a year. He even offered to start the paperwork for a chair at that time.
The last stent that was implanted had the potential of ending my walking forever. My surgeon at the time said there was a 50-50 chance I’d never walk again. And now I’m still walking, partially at least due to the work at the PT place. I don’t walk far, but I still don’t have a wheel chair or scooter.
So that’s why I’m so fond of mentioning my Tuesday and Thursday sessions each week. I do my level best not to miss a session and on those stormy days when we have lots of low pressure pressing down on my joints and body, I fight through. I think Wife Gator is just a little pleased with my efforts.
If you’ve been following the odyssey of my cable problems, you won’t learn a lot today. I will say that the cable guy showed up as expected, ran tests similar if not the same, as the previous technicians had run, and like the others determined there was a low signal problem.
This guy, however, was a little different than the others. He found what he called a problem. He installed an amplifier on the signal heading to my cable box. He seemed surprised that the others hadn’t done the same thing as my signal was being sent to four rooms in the house and each line off the splitter was doing its job: splitting the signal.
He said the amplifier would take care of it. All was working well when he left, but all had been working well when each of the previous cable guys left only for the problem to rear its ugly head once again within 48 hours. So today I’m in that 48 hour span and waiting to see if my HD picture will remain stable. So expect another comment on the issue possibly tomorrow or Monday.
If you were here yesterday, you also learned a technician from the company that services my air conditioning system was coming. It was a regularly scheduled routine call and as expected, we had no surprises.
If I were in a ranting mood today, I’d mention some good and bad out of Augusta. I’d actually praise Gov. Baldacci for vetoing a bill that would have lowered once again the requirements to get a driver’s license in Maine. Last year, we went from anyone just walking into a Motor Vehicles office and getting one to a law that required, among other things, proof of being in the U.S. legally and of being a Maine resident.
The Legislature wanted to repeal those proof requirements, but the governor didn’t go along. An excellent decision on his part.
And another good, the Maine House has defeated a bill that would have allowed a gambling casino in Oxford County. Actually, it only stopped it for this session and postponed further action until next year to give more time for debate.
Then the House defeated a law that would have repealed the Maine school consolidation law which most districts say is not doing what was promised by lowering school costs but rather is causing many districts to spend more. It did postpone a penalty clause implementation until next year. I think a citizen’s petition drive for repeal may be facing voters in November.
Finally, if I were ranting, I’d probably have some more choice words about a tax increase proposal working its way through the Legislature. Actually, there are two or three of them looking to take more of our money.
That’s my Thursday for this week.
GiM
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