Elevator Friday - Parkside, Saskatchewan

From Dale Redekopp.

Not much happening

Some plans got trashed. Some plans got changed.

Met with the lawyer and settled my lawsuit. I am not getting rich nor am I getting what I think I should be getting. Apparently my injuries are not worth as much as I thought in Alberta. The lawyer takes their cut and then their disbursements on top of that. Lawyers are a necessary evil but you just cannot help feeling screwed at times, even though they get you more than what you would have got on your own. I had the option of taking it to court to fight for a bigger amount however a court date is at least two years in the future. I believe they want to wait me out. I do not need the funds now but I am in my early sixties and I might as well take it and invest it for the future for when I do need it. Sometimes you need to move on.

In the meantime I did manage to get out for a bit. I have a weekend trip planned and I did manage to get to Waterton, Alberta. Always worth going. 

The good parking

I have a placard for handicapped parking and I have taken full advantage of it. Before the accident I never really paid much attention to how accessible places may or may not be. For those that do not have any issues with mobility I doubt many of you have given it a second thought as well. Most places are good. I have not yet run across anyone parked in a stall when I was looking for parking that did not have a handicapped tag. A few places of businesses I found to be a little dangerous trying to navigate uneven rickety stairs with nothing to hold onto. I have always been pleasantly surprised how people, anyone really, will lend a hand to help me navigate something. Washrooms are the biggest problem, you would be surprised how many I needed to use that do not have a simple thing like grab bars to make your life easier.

In Alberta my handicapped parking tag is good until 2030 and I do not have to pay anything for it. The big thing I needed it for was to open my car door as far as possible so I could get my legs out wity my limited range of motion. For that you need a wider parking space, regular spots are too narrow for me. That is getting betting though. Mobility is getting better and I can bend a bit more. Sometimes I do not take the good parking so I can prove to myself that one day I will not need those spots. My goal, one of my goals, in 2027 is to get to the point where I put the handicapped placard in the glove box and use regular parking spots. 

My Way

Photographed in Mendham, Saskatchewan.

Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Not a great week

Over the last month I have been making some good progress. My gait is getting a bit better and I am feeling more stable. Still need a cane for now. Unfortunately my body decided to attack me with bad pain all over and I needed to give myself a rest. I had to get into the prescription painkillers - Tylenol 4 - to make life bearable. When they wear off you feel hungover which is not a great feeling.